Cast a wider net: a guide to marketing your awards programme

Mention awards, and most people's thoughts immediately turn to "ooo, ceremony!". But, as any awards manager knows, the real work - the thing that actually packed the entries in, and ultimately filled that room - happened months earlier. That slow-burn build-up is what drives submissions, sells tickets, and gets people talking about your brand. Whether you’re chasing more entries, a ceremony that's bursting at the seams with attendees, or just a stronger reputation in your industry, a solid marketing strategy is the difference between being ‘another awards thing’ and ‘the event everyone wants to be part of’.

Here are some of our top tips for marketing your awards, to get the very best out of them - at every stage.

1. Choose your channels wisely.
You don't need to be everywhere - but you do need to be in the right places, routinely.

• Email is an obvious choice, and is perfect for reconnecting with past entrants and attendees. They already know you; a well-timed nudge is often all it takes to have them sign up again.

• Social media is where you find new participants. Instagram and TikTok are great for visual, behind-the-scenes energy; LinkedIn works harder for B2B credibility; Facebook still pulls its weight for community and event pages.

• PR adds a layer of third-party credibility that your own channels can’t - a nice write-up in a trade publication does a lot of heavy lifting for trust.

2. Keep it consistent.
Your messaging, your branding, your voice - they all need to be in harmony. And keep your comms frequent - you don’t want anyone to stumble across your awards page and wonder why the last post is from six months ago.

3. Make your website the one-stop shop.
Your site is where all that traffic should eventually land, so it needs to deliver. That means:

• Categories laid out clearly (not buried three clicks deep).

• Deadlines front and centre, ideally with a countdown.

• Entry information that answers questions before people have to ask.

• Genuinely helpful FAQs.

4. Leverage your awards management software.
A good platform will enable you to send reminder emails, automate entrant confirmations, and track how your campaigns are doing. Use that data to your advantage, and let it inform your comms strategy.

5. Maintain the momentum.
Getting people to notice your awards is one thing. Getting them to actually enter - or buy a ticket - is another. Once nominations are live, don't just post ‘entries are open’ once and go quiet. Keep feeding the excitement:

• Winner throwbacks - share what last year’s winners have been up to since. Success stories sell the dream better than any advert.

• Behind-the-scenes content - judging day, venue setup, the team prepping trophies. People like feeling in on the action.

• Countdowns and sneak peeks - a simple ‘five days left to enter’ post creates urgency without feeling pushy.

6. Do the post-ceremony push.
The event is a content goldmine, so use it.

• Get the highlight video out while the excitement is still fresh - within a few days, not a few months.

• Announce winners across every channel, tagging them where you can (free reach, and they'll usually share it themselves).

• Share photos generously - guests love finding themselves in the gallery, and it’s an easy reason for them to repost and tag you.

Then, once the dust settles, do the unglamorous but genuinely valuable stuff: send a feedback survey, look at what worked and what didn’t, and start feeding those insights straight into planning next year’s event. The awards programmes that grow year on year aren’t the ones that got lucky once - they're the ones that treat every event as research for the next.

The best measure of a successful awards programme isn’t just how the night went - it’s whether people are already asking when they can enter next year’s.

If you'd like to find out how we can help you and your awards programme, just drop us a line or request a demo - we'd love to chat to you!