How to promote a karaoke night

Before you post anything clever, make sure the plain facts are everywhere a stranger might look. The facts are the day, the start time, the address and whether there's a cover.

• Your Google Business Profile. Mention karaoke night in the description and add a post or an event for it. Put up a photo of the actual night too. This profile is what shows up on the map when someone searches nearby.
• Your own website. Put one line on the home page, such as "Karaoke every Thursday at 9." Search engines read text far better than they read a flyer in a photo gallery.
• Your social bios. Put the night and the time in the bio itself, so nobody has to scroll for it.
• Karaoke listings. People who love karaoke use sites built for it. KaraokeList keeps a guide to karaoke by city. If your night is missing or out of date, email support@karaokelist.app and tell us.
• Maps and review sites. Claim your place on Apple Business Connect and on Yelp, so both show the right hours and details.
• Event listings. Create a Facebook event for the night. Add it to local event calendars too, such as the one your city's newspaper runs.

Then keep those facts up to date. A first-timer who shows up on the night the listing promised and finds the speakers packed away is unlikely to try again. If the night moves or takes a week off, change it everywhere on the same day.

Three posts a week is plenty, as long as they're the same three every week.

1. The day before: post a reminder with the day, the time and one reason to come, such as the theme.
2. The day of: post a short "tonight" note in the afternoon, when people are deciding what to do after work.
3. The day after: post a photo or a short clip from the night and thank everyone who sang. Ask before you post anyone's face.

People skip the day-after post most often. It may be the most useful one. It shows a real room with real people having a good time, which is the proof a nervous first-timer is looking for. If you get stuck on wording, borrow from our ready-to-post karaoke night captions.

A lot of promotion is taking away reasons not to come. A person who has never been to your night is quietly wondering about a handful of things, and your posts can answer all of them.

• When does singing actually start, and how late does it go?
• How do I sign up? Is it a slip of paper or a tablet?
• Is there a cover or a drink minimum?
• Will I be laughed at if I'm not good? Say it out loud: all voices are welcome.
• Can I just watch?

Put the answers in a pinned post and on a small sign by the host's table.

Start with the people who are already inside. They like the place and come on other nights. Some of them have no idea you have karaoke.

• Put out table tents and add a line to the menu or the chalkboard all week long.
• Mention karaoke from the stage on trivia night and game day.
• Make sure every staff member can answer "when's karaoke?" without checking.
• Print one QR code that goes to one place with the schedule on it, so people can save it before they leave.

On the night itself, the host is the best promoter in the building. A quick "we're here every Thursday, bring someone next week" near the end of the night costs nothing and gets heard by exactly the right people.

Most karaoke rooms fill by word of mouth. You can help that along. Put duets and group songs early in the night, so friends have a reason to come as a set. When a regular brings a first-timer, give the first-timer the next open slot. Make birthdays a small event with a song of their choice and a round of applause.

Themes help here too, because "it's 80s night, you have to come" is an easier invitation than "it's Thursday." We keep a list of karaoke night ideas that bring people back. We also have a guide to building a crowd of regulars for when those friends walk in.

Other people already have the crowd you want. A rec sports league needs somewhere to go after games. An office down the street needs a team outing. A choir or a theater group is full of people who would sing if someone asked. Offer them a reserved table and a group song, and ask them to tell their members. Pick one group a month and invite it by name. A personal invitation gets more answers than a general post. If a host runs your night, share each other's posts every week as well.