A promoter team is a small group of people who bring their own crowd to your event. Done well, it fills the part of the room your own list can't reach. Done loosely, you end up with ten people posting the flyer and no idea who sold a single ticket.
Here's how to build a team step by step, so every promoter has a clear job and their own code to share.
Step 1: Work out how many tickets you need from them
Start with the room. In a hypothetical 250-person room where your past guests and followers usually buy around 150 tickets, your promoters need to bring the other 100.
That number tells you how big the team should be. Three to six promoters who each bring 15 to 30 people is easier to manage than fifteen who each bring two.
Step 2: Pick people who already have a crowd
Look for people whose friends already show up when they do:
- Regulars who bring groups. Check the Orders tab of your last few events for buyers who bought several tickets at once, since each order shows the number of tickets (Manage Your Orders).
- Performers on your lineup. DJs and artists with an artist profile can post to their own followers from the artist dashboard (Message Your Fans with Posts and Text Blasts).
- People who run other rooms. Hosts of run clubs, dance classes, supper clubs or other collectives already have a group that trusts them.
Follower counts are a weak test. Ask each person how many people came out the last time they invited friends somewhere.
Step 3: Agree on the terms in writing
Before anyone posts, write down what you're each agreeing to:
- Which events they're promoting and for how long
- What they get, whether that's guest list spots, a free ticket for themselves or anything else you choose to offer
- How you'll count their sales (their promo code, see Step 4)
- When you'll settle up after the event
Anything you offer a promoter is an agreement between you and them, so put it in a message or a short doc you both keep. Clear terms up front prevent most arguments after the event.
Step 4: Give each promoter their own capped promo code
Give every promoter their own code. Promotions are built for tracking how specific groups are buying tickets and which promotions perform best (Create a Promotion). For each promoter:
- Name the code after them, like MAYA or DJKAI, so buyers remember it and you know whose it is.
- Use the description field to note whose code it is and which event it's for.
- Set a maximum number of uses. Once a code hits its cap, it stops working, so a code shared in a big group chat can't take over your room.
- Set an end date, for example the day your early bird would have ended or the day before the event.
- Keep the discount small. A few dollars off is usually enough, and it shouldn't beat your early bird. How to Use Promo Codes for Your Party covers the rules.
Tell promoters how buyers use the code: pick a ticket, go to checkout, select Enter code and apply it. Buyers may be asked to sign in first, and only one code works per order (Apply a Promo Code at Checkout).
If a promoter's code hits its cap early and their crowd still wants in, you can edit the promotion and raise the maximum usage. Some changes may be limited once a code has been used.
Step 5: Decide who needs co-host access
Most promoters only need their code and the event link. Co-host access is for people who help run the event (Add Co-Hosts to an Event):
- Collaborator: can help manage event details, share and promote the event, view attendee information and send updates to attendees. Give this role only to a partner who co-runs the event with you, like a collective you're co-hosting with.
- Door Manager: can view the attendee list and check in guests. Use it for the people working your door, not for promoters.
Give each person the least access they need. You can change or remove a co-host at any time. How to Run an Event With Co-Hosts covers who does what.
Step 6: Hand every promoter the same kit
Make it easy for promoters to post the same message in their own voice:
Ask promoters to stick to what's on the event page, so nobody promises a performer, set time or perk you haven't confirmed.
Step 7: Check in while tickets are selling
- Check the At a glance summary in the Orders tab for overall sales, and select View insights for a deeper look (Manage Your Orders).
- Check in with each promoter once a week about what they've posted and how their crowd is responding.
- If a promoter's crowd is slow to buy, ask what they've posted and when. A new flyer version or a post closer to the weekend often helps more than a bigger discount.
- Send a text blast to your guests on the day with door time and anything that changed (Send a Text Blast).
Step 8: Settle up and keep the ones who sell
- After the event, export your orders for your records (Manage Your Orders).
- Settle whatever you agreed in Step 3, on the date you said you would.
- Look at which promoters' codes performed best. Keep the ones whose crowds bought, and give them first look at your next date and a fresh code.
- Have an honest conversation with the ones who didn't. Some need a different event or crowd; some aren't a fit.
- If a top promoter starts helping run events, that's when to add them as a Collaborator co-host.
10 Things to Do the Day After Your Event covers the rest of the morning after.
Promoter team checklist
- Ticket target for the team set from your room size
- Three to six promoters picked for their real crowds
- Terms agreed in writing with each one
- One promo code per promoter, with a cap and an end date
- Discounts smaller than your early bird
- Collaborator access only for true partners, Door Manager only for door staff
- Kit sent: event link, flyers, copy, code and dates
- Weekly check-ins during the sale
- Orders exported after the event and terms settled on time
- Top sellers kept, with a fresh code for the next date
Ready to start? Create your event, then add one promo code for each promoter (Create a Promotion).
