Side Door Promotion: How It Works and How to Make the Most of It

Let’s get straight to the point: our number one goal is to help you pull off a killer show. We’re all about making sure every concert you host reaches its full potential.

In this post, we’ll show you how to use our resources effectively and set realistic expectations for how our promotion can help with ticket sales.

How We Help

We've got your back when it comes to supporting you with promotions. Here’s a look at how we can help:

• Marketing Newsletter: Get a shoutout in our biweekly newsletter, which goes out to a crowd of folks always looking for new music and experiences.
• Social Media Support: We can help create content, share your stories, co-host Facebook (FB) events, and plan collab posts on Instagram (IG). Every Thursday, we feature ALL the week’s shows on our IG and FB stories, complete with direct links to buy tickets.
• Automated Emails: As soon as a show gets announced, we notify fans in the area automatically.

How to Get Our Help

Timing is everything! To really make the most of our promo support, hit us up as soon as you book your show—at least three weeks ahead is ideal. Waiting until the last minute (like DM’ing us three days before the gig) doesn’t usually work well for ticket sales. The earlier we know, the better we can plan and promote with you.

Social Media

• Want to collab on a social post??? Let’s coordinate the date and content style in advance. Because of our content schedule, we usually need a heads-up to make it happen.
• Need help with design??? We’ve got you! We can create a post for you, or you can use our free Canva templates to whip one up yourself.
• If we missed a tag or invite, just let us know.?? Shoot us a DM or email, and we’ll make sure to jump on it. :)

Newsletter

• We send out our newsletter every two weeks, highlighting shows coming up in the next two weeks. We usually feature 3-5 shows per issue, and even if you’re not featured, we include a reminder for readers to check out all upcoming events. Want to make sure you’re featured? Just reach out three weeks before your show.

How to Reach Us

For promo support beyond the automatic email and FB/IG stories, the easiest way to get in touch is to email our Marketing Manager, Sean. Click to visit our blog and access email.

What Content Works Best

Static posts are great, but short performance videos really grab attention and boost engagement. They’re also perfect for showcasing the artist’s sound and style. ??Think about it—if someone doesn’t know the artist, a static post makes them take the extra step to search for their music. But with a video, you put the performance right in front of them. It’s one less step, making it easier for them to hit “buy” on that ticket.

Don’t sleep on Facebook events either! A lot of people discover shows this way, and it leads to ticket sales. Our Facebook page hits around 30,000 people each month, so make sure to invite us as a co-host on your event!

Setting Realistic Expectations

Let’s talk about who we’re reaching. While Side Door has a total cross-platform reach of 535,000, most of our audience is in Canada—particularly in Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Alberta. So, our posts will have the biggest impact in those areas.

No matter where your show is, remember that Side Door promotions alone won’t sell out your show. The best results happen when hosts, artists, and Side Door all work together on promotion. Consistent posting and a mix of content are key.?

Tracking Success

An affiliate link is a special URL that tracks when someone clicks on it and makes a purchase, like concert tickets. It’s like a digital footprint that shows exactly where your sales are coming from. Here’s how it works:

1. What is an affiliate link? Imagine you're promoting an event on Facebook, Instagram, or via email. You can use a unique affiliate link to send people to the ticket page. When someone clicks the link and buys a ticket, the system tracks that sale and connects it to your specific promotion. This helps you see which of your efforts are driving ticket sales.
2. How do affiliate links help you? Affiliate links are key for understanding which of your marketing strategies are working. For example, if you create two promotions—one on Facebook and one through email—you can use different affiliate links for each. If your Facebook promotion leads to 10 ticket sales and only took 5 minutes to set up, you’ll know it was effective. If your email promotion doesn’t result in any sales, you’ll know it’s better to focus on other efforts next time.
3. How to create an affiliate link in Side Door: Side Door makes creating affiliate links super simple. Just go to the Audience Manager of your show, click on "Affiliate Links," and name each link based on the platform you'll be promoting on (e.g., Facebook, Instagram). Then, use these links in your promotions and Side Door will track which link results in ticket sales. This makes it easy to see what’s working and what isn’t, so you can focus on what drives the most results.
4. Why is this important? Affiliate links save you time, money, and effort by giving you clear data on your promotions. Instead of guessing which strategies are working, you’ll know for sure.

Owning Your Audience

Starting a newsletter is one of the best ways to build a direct connection with your fans. It lets you share updates and shows straight to their inboxes. Some of our hosts even offer early access to their show announcements through their newsletters, and we’ve seen them sell out shows this way.

We’ve made it super easy for fans to join your mailing list when they buy tickets. Even if you don’t have a newsletter yet, start gathering emails in a spreadsheet—you can always import them once you’re ready to go.

Let’s Work Together

By teaming up, we can build a promotional strategy that gets your show the attention it deserves.

We know this might feel like a lot, especially when you’ve got a million other things going on as an artist or host. But don’t worry—you can repurpose content. Use an old video and just update it with new details. Cross-post on different platforms, and don’t be afraid to ask your fans for help in spreading the word.

Every little bit helps, and together, we can sell out your next concert!