How to Market Your Pantomime
Or: How to fill every seat without standing in the rain with a sandwich board
Marketing a pantomime is one of those things that every society knows it needs to do and almost none of them enjoy doing. The show is the fun part. Designing a poster, writing press releases, and reminding people on social media for the fourth time that yes, tickets are still available, is decidedly less fun. But it matters, and it's worth doing properly.
This isn't a guide to digital marketing strategy or advertising spend. It's the practical stuff I've seen work for amateur and community theatre groups, written in the order you're likely to need it.
Start Earlier Than You Think You Need To
Announce your show as soon as possible. It doesn’t need to be flashy, but it does need to be done. This might feel premature if rehearsals haven't started, but audiences for pantomime are often made up of regulars who book early, families who need to plan around school schedules, and groups who are booking for a works Christmas outing. These people are making decisions months in advance.
A simple announcement on your society's social media, with the title, dates, and venue, costs nothing and takes five minutes. It also signals to your existing followers that the season is coming, which means the later, more detailed posts land in front of a warm audience rather than a cold one.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Branching Out Drama Society
Your Existing Audience Is Your Best Asset
The most reliable ticket buyers for any pantomime are people who came the year before. If your society keeps any kind of mailing list, this is the moment to use it. An email to previous ticket holders before you open general sales costs nothing beyond a little time and consistently produces results.
If you don't have a mailing list, start one now. A simple sign-up sheet at front of house, or a note on your booking confirmation asking people if they'd like to hear about future shows, is all you need. A basic list of engaged people is worth considerably more than a social media following you've paid to reach.
Local Press Still Works
This surprises people, but local newspapers, community websites, and parish magazines still reach a slice of the community that isn't on social media, and they're often hungry for content. A short press release announcing your show, with a decent cast photo, is usually enough to get a listing or a small feature. A follow-up piece closer to the run, with a production photo, can work well too.
The key is to write it as a story, not an advert. "Group performs pantomime" is not news. "Thirty-five local performers bring Cinderella to the stage for the first time in ten years" is closer to it. Lead with something specific to your production: the number of performers, a local connection, a first-time director, a notable anniversary. Give them a reason to run it.
Social Media: Consistent Beats Clever
I know societies that have built strong pantomime audiences through social media, and the common factor isn't production values. It's consistency. A group that posts three times a week throughout the rehearsal period, with a mix of behind-the-scenes photos, cast spotlights, and ticket reminders, will reach more people than one that posts twice and then goes quiet until press night.
What people want to see is the show coming to life; Costume fittings, set builds, interviews with the cast and creatives… This kind of content costs nothing to produce and performs better than polished promotional graphics, because it's honest and it creates a sense of anticipation. People want to come and see what they've been watching take shape.
Video works particularly well, even short clips. A ten-second clip of a scene in rehearsal, posted with the dates and a link to book, will typically outperform a static poster by a significant margin.
Cinderella, Tintinhull Drama Group
Word of Mouth Is Still the Most Powerful Tool You Have
No social media post reaches people the way a personal recommendation does. Your cast, your crew, and your committee are your best marketing team, and the most useful thing you can ask them to do is tell people personally that the show is on and invite them to come.
This is different from asking them to share a post. It means direct conversations: telling colleagues, friends, and family specifically that there are tickets available and that it's going to be a good show. People respond to being asked by someone they know.
You can support this by making it easy. A short message people can forward, a link to the booking page, a few physical flyers people can carry. Remove as many obstacles between "I'll mention it to someone" and "I've bought tickets" as you can.
Ticket Pricing and Last-Minute Sales
Ticket pricing is beyond the scope of this post, but one thing is worth saying: if you're running multi-night, consider whether concession pricing, group discounts, or a "fill the house on the final night" offer might work for your audience. A nearly full house on the last night is better for the cast, the audience, and next year's advance word of mouth than a technically profitable but half-empty room.
Whatever your pricing structure, make sure buying tickets is genuinely easy. A direct link to your booking page in every post, every email, and every piece of print material is not overkill.
A Word on the Script Itself
Audiences choose pantomime partly on the title. A well-known story, told in a version that looks lively and well-produced, sells itself. If you're still in the process of choosing your show, it's worth taking a look at the scripts available to you before committing to a title, because some perform better in certain communities than others. You can request a free Perusal Script before making any decision, which gives you a proper read of the material before you commit. Browse the full scripts catalogue to see what's available.
Getting the marketing right won't save a poorly chosen show, but it will make a good one perform considerably better. And if the script is funny, the cast is committed, and the audience has a wonderful time, that's the best marketing you'll ever do for next year's show.
Nick Lawrence writes fully original pantomime scripts for amateur and community theatre groups. Find out more and request a Perusal Script here.