Facebook Events allow users to create and manage events, invite friends, and promote the event to gain more interest. Events can be created for a variety of occasions like birthdays, concerts, conferences, meetings, vacations and more.
With over 2.3 billion monthly active users, Facebook presents a great opportunity to publicize your event to a wide audience. Facebook Events have several useful features such as ability to create co-hosts, post updates, add photos/videos, and track RSVPs. Hosts can also customize privacy settings and collaborate with other hosts to plan and manage the event.
If you want to gain more exposure and increase engagement for your event, Facebook Events are a great option. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to create an event on Facebook and invite friends:
Prerequisites
Before you create a Facebook Event, make sure you meet the following requirements:
- You must have a Facebook account.
- Your account must be updated with your real name and birthday.
- You may need to create a Facebook Page for your business, venue, organization or community before creating an event.
If you are creating an event for a business, venue or public figure, having a Facebook Page allows you to post events directly to that Page instead of your personal profile.
Step 1: Access Facebook Events
To begin creating your event, go to www.facebook.com and log into your account. Then follow these steps:
- Click on the upside down triangle icon in the top right corner of your Facebook window.
- Select “Events” from the dropdown menu.
This will open the Events dashboard. From here, you can view Events you’ve RSVP’d to, Events you’ve created, and recommendations for new Events.
Step 2: Click “Create Event”
From the Events dashboard, click on the “Create Event” button in blue located on the left side of the page.
Alternatively, you can also create an event directly from your News Feed by clicking “Events” from the Create menu at the top of the page.
Step 3: Add Event Details
After clicking “Create Event”, you will be taken to the event creation page. This is where you fill out important details about the event such as:
- Event Name – Choose a descriptive name for your event.
- Location – Enter the venue name and full address where the event will take place. If it’s an online event, you can list it as “Online event”.
- Date and Time – Select the date and time when the event starts and ends. You can choose to make it an all-day event as well.
- Description – Add more details that describe what the event is about. Share logistics, schedule, parking details, or other useful information.
- Primary Photo – Upload a compelling photo representing your event. It will be featured on the event page and in the news feed.
Provide as many relevant details as possible – it gives people context about your event and incentives to attend.
Step 4: Customize Additional Options
Scroll down on the event creation page to find additional options you can customize:
- Add co-hosts – Co-hosts can help you manage posts and guests. Enter co-host names to tag them.
- Create Facebook event link – You can generate a custom link like facebook.com/yourcustomevent to promote your event URL.
- Tags – Add tags associated with your event like #music, #5krun to help people find it.
- Audience – Choose if you want a public event open to all, friends only, specific groups/friends, or a private event.
- Tickets URL – Add a link to a ticketing or registration website for your event.
These additional options allow further customization for your event page.
Step 5: Create the Event
Once you’ve filled all the critical event details and settings, click the blue “Create” button at the bottom to officially publish the Facebook event.
You will get a preview of how the event will appear. If everything looks good, click “Go Live” and your event is now created!
Step 6: Invite Friends to the Event
With your event page created, it’s time to invite friends. There are a few ways to do this:
- Go to the Event page and click “Invite” next to the guest list. Select friends to invite or type their names.
- Click “Share Event” and post the event on your timeline or in Facebook groups. Tag friends in the post you want to invite.
- On the Event page, click “Send Email Invites” to mass message friends an invite with the event details.
The more friends you directly invite, the greater chance of them seeing it and engaging with your event.
Step 7: Promote and Manage the Event
Now that you’ve created and shared the event, here are some tips to promote it and keep guests engaged:
- Post updates, photos, videos, polls, or questions about the event to keep it active on people’s feeds.
- Share event posts in relevant Facebook groups, especially those related to the event’s location, industry or interests.
- Run ads on Facebook to boost visibility for your event and target interested audiences.
- Send email and Facebook reminders as the event date gets closer.
- Post frequently as the event goes live to recap highlights and moments.
- After the event, post a summary, photos and thank attendees for coming.
This keeps people informed, builds anticipation, and turns attendees into evangelists for your event.
Conclusion
Creating a Facebook event provides unmatched access to the world’s largest online community. With strategic planning and execution, your event can gain huge exposure and engagement on Facebook.
By following the steps above on how to create an event, invite friends and promote it, you can take full advantage of Facebook’s event marketing features. Just remember – compelling visuals, relevant details, and consistent posting are key to event success on Facebook.