Let me introduce you to Jim and Susan.
Jim and Susan want a night out. Dinner. A show. Something that feels normal and fun.
They’re not lacking interest.
They’re surrounded by obstacles.
They need a babysitter.
Their schedules barely line up.
The weather might be bad.
Susan just had her hair straightened and rain would ruin it. 😬
None of these have anything to do with whether they want to go.
And that’s the point.
People often intend to show up. Intention just isn’t enough. Life steps in. Excuses pile up. The easiest option becomes staying home.
That’s exactly what happens with your events.
Low attendance usually isn’t a marketing problem. It’s a friction problem.
Wanting to go isn’t the same as getting there
Most reminders don’t help because they repeat what people already know.
They already want to attend.
What stops them is the quiet voice in their head listing reasons not to. No time. No childcare. Too much hassle. I’ll catch the next one.
More emails won’t fix that.
Removing obstacles will.
Help people talk themselves into it
Think about how you handle this in real life.
You invite a friend out. They hesitate. They explain why it’s hard.
You don’t argue.
You solve.
“I’ll pick you up.”
“We can go earlier.”
“It’s casual. No need to dress up.”
You make the objection disappear.
Your event marketing should do the same thing.
Stop selling. Start smoothing the path.
If your goal is higher attendance, you have two options.
You can keep blasting reminders and hope people suddenly change their behavior.
Or you can do a little more work up front and make it easier to say yes.
Clear parking info.
Shorter time commitment.
Virtual options.
Recorded replays.
Simple agendas.
Explicit reassurance about what to expect.
These things don’t change the event.
They change how safe and doable it feels.
Turn “I can’t” into “I can”
The next time you promote an event, don’t just ask people to show up.
Anticipate why they might not.
Then answer those concerns directly.
Jim and Susan don’t need more invitations.
They need fewer reasons to stay home.
Action plan
- List the top reasons someone might hesitate to attend your event.
- Focus on reasons unrelated to interest or value.
- Write one clear sentence that removes each obstacle.
- Build those answers into every invite and reminder.
Make it easier to say yes.
That’s how people show up.