How to write a great Meetup Description

Once you've decided what you're gonna do at your Meetup, the next step is writing an enticing description and posting it onto your Meetup.

You'll want to describe the Meetup in a way that tells people what's going to happen and makes them want to attend. How do you do that?

Be detailed!

The more details, the better. That way people know what to expect!

Why be detailed? Pretend you're at a restuarant, and the waiter starts reading you the specials. Which sounds better?

"Today's special is a grilled chicken with vegetables."

or...

"Today's special is an organic, free-range chicken breast marinated in soy sauce and ginger, grilled over a hickory wood fire, and served with asparagas and almonds sauteed in sage infused olive oil."

The second one sounds better, of course. Why? Details! That food sounds great! By using lots of details, the waiter paints a mental picture of the food. That vivid picture helps you decide which dish you want to order. Think of that when writing your meeting description.

How do you come up with details?

It's easy. Get out a piece of paper and a pen. Read the questions below. Write an answer to each on that piece of paper. Ready...Set...Go!

• What will you be doing at your Meetup?



• What will it be like?



• Will it be an activity? A discussion? A presentation?



• What's an interesting issue we'll discuss?



• Who's presenting? What will they present?



• Do attendees need to participate or can they just listen/watch?



• Do members need to bring anything?



• Who should come? Are newcomers welcome?



• Who shouldn't come?



• What's a good ice-breaker question members can ask each other?



• Who will introduce newcomers to the rest of the group?



• What should a newcomer expect?



• Why should people come?



• How will members benefit from coming to your Meetup?



• How will members find you when they get there? Will you have a Meetup sign?



• How long will the Meetup be?



• Is it ok to arrive late?

Now construct a paragraph from those answers, and, tada!, you have quite a detailed description on your hands. Just polish it up, and you're ready to go!

Let's try a Meetup example. Say you run a Movie Meetup group, and you're writing an description of your Meetup. Which sounds better?

"Let's all see a movie, then talk about it over pizza!"

or...

"Movie Night! Here's the plan: We all meet at the Awesomeville Cinemaplex at 7 pm sharp. It's the giant red movie theater building on Main Street across from the Starbucks. It's got a huge parking lot for your car, or you can catch the Orange Line Monorail to the Main Street stop. I'll be inside by the concession stand holding the Meetup sign. If we get there by 7, we can catch the new James Bond movie at 7:30, Herbie the Love Bug Part 12 at 7:40, or Star Wars Episode Negative 1: Prequel to the Prequel. I vote James Bond, but whatever the majority wants is cool with me.

After the movie, I say we go next door to Tony's Pizza Joint for a $2 slice and dissect the movie. Tony's is my favorite pizza joint in all of Awesomeville. Their crust is super thin, super crispy, and their sauce is addictive. Warning: their garlic knots are very garlicy! Do not eat if you intend to talk a lot! Before we call it a night, we should decide when would be a good day and location for our next Meetup. All told, I expect we'll be headed home by around 10:30 or 11. Anybody who loves just catching a Hollywood flick and some delicious pizza is welcome! So is their kid, friend, spouse, dentist, tax advisor, whatever! The more the merrier! But if you're looking to hit on people and pick up a date, we're probably not the right Meetup group for you. You should stay at home. Oh, and if you can't make the movie, but wanna swing by for pizza, go for it! We'll probably be at Tony's around 9:30."

2 sounds better, again. Why? Details! By reading that description, you know:

• When to meet



• Where to meet



• How to get there



• How to recognize the Organizer



• What movies are options



• Where you'll eat after the movie



• What time you'll be at the restaurant



• How much the restaurant costs



• What the food is like



• What you'll talk about



• Who is welcome



• Who shouldn't attend



• What time the event will rap up



• And that it's ok to just come for food

And notice this: since the Meetup description is loaded with details and specifics, you can tell that the person who wrote it is a excited, thoughtful person. The author's personality comes through the words when they describe their meetings fully. People will want to go because it sounds cool and the Organizer sounds really enthusiastic!

Don't forget the details!

So just to reiterate, be sure your Meetup description is overflowing with details. They'll create a image of the event in the reader's mind. That mental image will entice them to attend. They'll also see that you're an awesome, excited Organizer because you put in the energy to write such a thorough and detailed description. Details, details, details. The more details you add, the more members you'll get!