Live-event venues are finding new ways to cut through the noise and reach potential audiences. One of the most effective strategies is partnering with influencers—individuals with dedicated online followings who can amplify a venue’s events and help sell tickets
THE POWER OF INFLUENCE
Influencers, particularly those in niche markets like entertainment, food, or lifestyle, have built trusted communities. When they promote a live event, it comes across as a personal recommendation rather than traditional advertising. For venues, this means influencers can create excitement, share authentic experiences, and drive last-minute ticket purchases from their followers.
FINDING THE RIGHT FIT
The key to a successful influencer partnership is finding someone whose audience aligns with the event. A comedy club might benefit from collaborating with humor-based content creators, while a theater hosting a high-end performance could partner with fashion or culture influencers. Smaller influencers (microinfluencers) with highly engaged audiences often deliver better results than bigger names, especially when targeting local markets.
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
1.- Start Small: You don’t need to partner with a nationally known name in order for this to work. Find influencers in your local area who are already attending events or engaging with the type of content your venue promotes. Use platforms like Instagram or TikTok to search for potential partners who align with your brand and audience.
2.- Size Isn’t Everything: When selecting who to work with, focus on a user’s engagement rate rather than their number of followers. Tools like HypeAuditor.com or Click Analytic help analyze engagement to find influencers who have meaningful interactions with their followers.
3.- No Need To Break The Bank: Before you adjust your budget, consider offering payment in kind. Ticket to events, VIP add-ons, or exclusive backstage tours are great ways to entice influencers without draining your bottom line.
4.- Co-Create Content: Have influencers attend an event and share their experience in real-time through Instagram Stories, TikTok, or YouTube vlogs. Authentic content is more likely to convert followers into ticket buyers.
5.- Track Engagement: None of the above matters if you have no way of knowing whether it worked. Get familiar with Google Analytics and provide influencers with custom discount codes or UTMs in order to track the ROI of each partnership.
AN INFLUENCER TO MATCH YOUR NEEDS
NANO-INFLUENCERS 1,000 to 10,000 Followers Typically have a very niche and highly engaged audience, often within a local or specific interest community.
MICRO-INFLUENCERS 10,000 to 100,000 Followers Often have a targeted audience with higher engagement rates than larger influencers. They’re particularly effective for niche markets and local events.
MACRO-INFLUENCERS 100,000 to 1 Million Followers These influencers have a broader reach and are often industry or lifestyle experts. Their audience is larger, but engagement rates can sometimes be lower than micro-influencers.
MEGA-INFLUENCERS Over 1 Million Followers Typically celebrities or well-known personalities with vast reach. They often command high fees for collaborations but may not have the intimate audience connection that smaller influencers do.
UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module, and is a snippet of code added to a URL to track the performance of online marketing campaigns.
UTM codes can help marketers answer questions about their web traffic such as:
Where is the traffic coming from?
How is it getting to the site?
Why is it coming to the site?
THE BOTTOM LINE
By working with influencers who genuinely align with you event’s target audience, you can tap into new markets, boost ticket sales, and build long-term visibility. With the right approach, influencer partnerships can turn casual followers into loyal patrons who keep coming back for more.