B2B Event Promotion: 10 Strategies That Actually Work
By Attendir Team
There's no shortage of advice on promoting B2B events. The problem is that most of it is generic: "use social media," "send emails," "create great content." That's not actionable.
This article is different. These are 10 specific strategies that B2B event organizers are using right now to drive registrations. Each one includes concrete steps you can implement for your next event.
1. Launch an Attendee Advocacy Program
Impact: Very High | Effort: Low
Attendee advocacy is the strategy of empowering your registered attendees to promote your event through their professional networks. It's the highest-ROI promotion tactic available to event organizers.
How it works
When someone registers for your event, you prompt them to share a personalized "I'm attending" card on LinkedIn. Each share reaches the attendee's professional network — people who are likely in the same industry and role level as your target audience.
Why it works
Peer recommendations are more trusted than brand messages. When a professional sees that a colleague is attending a conference, it carries far more weight than a LinkedIn ad from the event organizer.
How to implement it
Use a tool like Attendir to set up a sharing campaign. Attendees receive a link, see their personalized card, and share to LinkedIn with one click. Most organizers see 20-30% participation rates, generating thousands of impressions per event.
Concrete step: Set up your first attendee advocacy campaign before your next event opens registration. Make the sharing prompt part of your confirmation flow.
2. Build a Multi-Touch Email Sequence
Impact: High | Effort: Medium
Single-send email blasts are outdated. Modern event promotion requires a carefully sequenced email strategy.
The optimal sequence
- Email 1 (8 weeks out): Announcement with early-bird pricing
- Email 2 (6 weeks out): Speaker and agenda highlights
- Email 3 (4 weeks out): Social proof (registration numbers, attendee companies)
- Email 4 (2 weeks out): Session deep-dives and networking opportunities
- Email 5 (1 week out): Last chance with urgency messaging
- Email 6 (3 days out): Final spots / waitlist warning
Segmentation matters
Don't send the same email to your entire list. Segment by:
- Past attendees vs. first-time prospects
- Industry vertical
- Job seniority
- Engagement with previous emails
A segmented email sequence typically outperforms a single blast by 3-5x in registration conversions.
Concrete step: Map out your 6-email sequence now and schedule it before your next event's registration opens.
3. Create Strategic Speaker Partnerships
Impact: High | Effort: Medium
Your speakers are your most valuable promotional partners. Each one has their own audience, credibility, and reach.
Go beyond "please share the event"
Most organizers send speakers a generic "please promote the event" email with a link. That's not enough. Instead:
- Create personalized speaker cards ("I'm speaking at [Event] on [Topic]")
- Write draft social posts that speakers can customize
- Provide branded banners for their LinkedIn profile
- Schedule a dedicated speaker promotion week where multiple speakers post simultaneously
The network effect
If your event has 15 speakers, each with 5,000 LinkedIn connections, that's potential access to 75,000 professionals. Coordinating their posts within the same week creates a visibility surge that the algorithm rewards.
Concrete step: Prepare a speaker promotion kit (cards, draft posts, banners) and distribute it 6 weeks before the event with clear instructions on when and how to share.
4. Run a LinkedIn Content Campaign
Impact: High | Effort: High
LinkedIn is the most important organic channel for B2B event promotion (we cover this in detail in our LinkedIn event promotion guide). A structured content campaign outperforms sporadic posting.
Content types that drive registrations
- Speaker spotlights: Feature individual speakers with their key insights
- Data teasers: Share industry statistics and position your event sessions as the deep-dive
- Attendee testimonials: Short quotes from past attendees about their experience
- Behind-the-scenes: Venue, planning, and preparation content
- Milestone announcements: Registration numbers and company logos
Posting cadence
Post at least 3 times per week for the 6 weeks leading up to your event. Engagement compounds — consistent posting trains the algorithm to distribute your content to a wider audience.
Concrete step: Create a 6-week content calendar with 18+ posts mapped to specific content types and key milestones.
5. Partner with Industry Communities
Impact: High | Effort: Medium
Every B2B niche has active communities: Slack groups, LinkedIn groups, newsletters, podcasts, and online forums. Partnering with these communities gives you direct access to your target audience.
Partnership formats
- Newsletter sponsorships: Many industry newsletters accept event sponsorships for a fraction of LinkedIn ad costs
- Podcast appearances: Pitch your speakers as podcast guests with a natural event mention
- Community discount codes: Offer exclusive discounts to specific communities
- Co-marketing: Partner with community organizers on content that promotes both brands
Finding the right communities
Look for communities where your target attendees already spend time. Check LinkedIn groups, Slack directories, and industry newsletters. Focus on engaged communities (high comment rates, active members) rather than just large ones.
Concrete step: Identify 5 industry communities your target attendees belong to and reach out to organizers about partnership opportunities.
6. Deploy Retargeting Campaigns
Impact: Medium-High | Effort: Low
Most people who visit your event page don't register on the first visit. Retargeting brings them back.
Three retargeting audiences
- Website visitors: People who visited your event page but didn't register
- Email openers: People who opened your emails but didn't click through
- Social engagers: People who interacted with your event posts
Platform recommendations
- LinkedIn retargeting: Best for reaching professional audiences with event-specific messaging
- Google Display retargeting: Cost-effective for broad reach across the web
- Meta retargeting: Useful if your audience is active on Instagram or Facebook
Retargeting ads typically convert 3-5x higher than cold traffic because you're reaching people who've already shown interest.
Concrete step: Install tracking pixels on your event registration page and set up retargeting campaigns at least 4 weeks before the event.
7. Leverage Past Attendee Testimonials
Impact: Medium-High | Effort: Low
Past attendees are your most credible promotional asset. Their testimonials carry more weight than anything your marketing team can write. This is social proof in action — and it's one of the most underused levers in event marketing.
Collecting effective testimonials
Send a short survey to past attendees with specific questions:
- "What was the most valuable thing you gained from attending?"
- "Would you recommend this event to a colleague? Why?"
- "What's one thing you implemented after the event?"
Use their responses (with permission) across all your promotional channels: email, social media, your event page, and paid ads.
Video testimonials
Even a 30-second selfie-style video from a past attendee is incredibly powerful. It's authentic, personal, and far more engaging than text.
Concrete step: Email last year's attendees with a 3-question survey and ask permission to use their responses in this year's promotion.
8. Offer Group Registration Incentives
Impact: Medium | Effort: Low
B2B events often have multiple attendees from the same organization. Group registration incentives encourage existing registrants to bring colleagues.
Effective incentive structures
- Team discount: 15-20% off for 3+ registrations from the same company
- Referral credits: Registered attendees get a discount code for colleagues
- VIP upgrades: Register 5+, get one VIP pass included
Group incentives work because they give attendees a tangible reason to advocate internally for sending a larger team.
Concrete step: Add a group discount option to your registration page and mention it in your post-registration confirmation email.
9. Create Early-Bird and Deadline-Driven Urgency
Impact: Medium | Effort: Low
Urgency is one of the oldest promotional tactics, but it works when used strategically.
Structure your pricing tiers
- Super early bird: Limited quantity, best price (creates scarcity)
- Early bird: Available for a set period (creates time urgency)
- Standard: Regular pricing
- Late/on-site: Premium pricing (reinforces that earlier = better deal)
Communicate deadlines clearly
Every promotional email should mention the current pricing tier and when it expires. Use countdown timers on your event page.
Concrete step: Set up at least 3 pricing tiers with clear deadlines and communicate each transition point across all channels.
10. Optimize Your Event Landing Page
Impact: Medium | Effort: Medium
Your landing page is where everything converges — every ad, email, and social post drives traffic here. A poorly optimized page wastes all that effort.
Essential elements
- Clear value proposition: What will attendees gain? (Lead with benefits, not features)
- Social proof: Registration numbers, company logos, testimonials
- Speaker highlights: Photos, names, and session titles
- Agenda overview: At-a-glance session structure
- Pricing: Transparent, with the current tier highlighted
- FAQ section: Address common objections (location, parking, cancellation policy)
- Single, prominent CTA: One "Register Now" button, visible without scrolling
Speed matters
Every additional second of page load time reduces conversions. Test your page speed and optimize images, scripts, and hosting.
Concrete step: Run your event page through a conversion audit. Check for clear CTA, social proof, speaker highlights, and fast load time.
Prioritizing Your Strategy
You don't need all 10 strategies at once. Here's a recommended priority order:
- Attendee advocacy (Strategy 1) — highest ROI, lowest effort
- Email sequence (Strategy 2) — foundation of any event promotion
- LinkedIn content (Strategy 4) — builds organic momentum
- Speaker partnerships (Strategy 3) — multiplies your reach
- Landing page optimization (Strategy 10) — improves conversion on all traffic
Start with these five, then layer in the remaining strategies as capacity allows. To understand which strategies deliver the best return, learn how to measure your event marketing ROI.
Ready to implement attendee advocacy for your next event? Attendir lets you launch a LinkedIn sharing campaign in minutes. Start your free 7-day trial and see the impact on your registrations.