Hello Reader,

I just got off a quick call (11 minutes) to plan a webinar for an environmental justice campaign. I jotted down a few notes and then sent off the planning doc.

Our next step is to write the description (topic of this week's free workshop) – And we've worked out a repeatable and effective process.

In my work as a digital strategist with Halt the Harm Network I organize and host 1-2 webinars a month, and have been doing this for the past 7-years.

It's part of a service we offer to leaders. The surprise outcome is engaged micro-audiences around specific topics. It's become a service for leaders working on campaigns around the country.

Our process:

We run an event. We bring people together. We strengthen a network. And we give community leaders a head start on building their own engaged audience around a campaign.

❓Reader,

If I turned this into a crash course with just a few quick lessons and templates, would that be helpful for you? Just reply "yes" and I'll consider it an upvote!

Anyways.............

Here's the hidden opportunity with event descriptions.

The success of this strategy centers around these carefully crafted 1-2 paragraph event descriptions. Sure, it's about registration, But I think we could make it even more impactful by going one step further.

Here's the thing about events:

If 100 people attend the event then a thousand people would have read the description (probably more depending on the outreach).

Event descriptions are fundamentally different than any other paragraph of copy you could write, post, share, or send.

Event descriptions have an expiration date – they have urgency you can actually justify. Urgency is one of those key psychological triggers that tells us something might be important – and we should at least give it a look.

Event descriptions ask for a decision. There's a lot of messages bouncing across your screen right now. But you're reading this one because it contains a decision. Are you in?

And even if you aren't interested or if it’s bad timing, you still read it.

Hopefully, you learn something. At least that's my goal. In every event description going forward, I'm going to try and share something that could be useful even if you don't make it live.

To recap, event description are just as much about communicating value as they are about inviting participation. The value that you can share in an event description builds trust, which will turn into a registration further down the road.

What value can your next description provide;

• To people who the event isn't intended for?
• To people who are a fit but aren't going to register? (There's lots of good reasons; preferences, timing, format, accessibility, etc...)
• To people who register but don't show up.
• To people who do show up.

Of course, you also want the event to be compelling and get people to show up. And we'll dig into that in our next workshop.

Let's stay focused, you still want to write compelling event descriptions am-i-right?

​Sign up for our next workshop coming this Wednesday, September 17th, Completely free, Hosted on Zoom. ​

In this copywriting-forward session, we'll share you'll learn techniques to write descriptions that inspire curiosity, answer their your reader's biggest questions, and increase registrations.

When you do it wrong, your event will be vague and uninspiring. People won't know how to describe it when they tell someone about it, or, you'll set the wrong expectations and attract the wrong people.

When you do this right, you'll be able to grow an engaged audience around your work – replacing gimmicky "lead magnets" with events that bring people together and provide value.

Do you want to build a resilient organization with events? Join us for this and other upcoming workshops all about bringing people together. Learn the tools, design skills, copywriting techniques, and facilitation mindset you need to be effective.

What you'll learn

My goal is to give you a framework and writing prompts template you can use for your next event description. Here are the 3 core things we’ll share.

1. Writing for relevance – make every event feel like the right time to join, even mid-series.
2. Answering hidden objections – handle the unspoken doubts about value, cost, or purpose.
3. Matching descriptions to event types – adapt your language for workshops, webinars, panels, and community gatherings.

Of course, there are general copywriting techniques as well. But we're trying to keep this simple and actionable for everyone.

Why we host free workshops

Our production calendar is booked solid!

And all the cool stuff we're building for clients is a perfect chance to teach something. This gives us a chance to practice, level up our skills, and also uphold our own values around bringing people together.

These weekly workshops are free for clients and subscribers of our newsletter Super Connectors. They're also really fun.

​→ Here's the link again to the workshop this Wednesday on Writing Compelling Event Descriptions. ​

You'll see some of the regulars along with special guests and others dropping in to see what we're building. We're facilitators, leaders, founders, organizers, and course creators. If you can't make it, register anyways and you'll get the replay.

Even though I'm booked, I'm still available for a short time each week to offer website and community-design coaching calls. What are you working on?

Sincerely, Ryan Clover-Owens ☘️ Web Designer, Maple Creative​

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FAQs

Will this event be recorded? Yes, register anyway and you'll get the recording plus the event description checklist you can use for every future event.

Why are 1/5 of your events free? Because we love doing it and because we need practice. We're trying to be the best we can be. Liz and I have a lot of work going on behind the scenes, and we want it to have even more value so we started this weekly workshop series.

Where can I watch the recording? All registrants will receive access to the recording via email within 24 hours after the event.

How can I prepare? Come with an upcoming event in mind that you'd like to create a description for. Or just come with your curiosity to get inspired about hosting events.

What if I'm a beginner, will this be applicable? Absolutely! This workshop is designed for all experience levels, from beginners to seasoned event hosts. Shifting into hosting live programs that bring people together is a path toward resilience these days.

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