Why your event isn’t getting registrations (12 fixes backed by data)

Event marketers across the globe face the same challenge:

“Why aren’t people signing up for my event?”

You’ve built the agenda, secured speakers, and launched the landing page… but registrations are trickling in. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Even the world’s biggest brands struggle with event funnel drop-offs, weak targeting, and ineffective promotion strategies.

The truth is simple: events don’t fail because audiences aren’t interested; they fail because of identifiable, solvable gaps in the marketing funnel. Close those gaps, and registrations rise quickly and consistently.

This post breaks down the 12 most common causes and shows exactly how you can turn things around.

1. You’re targeting the wrong audience

A major reason behind poor event registrations is misaligned or overly broad audience targeting. According to Bizzabo’s Event Marketing Report, 67% of marketers say reaching the right audience is their biggest challenge. When your event promotion reaches people who are either unqualified, uninterested, or irrelevant to the topic, your ad spend increases while conversion rates plummet. LinkedIn studies also show that narrow, persona-driven targeting can improve registration rates by up to 6X, especially for B2B events.

Fix:

• Build persona-based segments (role, industry, pain points)

• Use platform data (Meta / LinkedIn audience insights)

• Exclude irrelevant segments to avoid wasted impressions

Pro Tip: High-intent audiences convert 4–7x better than interest-based broad targeting.

2. Your value proposition isn’t strong enough

A weak or unclear value proposition is one of the quickest ways to lose potential registrants. Research from MarketingExperiments shows that clarity in the value proposition can increase conversions by up to 83%. Today’s audiences are overloaded with webinars, workshops, and digital events, so unless your event spells out exactly what problem it solves and why it’s worth their time, they will scroll past it. HubSpot data reveals that 45% of registrants decide based on the perceived value they expect to receive.

Fix:

• Use this simple framework:

  Pain → Insight → Outcome

Example: “Learn how to reduce customer response times by 40% using workflow automation.”

3. The landing page isn’t conversion-optimized

Even with strong ads and email campaigns, a poorly optimized landing page can tank your registration numbers. Studies from Unbounce indicate that the average event landing page converts only 11–13%, but optimization can push this up to 30% or more. Common issues include cluttered layouts, long forms, confusing CTAs, or missing trust elements. Adobe reports that 38% of users stop engaging when a page is unattractive or hard to use, making UX a critical driver of event conversions.

Fix:

Ensure your page includes:

• A standout hero message

• Clear speaker details

• 3–5 bullet takeaways

• A short form

• Social proof

• Trust badges

Quick Win: Move the CTA button above the fold. It can increase signups by up to 25%.

4. You’re promoting on only one channel

If your event relies on just email or a single social channel, your registration volume is likely to suffer. Research from Marketo shows that multichannel campaigns outperform single-channel campaigns by 300%. Modern users consume content across LinkedIn, WhatsApp, email, Instagram, and Google, so your event must show up where your audience is. According to Bizzabo, events promoted across 4 or more channels generate 2.5X higher attendance.

Fix:

Use a multi-channel mix:

• Email

• LinkedIn posts

• WhatsApp broadcasts

• Paid ads

• Influencers/partners

• Employee shares

• Website pop-ups

Pro Tip: Events grow faster when prospects see the message in 3–5 places, not one.

5. You’re not running retargeting campaigns

Fix:

• Use Meta / Google remarketing

• Use email + WhatsApp abandoned registration messages

• Serve “Last chance to register” ads in the last 72 hours

Retargeting is one of the highest-converting tactics in event marketing, yet many companies fail to use it. Studies by WordStream show that retargeted users are 70% more likely to convert. For events specifically, more than 50% of landing page visitors show interest but don’t register, making retargeting essential. Meta Ads data confirms that event retargeting campaigns can reduce cost per registration by up to 45%.

Pro Tip: Remarketing recovers 20–35% of lost traffic.

6. Your email sequences aren’t strong enough

Email remains the highest-performing channel for event registration, but only when used properly. A single invite email rarely works. According to Campaign Monitor, event-related email sequences have a 28–35% higher conversion rate than one-off blasts. Data shows that sending 4–7 emails throughout the event cycle increases registration rates by up to 70%. Reminder emails alone can account for 20–25% of total sign-ups.

Fix:

Send a 4–7 email sequence, including:

1. Announcement email

2. Speaker reveal

3. Value-packed takeaway email

4. Reminder email

5. Last-chance email

6. Calendar block email

7. Event-day reminder

Pro Tip: Better sequences = higher attendance

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*We’ll audit your current funnel and show you exactly how to multiply your registrations.

7. Your event timing isn’t ideal

Timing plays a much bigger role in registrations than most marketers realize. According to GoToWebinar’s global benchmark report, mid-week events (Tue–Thu) generate 60% more registrations compared to Mondays and Fridays. Time of day matters too; events scheduled between 10 AM and 1 PM in the attendee’s local timezone tend to attract the highest signup and attendance rates. Poor timing alone can reduce attendance by up to 40%.

Fix:

Ideal timing based on global behaviour:

• Best days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

• Best times: 10 AM–1 PM (recipient’s timezone)

Pro Tip: Avoid Monday mornings and Friday afternoons.

8. Your creative isn’t engaging enough

Fix:

Use these strong creative elements:

• Bold headline

• Speaker photos

• Visual agenda

• Strong CTA

• Bold colors and clear layout

Your event creative is often the first touchpoint your audience sees—and weak visuals lead to instant drop-offs. Venngage reports that visual content increases engagement by 180%, and for event ads, creatives influence 70% of CTR performance according to Meta Ads benchmarks. A compelling headline, strong visuals, speaker photos, and a clear CTA can make the difference between someone clicking “Register” or scrolling past.

Pro Tip: Weak visuals = low recall and lower conversions.

9. You’re not leveraging social proof

People trust events endorsed or attended by others. In fact, Nielsen reports that 92% of users trust peer recommendations and social proof more than brand messaging. When your landing page or promo creative lacks testimonials, company logos, speaker credentials, or previous attendee counts, it decreases trust. Adding just a few social proof elements can increase event conversions by 20%–32%, based on CXL Institute experiments.

Fix:

Add:

• Testimonials

• Company logos

• Past event screenshots

• Speaker credentials

• Registrant count (“4,200 already registered”)

Pro Tip: Social proof can increase conversions by 30%+.

10. There’s no sense of urgency

Fix:

Add urgency:

• “Limited seats”

• Countdown timer

• “Registration closes in 24 hours”

• Exclusive content for attendees

Without urgency, people tend to postpone registration—and often never return. Behavioral economics confirms this: scarcity and urgency messaging can increase conversions by up to 332% (CXL study). Events with countdown timers, limited-seat messaging, or deadline-based offers consistently outperform generic “Register Now” campaigns. HubSpot reports that last-48-hour reminders can drive up to 40% of total registrations.

Pro Tip: Urgency boosts conversions in the final 48–72 hours.

11. You haven’t built a post-event value plan

Fix:

Clearly communicate:

• “All registrants get the recording.”

• “Slides will be shared post-event.”

• “Exclusive templates for attendees”

Attendees want reassurance that the value continues beyond the live session. According to ON24’s digital experience benchmark report, 64% of event registrants sign up because they want access to the recording, not just the live content. If your landing page doesn’t clearly state what participants will receive afterward—recordings, slides, templates, or follow-up materials registrations can drop by as much as 30%.

Pro Tip: Send the post-event assets within 24 hours.

12. You’re not measuring the right metrics

Fix:

Track the full funnel:

• Landing page sessions

• Landing page conversion rate

• Email CTR

• Paid ad CTR and CPC

• Retargeting conversions

• Abandoned registration rate

Most event marketers track registrations but ignore the deeper funnel metrics that reveal where drop-offs occur. According to EventMB, 58% of marketers struggle to measure event ROI properly, causing repeated mistakes. Understanding landing page conversion rates, CTRs, CPCs, retention, and abandoned registration rates helps diagnose issues early. Data-driven event marketers see 2.7X higher registration success, according to Bizzabo.

Pro Tip: Data tells you exactly where the funnel is breaking.

Ready to improve your event results?

Low registrations rarely mean your event isn’t valuable. They usually signal a gap somewhere in the funnel. When you focus on reaching the right audience, sharpening your messaging, promoting across multiple channels, optimizing your landing page, retargeting interested visitors, creating urgency and following up effectively, your event performance improves quickly. With the right fixes in place, consistent registrations become the norm rather than the exception.