The event marketing timeline: what to send and when

An event marketing timeline is a schedule of every announcement, email, text and post you'll send from the day you confirm a show to the day after it happens. For most UK gigs and club nights, a practical timeline runs from announcement six to twelve weeks out, through a presale and general sale, to weekly reasons to buy, a final-week push and a post-event follow-up.

The exact length depends on the size of the show. A small club night might need four to six weeks; a touring headliner at a larger venue is often announced months ahead. The order of messages, though, stays much the same.

Key takeaways

• Plan every message before you announce, so you're never scrambling for something to say in a quiet week.
• Each week needs one new reason to buy: a lineup addition, a tier ending, set times, a sales update.
• Use email for detail, SMS and WhatsApp for urgency, and Instagram for reach and visibility.
• The final week usually needs the most messages, but each must be short and specific.
• The day after the event is the start of the next campaign.

How long should an event campaign be?

As a rough guide:

These are starting points, not rules. Your own sales history is the best guide. If your crowd consistently buys in the last fortnight, an extra month of runway may just mean an extra month of silence.

The full timeline

This example uses a six-week campaign for a single gig or club night. Stretch the middle section for longer campaigns; the start and end stay the same.

Before announcing (2 to 4 weeks before announcement)

Nothing goes public yet. Get ready:

• Confirm lineup, venue, date, ticket prices and tiers.
• Set up the ticket link and test a purchase on a phone.
• Create artwork in square, story and wide formats.
• Build a landing page or sign-up form for people who want the presale code.
• Segment your list: past attendees, local contacts, genre fans.
• Write and schedule your announcement and presale messages.

Teaser (3 to 7 days before announcement)

Optional, but useful for bigger shows.

• Instagram: a cryptic story or post. "Something big for [City] in March. Announcement Thursday."
• Email: "Presale sign-up is open. Get the code before anyone else."
• Goal: fill your presale list.

Week 6: presale and announcement

Read presale codes explained for how to set up the code and the presale messages.

Week 5: reach new people

• Instagram: artist content (mixes, videos), shared by the artists themselves.
• Street team: launch with tracked links and a brief.
• Paid ads: start if you use them, especially retargeting people who visited the ticket page.
• Email: none needed if you sent the presale and announcement last week.

Week 4: content week

The mid-campaign dip is normal. Fill it with content rather than more sales messages.

• Email: a story-led email, such as "Why we booked [Artist]" with a mix or video.
• Instagram: a past event clip, an artist interview, a playlist.
• Goal: keep the event visible without repeating "buy tickets" every time.

Week 3: first deadline

• Email: "Tier 1 ends Friday." Include the next price so the saving is clear.
• Instagram: the same message on stories and a post.
• SMS or WhatsApp: optional, to engaged non-buyers only.
• Extras: set times, a second room, afterparty or merch announcements.

Week 2: convert the undecided

• Email: a sales update ("Over 70% sold") only if true, plus practical info: nearest station, last trains, age policy.
• Follow-up: message people who clicked but didn't buy.
• Street team: leaderboard and a push for group bookings.

Week 1: final push

Keep final-week texts short: one line, the date, the link. If you've never planned an SMS sequence, see SMS marketing for events in the UK.

The day after

• Email to attendees: thank you, photos, the next date if you have one.
• Instagram: photos and clips, tagging artists and crowd (with permission).
• Data: import attendees and check-ins into your list, tag them by event, and note which links and reps sold.

One to two weeks after

• Email: "Save the date" or presale sign-up for the next event.
• Review: what sold, when, and through which channel.

Messages for ticket holders, not just buyers-to-be

Many promoters only market to people who haven't bought. Ticket holders need messages too, and they're often the most-read emails you send.

• Confirmation follow-up: a thank-you with the date and a reminder to bring friends.
• Set times and practical info: sent a few days before.
• Know before you go: on the day, with doors, last entry, ID and any bag policy.
• Post-event thank you: within a day.

These are service messages, so they're mostly about the event the person bought for. Keep any marketing content (such as other events) for people who have agreed to receive it.

Which channel for which message

SMS and WhatsApp cost money per message and get read quickly, so save them for moments that matter. Email is cheap and flexible, but it can be missed. For a deeper comparison, see email vs SMS vs WhatsApp for gigs.

Automating the routine parts

Some timeline messages are the same for every event: the thank-you after purchase, the know-before-you-go email, the post-event follow-up. Set these up as automations once and they'll run for every show. In Backline, these routine messages can be built as automations, leaving you free to write the creative announcements by hand.

For ideas, read 5 automations every promoter should set up.

Common timeline mistakes

• Announcing before the ticket link works. Your biggest moment, wasted.
• Going quiet in the middle. People forget. Send something every week.
• All sales, no story. If every message says "buy tickets", people stop reading.
• Over-texting. Texts are powerful because they're rare. More than one or two marketing texts per event can lead to opt-outs.
• Forgetting ticket holders. They need practical info, and they're your best route to their friends.

Frequently asked questions

When should you announce a gig?

For most grassroots gigs, four to eight weeks before the date is a sensible default. Touring artists at bigger venues are often announced two to four months ahead, while regular club nights can work with two to six weeks. Use your own past sales to decide what works for your crowd.

How many emails should you send for one event?

A typical campaign might include a presale email, an announcement, a content email, a deadline reminder, a one-week-to-go email and a post-event follow-up. That's around five or six over six weeks, plus service emails to ticket holders. Each should give readers a new reason to open it.

When should you send event reminder texts?

Text reminders work best close to deadlines: when a presale is about to end, when a tier is closing, and one or two days before the event. Only send marketing texts to people who have agreed to receive them, and always include a way to opt out.

What should you send after an event?

Send a thank-you within a day, with photos and the next date if you have one. Then import attendees into your list with the right consent and tag them, so you can offer them first access next time. A week or two later, follow up with a presale sign-up for the next event.

What is a "know before you go" email?

A know-before-you-go email is a practical message sent to ticket holders shortly before an event. It covers door times, set times, last entry, ID requirements, bag policy and travel. It cuts down on questions and makes for a smoother night at the door.