How to Get People to Come Back to Your Creative Workshops

Getting people to book your workshop for the first time is brilliant. Getting them to come back again is even better.

One of the things I learned from running workshops is that you shouldn't have to start from zero every single time you put a new date on sale. If twelve people come to your workshop and have a brilliant time, that's twelve people who already know you, trust you and know what to expect from one of your workshops. Some of them might come back. Some will bring a friend next time. Some will tell someone else about you. Over time, that's how you start to build a community around your workshops rather than constantly trying to find brand-new customers.

So how do you actually encourage people to come back?

1. Remember that they're buying an experience, not just a workshop

Someone might initially book because they want to learn how to make a wreath, paint with watercolours or try macramé, but that's not necessarily why they'll come back.

They'll remember whether they felt welcome. They'll remember chatting to the person next to them, having a cup of tea, laughing when something went slightly wrong and feeling really proud of what they'd made by the end. The activity matters, of course, but so does everything happening around it. Think about the atmosphere you're creating.

Background music can help a room feel relaxed, although keep it at a level that doesn't make conversation difficult and be mindful that not everyone finds music helpful. Refreshments are always lovely. A warm welcome makes a huge difference.

You want people to leave thinking, "I'd really like to do that again."

2. Make beginners feel genuinely welcome

"I'd love to come, but I'm not creative."

If you run workshops for long enough, you'll hear some version of this a lot. People can feel surprisingly nervous about coming to a creative workshop, particularly if they're attending alone or haven't made anything since school. Make it really clear that beginners are welcome and then make sure the experience actually lives up to that promise.

Don't rush people. Don't make anyone feel behind. Don't compare everyone's work to your perfect example. Wonky is absolutely fine.

If someone arrives convinced they won't be able to do it and leaves carrying something they've made themselves, they'll remember how that felt.

3. Give people something different to come back for

If someone has already attended your beginner's pottery workshop, they might not want to book exactly the same workshop again, so give them a reason to return. That could be a different project, a seasonal version, a follow-on workshop or something that teaches a new technique. This doesn't mean you need to constantly invent completely new workshops. Sometimes you can take the same core skill and give it a seasonal twist. Think autumn workshops, Christmas workshops, Mother's Day, spring, Easter...

You're giving previous customers another reason to spend an afternoon being creative with you.

4. Tell them what's coming next

This sounds ridiculously obvious, but it's very easy to forget. If you've got another workshop coming up, tell the people already sitting in front of you.

You don't need to turn the last ten minutes into a sales pitch, just mention it. You could say something as simple as: '“If you've enjoyed today, I'm back here in October doing an autumn wreath workshop. I'll send you the details afterwards if you'd like to come along."

Don't assume people follow you on Instagram or will remember to check your website. Make it easy for them.

5. Build an email list

Social media is brilliant for helping new people discover you but you don't own your Instagram audience. Algorithms change. People miss posts. Someone who came to your workshop six months ago probably isn't checking your Instagram every week to see if you've released another date. With their permission, encourage workshop customers to join your email list.

Then when you release your Christmas workshops, add a new venue or launch something you think they'll love, you have a way of telling people who've already shown an interest in what you do. You don't need to email them constantly either. I'd much rather receive an occasional email about a workshop I might genuinely enjoy than another daily newsletter cluttering up my inbox.

6. Don't forget about the people who came alone

Some of my favourite workshop customers have been people who came by themselves. Walking into a room full of strangers can feel intimidating, so think about how you welcome people who aren't arriving as part of a group. Introduce them to someone. Help conversations get started naturally. Avoid anything too forced (nobody needs an icebreaker at a craft workshop). If someone feels comfortable coming to your workshops alone, that's incredibly valuable. They don't need to find a friend who's free before they can book another one. And next time, they might bring someone with them anyway.

7. Encourage word of mouth

You don't necessarily need a complicated referral scheme. If someone has genuinely enjoyed your workshop, they're likely to tell people about it. They might share what they've made on Instagram. They might tell a friend. They might come back next time with their mum, sister or colleague. Make that easy.

Take lovely photographs people can share. Tag them if they'd like you to. Tell them about upcoming workshops. Encourage them to bring someone next time. A recommendation from someone who's already been to one of your workshops is incredibly powerful.

8. Work with venues people want to return to

The venue can become part of the experience too. If someone discovers you through a lovely local venue they already know and trust, they're much more likely to feel comfortable booking and if you keep returning to the same venue, something really nice starts to happen. People begin to recognise you.

They might have attended one of your workshops before, seen you teaching while they've been visiting or heard about you from someone else. You gradually stop feeling like a random person putting on an event and start becoming part of that venue's community. That's one of the reasons I think choosing the right venue matters so much.

9. Give people a reason to remember you

You don't need branded tote bags, elaborate loyalty schemes or a complicated marketing funnel. Just give people a really good experience. Be friendly, know your subject and help them when they're struggling. Don't make them feel silly for asking questions. Let them make something they're proud of. Have a laugh when things go wrong.

People remember how you made them feel far more than they remember whether your workshop ran precisely to schedule.

Repeat customers make your workshop business easier to grow

When you first start running workshops, every booking can feel like hard work. You need to find the audience, convince them you're worth trusting and persuade them to spend their money with you but gradually, that should change.

If people have a brilliant experience, some will come back. They'll bring friends, they'll recommend you and they'll recognise your name when a venue announces your next workshop. And suddenly you're not trying to find a completely new roomful of people every time. You're building a community.

For me, that's one of the loveliest parts of running creative workshops and it makes much more business sense too.

Want to grow your creative workshops?

If you're already running workshops but you're struggling to get consistent bookings or work out what comes next, that's exactly the sort of thing we can talk through together.

You can start with a free 15-minute Virtual Cuppa. Tell me a little about your business, where you're feeling stuck and what you'd like to achieve, and we'll see if I'm the right person to help.