Events on Facebook are a quick, easy, and free way to promote your next gathering. Not to mention, they’re a lot of fun! We’ve compiled 3 secrets to getting higher interest (and attendance) with your next Facebook event. Simply follow these steps to achieve success.

1. Provide an Appropriate Image

Images say a lot by capturing your attention. Good or bad, they help us visualize. Choose an image that will best complement your event and make people excited to attend. Be sure to size it correctly or it may look pixelated, blurry, or not large enough to make an impact. The current Facebook event image size is 1920 x 1080 pixels.

2. Don’t Forget the Details

No one wants to attend an event without knowing the details. In fact, if you don’t have clear, concise, and visible details, most people will click away frustrated.

These items should always be completed in full:

• Date – When, specifically, is the event taking place? If it’s a 2-day event or longer, include all dates, or at least the entire span of days for the event.

• Time – What time is the event and when does it end? Is this an event that anyone can attend and not just for your local community? If so, you will want to list the time zone where the event is happening. For example, my time zone is Eastern Standard Time. If my event was a webinar that everyone could register regardless where they are located, I would mention the event starts at 1 pm EST.

• Description – What is the event? A paragraph that describes the outcome and objectives of the event are needed. Add any pertinent links that are relevant to your event. For example, you are hosting a webinar and you want people to register for the webinar through your website. Include the website address with a clear call to action in the body of the details.

3. Select the Right Guest List

Take the time to invite as many people as possible. But, invite the right people. If your event is a global event, invite all the people you can. If your event is local, then only invite people who are ideal attendees for the event. It looks very sloppy and lazy on behalf of the event host when they invite everyone they are friends with on Facebook. If your event is for the Florida Chamber of Commerce, why would you invite someone who lives in Vancouver or Hawaii or California or elsewhere if they would not members of the Florida Chamber of Commerce? It only takes two minutes to select the appropriate people who should attend.

Do you use Facebook events? Please post your tips when using Facebook events in the comments!