How to Sell Event Tickets Directly Through Instagram

published on 14 March 2025

Instagram is a powerful platform for selling event tickets with 2 billion monthly users and 130 million clicks on shopping posts each month. You can leverage features like Stories, Reels, shopping posts, and direct messaging to boost ticket sales. Here's a quick breakdown:

  • Set Up a Business Account: Gain access to analytics, shopping tools, and ad capabilities.
  • Optimize Your Profile: Write a clear bio, use a strong profile picture, and create organized Story Highlights.
  • Craft Engaging Content: Use Reels, Stories, and posts with clear CTAs. Short videos under 15 seconds perform best.
  • Simplify Ticket Sales: Add "Get Tickets" buttons and use link-in-bio tools for easy purchases.
  • Track Results: Use Instagram Insights to monitor sales, engagement, and reach.

Pro Tip: Collaborate with influencers and use trending audio in Reels to expand your reach. With 70% of users making purchases from shoppable posts, Instagram can be a game-changer for your event.

How To Sell Event Tickets On Instagram

Prepare Your Instagram Account for Sales

Get your Instagram account ready to sell event tickets by setting it up with the right tools.

Set Up an Instagram Business Account

Switching to a business profile gives you access to tools designed to help you sell and track your performance. As Mary Robins explains:

"For businesses that can leverage its tools … Instagram offers a powerful opportunity to build brand awareness and meaningfully engage with customers." [3]

Here’s what a business account brings to the table:

Feature What It Does
Analytics Provides audience insights and tracks how your posts perform
Contact Options Displays your email, phone number, and location
Sales Tools Lets you use shopping posts and add ticket purchase buttons
Ad Capabilities Enables you to create and boost posts
Integration Connects to Meta Business Suite and third-party platforms

To switch, go to Settings > Account > Switch to Professional Account and choose "Business." You’ll also need to link a Facebook Page and provide a business email.

Once your business profile is set up, you can start adding features specific to ticket sales.

Add Ticket Sales Features

Enable Instagram Shopping to add a "Get Tickets" button, making it easy for customers to buy directly from your profile.

Here are some tips to manage ticket sales effectively:

  • Use quick replies to address common questions about tickets.
  • Set up tracking links to see which posts drive the most sales.
  • Add contact buttons so customers can easily reach out with questions.

If you’re juggling multiple events, tools like Membrz.Club can help you track sales and manage customer interactions seamlessly.

Build a Sales-Ready Instagram Profile

Think of your Instagram profile as your event's digital storefront. Set it up to drive ticket sales effectively.

Write an Effective Bio

Your bio should immediately convey your event's details, highlight its appeal, and encourage action. Include these key elements:

Element Purpose Example
Event Name Build recognition "SoundFest 2025"
Date & Location Provide key details "Mar 28-30 • Miami, FL"
Value Proposition Show what’s special "3 days of electronic music"
Ticket Status Create urgency "Early bird tickets available"
Call-to-Action Drive conversions "Get tickets below ⬇️"

Use tools like Link-in-Bio platforms to display multiple ticket options without needing to constantly update your link. Once your bio grabs attention, visuals can help seal the deal.

Set Up Profile Visuals

Pair a strong bio with visuals that immediately showcase your event’s energy. Start with a profile picture that looks sharp on any device.

Use Instagram Stories Highlights to organize key content, such as:

  • Event previews
  • Venue tours
  • Artist announcements
  • Highlights from past events
  • FAQs about tickets

For example, The Osbourne Hotel categorizes its Stories Highlights into sections like "Events" and "Behind the Scenes", making it easy for potential attendees to find what they need [4].

To keep your profile visually cohesive:

  • Match Highlight covers to your event’s brand colors
  • Design custom icons that align with your theme
  • Keep titles short (10–11 characters)
  • Update Highlights regularly with new content

Content creator Erin McGoff shows how tools like Komi can elevate your profile’s effectiveness. By creating a landing page, you can link your Instagram directly to ticket sales, event details, and promotions - all in one seamless experience [7].

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Make Content That Sells Tickets

Instagram is more than just a photo-sharing app - it's a powerful tool for driving ticket sales. In fact, 50% of users make purchases directly on the platform [2].

Create Posts and Stories That Drive Action

Short, engaging content works best - 85% of viewers prefer videos under 15 seconds [2]. Use Instagram’s features to make your posts stand out:

Content Type What Works Features to Use
Stories Frequent updates with countdowns Polls, Q&As, ticket links
Feed Posts Eye-catching event photos and clear CTAs Location tags, hashtags
Carousels Event details and pricing breakdowns Multiple slides, swipe-up links

Real-life examples like The Last Bookstore's testimonials and Duck Club's countdown stickers show how urgency and social proof can fill seats [5]. Don’t stop there - try Reels and collaborate with influencers to expand your reach.

Use Reels and Collaborations to Boost Visibility

Reels are a game-changer, making up over 50% of reshared content on Instagram [2]. To create Reels that sell tickets, focus on:

  • Capturing attention in the first three seconds
  • Using trending audio
  • Quick, smooth transitions
  • Highlighting key moments from your event
  • Ending with a clear call-to-action for ticket purchases

For example, JennAir’s campaign for the Architectural Digest Design Show used the Popular Pays platform to collaborate with creators. The result? 2.6 million followers reached and 33 pieces of content created in just 48 hours [8].

Working with influencers is another smart move. Micro-influencers (10,000–100,000 followers) and nano-influencers (1,000–10,000 followers) connect with audiences in a genuine way. Stats back it up: 81% of people trust influencer recommendations, and 83.8% of marketers say influencer campaigns bring in better-quality customers [8].

Tools like Membrz.Club make it easy to centralize ticket options. Here’s what they offer:

  • Custom landing pages for multiple ticket types
  • Click-through tracking and sales data
  • Direct integration with ticketing systems
  • Real-time updates for event info
  • Audience insights to refine your strategy

Take a page from In Todo’s playbook - they use direct ticket links in Stories to create a smooth buying experience [5]. Combining engaging content with easy access to tickets can turn casual viewers into paying attendees.

Connect Your Ticketing System

Setting up this integration is key to turning your polished profile and engaging content into actual ticket sales.

Pick a Ticket Platform

Here’s a quick comparison of popular ticketing platforms to help you decide which one fits your needs:

Platform Key Features Best For Pricing Structure
TicketLeap • No contracts required
• Free for $0 events
• Comprehensive event tools
Small to medium events Fee can be passed to buyers
Membrz.Club • Direct Instagram integration
• Real-time insights
• Custom landing pages
Social media-focused events Transaction-based fees
Eventbrite • Native Instagram button
• Facebook Business integration
• Advanced analytics
Large-scale events Tiered pricing + fees

Here’s what users are saying about TicketLeap:

"Our organization has used TicketLeap for over a decade. The TicketLeap staff is wonderful to work with and have always been very helpful in customizing the service to fit the needs of our organization. The platform is extremely user friendly, which is a definite plus given the number of seasonal staff members who need to access the ticketing system." [9]

"We get great customer service from TicketLeap, and that is one of the main reasons why we use it. Their account managers and customer service team are quick to respond and assist with any of our ticketing situations, and they are so helpful in building the events and tickets for us." [9]

After choosing your platform, follow these steps to integrate it with Instagram:

  1. Connect Your Platform
    • Open your Instagram profile settings
    • Go to "Contact Options"
    • Select "Add an Action Button"
    • Choose your platform (e.g., Eventbrite) from the list
    • Enter your event URL [10]
  2. Test Integration
    • Make a test purchase directly on Instagram
    • Verify the purchase confirmation and delivery via email
    • Check analytics for accurate tracking
    • Test customer support channels to ensure smooth operations
  3. Optimize Your Sales Flow Use tools like Pushbio to create custom landing pages, centralize ticket options, and monitor performance metrics [6].

Pro Tip: Use LiveAgent's Instagram integration to handle ticket-related inquiries in one place. This ensures quick responses and helps maintain high conversion rates [11].

Track and Improve Sales Results

Check Instagram Analytics

Instagram Insights provides valuable data, and with 200 million daily profile visitors [12], keeping an eye on key metrics is crucial for boosting ticket sales.

Here are the most important metrics to track:

Metric Type What to Track Why It Matters
Sales Metrics • Link clicks to ticketing platform
• Conversion rates
• UTM parameter performance
Directly evaluates ticket sales success
Engagement • Story views and exits
• Post likes and saves
• Comment sentiment
Shows how well your content connects with your audience
Reach • Follower growth
• Hashtag performance
• Story impressions
Measures how visible your campaigns are

To get a complete picture, integrate Instagram Insights with Google Analytics. This lets you follow the customer journey from your post to the final purchase [12]. Use the data to adjust your content and sales strategies as needed.

"Metrics are essential to understanding your audience and how their behavior translates to ticket sales. But rather than overwhelming yourself with numbers, choose the ones that matter most to selling out events. And remember, your data is only as good as how you interpret and use it!" - Eventbrite [12]

Improve Your Results

Once your profile is optimized and your content is engaging, focus on short-form videos. These videos can drive 2–3 times more engagement, with 85% of viewers preferring clips under 15 seconds [2]. After analyzing your metrics, tweak your strategy with these tips:

Content Optimization
Turn underperforming posts into Reels and use countdown stickers to create urgency. About 70% of interactions with shoppable posts lead to purchases [2]. Reels now make up over 50% of reshared content, so this format is a great way to revitalize posts [2].

Performance Tracking
By November 2024, agencies reported a 7.51% engagement rate, a 0.12% click-through rate (CTR), and a median reach of 2,999 per post [13]. Since only 10% of your followers see organic content [13], promote your best-performing posts to expand your reach.

Review your metrics weekly to keep improving your approach.

Conclusion

Selling event tickets on Instagram offers a huge opportunity, with 130 million people tapping on shopping posts every month [1]. By focusing on three key areas, you can maximize your chances of success:

  • Platform Setup
    Make sure your business profile is ready to go, and connect a reliable ticketing platform. While Instagram Shop is great for products, ticket sales work best with third-party platforms [2].
  • Content Strategy
    Short-form videos are a game-changer. Reels, which account for over 50% of reshared content [2], are especially effective. Videos under 15 seconds are preferred by 85% of viewers and generate 2–3 times more engagement [2]. Use these to grab attention and drive action.
  • Performance Tracking
    Analytics are essential. Use Instagram Insights and data from your ticketing platform to see what's working and adjust your strategy. Remember, 70% of users make purchases from shoppable posts [2].

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