How do I set up early-bird tickets?

The short answer

An early-bird ticket is a lower price for people who book early. It ends either on a date or once a set number have sold, whichever you choose, and then the standard price takes over. The key is that the change happens on its own, so you are not editing prices at midnight.

On One Ticket you can do this two ways: a price change on one ticket type, or a separate early-bird ticket type with its own cap and end date.

Pick what ends the early bird

There are three common triggers:

• A date. “Early bird until 30 November.” Clear and easy to promote.
• A number of days before the event. Useful when you copy the same setup to the next event.
• A number sold. “First 30 tickets at $20.” Creates urgency without a deadline.

A date is the easiest to explain. A number sold rewards the people who move fastest, and it protects you if sales are slow: the cheap tickets do not run out until people actually buy them.

Set the gap right

Make the early-bird discount big enough to matter and small enough that you do not regret it. A few dollars off a $20 ticket is noticeable. Half price usually is not needed, and it trains people to wait for the next deal.

Work out your break-even at the standard price first. If the event only works when everyone pays full price, keep the early-bird allocation small.

Tell people when it ends

An early bird only works if people know it is ending. Put the end date or the number left in your posts. Send a reminder to your mailing list a day or two before it closes. When it is gone, say so: “Early birds are sold out, standard tickets are on sale now” is a good post in its own right.

Keep it honest

Do not run a “last chance” early bird and then extend it. People notice, and the next one stops working. If sales are slow, it is better to add a different offer, like a group price, than to move the deadline.

On One Ticket

Each ticket type can have up to six price changes. A change starts on a date, a number of days before the event, or once a number have sold, whichever comes first. The event page and checkout always agree on the current price, so nobody sees one price and pays another.

If you would rather show the early bird as its own ticket, make a separate ticket type with its own cap and a sales end date. When its window closes it comes off the page. The standard ticket can be hidden until its sales start, so the page never shows a ticket nobody can buy yet.

On a paid ticket the buyer pays a booking fee on top of whichever price applies, and you receive the full price you set. A $20 early bird costs the buyer $21.37; a $25 standard ticket costs $26.45.

Related: Early-bird tickets for a wellness retreat day, How to add a discount code to event tickets and How much should I charge for event tickets?