If you have an event to promote, you should be making the most of your social currency to spread the word and help you sell tickets. Facebook is an ideal platform, allowing you to set up your own event fan page (free of charge) and reach out to the site’s two billion-plus members. You can also set up private event pages that will help you to invite selected guests only. Facebook has even introduced a live video feature that allows you to share your event with those who might not be able to attend.

In this guide, we’ll teach you how to create an event on Facebook, share it, and make it private or public, depending on your event’s needs. We’ll also walk you through how to use Facebook Live and the best practices on sharing live content.

How to create an event on Facebook

Create an event from a personal Facebook profile

1. Log in to Facebook, click on the Menu button in the top navigation bar, and head to the ‘Events’ tab. It should be the first option under ‘Social’.
2. On the left-hand side, select ‘Create event’.
3. Choose whether you’d like to create an online event or an in-person one.
4. In the left-hand sidebar, you can set whether you’d like to create a public event on Facebook or a private one. If you’re looking to find out how to change the privacy of a Facebook event, you need to remember that you can make a private event public, but a public event can’t be made private at a later date.

How to create a public event on Facebook

A public event is visible to anyone on or off Facebook. They can see things like the event description, photos, event discussion, and videos. The event may also be discoverable in search.

Now you have chosen to create a public event, you can add all of the details in the left sidebar.

This includes information such as:

• Your event name
• An event photo or video
• A location
• The frequency (you’re given the option to create recurring Facebook events)
• The date and time of your event
• Any co-hosts (for example, a venue that may be hosting your event)
• A ticket URL

If you’d like to hide the guest list from the public, or from other people attending the event, you can uncheck the box that says ‘Display guest list’.

With public Facebook events, you can also add SEO information to help your event become more discoverable. This includes a category, description, and keywords.

For example, if you’re running an online marketing workshop, you may want to add keywords such as ‘marketing’, ‘social media’, and ‘online workshop’. The next time someone searches ‘online social media workshop’, they could find your event, helping to increase registrations. And if your event is taking place in person, make sure to include the location in your keywords, like ‘London’ or ‘Bristol’.

Once you’re happy, you can click ‘Create’ to make your event, or save it as a draft to return to later.

You can also see under ‘Event Host’ that you can choose whether to host the event from your personal profile or from a Facebook business page.

How to create a private event on Facebook

The only people who can see private events on Facebook are those who have been invited. Guests can invite all their friends to an event on Facebook if the admin allows it and, if invited, these people can view the event description, photos, posts, and videos. Note that you can’t share a private Facebook event – you can only invite people to view it.

Good to know: Wondering how to change the privacy of a Facebook event? Private Facebook events can only be created from a personal profile. If you’re creating an event from your Facebook business page, there is no way to make the event private.

Create a personal event by selecting ‘Private’ in the left sidebar and following the same steps described in the public event instructions above.

Create a Facebook event from a Facebook business page

If you want to host the event through your business, select the dropdown and choose the business account. You can also set up an event directly from within your Facebook business page using the guide below.

Follow these instructions to create a new public event on Facebook with a business page as the host:

1. Open your business page on Facebook.
2. Use the dropdown next to ‘Share’ and select ‘Create Event’.
3. Add all the details, such as the event name, location, time, and description.

You can also create a recurring Facebook event. Once you’ve filled in the required details, click ‘Schedule Multiple Events’. Under ‘Frequency’, click the dropdown menu and choose whether you want your event to take place daily or weekly. You can also create a custom frequency by clicking ‘Custom’ on the calendar and choosing your own dates. This feature works well with Eventbrite’s Multi-Event Adds campaign tool, which is a great way to bolster your marketing opportunities without increasing your budget.

How to edit your Facebook event

Changing circumstances happen all the time, and they might mean you’ll need to edit your event listing details. To edit your event, go to the business or personal profile hosting your event and you’ll see ‘Events’ listed on the left-hand side.

This is your events manager on Facebook, where you can see a list of all of your upcoming dates. Use the dropdown next to each event to edit, share, or duplicate your event.

To add another host:

1. Click on the ‘Events’ tab on the left-hand side of your profile or page.
2. Select ‘Edit’ and locate the ‘Co-hosts’ section. Here, you can search your friends list to add another host to your event.

If you need to add another host to your Facebook business event:

1. Open your business page and select ‘Events’ from the menu on the left-hand side.
2. Next to the event, select ‘More’ and ‘Edit Event’.
3. Under ‘Options’, you’ll see a field for co-hosts. Use this to search for the people you want to add as co-hosts for your events and select ‘Save’.

How to share a Facebook event

How to share a public Facebook event

1. Click on the ‘Events’ tab on the left-hand side of your profile or page.
2. Select ‘Hosting’ from the menu on the left-hand side.
3. Under ‘Events You’re Hosting’, you will see all of your events. If you’re wondering how to invite people to an event on Facebook, all you need to do is select ‘Share’. It will also give you the option to share it in Messenger or via the News Feed.
4. To share the link outside of Facebook, open the event and copy the URL from within the browser.

Alternatively, share from the event page itself by selecting the Share button at the top of the event page.

How to share a private Facebook event

1. Click on the ‘Events’ tab on the left-hand side of your profile or page.
2. Select ‘Hosting’ from the menu on the left-hand side.
3. Under ‘Events You’re Hosting’, you will see all of your events. To share the event, select ‘Invite’.
4. Search for friends by name, email address, or phone number. With at least one of these details, you can invite all of your friends to an event on Facebook.
5. You can also share an event on your Facebook page by adding a link to the event page.

Remember: private events are invite-only and the general public won’t be able to see them.

Integrating your Facebook event with Eventbrite

If you’re using Eventbrite to promote your event, you can easily integrate it with Facebook – with the added benefit that attendees can buy tickets without ever having to leave Facebook. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to ‘Manage Events’ in your Eventbrite account. Select your event, then go to ‘Add to Facebook’ (under ‘Marketing’) and log into your Facebook account.
2. For new events, you’ll only see the option to add to Facebook if you don’t have any existing Facebook events. For an existing event, click ‘Link Tickets to Existing Facebook Event’.
3. Facebook requires a location to help people find events in their time zone. If your event is online, you’ll still have to set a location in the search bar under ‘Help People Find Your Event on Facebook’. Just adding a city is enough. This location will not show on your online event.
4. Select the ticket types you want to add to your event. Deselect all the tickets if you don’t want to sell tickets directly on Facebook. You can still publish the event on Facebook, but there’ll be a ticketing link on your Facebook event that redirects to your Eventbrite event page.
5. Publish your event.

How to promote your Facebook event

Eventbrite has a range of fantastically helpful tools, such as Eventbrite Boost, to help promote your Facebook event and get more out of your Facebook ads.

Eventbrite Boost is the all-in-one marketing platform designed for event creators. This tool makes it easy to reach new people, engage fans and followers, and grow your attendance – directly from your Eventbrite account. With Boost’s latest update, it’s never been easier to do just that. The new Eventbrite Boost features marketing plan recommendations that are personalised for you and your events, more effective campaigns and audience targeting powered by Eventbrite intel, and clearer visuals of audience insights.

Powered by Eventbrite’s exclusive data, Boost’s  Smart Audiences feature allows you to find new attendees, connect with them through your social advertising, and sell out your events. Do this by adding Smart Audiences to any ad you run through Boost.

Multi-Event Ads let you market your entire events calendar quickly and effectively. Publicize your entire event calendar, spend less time and money on marketing, and rest assured that your campaigns are up-to-date and running smoothly.

How to use Facebook Live at your event

Facebook Live is a video stream in real-time, and anyone who’s on the Facebook app at that moment can tune in. As you broadcast, people watch and engage with you through comments and likes. It’s an easily accessible way to broadcast any event and can even cause a bump to your attendee base – 30% of people who watch an event livestream will attend the same event the following year.

How to use Facebook Live

1. Build anticipation by letting your audience know when you’ll be broadcasting. According to Facebook, a 24-hour advance notice gets the best results.
2. Using the Facebook app on an Android or iOS device, head to the page, group, or event that you want to stream from.
3. Select the ‘Live’ button and add a description.
4. Before you hit ‘Go Live’, check that you have a strong signal.
5. Try to stay live for at least 10 minutes to give people enough time to tune in, and don’t forget to engage with commenters afterwards.

4 inspirational Facebook event pages

Now you know how to make a Facebook event page and how to use it to go live. Here are four examples of events that are making the most of Facebook’s event marketing opportunities:

1. Leeds Festival

As soon as you arrive on the Leeds Festival Facebook event page, you’ll see the eye-catching video heading and the ‘Book Now’ call to action.

A clear call to action is pivotal. You’ve managed to get someone to your Facebook event page, and you’ve got them excited enough to want to purchase a ticket. Now, direct them to the ticket sales page before they can change their mind.

2. Egg London

Egg London, a nightclub in a Victorian warehouse with multi-room DJ sets, hosts multiple events each week and expertly utilises Facebook to promote them.

It also uses Eventbrite Boost to update the busy events calendar, save time, and sell out shows. Egg London can manage all its social media ads on Eventbrite Boost, with the same low budget. As a result, its event marketing is more effective and more efficient: the club generated six times more revenue than when using single platforms alone and had 2,500 more clicks.

3. Paradise Wildlife Park

Paradise Wildlife Park has been using Facebook Live to invite its followers, wherever they are in the world, to take a look around the park. Whether it’s a lion pride or a family of otters, the team regularly livestreams the animals and interviews with keepers to keep potential customers engaged during off-peak times.

The hashtag #liveatthezoo is used so that followers can easily keep track of event information. And during the livestreams, the park promotes merchandise as a way to increase revenue.

4. The London Coffee Festival

This year, The London Coffee Festival is holding a free virtual event ahead of its in-person one. With highlights including talks by influential coffee entrepreneurs and a latte art throw-down, the virtual programme offers attendees a taste of what to expect at the festival.

The organisers have been using Facebook to share fun coffee-themed videos and keep followers engaged. They’ve also promoted event sponsors and partners on the page, providing them with added value.

Find your audience on Facebook

By creating a Facebook event page, you’ll be able to reach a much larger audience. But to really engage the potential attendees that visit your page and increase ticket sales, you’ll need to make use of the likes of calls to action, hashtags, live videos, and more. Drive even more attendees to your event page with Facebook ads.

Whether you’re connecting people in-person or virtually for poetry readings, cook-alongs, or concerts, you’ve got a lot on your plate. Lighten the load and reach new audiences directly from your Eventbrite account with Eventbrite Boost.