How to write an event listing that gets people to act

An effective event listing does not try to sound clever. It helps someone answer five questions quickly: What is it? Is it for me? When and where is it? What will it cost? What should I do next?

Use this guide as a template when you add an event to Find What's On or anywhere else your audience makes plans.

Write a title people can understand out of context

A useful formula is specific event name + useful qualifier. The qualifier might describe the format, audience, location or main draw.

• Clear: Friday Night Jazz at Harbour Hall
• Clear: Beginners' Sourdough Workshop
• Clear: Riverside Family Fun Day
• Weak: You Won't Want to Miss This!
• Weak: Our September Event

Do not repeat the suburb, date or business name unless it genuinely helps distinguish the event. Those details have their own fields.

Make the first 40 words do the hard work

The opening should identify the experience and the intended audience. Start with the visitor, not your organisation's biography.

Before: We are delighted to announce that, following many months of planning, our team will once again be hosting our annual event.

After: Spend Saturday afternoon tasting dishes from eight local vendors, listening to live acoustic sets and enjoying free children's activities by the river.

The second version gives the reader something they can picture. The organisational background can come later if it adds trust or meaning.

Use the description to answer real questions

After the opening, organise information in the order a customer is likely to need it:

1. What will happen and what is included?
2. Who is it designed for?
3. Does the visitor need to book, arrive early or bring anything?
4. What accessibility, age or weather information matters?
5. Who can they contact if their question is not answered?

Short paragraphs and lists are easier to scan on a phone. Remove empty phrases such as "something for everyone" unless you immediately explain what the different options are.

Enter date, time and location precisely

Use the dedicated event fields for structured facts, then mention only the details that need explanation in the description. Confirm the local time, start and finish time, full venue name and physical address.

For recurring events, explain the pattern and any exceptions. For online or hybrid events, say how and when access instructions will be sent. If doors open before the advertised start, include both times and label them.

Be transparent about price and booking

State whether the event is free, paid or requires a deposit. If prices vary, explain the main ticket types and unavoidable fees. "Free" and "bookings required" can both be true, so include both.

Link to the most direct useful page. A customer should not have to search your homepage for the ticket button. Test the link on a phone and in a private browser window.

Include the details that prevent disappointment

Not every event needs every item below, but omissions create avoidable enquiries:

• wheelchair access, accessible toilets and seating arrangements;
• age restrictions or adult supervision requirements;
• parking, public transport or arrival instructions;
• food and drink availability or dietary options;
• what is supplied and what attendees should bring;
• wet-weather plans and cancellation communication; and
• photography or recording notices.

Choose an image that explains the experience

Your cover image should be relevant, well lit and readable as a small thumbnail. A photograph of the experience is usually more useful than a poster filled with tiny text. Do not rely on the image to communicate the date or price; write those details into the listing.

Add alternative text that describes the meaningful visual content, such as "Two adults learning to shape sourdough loaves at a timber workbench." You do not need to begin with "Image of".

Finish with one clear next step

Choose the action the reader needs to take: book a ticket, reserve a free place, enquire, register a team or simply arrive. Use a direct phrase and tell them about any deadline.

Copy-and-complete template

[Event name] is a [type of experience] for [intended audience]. Join us to [main benefit or activity].

During the event, you will [two or three concrete highlights]. Your [ticket/registration] includes [inclusions].

Please [booking or arrival instruction]. Bring [items]. [Accessibility, age, parking or weather note].

[Book/register/enquire] by [deadline]: [direct link or contact method].

Before you publish, read the listing once as a first-time visitor. If the date, place, price or next step makes you pause, make it clearer. Then publish your event on Find What's On.