Early Marketing: How to Build Excitement for Your Library’s Work

Simple strategies to help your audience feel invested before your next program even launches

By Julia Giantomasi

Published June 12, 2026

One of the most common bad habits an organization has is playing catch up with marketing. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the project or program itself and miss the opportunity to build excitement through early marketing. Talking about a program before it’s finalized allows weeks, sometimes months, of engagement with followers and building anticipation. Whether you’re planning a summer reading kickoff, author visit, technology workshop, or local history program, marketing can start long before registration opens.

Why Early Marketing Works

When people see a program announcement for the first time, they often have questions about what it is, why they should care, and whether it is for them. If the first time they hear about your library’s event is when registration opens, you’re asking them to learn about it and make a decision at the same time.

By introducing the idea earlier, you create familiarity so that when registration rolls around, patrons already know what the program is. They may already be excited about attending and have recruited friends or family to save the date as well. Early marketing can increase registration numbers, generate social engagement, and help patrons feel invested in programming. Here are some easy ways New Jersey libraries can begin promoting programs before they exist.

1. Let Patrons Help You Choose

People love sharing their opinions, and often that’s what they do most on social media. Instead of announcing decisions after they’re made, choose a program or event where you can invite the community into the planning process. Not only does this increase engagement, but it also gives patrons a sense of ownership. When they help shape a program, they’re more likely to participate. Utilize Instagram & Facebook stories, polls, and comment prompts on posts to get your followers involved.

Examples: Asking what title to read next for a book club, theme suggestions for children’s programs, and topics that patrons want to learn more about for workshops.

2. Share Sneak Peeks

You do not need all the details finalized to start generating interest. Releasing sneak peeks or posting a teaser can give followers a reason to pay attention and return to your page for updates along the way. The goal is not to reveal everything, but to spark curiosity for a big event, project, or new resource that you know will benefit the community. Post captions like “something is coming this summer…” or “we’re working on a new program and can’t wait to share more” can pique interest. Increase engagement by asking followers to comment with a guess on what’s coming.

Examples: A blurred image of an upcoming guest speaker, a hype video with cool music and images related to the topic of the announcement, or staff members preparing supplies for a craft program.

3. Create a Countdown

A fun way to get attention once details become more concrete is to create a countdown to a big announcement or the debut of your project. It doesn’t have to be a groundbreaking announcement to build up excitement. In a world where the news cycle is doom and gloom, it’s a welcome time to add whimsy to someone’s day. People are looking to be excited about things and see positivity in their feed.

Countdowns work well for summer reading, author talks, large community events, unique exhibits, or major library celebrations. To stretch out the marketing and maintain momentum, you can give multiple countdowns. For example, 100 days until our library’s centennial celebration, one month until our library’s centennial celebration, one week until our library’s centennial celebration, and tomorrow’s the big day! Each post can share different details about the event, serving as both a reminder and a way to breadcrumb more information.

Examples: Months in advance, share a theme & teaser image; Weeks in advance, share the date and registration link; The day before, share parking information or last-minute updates.

4. Build a Story Around the Program

Most libraries promote an event by listing facts like date/time, speaker, and registration link. All of this is necessary information, but easy to scroll right by. Make your library’s marketing stand out and resonate with your community by telling a story behind the event. Create an emotional connection with your audience before the event even launches.

Example: Instead of saying, “Join us for a genealogy workshop.” Try, “Have you ever wondered where your family came from? This fall, we’ll be helping patrons uncover their family stories through a new genealogy workshop series.”

Libraries do incredible work, but sometimes we wait too long to tell people about it. Next time your staff is planning a program, start talking about it with your patrons before everything is finalized. Not everything has to be polished for social media. In fact, followers often enjoy seeing how things come together. Invite them into this process by sharing staff brainstorming, program preparation, and collection development. Posting sneak peeks and asking for patron input can build anticipation and make for more successful events and programming in the end. In today’s crowded digital landscape, successful marketing is not just about announcing programs. It’s about creating a journey that begins long before the event itself.