Why Pre-Registration Can Boost Your Evangelistic Event Attendance

When you’re planning your marketing for an evangelistic event, offering a way for people to pre-register is essential. Here are three reasons why a good pre-registration website will help increase your event attendance.

Psychological Commitment and Consistency

The first reason to ask people to pre-register is psychological. There’s a principle called “commitment and consistency,” introduced by Dr. Robert Cialdini. It suggests that people are more likely to follow through on an action when they’ve made a public commitment to it.

Getting guests to attend an event can be tough, as it takes effort to get up, drive to a location they may not be familiar with, and walk through the doors. But by asking them to pre-register, you’re prompting them to make a small commitment, which increases the likelihood they’ll attend when the time comes. Once they’ve made that decision, they’ll want to remain consistent with it to uphold their self-image.

Reminders Keep Your Event Top of Mind

The second reason to encourage pre-registration is the ability to send reminders. By gathering contact information, such as email addresses and phone numbers, you can send event reminders through email or text messages (with permission). These reminders are crucial, especially if the event is more than a few weeks away.

We’ve seen great success with nurturing attendees through a series of reminders, keeping the value of the event front and center. For example, a recent campaign started digital advertising six weeks ahead of the event, and we used a sequence of emails and texts to maintain excitement and engagement. This strategy worked so well that we’re adopting it for more upcoming events.

Follow Up with Registrants, Even if They Don’t Attend

The third reason to offer pre-registration is the chance to follow up, even if people don’t attend. Not everyone who registers will show up. In fact, a study during my PhD program revealed that pre-registrants from social media are often less likely to attend than those who respond to direct mail, such as a postcard.

However, just because someone didn’t attend doesn’t mean you should forget about them. These individuals showed interest, and life may have simply gotten in the way. Follow up with them, offer them Bible study resources, or invite them to future events. One pastor told me about a couple that registered for multiple events but never attended. After years of follow-up, they eventually came to a meeting, got baptized, and became active members of the church. Persistence pays off.

Choosing the Right Pre-Registration System

There are plenty of pre-registration tools out there, like Eventbrite, C-Vent, or Buzzaboo. But many of these systems are designed for single events, and evangelistic meetings are often a multi-night series. That’s why we’ve developed our own event registration platform, specifically tailored for church events. If you’d like more details, visit https://eventregistrationplatform.com or give us a call to talk with one of our campaign managers.

Pre-registration is a powerful tool for evangelistic outreach. It increases attendance, allows you to send reminders, and creates opportunities for follow-up. When planning your next event, make sure to include a pre-registration option to engage your audience early and keep them connected to your church.

Your Work Matters

Pastor, thank you for all the work you do. Stay connected with God, and let Him continue to work through you. Your dedication is making a difference!