Is Your Staple Gun Running on Empty?
We’ve all been there. You’ve got a car boot full of freshly printed, glossy flyers, a map of the local area, and a heavy-duty staple gun. The poster looks brilliant! You spend a whole afternoon plastering every community noticeboard, lamp post, and chippy window you can find. It’s the traditional, old-school way to get the word out.
And it has its place, for sure. But is it really moving the needle? Is it bringing in new fans, or just reminding the same loyal 50 people that you’ve got another show on?
In today’s digital world, just relying on flyers and a single Facebook post of your poster is like trying to win a title match with only a headlock. You need a bigger arsenal of moves to create a proper buzz and actually grow your audience. But in 2025, if you really want to learn how to promote a wrestling show in the UK effectively, you need to think smarter, not just work harder. Let’s dive into ten techniques that go way beyond the staple gun.
Way #1: Treat Your Facebook Event Like a Main Eventer
Creating a Facebook Event page is an obvious first step, but so many promoters treat it like an afterthought. They create the page, upload the poster, and then leave it to die. This is a massive mistake! You need to treat your event page like it’s one of your top stars.
Post on it regularly in the weeks leading up to the show. Don’t just post match announcements; share “meet the wrestler” spotlights, video clips from previous events, and behind-the-scenes photos. Encourage your talent to share the page and invite their friends. Post ticket updates to create a bit of urgency: “Front row is now 80% sold out!” An active, buzzing Facebook Event page becomes a mini-community for your show and is a cornerstone of how to promote a wrestling show in the UK online.
Way #2: Build an Email List (Your Secret Weapon)
Social media is great, but you’re always at the mercy of the algorithm. An email list, on the other hand, is a direct line to your most loyal fans that you control. It’s an incredibly powerful and often overlooked tool. Start building one now! Have a simple sign-up sheet at your merch table at every show. Run a competition online where people have to enter their email to win a couple of free tickets. Once you have a list, you can send out exclusive pre-sale codes, “show week” reminders, and special offers that make your subscribers feel like proper VIPs.
Way #3: The Main Event ‘Movie Trailer’
A match graphic is fine. It’s informative. But is it exciting? Does it get the heart pumping? Not really. If you want to make your main event feel like a truly massive deal, you need to give it the movie trailer treatment. A well-edited, 60-to-90-second hype video is one of the most powerful promotional tools you have.
You can splice together action clips of the two wrestlers from previous shows, layer on some dramatic music, and weave in a couple of angry soundbites from their promos. It tells the story of the feud and sells the sizzle, not just the steak. Using video is a powerful tactic if you want to know how to promote a wrestling show in the UK and actually get noticed. It’s the difference between telling people about a match and making them feel it.
Way #4: Let Your Talent Cut the Promos
Your wrestlers are your stars! They are charismatic characters with personalities, so use them. Instead of just posting a graphic that says “Wrestler A vs. Wrestler B,” get the talent involved in the announcement. Ask both wrestlers to film a short, 30-second promo on their phone, calling each other out and explaining why they’re going to win.
You can then post these promos as a video reel or a thread. It gets the wrestlers’ followers invested, it adds a layer of realism and personality to the feud, and it creates authentic content that fans love to engage with. It’s a simple, low-effort way to make your matches feel more important.
Way #5: Get Involved with the Scene
No promotion is an island. The UK indie scene is a passionate, interconnected community, and being a positive part of it is a brilliant promotional tool. Don’t just shout about your own shows; share and comment on news from the wider world of British wrestling. Congratulate another promotion on a great event. Interact with the fan pages, podcasts, and news sites that cover the scene. When you actively support the community, the community is far more likely to support you back. It builds incredible goodwill.
Way #6: Turn Your Talent into Your Promo Team
Your wrestlers all have their own social media followings, full of fans who might not follow your promotion’s page directly. You need to make it incredibly easy for them to share your content. When you announce their match, don’t just tag them and hope for the best. Send them a direct message with the graphic, the ticket link, and some pre-written text they can copy and paste. It might sound simple, but creating a ‘promo pack’ is a genuinely smart tip for how to promote a wrestling show in the UK with minimal extra effort, as it removes all the hassle for your talent.
Way #7: Become the Local News
Don’t underestimate the power of old-school local media! A week or two before your show, write up a short, snappy press release and send it to your local newspaper, community radio station, and any “What’s On in…” style local websites or Facebook groups. The key is to give them a hook. Is a local lad or gal in the main event? Are you raising money for a local charity? Is a well-known wrestler making a special appearance? Getting a mention on the local radio is a massively underrated part of how to promote a wrestling show in the UK and build local legitimacy.
Way #8: Smarter Flyering (The Targeted Approach)
We started this blog by talking about flyers, and they do still have a place, you just need to be smart about it. Don’t just blanket the town. Think about where your potential audience hangs out. Local pubs, rock bars, tattoo parlours, comic book and gaming shops, gyms, and student union buildings are all prime locations. Instead of 1,000 flyers spread randomly, 200 placed in the right spots will be far more effective. Bonus tip: add a QR code to your posters that links directly to the hype video or ticket page!
Way #9: The “Early Bird” Pre-Sale for Instant Buzz
Want to get your ticket sales off to a flying start? Create a bit of buzz with an “Early Bird” pre-sale. A week or so before the general sale, offer a limited number of tickets—maybe the first 50, or all front-row seats—at a slight discount to your email list subscribers or dedicated social media followers.
This does two brilliant things. Firstly, it rewards your most loyal fans, making them feel special. Secondly, it gets those crucial first sales on the board straight away. This creates momentum and a sense of scarcity. When you announce the general sale, you can say “Front row is already sold out!” which makes the event seem much more popular and encourages people to buy their tickets quickly before they miss out.
Way #10: Announce Matches, Not Just Graphics
This is a next-level promotional tactic. Instead of just dropping a match graphic out of nowhere, turn the announcement itself into a multi-day story.
Monday: Post a backstage promo video of your champion saying they’ll take on any challenger.
Tuesday: Post a response video from a challenger, accepting the match.
Wednesday: Post the official, slick-looking match graphic with a caption like “IT’S OFFICIAL!”
You’ve just turned a simple announcement into a three-day storyline that gets way more engagement and makes the match feel like a much bigger deal. Turning your announcements into a mini-story is a next-level tip for how to promote a wrestling show.
How to Promote a Wrestling Show in the UK: Your Questions Answered
Q: How far in advance of the show should I announce my main event?
A: It’s a balancing act! Announce it too early and the hype can fizzle out; too late and you don’t have time to build a story. A good sweet spot for your main event is around 4-6 weeks before the show. This gives you enough time to build a proper narrative around it. You can then drip-feed the rest of your match announcements in the following weeks to maintain a steady stream of content.
Q: Is it worth paying to boost posts or run ads on Facebook and Instagram?
A: Absolutely, yes. Even a small, targeted ad spend can work wonders. For as little as £20 or £30, you can “boost” your main event hype video to be seen by people in your specific town who have listed an interest in major wrestling companies. It’s one of the single best ways to reach potential new fans who don’t already follow your page.
Q: What’s the best thing I can do on the night of the show to promote the next one?
A: Announce the date of your next show while the crowd is at its most hyped! Just before the main event, get your ring announcer to declare the date of your return and mention that “early bird” tickets are now on sale. Have a QR code on flyers that people can grab on their way out, linking directly to the ticket page. Capitalising on the buzz in the room is the easiest and most effective way to promote a wrestling show in the UK.
