Pub marketing ideas that cost little: 15 things to do this week

Most pubs don't need a marketing agency. They need to do a handful of simple things every week, without fail. Most of what's below costs nothing but time.

We've split it into three parts: being easy to find, giving people a reason to come, and getting them back.

Part one: be easy to find

1. Fix your Google listing

When someone searches "pub near me", your Google Business Profile is often the first thing they see. Google says "Businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results."

• Check your opening hours, including Christmas and bank holidays.
• Add your food times, your events and whether you're dog friendly.
• Add photos: the bar, the garden, the food, a busy night.
• Post your weekly events on it.

2. Ask for reviews, the right way

Google says "Positive reviews and helpful replies can help your business stand out." So ask happy customers. A QR code on the table or the bill folder that goes straight to your review page makes it easy.

But don't pay for them. Google says offering incentives "in exchange for customers to post reviews" is "strictly prohibited". And since 6 April 2025, UK law bans fake reviews and reviews that hide the fact they were incentivised. No free drink for a five-star review.

3. Reply to reviews

Thank people for good ones. For bad ones, reply calmly, say what you'll do about it and invite them to get in touch privately. Don't argue in public, and don't offer freebies in public replies, or everyone will try it on.

4. Keep your social pages current

An out-of-date Facebook page with last year's Christmas menu tells people you've given up. Post at least twice a week. Your quiz winners, your Sunday dinner, what's on this week.

Part two: give people a reason to come

5. A weekly event people can set their watch by

A quiz, music bingo, a games night, a food night. Same day, same time, every week. At our place in Washington, Tuesday is quiz night at 7:30pm and it doesn't move. Our post on quiet nights has more ideas.

6. Plan the year

Six Nations, Mothering Sunday, Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas. Our 2027 events calendar has every date and when to start promoting.

7. Match days

If you show sport, put the fixtures up a week ahead and give people a reason to come early, like a pre-match quiz. On Sunderland and Newcastle match days, we bring out the spin the wheel. Our post on showing football fixtures covers it.

8. Work with local groups

Running clubs, darts teams, the school PTA, the local five-a-side. Offer them a table or a room. One group brings ten people.

9. Get in the local paper

Local news sites and papers want local stories. A charity night, a long-serving member of staff, a big birthday for the pub. Send a short email with a good photo.

Part three: get them back

10. Build your own email list

Your social page can disappear or stop showing your posts. Your own list is yours. Ask for emails with a clear, separate opt-in for marketing, with nothing pre-ticked. Our post on building an email list legally explains the rules.

11. Use your TVs

You've already got screens in front of every customer. Put your own offers and events on them, one message per slide, big enough to read from the back. Our post on what to put on your pub TVs has ideas.

12. Table cards with a QR code

A card on every table with one thing on it: the quiz, the Sunday dinner, the email list. At Teal Farm, our table talker QR got about 50 scans in its first three days. People don't go looking for things. It has to be in front of them.

13. Celebrate winners

Post quiz winners, darts champions and the best costume on your socials and your screens. People share posts with their own name in them.

14. Know your regulars

Learn names. Remember drinks. Ask what they'd like to see. Regulars bring new people with them.

15. Count what works

For every idea, count something. Table bookings, QR scans, people at the quiz, code words at the till. Our post on whether anyone is reading your pub TVs shows a simple way to test.

What to avoid

• Drinks promotions that break the rules. The mandatory licensing conditions ban irresponsible promotions.
• Buying email lists or reviews.
• Photos of customers without asking.
• Posting nothing for weeks, then ten times in a day. Little and often wins.

How StockTap TV helps

At Teal Farm, the TVs run our own offers on a timed loop, set by day and hour, and every ad play is counted. Every QR code gets a scan counter, so we know which table card works. Quiz players can join our own email list with a separate, unticked box for offers. Review prompts with your Google and Tripadvisor QR codes go up from 8pm. That's live at Teal Farm and coming to founding pubs. See what it tracks, or join the founding pubs.

Frequently asked questions

What's the cheapest way to market a pub?

Fix your Google Business Profile, ask happy customers for reviews, post twice a week on your social pages, and put your events on your own TVs and table cards. All of these cost time, not money.

Can I offer a free drink for a Google review?

No. Google prohibits offering incentives in exchange for reviews, and UK law bans reviews that hide that they were incentivised.

How often should a pub post on social media?

At least twice a week, every week. Little and often works better than bursts.

How do I know if my pub marketing is working?

Count something for every idea: bookings, QR scans, people at the event, or a code word at the till. Compare it with the weeks before.

Sources

• Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
• Google Business Profile Help: Customer reviews for your business
• CMS: No more faux five-stars: the DMCC Act bans fake reviews
• legislation.gov.uk: The Licensing Act 2003 (Mandatory Licensing Conditions) (Amendment) Order 2014, Schedule

We checked every source on 24 October 2026. Rules change, so check the latest version before you act. Nothing here is legal advice.