Emails that let subscribers know about an upcoming event can be particularly exciting, because they’re often tied to a one-time occurrence, and not simply set up as autoresponders. As such, they provide you with a chance to be especially creative with your messaging, and you should take full advantage of that opportunity.
Your subject line doesn’t have to reveal everything, but it should at least hint at, if not outright say, that the email inside contains an invitation to an event. Meanwhile, keep in mind that your biggest goal is to convince people to come, so your copy should be clear and succinct. Depending upon the nature of the event, you may want to make it bold and inspiring, or you may opt to be secretive to help build up the suspense.
3 Best Practices
- Include all of the essential details, such as who, what, when, where, and why. Your invitation shouldn’t leave its recipients wondering about the finer details. As such, the Five W’s are the key ingredients you need.
- Make it clear what the event or invitation is for. Whether your event is a casual meet-and-greet at a retail location, a fancy black-tie aff air with hors-d'oeuvres during cocktail hour, or a fundraiser with an auction, your subscribers should get the gist of it within the first few lines.
- Add relevant information to the invitation. Will there be a strict timetable at the event? Include the schedule. Will there be speakers, musicians, or other special guests? Provide the list. Is there promotional material, such as a video or press release? Embed or attach it.
10 Subject Lines
According to MailChimp, “the best email subject lines are short, descriptive and provide the reader with a reason to explore your message further. Splashy or cheesy phrases more often cause your email to be ignored rather than make them stand out.” Try to stick to 50 characters while writing your event / invitation emails and start with these templates we’ve provided:
- You're invited...
- A wonderful must-attend event
- Come be a part of this
- Please do us the honor
- We snuck you on the guestlist
- Join a special occasion
- Come and support us
- Launch party!
- You’re on the VIP List
- We can’t wait to see you
5 Calls to Action
Another tip that may sound obvious (but many people forget), is that your calls to action should be action-oriented. According to Hubspot, they should always begin with a verb like "Download" or "Register." Action verbs grab attention and get people clicking.
- Register Now
- Confirm Your Spot
- RSVP Here
- Get Your Early Bird Ticket
- Save Your Place
Dynamic Content Suggestions
Although you’re sending out an email invite, you may have already written in depth about the event elsewhere. Or maybe you simply hold a lot of events. Adding AVARi dynamic content using our hashtag filter ensures you’re only promoting a specific event, which keeps the email to-the-point. It also allows you to always pull in the most relevant event at the time of opening the email.
Here are two ideas for how to do this:
- Let people see who else has responded to the event and plans on coming, as a way of drumming up excitement. Add a Facebook feed if you posted the event to your Facebook page.
- Give readers the option of learning more about the event beyond the basics. Add a block that pulls from your blog (or links to it) that provides in-depth details about your event.
According to Oscar Wilde in The Importance of Being Earnest, “Nothing annoys people so much as not receiving invitations.” Send your subscribers invitations that are personalized and keep an engaging experience going throughout with real-time embedded social feeds.
