As an event marketer, you understand the struggle of a limited budget and resources (especially for promotions) and cutting through the noise to get people to register for your event.

Even the best-planned conferences with top-notch speakers and content won’t succeed if enough people (and the right ones) don’t know about it—or don’t feel excited enough to attend.

To help you go from “we have an outstanding event idea” to “we had an amazing turnout and meaningful engagement”, we will share 5 practical and budget-friendly ideas to help you ace your user conference promotions. Read on.

1. Personalized invites from customer success, sales, and executives

Encourage your customer success and sales reps and executives to send personal invites to prospects and top customers. 

We recommend sending out LinkedIn messages as they often cut through the noise more effectively than email. However, communication via phone and email can still be effective, depending on your ICP preferences.

For your top accounts, tailor your messaging by highlighting a custom agenda (and discounted passes) aligned with their business needs. For example, you can share specific session schedules that can help them overcome the pain points they are currently facing. 

You can also spark friendly competition and recognition as additional motivation for your sales and customer success teams. Track whose invites secure the highest or most relevant registrations for your user conference.

Did you know? 💡

On Zuddl’s analytics dashboard, you can easily view and track turnout rates and revenue-influenced via attendees who sign up through invites sent by your internal team members.

Pro tip: Don’t forget to consider AI tools (such as Outreach, HeyReach, etc.) that can help you scale personalized outreach to these prospects or top customers. 

[.ebook-purple-list][.ebook-q-card-heading][.h5-ebook-24px-p-600]Why this tactic works:[.h5-ebook-24px-p-600][.ebook-q-card-heading][.ebook-notepad-list][.ebook-list-text]• Personalized outreach feels more genuine and less “spammy”.[.ebook-list-text][.ebook-list-text]• Prospects and top accounts appreciate a tailored approach that aligns with their needs.[.ebook-list-text][.ebook-list-text]• Builds on existing trust between your internal team members and prospects and top accounts.[.ebook-list-text][.ebook-notepad-list][.ebook-purple-list]

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2. Make use of your top web pages and in-product notifications

Don’t forget to turn your existing, high-traffic website pages into sign-up magnets for your conference. Place event-related display banners on your most popular blog posts, landing pages, home page, and product login screen.

Every time someone visits these pages, they see a clear CTA prompting them to register or learn more.

Also, consider in-product notifications (with special offers or discounted tickets) for existing customers, motivating them to sign up for your user conference.

[.ebook-purple-list][.ebook-q-card-heading][.h5-ebook-24px-p-600]Why this tactic works:[.h5-ebook-24px-p-600][.ebook-q-card-heading][.ebook-notepad-list][.ebook-list-text]• You’re maximizing your existing high-traffic real estate.[.ebook-list-text][.ebook-list-text]• Frequent references to your user conference keep it top-of-mind for your website visitors.[.ebook-list-text][.ebook-list-text]• In-product notifications reach customers who are already engaged with your product.[.ebook-list-text][.ebook-notepad-list][.ebook-purple-list]

3. Double down on event promotion via your speakers

You’re probably already investing in top speakers. Go one step further by asking them (especially the ones with a sizable audience) to record a short teaser video for their socials, sharing what they’ll speak about and why your user conference is a must-attend. 

You can also have your speakers send these videos and other event details to their email lists for more views 

We recommend you include this ask in their contract during your initial discussions so it’s not overlooked.

[.ebook-purple-list][.ebook-q-card-heading][.h5-ebook-24px-p-600]Why this tactic works:[.h5-ebook-24px-p-600][.ebook-q-card-heading][.ebook-notepad-list][.ebook-list-text]• Personal videos from experts grab more attention than simple text posts on socials.[.ebook-list-text][.ebook-list-text]• Creates a ripple effect on social platforms, helping your event reach wider audiences organically.[.ebook-list-text][.ebook-notepad-list][.ebook-purple-list]

4. Cross-campaign all year long 

Don’t wait until 3-6 months before your user conference. Promote it in your webinars, field events, or email newsletters throughout the year. 

Offer discounts or free passes (wherever possible) to attendees or recipients. This way, many will already be counting down by the time actual ticket sales open up.

[.ebook-purple-list][.ebook-q-card-heading][.h5-ebook-24px-p-600]Why this tactic works:[.h5-ebook-24px-p-600][.ebook-q-card-heading][.ebook-notepad-list][.ebook-list-text]• Keeps your conference in the spotlight, building gradual anticipation.[.ebook-list-text][.ebook-list-text]• Rewards loyal participants across other campaigns, increasing brand goodwill.[.ebook-list-text][.ebook-list-text]• Spreads out your promotion efforts, so you’re not scrambling at the last minute.[.ebook-list-text][.ebook-notepad-list][.ebook-purple-list]

5. Build FOMO via past attendees’ experiences

One of the most authentic ways to generate buzz for your user conference is to have past attendees share personal experiences via their social accounts. These experiences could be around their favorite moment—something that inspired, entertained, or educated them. 

Encourage them to include pictures, quotes, takeaways, and relevant hashtags. A quick selfie from last year’s conference or a testimonial about an epic panel discussion can generate serious FOMO for anyone who missed out.

Don’t forget to incentivize them in return for sharing these posts. For instance, you could offer free or discounted tickets for the next edition of your conference to the top 5 or 10 people with the best social posts (with the most engagement or value).

Here’s an example of how Ahrefs, a leading SEO SaaS platform, executed this tactic:

[.ebook-purple-list][.ebook-q-card-heading][.h5-ebook-24px-p-600]Why this tactic works:[.h5-ebook-24px-p-600][.ebook-q-card-heading][.ebook-notepad-list][.ebook-list-text]• People trust recommendations from their peers, and user-generated content feels more authentic than any ad campaign.[.ebook-list-text][.ebook-list-text]• Creates a ripple effect on social platforms, helping your event reach wider audiences organically.[.ebook-list-text][.ebook-notepad-list][.ebook-purple-list]

Promoting your user conference doesn’t have to be expensive or overwhelming. You can build real excitement at a reasonable cost by leaning on genuine stories, smart speaker promotion, internal team efforts, and tapping into your existing resources and networks. 

Remember, the best events feel personal. So, focus on connections, creativity, and consistency to bring your conference’s vision to life.

Happy planning, and here's to the success of your user conference!