Special events like big sales, product unveilings, book launches, seminars, location openings, and plenty of others can be a real boon to your brand. They’re a great way to get your name out there, build authority, generate excitement, and connect directly with your target audience.
Of course, this requires that people show up to your event. One of the key ways of populating your event is by contacting your mailing list to let existing fans know about it. And that’s where the following tips for creating effective event invitation emails come in.
This advice will help you send out invitations that get noticed, get opened, get read, and get people to come out to your event. Also, don’t overlook all the ways to use social media to increase event attendance; if you’re serious about getting people to show up, your event marketing should include a multifaceted campaign to attract attention.
So, here are some pointers for creating effective event invitation emails that can apply to any sort of event, for any particular target audience.
How to Make Effective Event Invitation Emails
- Start by writing out a list of everything you’d want to know if you received an invitation to this sort of event; ask another person or two what they’d want to know as well, just to confirm that you didn’t overlook anything obvious or important
- People sometimes decide not to go to an event simply because they aren’t sure how to dress for it, where to park, or they’re missing some other basic information about logistics
- Craft a short subject line that clearly identifies the purpose of the email and that piques the recipients’ curiosity
- Remember, benefits are more compelling than features, so briefly convey the main benefit the audience will get out of attending your event in a strong headline
- Answer the five Ws: who, what, where, when, and why; state who is hosting the event, what type of event it is, the precise location, the date and time (as well as the end time), and the value proposition for the attendees
- Keep the invitation as short, simple, and straightforward as possible while covering all the essential information
- If there are perks like free food and/or drink, entertainment, etc., mention them
- Offer some social proof if you can, such as a testimonial or attendance facts about a previous similar event
- Include a CTA, whether it’s to buy a ticket, RSVP, join the event page on Facebook, etc.; whatever it is, it should connect the person to a reminder about the event as it approaches, such as an automated email or a Facebook notification
- Keep the email’s design simple, uncluttered, scannable, and attractive
- Put a little personality into the invitation to make your event sound more appealing; just be sure the tone and language are in line with your brand and the nature of the event
- Include directions, a map screenshot of the location, or an interactive Google Map so people can see exactly where your event will be held and how to get there
