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How Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Grew Contest Entries by 70% and Achieved a 48% Opt-In Rate

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Industry

Arts & Culture

Goals

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis sought to expand its owned audience by growing its marketing database and capturing actionable audience insights to support more targeted, segmented marketing. The initiative aimed to generate awareness, drive attendance, and increase ticket purchases for the 2026 season, attracting both first-time attendees and potential repeat patrons. At the same time, the campaign positioned Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as a modern, innovative, and approachable cultural experience and a must-attend summer event in St. Louis, with a focus on reaching younger and more diverse audiences beyond traditional opera-goers.

Results

Through the collaborative sweepstakes campaign, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis achieved a 48% opt-in rate and increased marketing email opt-ins by 64% from 2025 to 2026. The campaign generated more than 224,000 impressions, attracted 957 entrants—a 70% increase over the previous year—and drove 1,381 total engagements.

Key Product

Sweepstakes

www.stlmag.com/contests/opera-theatre-st-louis/
224,452
Total Campaign Reach
1,381
Total Engagements
957
Contest Entrants
457
OSTL Opt-Ins

St. Louis Magazine's ticket giveaway campaign helped us expand our audience and build meaningful connections with prospective attendees. The first follow-up email sent to new opt-ins generated exceptionally strong engagement, demonstrating the quality of the audience reached through the campaign.

Anh Le

Director of Marketing & PR @ Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

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The Solution

A Strategic Sweepstakes Built to Deliver More Than Entries

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis partnered with St. Louis Magazine to launch a “Unforgettable Night Out” sweepstakes campaign — offering four premium tickets, gourmet boxed picnic dinners, drink vouchers, and a $50 Uber gift card (a $675 total value). The prize was designed to remove every common barrier to attendance: cost, logistics, and not knowing what to expect.

Distributed through St. Louis Magazine’s newsletters, social media, targeted email audience, and ROS digital impression campaign, the sweepstakes reached audiences across the metro area who matched Opera Theatre of Saint Louis' prospective attendee profile.

What The Data Revealed

To better understand prospective attendees, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis embedded three survey questions designed to capture audience motivations, entrant age demographics, and what would surprise them most about the experience. The contest collected more than 3,000 total responses:

  1. Audience Motivations: Entrants prioritize budget-friendly options and new cultural experiences when planning a night out, followed by social opportunities to share with others.
  2. The Live Music Factor: Entrants are most surprised by the live accompaniment from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, followed by the pre-show picnic and post-show garden parties.
  3. A Powerful Misconception: Entrants were surprised to learn all productions are performed in English.
  4. Younger Audiences Are Reachable: 350 entrants are under the age of 55.

Why This Matters

These opt-ins represent a highly engaged audience—457 individuals actively raised their hands to hear more from Opera Theatre of Saint Louis! Because both the survey questions and the email opt-in were optional, every response reflects genuine, self-selected interest.

The audience data collected gives Opera Theatre of Saint Louis the ability to deliver more relevant messaging, tailor offers to specific audience segments, and build stronger connections with potential patrons. Most importantly, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis can immediately activate this audience, turning contest engagement into long-term audience development.

What To Do With This Information

Following the sweepstakes, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis nurtured newly acquired contacts through a series of email campaigns and saw strong early engagement, including a 13.5% click-to-open rate and a 6.7% unique click rate. Beyond growing its database, the survey data provides Opera Theatre of Saint Louis with valuable opportunities for audience segmentation and more personalized marketing.

Other ways Opera Theatre of Saint Louis could segment their follow-up campaigns:

  1. 452 respondents who indicated they are motivated by trying new artistic or cultural experiences could be targeted with messaging that highlights Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ innovative productions, live orchestral accompaniment, and the opportunity to experience opera in a fresh and approachable way.

  2. The 279 respondents who value social experiences could be engaged through messaging focused on the pre-show picnic, post-show garden party, group ticket offers, date-night experiences, and other opportunities to connect with friends and family.

  3. 325 respondents were surprised to learn that all productions are performed in English, revealing a significant opportunity to address common misconceptions about opera. By incorporating this accessibility message into future campaigns, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis can reduce barriers to attendance, alleviate intimidation factors, and appeal more effectively to first-time attendees.

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