Facebook events are a great way to bring people together, whether it’s for a birthday party, concert, or professional networking event. While you can easily invite your Facebook friends to events you create, you may also want to invite people who aren’t already friends with you on Facebook.
Fortunately, Facebook provides a few different options for inviting non-friends to events. Here are some tips on how to invite someone to a Facebook event who is not your friend.
Make the Event Public
The easiest way to invite non-friends to a Facebook event is to make the event public. Here’s how:
- Go to your Facebook Events page and click on the event you want to make public.
- Click on the Event Privacy button in the top right corner of the event page.
- Select the “Public” option.
This will open up your event so that anyone on Facebook can find it and see the event details. People who are interested can click “Join” or “Interested” on the event page to RSVP.
The downside of making an event public is that literally anyone on Facebook can see and join the event. If you want your event to be open but limited to a certain guest list, a public event may not be the right choice.
Invite Guests Individually
If you only want to invite specific people who are not your Facebook friends, you can invite guests individually:
- Go to your Facebook event page and click on Invite Guests.
- Enter the name or email address of the person you want to invite.
- Click Invite and the person will receive an invitation via email or notification.
This allows you to selectively choose who can view and join your event. It takes more time than making an event public, but gives you greater control over your guest list.
Share the Event Link
You can generate a direct link to any Facebook event, even private ones, and share that link with non-friends:
- Go to your Facebook event page.
- Click on the Share button at the top right of the page.
- Select “Copy Link” to copy the event’s unique URL.
- Paste this link to share it via email, text, Messenger, WhatsApp, Twitter, or anywhere else.
When people click on the link, they will be taken directly to the event page. From there, they can click “Join” or “Interested” to RSVP. This is useful for sharing event details anywhere outside of Facebook.
Use Facebook Groups
If the people you want to invite are part of the same Facebook group, you can create your event in that group:
- Go to the group where you want to create the event.
- Click on Events in the left menu bar and select Create Event.
- Fill out the event name, details, date/time, and location.
- Click Create and all group members will be able to view and RSVP to the event.
The advantage of creating events in Facebook Groups is that all group members will immediately be able to see it in their News Feed. You don’t have to manually invite anyone, and only group members can view or join the event.
Boost the Event Post
If your event post or invite is not reaching a wide enough audience, you can boost the post to get more visibility:
- Go to your Facebook event page and click Boost This Event at the bottom.
- Choose your budget, duration, and target audience for the boosted post.
- Click Boost Post and Facebook will promote it to more people.
Boosting is a paid option but can be effective at getting your event in front of many more people who are not already following your Page or connected to you on Facebook.
Consider Facebook Ads
In addition to boosting your event post, you can also run a Facebook Ad specifically promoting your event:
- Go to Facebook Ads Manager and click +Create.
- Select your objective as “Event Responses.”
- Choose the event you want to advertise.
- Target your preferred audience and set a budget.
- Run the ad campaign to promote your event to new people.
Facebook Ads give you more options for targeting specific demographics or interests to get your event in front of relevant people. However, they require more time, effort, and budget compared to a simple post boost.
Use Facebook Live
If you want to generate buzz for your event, consider hosting a Facebook Live session related to the event:
- In advance of the event, click Live Video in your Facebook app or account.
- Stream live video that teases or talks about the upcoming event.
- Share fun facts, special announcements, or behind-the-scenes footage.
- Mention how people can register or RSVP for the event.
Going live not only builds anticipation for your event, but also spreads the word to all your viewers’ friends and followers. Some may see the live video and become interested in attending or sharing your event.
Create an Event Hashtag
Hashtags help gather social posts about the same topic in one place. You can create a unique hashtag just for your event:
- Come up with a short, simple hashtag related to your event name or purpose.
- Include the hashtag on your event marketing and remind attendees to use it in social posts.
- Search that hashtag yourself to find photos, videos, and comments from your event.
- Use the hashtag when making your own event posts to add to the event conversation.
Seeing what others post with your event hashtag can help generate interest in the event and recap fun moments later. It also helps spread the word further to potential new attendees.
Partner With Relevant Groups
Consider reaching out to complementary organizations or groups to partner on promoting your event:
- Offer to co-host the event with related business or community groups.
- Ask them to share event details with their members via email or social media.
- Have their leaders invite direct contacts who may be interested.
- Provide free or discounted tickets for their group members.
- Promote their own events in return.
Partnering expands your event’s reach to engaged, targeted audiences outside your own existing network. Find groups whose members align with your target demographic and would appreciate the event info.
Send Out a Press Release
If your event has broad appeal, send a press release to local media contacts:
- Summarize key event details and highlights in a 1-page document.
- Explain why the event is newsworthy or relevant to the community.
- Submit the release to newspapers, radio stations, tv news shows, city sites, local blogs, etc.
- Call or email these outlets to provide additional event info or pitch interviews.
Earning media coverage is an impactful way to boost visibility and credibility for your event. Outreach should start several weeks in advance to increase the chance of pickup.
Advertise on Other Pages
You can expand your event invite list by advertising on public Facebook Pages and Groups related to your target audience:
- Search Facebook for popular pages in your industry or location.
- Review their rules on advertising third-party events/content.
- Craft an event post with eye-catching visuals and clear event details.
- Pay to boost the post or ask the Page owner to share it organically.
Posting about your event on public Pages allows you to engage people who don’t actively follow your own organization yet.
Send Email Invitations
Email is still one of the most direct ways to promote your event to new audiences outside of Facebook:
- Create an email list of contacts who fit your target demographic.
- Design an email template that highlights key event info and logistics.
- Personalize each message with the contact’s name.
- Include a clickable link to the Facebook event page.
- Follow up with reminder emails closer to the event date.
Email invites allow you to reach people who don’t use Facebook regularly. Collecting contact info specifically for event purposes can yield better open and click-through rates.
Run Retargeting Ads
Retarget people who have already shown interest in your event with follow-up ads:
- Create a Custom Audience of people who have viewed your event page or site.
- Run Facebook ads targeted just to this group.
- Use messaging reminding them to register before spots fill up.
- Consider expanding your targeting to lookalike audiences.
Retargeting helps convert interested people into actual attendees by keeping your event top of mind. Custom audiences ensure your ads are only shown to relevant people.
Offer Discounts or Contests
Sweeten the deal by offering promotions to incentivize RSVPs:
- Give discounts for early bird or group ticket purchases.
- Run a social media contest for free entries (follow, share, tag friends).
- Partner with a sponsor to provide on-site giveaways.
- Promote referral bonuses for existing attendees.
Discounts and special offers appeal to people’s natural tendency to want the best deal. Contests also engage existing event members to help promote it to their networks.
Have a Clear Call to Action
Every piece of event marketing should direct people towards a specific action:
- Tell people explicitly to register, RSVP, buy tickets, etc.
- Avoid passive language like “See if you can make it!”
- Use urgency and scarcity when applicable.
- Thank people for any steps taken towards registration.
Strong calls to action guide people through each phase of event interest and conversion. Never assume people will sign up on their own without prompting.
Conclusion
Inviting non-friends to a Facebook event takes creativity, consistency, and persistence. Start by tapping into your existing resources like public groups, email contacts, and social media channels. Then look for opportunities to expand your reach through partnerships, promotions, and paid advertising options.
Leveraging multiple platforms both on and off of Facebook gives you the best chance of getting your event in front of fresh new audiences. Keep experimenting to see which invitation strategies deliver the most registrations and engagement.