How to Promote Your Event

Hosting an event such as a swim meet or open water swim is a great way to provide competitive opportunities for your local swimmers and triathletes. It’s also a way to raise needed operating funds for your club. Some events also function as fundraisers for specific causes.

Regardless of your goal, you’ll want to get the word out about your event and get people to register. Here’s how.

Website/Email

If your club has a website, be sure the event is featured prominently on your front page, with links to registration and email and phone contact for the event director. Make it easy for people to find the event and register for it.

Email your swimmers and encourage them to register for the event, stressing how important their participation is—supporting the goals of the club starts within the club. Encourage them to share the information with their swimming contacts, who may be from other clubs or even other sports such as water polo, rowing, or triathlon.

You can also ask your swimmers to enlist event volunteers from their family and friend groups. Events are more fun and more successful when word spreads throughout the community and brings people together. In all your emails, make it easy for people to register for the event, either as a participant or volunteer, by including direct links in every communication you send.

Local Media

Reach out to local newspapers, magazines, and online news outlets and let them know about your event. Many will have online submission forms for a press release or contact information for the community or local editor. You can also write your own press release using one of the many standard templates available online.

Often community publications and news outlets are seeking information about local events they think will appeal to their audience and will be happy to post your announcement. Provide detailed information about your event, including dates, location, type of event, who can participate, direct links to registration, and how to get in touch with your club contact and event director.

Encourage a local reporter to attend and photograph your event, which will help introduce your club and your event to the local community. 

Social Media

If your club has a social media account (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), it’s easy to broadcast your event to your followers and groups. You’ll want to post regularly leading up to the registration cutoff date, and, if possible, each post should include a direct link to event registration. 

To generate interest, use fun photos from previous events and stories about participants, awards, etc. Many social platforms also offer easy ways to boost your post to a specific audience for as little as a few dollars.

Assuming your club’s swimmers are included in your social media audience, ask them to interact with the posts to bring engagement levels up and to share the event with their followers. Be sure your club accounts follow and tag USMS on its social channels so that it can also engage with your club’s posts.

Facebook and Instagram are popular ways for clubs to connect with their members and the community at large, but there are other outlets, including NextDoor, Meetup, and Reddit. Encourage your club members who use these platforms to post the event information there.

Your Community

Chances are you share your local pool with lap swimmers and others interested in a healthy and active lifestyle. These people are all potential members of your club and participants in your events. 

An inclusive event flyer, one that lets people know that Masters swimmers come from all different backgrounds and levels of experience, can pique interest in people already at your facility on a regular basis. We offer a few basic flyer templates on our club resources page that you can use or get inspiration from. 

You can also attend triathlons, open water swims, or other sporting events in your area and hand out promotional material about your event.

If you include information about volunteering at your event, some people will sign up just to check things out, even if they aren’t ready to swim. And you can always use volunteers.

Local Masters Clubs

Although many neighboring Masters clubs enjoy vigorous rivalries, smart coaches network with other coaches in their region to help promote events that serve a wider group of athletes. If a few coaches get together and agree to support each other’s events, it has a positive impact on the entire region.

Local Tri, Bike, and Run Clubs and Shops

Many triathletes enjoy doing their swim training with a local Masters club—you may even have a few who are members of your club—but who also belong to a local tri, bike, or run club, or meet at local shops that sell equipment. All these adults are pursuing a healthy lifestyle and are aware of the benefits of swimming. Some may be interested in volunteering or participating in your event. Connect with clubs and shops and find ways to help each other.

USMS Calendar of Events

The USMS Calendar of Events is a great place to promote your sanctioned USMS event as thousands of people view our calendar each month looking for events. To obtain a sanction and get your event listed on the USMS Calendar of Events, read this tutorial to help get you started. When filling out your sanction, be thorough and creative in your description of your event—it will be listed among others and you’ll want it to stand out. We offer a grant program for new events and events looking to grow that meet certain criteria. If you’re interested in a grant or have questions, please email us at events@usmastersswimming.org.