How to Get People to Turn out?

A lot of my friends who are speakers and lecturers are experiencing the same problem I am: in the social media age, when you can get practically everything you want at home, on your time, as soon as you want it, how do you get people to come out for a lecture?

I have a lecture coming up at Temple Center City this coming Friday, and it looks like I’ll have a standing-room only crowd. But this venue is unusual; this past fall, most of my lectures have had plenty of empty seats, even though I’ve had big crowds at these same venues in years past.

I think it’s social media. I’m “selling” history, and unless you’re selling something that people are passionately interested in – like health and happiness – people won’t come out. History doesn’t sell these days. (With one big and lovely exception, the one on Broadway. But I don’t sing and dance).

My new lecture, FRONTIER FEMINISTS, is getting a great response from the people who come out and hear me, but not that many people are coming out. Maybe it’s not just social media, but the limited amount of time and attention people can give to any subject, in stressful times like these.

What do I do to bring people out? If you have any ideas, please let me know.