How to Use Story Arcs to Supercharge Your Event Marketing - and Get More Credit

You probably know people like stories. Heck, Building a Storybrand has been an incredibly popular book for years.

The problem, "telling your story" feels weighty and heavy i.e. time-consuming and never going to happen.

Most communities have tremendous events that bring the community together and businesses often have signature experiences however just as quickly as the event happens... It's gone, like a lightening strike.

That’s where story arcs come in.

A story arc expands on your efforts to plan and execute the event to turn a day of fun into a more personal experience leading up to and following the event.

Story arcs for events are comprised of one or more Event Preview articles and an Event Recap article and are the backbone of effective event promotion - you can see it in action on this recently recorded event promotion webinar.

Event Previews are where you share the people involved such as volunteers, vendors, sponsors, etc while Event Recaps help attendees relive the fun and other realize what they missed out on.

You do not need to be a writer. Just follow a few simple prompts to highlight what makes your work meaningful. This is what we call Business Blogging. It just works.

Why It Matters

Promoting events without sharing the human side fail to engage, require more effort on your part, and leave people confused about why they should care or who is behind the magic.

• You’ll hold people’s attention longer. Content that talks about MY community, things I'M interested in, and people I know break through the noise.

Bottom line: story arcs make your marketing human. And humans remember what they feel.

Why It Works

We all want to be proud of where we live or came from and have at least a little FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Content that recognizes local people, places, and activities helps you authentically stand out.

• They put your audience at the center. People see themselves in the story and see you as part of the solution.

• They create momentum. Each post builds on the last which keeps people engaged, clicking, and sharing.

• They naturally build SEO and social visibility. Local references are powerful and every person or organization you reference becomes a promoter alongside your efforts.

  They help you grow your team. Activities recognized are activities repeated and who doesn't want their efforts to be recognized.

• They align with 3-4-5™. Story arcs highlight experience, build trust, and differentiate you in ways that stats alone cannot.

In short: story arcs make people feel something. And feeling leads to action.

Small Steps, Big Wins

Marketing doesn’t have to be complicated.

Pick something notable about an upcoming event
Find a simple volunteer, sponsor, or vendor.

Use the prompts below to structure the post
Keep it short, clear, and focused on progress.

End with a call to action
After they feel inspired, tell them the next step.

➡️ One arc. One post. Maximum connection.

A Prompt-Based Approach to using Story Arcs for Event Promotion

If this is part of an ongoing campaign or event series, give your audience a chance to catch up.

Prior to your event

👉 Start with an Event Preview to see how the story began.

Remember, you can do this for multiple people or organizations.

Following your events

👉 Wrap up with an Event Recap to share the highlights.

You may want to ask attendees to share their pictures on social immediately following the event then include them in the article and photo gallery - talk about including the community!

Get Going - Free Worksheet Download

✅ Fill-in-the-blank prompts to guide your story-based post
✅ A space to highlight the problem, journey, and outcome
✅ A spot to add quotes or customer reflections for authenticity