Ep 153 — How to Generate Leads from Events (with Hayley Denker)

What if your best leads aren’t on social at all—but standing right in front of you at a local event you didn’t think to list on Reddit?

Hosting or showing up at the right events can outperform almost every other channel for quality leads—if you design the experience and the follow-up. In this conversation, Sarah and guest Hayley Denker unpack exactly how to turn in-person and virtual events into pipelines: from smarter promotion (hello, city calendars + Eventbrite + Reddit) to on-site conversion moments (QR codes, flat-lay photo stations, “book the call now” tablets) to personalized CRM-driven nurture.

Learning Takeaways

• Design for the next step: Don’t let attendees leave with only a business card; book the call on-site (tablet + calendar), or drive a clear CTA via QR to a relevant lead magnet.

• Promote where your people already hang out: Go beyond your list—post to city calendars, Eventbrite, and targeted Reddit communities using adjacent keywords (e.g., “sober curious,” “wellness”).

• Make sponsorships experiential: Trade a plain logo placement for something interactive (signature drink + QR, live audits, content stations) that sparks conversation and data capture.

• Personalize the follow-up: Pair automation with human touch—log notes, connect on LinkedIn/IG, and reference something specific from your conversation or their post.

• Engineer engagement moments: Photo walls, flat-lay card shots, interactive demos, kid-friendly games—each creates natural reasons to reconnect the next day.

• Virtual ≠ passive: Use polls, moderated chat, breakout rooms, and sponsor segments; keep sessions tight (20-minute activity blocks) and always point to a next step.

• Know your objective: Email capture? Consult bookings? Member sign-ups? Your goal dictates the on-site CTA, booth design, and follow-up sequence.

• Play the long game: Most conversions happen in nurture. Lead with value at the event; let your CRM + sequences + personal touch close over time.

Meet Hayley Denker

Hayley’s career in marketing has paralleled the booming growth of social media. From restaurants to hair salons to healthcare and business coaching, she’s helped grow businesses for the past 15 years by refocusing their goals and putting together a plan to establish REAL results. With an insatiable thirst for learning and a drive to find a solution, she’s found the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing to be exciting and challenging. Outside of marketing and strategy, Hayley spends time with her husband and 2 children in Belmont, MA.

LinkedIn / Website

Hayley’s Hottest Ideas

• Promotion platforms: Local city/town event calendars; Eventbrite; Reddit communities (search beyond obvious keywords—e.g., “sober curious,” “wellness,” “networking”).

• On-site capture & scheduling: HubSpot (scan cards, schedule next meeting on the spot); Ontraport (for assignment to chapter leaders / sales team); Calendly (or your calendar tool) on an iPad; QR codes to lead magnets.

• Lead magnets & follow-up: “7 Tips to Network Better at Your Next Event” (example), automated “thanks for coming” email + assigned personalization tasks (e.g., connect on LinkedIn, DM with a specific note).

• Activation ideas (hosting & sponsorship):

  • Interactive demos, branded selfie/photo walls.

  • Flat-lay station with props to photograph attendee business cards (tagging = follow-up gold).

  • Kid-friendly booth game (e.g., “clog your toilet” beanbags for home services).

  • Signature drink with QR on napkins/stirrers; edible logo drink toppers.

  • Offer to add value beyond the table: run a panel, live audits, a content-creation station.

• Virtual event engagement: Zoom polls, moderated chat, breakout rooms, branded virtual backgrounds for sponsors, training video on the thank-you page, lower-thirds logo placement.

• Channels for 1:1 follow-up: LinkedIn DMs, Instagram DMs, email.

Companion Episodes

• Ep 151 — Consent in Sales: How to Thread Your Offer Without the Hard Pitch
  Perfect follow-up to today’s “don’t hard-sell at the event” theme; learn the Silent Sell approach for post-event nurturing. Buzzsprout

• Ep 148 — Your Lead Magnet Is the First Step to Filling Your Sales Pipeline
  If you’re collecting emails at events, this shows you how to build lead magnets that actually convert afterward. Buzzsprout

• Ep 144 — Breaking Free: How to Generate Clients Without the Social Media Hustle
  Pairs with Hayley’s “community > algorithms” angle; covers referrals, partnerships, and niche communities. Buzzsprout

• Six Steps to Partner Marketing Promotion (Bonus Mini Episode)
  Useful for co-hosted workshops and event partnerships that expand reach. Buzzsprout

• Ep 57 — Cutting Short the Sales Cycle with Short-form Video (with Brad Powell)
  Great for repurposing event content into bite-size video that sustains momentum post-event. Buzzsprout

Ready to Turn Events into a Repeatable Lead Engine?

If today’s episode got your wheels turning, apply to the Tiny Marketing Club. Inside, we’ll help you build the full event-to-pipeline system: promotion plan, on-site capture assets (QRs, scripts, signage), and a post-event nurture that feels like Silent Selling—not a pushy pitch. Bring your next event idea, leave with a conversion-ready runbook tailored to your business.