Promoting your appearances in 3 easy ways

As a guest of an event it is important to let others know when and where you’ll be appearing. I’m going to give you 3 ways you can do it easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Promotion isn’t fun for everyone. And believe it or not, some artist don’t even bother. They leave it all to the show/event host. I understand that things can get busy, but the very least you can do is mention upcoming appearances on your website or social media. Unless of course you’re worried that someone might sneak into your house while you’re gone. Which is totally understandable, especially if your home insurance is terrible, or if you’re no longer taking your medication. Or maybe you haven’t renewed your home security contract. Regardless, if you don’t have a good reason, you should be screaming to the top of your lungs about all the neat places you’ll be going. No, that isn’t the number one way to promote.

Come throw caution out the window, with your belongings, and let planet earth know you’ll be appearing at an upcoming show/event.

1. Create a special image to use when talking about your appearance.

Events usually have some sort of poster or logo that you can use when talking about your appearance. However, I like to create my own. It allows me to feature my artwork, design & style. It becomes more targeted for my unique audience (hi Linda). Sure it takes a little time especially if you have multiple appearances in a season. But after a few years of doing it I realized with a little planning my design/concept could last all year. If you’re appearing more than once during a certain time period then you’re doing a tour! So create something you can easily modify for each of your stops.

What’s another advantage of creating your own promo-image? Well, it is totally customizable to your own needs. An original poster allows you to add specific things available at the event. You can highlight new items, special content or showcase one of your characters/novels or #artsthingy.

I’ve even printed and sold them as exclusives at the show/event. Not a ton, but some people dig that sort of commemorative thing. Especially your “fans” (aka family members & their friends they bring). For serious, you can even use them as freebies or sales incentives. Give them away with purchases or whatever. The poster is itself a new item, so why not use it as such.

2. E-mail people you think might be interested

Yes, people still have e-mail addresses. They use them to sign into social media networks and to get verification codes when changing forgotten passwords. Plus junk mail and other things. So send them a simple e-mail that says “Hey, I’m going to be here if you wanna come say hello and chat for a bit.” You might be surprised at who shows up. Attach your new fancy promo-image for extra pizzaz!

I firmly believe that a strong and well maintained e-mail list is super effective at getting the word out. You may not get direct responses from a generic e-mail you’ve sent. But you’ll get eyes on your content and word out about your appearance. That’s something you can’t get the way today’s social media algorithms are working. Plus, you’re list might have people on it that the event coordinator doesn’t even know are interested. Use Mailchimp or one of a million others out there.

3. Post on social media

You’ve got some friends out there in the digital world. Unless your enjoying a uni-bomber lifestyle sharing is a simple way to get the word out. Post, tweet, gram, tic-toc, or snap it. You use social media everyday, so use it to promote your appearance. Even a simple snap shot of yourself and a caption about the event will get the word out to some people who may not realize there is something coming up.

Your last chance to promote is posting from the floor of the show/event. People enjoy seeing what their missing out on. Those photos might even motivate others to break loose from their comfy homes and voyage out into the wonderful world. Yes, not everyone plans their weekends a year in advance. So post away and share all the fun that you’re having!

Enjoy the festivities

It’s sometimes stressful preparing for your appearances. You might put a lot of pressure on yourself to hit goals or fulfill expectations. But don’t forget to enjoy yourself in the moment. You’ve made arrangements to be there so put a little effort into appreciating everything going on around. Create some endorphins and soak up the energy of the festivities. Hopefully everyone who wants to be there will be. Just make sure to tell Debbie Downer to stay home and give Frankie Funtime the front row seats.