How to sell tickets on Instagram and TikTok

You post a beautiful poster on Instagram, add "link in bio" and wait. Three days go by and you've sold 14 tickets. The post has 200 likes, 15 comments from people saying "I'm definitely going" and three fire emojis. But only 14 tickets. What happened?

The usual thing: confusing engagement with sales. Someone commenting "count me in" doesn't mean they will buy. The road from an Instagram like to a ticket bought has a dozen points where people get lost, get distracted or simply forget. And most organisers do nothing to close that road.

Instagram and TikTok are the two channels with the greatest discovery potential for events. But "discovery potential" is not the same as "selling potential". For social media to sell tickets, you need a concrete strategy that connects every piece of content to a clear point of purchase. This guide shows you how, with examples, data and tactics you can put into practice today.

What does the real funnel look like, from phone screen to ticket bought?

Before we get to tactics, you need to understand how the conversion funnel works on social media for events. It isn't linear, and it doesn't happen in a single session.

The stages of the social buyer

1. 1Discovery: the user sees your content for the first time. It might be a Reel that appeared in Explore, a Story shared by a friend or a TikTok on their For You Page. They don't know you, and they don't know your event.
2. 2Interest: they've seen your content several times. They start to recognise your brand. They may have followed you. They look for information: date, price, line-up, location.
3. 3Consideration: they know they want to go, but they need to make the decision: check with friends, look at their diary, compare with other plans the same weekend.
4. 4Purchase: they click the link, land on the sales page and buy. This step has to be as short as possible: if anything goes wrong along the way, they leave.
5. 5Amplification: they've bought, and they post that they're going to the event. This creates new organic discovery among their contacts.

The key is that every piece of content you publish must push people to the next stage. You can't ask for the purchase at the discovery stage, and you can't keep publishing discovery content when your audience is already at the consideration stage.

How do you optimise your link in bio to sell tickets?

The "link in bio" is Instagram's most underused tool. Most organisers put a generic link to their website and forget about it. But your link in bio is your permanent shop window: it's where people land when your content has convinced them enough to take the next step.

How to optimise your link in bio to sell tickets

• Use a multi-link tool: Linktree, Lnk.Bio, Beacons or a direct link to your events landing page. Instagram's native option, which allows several links, also works, but it is less flexible.
• Put ticket sales first: don't bury them below the link to your website, your Spotify and your YouTube channel. The first link should be where to buy tickets for your next event.
• Update it every time you change stage: when you open early bird, change the link. When you announce a new artist, update the copy. When few tickets are left, add urgency. A static link in bio is a dead link in bio.
• Include the price and date in the link itself: "Festival X Tickets - 12 July - From 35 EUR" says far more than "Buy tickets here".

The figure that matters

Work out the value of your bio with your own data, not with an industry average. Instagram Insights shows how many people visit your profile and how many tap the link in your bio; your ticketing platform shows how many of those visits buy. Multiply the three steps and you'll know how much your bio sells each month. Every improvement in that funnel is multiplied, because it carries through to all the following steps.

Why are Instagram Stories the most direct sales channel?

Stories are by far the Instagram format that sells the most tickets. Why? Because they combine three things no other format has: urgency (they disappear after 24 hours), interactivity (polls, questions, sliders) and a direct link (the link sticker has worked for all accounts since 2023).

Stories strategy for ticket sales

A typical sequence for a sales launch:

• Story 1 (teaser): an image or short video with no text. Just a "tomorrow at 12:00" with a countdown sticker. It builds anticipation.
• Story 2 (announcement): the event poster with the key information. Link sticker to the sales page.
• Story 3 (social proof): a screenshot of the first buyers, the virtual queue or the sold-tickets counter. "200 already in 10 minutes".
• Story 4 (urgency): "Early bird ends in 48 hours" or "X tickets left at this price". Link sticker.
• Story 5 (FAQ): answer common questions. "Can I pay with Bizum? Yes". "Is there parking? Yes, free". Remove objections.

Frequency: during the active sales phase, between 3 and 5 Stories a day. No more, so you don't overload people. Mix informative content with direct-sales content. A 3:1 ratio (3 content Stories for every 1 sales Story) works well.

The link sticker: real data

Measure it on your own account: Instagram Insights shows, for each Story, how many people saw it and how many tapped the link sticker. Put next to that the purchases that came from the Story, using a link with UTM parameters (you'll see this in the tracking section), and you'll know which Stories sell and which are only watched.

The key is the copy on the sticker. "See more" is generic. "Buy tickets - 35 EUR" is specific. "Last 50 tickets" is urgent. The sticker text has a direct impact on the tap rate.

What are Instagram Reels for in ticket sales?

Reels don't sell directly. What they do is put your event in front of thousands of people who don't know you. They are the best format for generating new discovery, but don't expect someone to watch a 15-second Reel and buy a ticket straight away. The Reel is the first contact. The sale comes later.

Types of Reels that work for events

• Behind the scenes of the build: a sped-up video of the stage going up, the sound equipment arriving, the lighting tests. What is real and imperfect gets more engagement than what is over-produced.
• Attendee POV: 15-30 seconds filmed in the first person while experiencing the event. The crowd, the artist on stage, the bar, friends toasting. You can't fake this, and it conveys something no poster can: the thrill of being there.
• Reactions: people reacting to the line-up announcement, to the moment the doors open, to the headliner walking on. Real emotions are the best sales argument.
• Mini-guides: how to get to the venue, what to bring, what not to bring, where to park. Useful content that gets saved and shared.
• Surprising facts: "Last year 8,000 tickets sold in 47 minutes". Concrete numbers that spark curiosity and FOMO.

Optimising Reels for discovery

• The first 3 seconds are everything: if you don't grab attention there, the algorithm will stop showing it. Start with movement, a question or a striking fact. Never with a static logo.
• Always use on-screen text: you never know whether someone is watching with sound. If your message depends on the audio, part of your audience will miss it.
• Hashtags: use between 3 and 5 relevant hashtags. One generic (#events), one niche (#livetechno), one for location (#yourcityevents) and one branded (#yourevent2026).
• Post when your audience is online: Instagram's insights and TikTok Analytics both show when your followers are most active. Those hours change with the country and the type of event, so check your own before you schedule.

If you want to go deeper into the full social media strategy and other channels, read our digital marketing guide for events.

Why does TikTok offer the discovery that Instagram no longer gives you for free?

TikTok isn't "Instagram, but for younger people". It is a discovery engine with a completely different logic. On Instagram, your content mostly reaches your followers. On TikTok, your content reaches whoever the algorithm decides might be interested, whether or not they follow you. That makes it the most powerful tool for reaching new audiences.

Content format for events on TikTok

• Keep it short. TikTok rewards videos that are watched to the end. A 20-second video watched in full ranks better than a 90-second one people abandon halfway.
• Vertical and native: no recycling horizontal footage with black bars. No static posters with background music. TikTok rewards content that looks made for TikTok, not content that looks lifted from another platform.
• Humour and authenticity: perfect production doesn't work here. What works is behind the scenes, the mistake in the set-up, the promoter explaining naturally why this event will be different.
• Audio trends: using trending audio multiplies your reach. Don't force the connection, but when it fits, an audio trend can take your content to hundreds of thousands of views.

TikTok Shop and direct selling

TikTok Shop lets you sell products directly from the platform in the markets where it is available. For event tickets the integration is still limited, but some organisers are already using it successfully through links in their profile and in videos.

What already works:

• Link in bio: as on Instagram, but with the advantage that TikTok gives you a clickable link even on small accounts (from 1,000 followers with a Business account).
• Link in video: in some markets and for verified accounts, you can include a clickable link directly in the video. If you don't have access, use a clear call to action: "Link in bio to buy".
• TikTok Ads with a direct destination to purchase: conversion campaigns on TikTok Ads can send traffic straight to your sales page with full tracking.

TikTok vs Instagram conversion data

Compare TikTok and Instagram with your own numbers, not averages: how many clicks, how many purchases and what each purchase cost, by channel and using the same UTM coding. A channel that produces few direct purchases can be the cheapest source of new audience if it brings people to your profile who later buy from a Story.

Where TikTok wins by a distance is organic reach. An Instagram Reel from an account with 10,000 followers can reach 15,000-30,000 people. A TikTok from the same account can reach 100,000-500,000 if the content connects. That asymmetry is TikTok's advantage.

How do you use influencer promo codes to measure what works?

Working with influencers to sell tickets is an effective strategy, but only if you can measure who sells and who just generates likes. Personalised promo codes are the tool that lets you do exactly that.

How to structure an influencer code campaign

• Create a unique code per influencer: MARIA15, DJALVARO10, LUCIAMUSIC. Each code should be easy to remember, easy to type and easy to say in a video.
• Set the discount: whatever your margin can bear. A discount that is too big erodes your margin and can give the impression that the official price is inflated.
• Set up a tracking system: record how many tickets are sold with each code, the revenue generated and the cost of the collaboration with the influencer. If the influencer charges 500 EUR and generates 3,000 EUR in sales, you have a clear ROI. If they generate 200 EUR, you know not to repeat it.
• Communicate the deadline: "Code valid until 30 June" or "Only for the first 100 tickets". Urgency converts more than the discount itself.

Choosing influencers: micro vs macro

For events, micro-influencers (5,000-50,000 followers) tend to have a better ROI than macro-influencers (over 100,000). Why? Because their followers trust their recommendations more and tend to live in a more concentrated geographical area, which is exactly what you need if your event is in a particular city.

A local micro-influencer with 15,000 followers in Valencia who recommends your festival in Valencia will move more tickets than a macro-influencer in Madrid with 500,000 followers spread across the country.

For more promo code strategies and how to set them up, read our guide to promo codes for events.

How do you turn your attendees into your marketing team with UGC?

User-generated content (UGC) is arguably the most valuable marketing asset you can have. You don't produce it: the people who come to your event do. And it is more credible, more authentic and more shareable than anything you do from your official account.

Strategies for generating UGC

• Photocall or photo spot: set up a spot with good lighting, an attractive backdrop (with your brand, but not only your brand) and interactive elements. People will take photos and post them without being asked.
• Official event hashtag: create a short, unique hashtag that's easy to type. Promote it on screens, on wristbands, in the confirmation email. "Share your experience with #FestivalX2026".
• Content contest: "Upload your best video or photo from the festival with the hashtag #FestivalX2026 and enter the draw for a pass to the next edition". The incentive generates volume of content.
• Repost on your official account: when you share attendees' content on your account, you validate that person (who feels special and comes back) and you show your audience what the event is like from the inside.

How to use UGC to sell the next edition

This year's UGC is your best sales material for the next one. Collect the best videos and photos, ask permission to use them, by direct message and in writing, and use them in:

• Recap Reels and TikToks
• Countdown Stories for the next edition
• Paid social ads, where you can test UGC against your branded creatives
• The ticket sales page
• Pre-sale email marketing

How do you know where sales come from with conversion tracking?

If you don't measure, you don't know. And if you don't know where your sales come from, you can't optimise your spend. Conversion tracking from social media is what separates organisers who get it right from those who fly blind.

Essential tracking tools

• UTM parameters: add UTM parameters to every link you share on social media. ?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=stories&utm_campaign=earlybirdmayo. This lets you see in Google Analytics exactly how many sales come from each channel, format and campaign.
• Meta Pixel: install it on your sales page so you can retarget people who visited but didn't buy, and measure the conversions from your Instagram Ads campaigns.
• TikTok Pixel: the same for TikTok Ads. Without the pixel installed, you're running ads blind.
• Conversions API (CAPI): both Meta and TikTok have server-side conversion APIs that complement the browser pixel. They are more accurate because they don't depend on cookies, which are increasingly blocked.

Metrics to follow

The costliest tracking mistake

Many organisers look only at last-click attribution: they credit the sale to the last channel the buyer passed through before buying. But if someone discovers your event through a TikTok, visits your Instagram profile, clicks on a Story three days later, doesn't buy, receives a retargeting email and finally buys from that email, the last click is "email". Yet without the initial TikTok, that sale wouldn't have existed.

Set up attribution models that take into account the contribution of each channel, not just the last touch. The basis is that every link always carries the same UTM parameters: utm_source for each network, utm_medium for each channel and utm_campaign for each event. A good ticketing metrics dashboard helps you visualise this attribution.

When and how should you invest in paid campaigns (ads)?

Organic reach is rarely enough to sell out an event. On TikTok, organic still works, but you can't depend on virality alone. Paid social campaigns are necessary for any event that wants to scale its sales.

Recommended campaign structure for events

The budget percentages below are our own rule of thumb as a starting point, not a market average: adjust them to what your own measurements tell you.

Phase 1 - Awareness (4-6 weeks before the event):

• Objective: reach or video views
• Audience: broad, interest-based (music, festivals, nightlife, your city)
• Creative: Reels/TikToks from previous editions, UGC, behind the scenes
• Budget: 20-30% of the total

Phase 2 - Consideration (3-4 weeks before):

• Objective: traffic to the sales page
• Audience: retargeting of those who watched your phase 1 videos + lookalike of previous buyers
• Creative: testimonials, line-up, explicit price, urgency
• Budget: 30-40% of the total

Phase 3 - Conversion (2 weeks before until the event):

• Objective: conversion (ticket purchase)
• Audience: retargeting of sales page visitors who didn't buy + retargeting of those who interacted with your posts
• Creative: last tickets, countdown, social proof ("3,000 already sold")
• Budget: 30-40% of the total

Phase 4 - Final hours (event day or the day before):

• Objective: conversion with urgency
• Audience: narrow retargeting (visitors from the last 7 days)
• Creative: "Last chance", "Tickets at the door cost more"
• Budget: 5-10% of the total

Indicative budget

As a starting point, for a mid-sized event (1,000-5,000 attendees) we use a social advertising budget of between 1,500 EUR and 5,000 EUR, as a complement to the organic strategy. Our rule of thumb is to put between 8% and 15% of the expected revenue from ticket sales into marketing, of which between 40% and 60% should go to paid social.

What rules apply to influencers and advertising on social media?

If you sell tickets with influencers, the post has to be recognisable as advertising in every market where you sell. The wording of the rule changes from country to country, but the idea is the same. In the EU, the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 2005/29/EC treats it as a misleading omission when a trader «fails to identify the commercial intent of the commercial practice if not already apparent from the context» (Article 7(2)). In the UK, rule 2.1 of the CAP Code says that «Marketing communications must be obviously identifiable as such», and the ASA and the CMA explain how to apply it on social media in their influencers' guide, whose third edition dates from 23 March 2023. In the US, the FTC's Endorsement Guides require a connection between endorser and seller that the audience doesn't expect, such as a payment or free products, to be disclosed «clearly and conspicuously» (16 CFR § 255.5), and the FTC's advice for influencers warns against vague terms such as «sp», «spon» or «collab» and against assuming that a platform's disclosure tool is good enough on its own. Some markets add their own self-regulation: in Spain, the 2025 Code of Conduct on advertising through influencers, in force since 1 October 2025 according to Autocontrol, asks for labels such as «publicidad» (advertising) or «publi» (ad) and does not accept «Colab» (collab). In practice: a discount code is not enough to flag that something is advertising. Ask the influencer to label the post clearly, to use the network's paid partnership tool as well, and put both in writing in the agreement.

What mistakes kill your sales on social media?

After analysing dozens of event organisers' accounts, these are the mistakes that keep coming up and have a direct impact on sales:

Posting only when you have something to sell

If your Instagram account only comes alive when you open ticket sales, your reach will be minimal. The algorithm rewards consistency. Publish valuable content between events to keep your audience active: recaps of the last event, industry content, artist news, playlists, polls.

Not adapting content to each platform

The same horizontal video your designer uploads doesn't perform the same in Stories (9:16), Reels (9:16), TikTok (9:16) and the Instagram feed (4:5 or 1:1). Adapting isn't just cropping: it means rethinking the structure, the pace and the message for each format.

Putting the purchase link where it can't be clicked

"Link in the description" on an Instagram Reel doesn't work: a Reel's caption has no clickable links. "Link in bio" works, but every extra step loses part of the traffic. Use link stickers in Stories, which are directly clickable.

Not replying to comments or DMs

Every unanswered comment is a potential lost sale. If someone asks "What time is it?" or "Can I buy tickets at the door?", a quick reply can be the difference between a purchase and an abandoned visit. Set up automatic replies for the most frequent questions, but reply manually to those that need a personal touch.

Ignoring the post-purchase stage

The relationship with the buyer doesn't end when they pay. The confirmation email, the countdown Stories in the days before, the practical information (how to get there, what to bring, timings) and the post-event content are what turn a one-time buyer into a repeat buyer. A good email marketing strategy complements the work on social media. And a repeat buyer who shares your event on their own networks is your most efficient salesperson.

And what do we recommend at Futura Tickets?

To sell tickets from Instagram and TikTok we recommend Futura Tickets, which is our own platform. Futura Tickets has no monthly fee: €0 a month, just a commission per ticket sold, and signing up costs €0, with no set-up cost and no lock-in. With Futura Tickets the attendee database is 100% the organiser's: emails and phone numbers are handed over in full, in compliance with GDPR. That is what social networks don't give you: the followers belong to the platform, the buyers are yours. Futura Tickets accepts card, Bizum, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, Bancontact, MobilePay, EPS and iDEAL, depending on the country, which is what people buying from their phone expect. The price per ticket depends on the plan and is given in a demo.

Sample calendar: from the first post to the last ticket sold

Here is an indicative calendar for an event's social media strategy, assuming sales open 8 weeks before:

This calendar is a starting point. Adapt it to your posting frequency, your available team and the type of event. What matters is not posting a lot, but posting with intent and with a purchase link within reach at every point of contact. If you want your website to be that destination, an embedded sales widget improves conversion compared with external redirects.

Sources

• Autocontrol, aea e IAB Spain: Código de Conducta de publicidad a través de influencers, 2025 (PDF)
• Autocontrol: entra en vigor el nuevo Código de Conducta sobre publicidad a través de influencers
• Google Analytics: collect campaign data with custom URLs (UTM)
• Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices, consolidated version, Article 7(2) (EUR-Lex)
• The CAP Code, section 2: Recognition of marketing communications, rule 2.1 (ASA)
• Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads, third edition, 23 March 2023 (ASA and CMA)
• 16 CFR § 255.5, Disclosure of material connections (Cornell Law School LII)
• Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers, November 2019 (US Federal Trade Commission)
• TikTok: how to turn on the commercial content disclosure setting
• Meta Pixel
• TikTok Shop