3.04. Saying "No" to a Last-Minute Request (and Getting Your Way)

Communication, marketing, and ticketing teams regularly report this during professional meetings: overnight or at a moment's notice, because a show isn't selling out, they are asked to send an email to the entire audience database or to make a social media post.

However, the effectiveness of email campaigns or social media posts relies on a long-term strategy. It depends on careful planning based on the analyzed statistics of previous campaigns, the study of community behaviors, and targeting established according to numerous parameters, including content and timing of the message. This strategy must be anticipated, thoughtfully designed, and finely structured to achieve its objectives. Each message, to be effective, must be crafted for a precisely targeted audience. This is why emergency communications intended to address low attendance are most often ineffective: they mainly consist of repeating a previously carefully targeted message, this time sent to an overly broad audience.

That's why these desperate actions are as ineffective as they are unwelcome, both for the audience and the teams involved:

• They often come as the last straw for an already overwhelmed team. Implicitly, such requests also undermine the daily work done... If a last-minute post alone were enough to fill a venue, what purpose would communication teams serve?
• These posts or sends disrupt the long-term planning already in place for the rest of the activity. As a result, they risk reducing the impact of the anticipated communication efforts. In some cases, they may even have to be postponed to accommodate these late requests, causing a lack of promotion for other shows due to a domino effect.
• Moreover, last-minute actions are rarely effective for two reasons. Communications made in urgency are often just repetitions of messages already sent previously. Additionally, these messages unintentionally reveal that the venue is trying to fill a more or less empty hall. They do not convey a positive image of either the show or the venue.

Let's now review the most commonly cited arguments used to trigger these unexpected communication actions, and analyze why these arguments... are not valid.  

• The risk of audience saturation: excessive solicitations can lead to audience fatigue, resulting in loss of engagement or, worse, unsubscribes.
• Reduced impact: the more a message is repeatedly broadcast, the less it is perceived as relevant. A well-targeted and strategically sent message is more effective than constant bombardment.
• Time and resources: even if sending an email or a post seems inexpensive, creating relevant content, segmenting audiences, and analyzing performance require significant investment of time and human resources.

Two responses to counter these points:

• "Repeated emergency sends risk undermining our communication's credibility in the long term."
• "We can work together to find more effective levers to better reach the target next time, such as partnership development or highlighting engaging content."  

•   Change the approach rather than adding noise: instead of multiplying posts or emails, it's better to rework the message, the audience segmentation, or the choice of channels. For example, you could design this message as a follow-up targeted at people who did not open the previous communication about the show in question.
• Communication isn't everything: an unfilled venue is not necessarily a sign of ineffective communication. Low attendance can be linked to structural reasons (competition, poorly chosen date, pricing, lack of show appeal).

How to respond with two arguments?

• "Our campaigns are built based on data about audience behavior. Rather than increasing the volume of communication, we need to ensure the message and channel used are relevant."
• "Let's analyze the feedback from previous actions before adding more communication. A data-driven approach will help us identify the real levers for improvement."  

• Reacting in urgency is not a strategy: a communication action cannot compensate for a lack of prior engagement. Preparation and planning are essential.
• The audience needs time: a spectator's decision-making cycle is influenced by several factors (word of mouth, personal schedule, other cultural offers). A last-minute message does not guarantee conversion.
• Counterproductive effect: too many urgent calls can harm the institution's image and give the impression of a lack of control.

Two responses to encourage reflection rather than reaction:

• "If the venue is not full, let's look at the root causes. A last-minute mailing will not replace a reflection on distribution strategy, partnerships, and prior audience engagement."
• "Our contact database is a treasure; overusing it can cost us much more than a half-empty evening."  

In other words, saying no to an additional communication request does not mean refusing to help, but rather ensuring the overall performance of your organization's communication systems. It also means making sure that each action remains relevant and effective, without sacrificing, for example, planned and impactful communication for an untimely publication.  

A good understanding of social media mechanisms and the behavior of your venue's audience gives you the best arguments to refuse last-minute publication requests, as you know they are ineffective.

Your analysis of previous campaigns will also strengthen your refusal. However, if you have no choice but to agree to one of these requests, you should:

• Segment the audience as precisely as possible to target the most relevant group: for an email, focus on those who didn't open earlier messages, abandoned their cart before completing the purchase, or exhibit last-minute buying behavior. We invite you to consult the dedicated segmentation guide (link to segmentation sheet) for more details.
• Personalize and adapt the content as much as possible so that it is perceived by the recipient as new content.
• For social media communication, favor content centered on the performance or the experience offered to generate engagement, since purely promotional messages tend to perform poorly.

• [EN] Podcast Corner: marketing trends and predictions for 2025 (external link), Culture Hive, 2025