Selling tickets to a concert doesn’t require a partnership with event sites or contracts with promoters. Indie bands, small promoters or venues, and even churches or schools wanting to promote a one-time event can easily sell concert tickets online via a WordPress.com site.
Let’s say you have an indie band that’s built a local following by writing and performing unique music with a regional flair. So far, your band has played some local festivals and connected with establishments willing to share a portion of the cover charge or house beverage profits in exchange for live music.
But what if you could sell tickets directly to fans online? That capability puts control of sales and profits in your own hands.
Tools for selling concert tickets with WordPress
You have a few options for selling tickets directly from a WordPress site. The right choice depends on your goals and how often you want to sell online.
Implement the Pay with PayPal button
Pay with PayPal is the simplest and fastest solution for accepting payments on WordPress. To use this option, you need:
- An active WordPress.com Premium, Business, or plugin-enabled plan
- A PayPal account to accept payments
You can add the button to any page or site via blocks or in footer or sidebar widgets.
The Pay with PayPal option doesn’t come with all the functions of an eCommerce plugin, but it’s convenient and easy. Consider using it if you:
- Need to get something up fast to support immediate sales for an upcoming event
- Don’t want to commit to another option yet
- Are selling tickets for a one-time or seasonal event such as a school jazz band concert or church holiday performance
Integrate WooCommerce and the WooCommerce Box Office extension
If you want functionality that’s closer to an online ticket site, you can build it with WooCommerce — an advanced, but easy-to-use eCommerce solution designed just for WordPress. Then, simply add the WooCommerce Box Office extension. This allows you to sell tickets right from your site with greater flexibility than the Pay with PayPal button offers.
You can:
- Create different ticket types. Provide group discounts, sell tickets by age, or offer backstage passes or other VIP options.
- Keep people on your site. Since fans aren’t going to a third-party ticket site, the chances of them deciding to spend money on tickets to someone else’s show are much smaller.
- Offer extra content to ticket holders. Combine the Box Office extension with Groups for WooCommerce to offer downloads, webinars, and other content available only to ticket holders.
Tips for successfully selling concert tickets on your WordPress site
Setting up the right technology is only the first step of selling concert tickets online. Your indie band may have a venue and a Pay with PayPal button, but to make sales, you’ll need to combine that with the right marketing efforts.
1. Start selling early
Procrastination is a major drag on ticket sales. Consider the big names: their tickets go on sale a year or more in advance. You may have tried to purchase tickets in the past only to find out they’ve been sold out for months.
Your band might not sell out large venues, but you do have to consider:
- The calendars of your fans. Selling tickets as early as possible helps ensure fans save the date for your event.
- The wallets of your fans. Providing plenty of time for buying tickets helps ensure fans can budget appropriately for the expenditure.
- How long marketing can take. Selling early means you have time to build hype and interest in the event, which can increase ticket sales.
2. Leverage scarcity and create urgency
On the other hand, don’t let your fans get too comfortable. Use scarcity and other deadline language to prompt people to buy tickets immediately. Here are some tips for doing so:
Let people know how many tickets are left
If the venue is small, mention the limited number of tickets available. “Only 100 tickets are up for grabs!” This creates exclusivity. People will want to be a part of this special crowd, and they’ll buy tickets faster because they’re afraid of missing out.
As you near the end of ticket inventories, keep people updated with a countdown on your sales page. “Only ten tickets left!” “Hurry, only two tickets left!”
Create deadlines for special deals
Give people who purchase tickets within the first few days or weeks a special discount. You might offer ten percent off for purchases made within the first week or give free VIP upgrades to anyone who buys in the first 24 hours. Make sure to include countdown language on your sales page. “Only two days left to purchase discounted tickets” or “Buy tickets in the next four hours to get a free concert T-shirt!”
Use exclusive or time-sensitive language
Create urgency even if there isn’t a looming deadline or deal. Words such as only, soon, now, today, don’t miss out, and limited can make purchasing tickets seem urgent to the reader. Some examples include:
- One night only
- Get your tickets today
- Don’t miss out on an intimate night with the band
- Limited VIP passes for the February concert
3. Connect via email marketing
Use email marketing to help sell tickets and connect with ticket holders.
Start by sending emails about the event to your current list. If you’re not yet building a list, get started now. Include a signup for your email newsletter on your WordPress site.
Consider including an opt-in for the newsletter when people buy tickets. Then, stay in touch by:
- Sending reminders about the event as the big day approaches
- Providing helpful updates or information about the venue
- Offering discounts and first chances at tickets to future events or merchandise
4. Entice fans with a landing page
Every musician has fans that are in no matter what — even local indie artists. Those are the people that whip out their credit cards as soon as they hear the faintest whisper about an upcoming concert.
But most people ask some questions before they’re ready to purchase tickets. Answer those questions proactively with an enticing landing page.
Here are some things to consider putting on your landing page:
- Pictures or video clips from previous events. Show people that you know how to put on a good show.
- Testimonials. Let other people share your message in their own words. If other fans are raving about your live performances, people will want to see what they’re missing.
- Details about the event. Spell out the pricing and explain the differences in ticket types. Give deadlines for various buying options, let people know how likely the event is to sell out, and provide a detailed schedule so fans know what to expect.
- Information about the venue. Is it family-appropriate, or is this event for the 21 and up crowd? Can people purchase food, or should they eat before they come? Provide special instructions if parking could be confusing and information about accessibility or amenities.
5. Give loyal fans the heads up on social media
As soon as you set up ticket sales on your site, link to the landing page and announce it on social media. That gives your followers and loyal fans a chance to purchase tickets before anyone else. You can do the same with your email list.
6. Don’t forget about advertising
You should have an advertising and marketing budget for every event. It doesn’t have to be a lot — you can launch a social media ad campaign targeting your followers for as little as $10 or so.
If you have a bit more to spend, online ads can be especially lucrative because they help you reach outside of your existing fan base. Consider starting small by paying to boost posts on Facebook or Instagram.
Both of these sites have DIY ad platforms that let you target audiences aligned with specific demographics, geolocations, and interests.
Check out more marketing tips for your WordPress site.
Sell tickets your way
Sell tickets to a concert or any event you want, in whatever way you want. From a simple Pay with PayPal button to more intricate, custom-designed solutions, you can become your own promoter and run the show with WordPress.com. You’ll have more freedom and keep a bigger slice of the pie.
Get started today.
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