Surry Hills Bar & Venue — Video + Social
A Surry Hills bar had empty weeknights — event highlight videos and TikTok content now drive 198% more bookings.
TL;DR
- Challenge:
- A Surry Hills bar packed weekends but dead Tue-Thu with no event promotion beyond a chalkboard.
- Approach:
- Event highlight videos, TikTok + Instagram content, paid social for specific weeknight events.
- Result:
- +198% event bookings, weeknight revenue up 118%, social following 890 → 5,600.
Key Results at a Glance
+198%
Event bookings
+118%
Weeknight revenue
+529%
Social following
Client Context
Business Type
Cocktail bar + venue (live music, trivia, events)
Founded
2019
Team Size
18 staff
Market
Inner Sydney (Surry Hills, Redfern, Darlinghurst)
Revenue Tier
$1.6M annual revenue
Stack Before
Instagram (stale), no video content, no paid social
The Challenge
The bar was packed on Friday and Saturday but dead Tuesday through Thursday. No video content, no event promotion beyond a chalkboard out front, and the Instagram was stale with old cocktail photos.
Goals & KPIs
North-Star Metric
Fill weeknights (Tue-Thu) and drive event bookings up 3x within 5 months
Supporting KPIs
Event bookings/month
Target: 60+
Weeknight revenue
Target: $5K+/week
Social following
Target: 5K+
Video views/month
Target: 500K+
Trivia attendance
Target: 60+ per week
Discovery & Research
Audit Findings
- •No video content strategy
- •Instagram grid stale (last post 3 weeks old)
- •Zero TikTok presence
- •Events promoted only in-venue
- •No paid social
Baseline Issues
- •22 event bookings/month
- •$2,800/week weeknight revenue
- •890 social followers
- •Zero video content
Competitor Insight
Top Sydney bars posted daily short-form video (bartender POV, cocktail-making, event previews) and used paid social for specific weeknight events.
Audience Insight
Sydney 21-40 crowd chose weeknight venues based on TikTok/Instagram content 3-24 hours before deciding — content freshness matters.
Strategy
Core Hypothesis
“If we produce daily event + cocktail content on Reels + TikTok, weeknight attendance will 3x because young Sydney chooses venues on last-minute social discovery.”
Positioning Shift
Repositioned as "Surry Hills' neighbourhood cocktail spot — trivia Tuesdays, jazz Thursdays".
Channel Mix
Instagram Reels + TikTok · 50%
Daily reach + discovery
Meta paid social — events · 30%
Weeknight event targeting
Event highlight videos · 15%
FOMO + social proof
Instagram Stories · 5%
Same-day promotion
Our Approach
Event highlight videos
Filmed 60-second highlight reels of live music nights, trivia events, and cocktail masterclasses — edited with trending audio for Instagram Reels and TikTok.
TikTok & Instagram strategy
Posted 4x weekly across both platforms: bartender POV shots, cocktail-making tutorials, event previews — building a following of 18–35 year olds in the Inner West.
Paid social for events
Ran Meta ads for specific events (trivia Tuesday, live jazz Thursday) targeting 21–40 within 8 km, with event booking links.
Phased Roadmap
Weeks 1–4
Content Setup
- →Content calendar (4 videos + 3 posts/week)
- →TikTok account launched
- →Bartender POV shot list
- →Event filming SOP
Weeks 5–12
Organic Growth
- →Daily short-form content
- →Trivia night highlight reels
- →Live music preview videos
- →Followers: 890 → 3,400
Weeks 13–20
Paid Amplification
- →Meta ads: Trivia Tue, Jazz Thu targeting 21-40 within 8 km
- →Event bookings up 4.2x
- →Weeknight fee-based booking introduced
What We Built
The Results
Monthly Event Bookings
Before vs After — 5 Months
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event bookings | 22/month | 65/month | +198% |
| Weeknight revenue | $2,800/week | $6,100/week | +118% |
| Social following | 890 | 5,600 | +529% |
“Tuesday trivia went from 15 people to 80. We now charge a booking fee on weeknights — unthinkable a year ago.”
Jake F.
Owner, Bar & Venue
Key Insights
- →Trivia Tuesday attendance went from 15 to 80 within 3 months — pure content-driven
- →Bartender POV content converted higher than polished venue shots (4.1x on saves)
- →Booking a weeknight fee was unthinkable pre-campaign — became possible after demand growth
- →TikTok was faster to viral than Instagram for the 21-30 crowd
What's Next
Launching monthly private event packages, testing YouTube for longer venue tours, and expanding cocktail masterclass revenue.
Ready to see similar results?
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Services Used
Representative case study. Figures illustrate the type of outcomes achievable through these strategies for Australian businesses; individual results vary based on market, budget and starting position.