In the past, marketing your event came after the planning. You booked the venue, chose the menu, locked in speakers, and then asked your marketing team to drum up buzz. But in 2025, that order is getting flipped. Today’s smartest event pros are reverse engineering their strategy by starting with content creation and working backward. The result? More shareable moments, better brand consistency, and way more value from every dollar spent.
Here’s how the best in the business are making it happen.
Why Content First Planning Works
Your event is more than a one day experience, it’s a content goldmine. From short form video and influencer reels to press coverage and sponsored posts, your event should feed your marketing funnel for months. By thinking like a media company from the start, you can:
- Identify brand storytelling opportunities early
- Plan activations around visual content needs
- Capture quality media for post event campaigns
Plus, content first planning builds FOMO in advance and keeps your brand relevant long after the last guest leaves. HubSpot’s latest trend report emphasizes that brands creating native content during live experiences are seeing up to 45% higher engagement on social media.
Step 1: Define Your Content Goals Before Anything Else
Before picking a venue or hiring a vendor, sit down with your marketing team and define what success looks like from a content perspective:
- Are you trying to land press features?
- Do you need TikTok worthy activities?
- Is your client focused on evergreen video assets?
Having clear goals will shape everything from lighting to design to speaker selection. If your goal is to walk away with 15 usable reels, that will affect your run of show and production schedule.
Step 2: Build a Content Map for Every Event Touchpoint
Map out how and where content will be created across your event timeline:
- Pre event: Teasers, countdowns, influencer invites
- During: Live streaming, BTS reels, guest reactions, user generated content
- Post event: Recaps, testimonials, thought leadership clips
Even things like check in moments, signage, and product displays should be optimized for easy capturing and sharing. A Content Marketing Institute report shows that 62% of top performing marketers work from a documented strategy. Treat your event plan the same way.
Step 3: Design for the Camera (Not Just the Crowd)
A stage that looks good to a live audience might not translate well on social media. Lighting, backdrops, and audio should be optimized for both human experience and digital capture. Think like a set designer:
- Does the panel table block speaker shots?
- Are your sponsor logos visible in wide shots?
- Will camera angles show packed energy or empty chairs?
Content first planning ensures nothing looks like an afterthought once it’s posted online.
Step 4: Collaborate With Creators Early
Creators shouldn’t be an afterthought, they should be part of your pre production. Invite brand aligned influencers to help shape the look and feel of the event. Let them preview spaces and weigh in on what they know their audience wants to see.
Platforms like #paid or Upfluence let you source creators who already understand your industry. This approach leads to more organic content and more authentic reach.
Step 5: Use Your Agenda to Maximize Capture
Schedule moments intentionally. If golden hour is at 7:30 PM, that’s when you want your signature toast. If your keynote speaker draws the largest crowd, make sure your videographer is ready with multiple angles.
Build the event flow with media capture in mind:
- Give photographers space and access
- Plan for mic’d up soundbites
- Create pauses for live social media moments
This isn’t about over orchestrating. It’s about ensuring the best parts of your event are actually captured.
Step 6: Repurpose Like a Pro
Every event should give you a content bank you can tap for weeks, if not months:
- Break panels into LinkedIn posts
- Turn BTS clips into Instagram stories
- Use testimonials in email marketing
- Turn keynotes into blog posts
Tools like Descript or Canva’s video editor make repurposing easy, especially when your content was designed with this in mind.
Your Next Move
Want to connect with marketers who are turning events into content machines? Join us at The Event Planner Expo and meet the pros reshaping how NYC events get seen.
