Did You Know Eventbrite Tickets Can Be Attached to TikToks?
Could this be a game changer for promoting live events?
Hello and welcome to the 4 new subscribers since last week’s email, on how Spotify has become the most recent app to copy TikTok. Next week, I’m looking to do another edition of my “Why Your Videos Went Viral” round-up. If you’d like to submit something for analysis, feel free to reply in this thread with a link, or drop it in the comments below.
I’m always intrigued by anything that makes the online ticket-buying process as frictionless as possible. Last month, we explored the implications of embedded tickets on YouTube videos for musicians and comedians:
Today, I’m sharing this TikTok from comedian Connor Ratliff, which features an Eventbrite widget on the left-hand side of the video, for those browsing on mobile:
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Quick Stats (at time of writing):
106K Views, 4,740 Likes, 94 Comments, 136 Shares, 413 Saves
Like PCT: 4.5% | Share PCT: 0.1% | Save PCT: 0.4%
Video Length: 5 min 25 sec
Text Hook: none
Hashtags: #acting #theactingclass #improv #comedy #connorratliff #SaturdayNightLive #SNL50
We noticed a similar widget when looking at a TikTok from Morgan Jay last summer:
Here’s what I wrote on July 15th, 2024:
Morgan has basically perfected the art of the high-production value musical crowdwork clip, but I mainly wanted to highlight this clip because of its Ticketmaster widget, highlighted in yellow.
I see a few bands starting to use this link (Lawrence comes to mind) since the widget debuted in December, but Morgan is basically the only comedian I’ve seen using it.
And I have a feeling it’s working, or he wouldn’t be putting it on every single clip.
…
I’d love to see the data on if this link is actually optimizing conversion.
If it is, I think there is a big opportunity for someone to step in and reduce the entire friction of the ticket buying process. I could envision a Don’t Tell Comedy or PunchUp Live widget that allows you to make a one-click purchase (as your CC info is already saved into the app) and go right back to scrolling, similar to how TikTok Shop functions.
Well, unbeknownst to me until writing today’s email, here’s what TikTok and Eventbrite rolled out, quite literally the next day:
And here’s what TikTok had to say, in their own announcement:
TikTok is excited to announce a partnership with the global events marketplace Eventbrite, offering event creators a powerful new way to promote their events and sell tickets across a wide range of categories.
Now, any Eventbrite creator or TikTok user can add Eventbrite links directly to their TikTok videos, helping the TikTok community discover event details and purchase tickets without ever leaving the app.
This…. kind of seems like it should be a way bigger deal?
Here are some perks, per Eventbrite’s blog post announcing the collaboration:
Seamless Event Promotion: Add event links to TikTok videos, allowing vast audiences to explore event details and purchase tickets directly from their For You Page.
Faster Ticket Sales: With just a few clicks, you can enable ticket purchases from Eventbrite through an in-app browser on TikTok.
Promote Multiple Events Simultaneously: Add multiple event links to videos and TikTok users will be shown the most relevant event based on their location.
Reach More Attendees: Any TikTok user, whether an event creator or not, can add links to their videos, amplifying event promotion and reach
…
The new feature is available in all countries where both TikTok and Eventbrite services are available. Eligible events must be in-person, publicly listed on Eventbrite, have paid tickets, and occur within the next 90 days (or 180 days for music events). More details can be found here.
My hunch is that Connor boosted this video using a bit of paid spend, given the proportionally low Like, Save, and Share counts for a video with 100K+ views.
But to have anything remotely resembling a regular level of engagement on what is effectively an advertisement is remarkable.
This is why live performance (and specifically live comedy) are uniquely primed for high conversion on social media.
Unlike, say, an ad for toothpaste, the product is the advertisement is the content.
All one needs to do is present the product in a way that sells the experience.
Then, conduct a bit of algebra.
If you work backwards from the venue capacity, ticket price, and the standard conversion percentage of total impressions to ticket purchases (2% CPA or better would be great, in Connor’s case), you can feasibly sell out your upcoming slate of shows with minimal paid spend.
Harness this correctly, and this might be the future of your live show promotion.
No more static graphics, or flyering, or Meta ads platform guesswork.
No more Instagram Story promos and “Notes” shouting at whatever city you’re in.
Just you being funny on stage, and videos of you, being funny on stage.