By 2026, 392.5 billion daily emails will be sent and received, with an estimated 4.4 billion people worldwide using emails.
So what does this mean for event creators? That you should use email as part of your event marketing — which includes sending event invitation emails.
Email invitations are a great way to reach a wider audience, get your brand out there, and sell your tickets to potential attendees.
But what should or shouldn’t you include in that first email? If you’re new to the email marketing game, or want to make sure you’re playing your cards right, these tips and examples will help you along the way.
This article will outline eight event invitation email templates and examples, some of them directly from event creators, with tips and advice on how to create emails of your own to boost ticket sales.
Choose your template:
1. “Round-up” invitation email
2. Early-bird invitation email
3. Exclusive offer invitation email
4. Don’t miss out invitation email
8. Invitation email for previous attendees
What are the 4 elements of a successful event invitation email?
There are a few key aspects of every email that can influence the reader’s decision to buy a ticket. Let’s take a look at these in more detail, and how you can use them to increase ticket sales.
1. Subject line
Your event invitation subject line should provide the reader with a reason to open your message. You need to grab their attention and show them that the content of the email is worth reading. Something like “Open quickly to secure your place!” or “Don’t miss out!” can inspire them to open the email.
Most subscribers also respond better to a short and sweet subject line, usually because most people open emails on their phones (where you have less word count to play with). Mailchimp recommends you use no more than nine words and 60 characters and limit punctuation.
If you’re not sure what format works best for your audience, try A/B testing. This means sending emails with different subject lines to different groups to assess the open rates. Then, you can see which are more popular and use this information to improve your subject lines going forward.
2. Sender’s name
45% of subscribers say they’re likely to read an email based on who it’s from. This means that to increase your open rates and get more ticket sales, you should include a sender name to add a personal touch.
Including a sender’s name plus the brand name builds loyalty and brand recognition. Most readers know that emails are mass sent out, but including a name at the end of the email tells the reader whether it’s spam or not.
It’s a smart idea to choose your event name (or brand name) to send your emails from. You don’t want potential guests to just see an email address as the sender name, as it could get sent to their junk folder. You want the email to look as legitimate and trustworthy as possible to encourage them to open it and buy tickets.
3. Body copy
You want your invitation to be easy to digest to make it easier for people to decide if they want to attend the event.
Mailchimp suggests keeping emails under 200 words and using smaller words to make them more skimmable. They also recommend keeping sentences under 25 words to make them easier to read at a glance.
The font you use is just as important as the body copy so check for consistency throughout the email. The font should also match your brand, and break up the copy with large text to make the email more scannable — especially with core information for readers to review at a glance.
Don’t forget about A/B testing, too. This can help you figure out what length works for your audience.
4. CTA
The call-to-action (CTA) in your invitation email should be easy to spot and personable. An effective CTA is brief with minimal words and straightforward. The reader should know exactly what you’re asking them to do. More importantly, the link you’re sending them to should be easy to follow and eye-catching.
Using a button is better than hyperlinked text to make sure it’s visible. You can also create a sense of urgency in your CTA to get people to buy tickets. Using action-oriented text (“book now!”) to get readers to buy tickets sooner rather than later.
Research has also found that emails with one CTA increased clicks by 371% and boosted sales by a whopping 1617%, so don’t overcrowd your email. Adding a single CTA can have a huge impact without asking too much of your readers.
Now let’s take a look at examples of how to apply these principles and how other creators have done it.
8 event invitation email templates and examples
There are many types of event invitation emails — choosing one depends on your event type, tone, and when you send the email. To get started on the right foot, take a look at some of these event invitation email examples. You’ll be able to download the templates at the bottom of this section.
1. “Round-up” invitation email
A round-up gives your audience all the key details in a single glance, including:
- Event name
- Outline of activities
- Location
- Date and time
- Duration
- FAQs
- Cost
- Link to buy tickets (CTA)
Some round-up emails even include a full event program to really give your subscribers an overview of what to expect.
This email type provides the reader with all of the information they need about the event, so they don’t have to do any research. Then, to make it even easier for them to attend, they can secure their place directly from the invitation.
Before you hit send, follow some best practices to prevent the email from landing in the recipient’s spam folder. According to EmailLabs, maintaining a regular sending schedule, personalizing the emails, and providing an unsubscribe option are some ways you can ensure a successful delivery.
2. Early-bird invitation email
What’s a great way to make your subscribers feel special? Sending them an early-bird invitation with exclusive access to buy tickets for your event before they’re released anywhere else.
This is a great way to build on your relationship with previous guests and generate some buzz around your event for new guests.
Create better emails today
Here are a couple of ways the early-bird email template from above can boost your ticket sales:
- Create a sense of urgency. Offer subscribers a chance to secure their place at a limited-capacity event. If they don’t get the early-bird ticket, they might miss out altogether; a risk some people won’t want to take.
- Show guests you value their presence. Allowing early-bird access shows potential guests that you value them, which boosts loyalty and entices them to buy tickets to your events.
3. Exclusive offer invitation email
If you received an email with a hint that there’s a discount inside, it may persuade you to open the email to find out more, right? A good open-rate should be between 17–28%, so experiment with the words and phrases you use to increase your current rate.
So what should an exclusive offer email include?
Take a look:
- A subject line that lets your subscribers know there’s a discount inside. For example, “15% off tickets” or “access your discount code inside” to entice them to open the email and sign up for your event!
- An overview of your event. The email should outline what your event is, when it takes place, and why it’s worth attending.
- A link to buy tickets with the discount. Add a button or link in the email that allows subscribers to easily buy tickets at a discounted price. Streamlining this process can help people to complete a purchase.
- A deadline for the offer. Add an expiration date for your discount to create urgency and get subscribers to buy a discounted ticket ASAP.
Use the above example as a template for your own exclusive offer email.
4. Don’t miss out invitation email
By adding a message like “don’t miss out!” or “you won’t want to miss this!” to your invitation emails, you can use FOMO to your advantage. It creates a sense of urgency, encouraging people to buy tickets so they don’t miss an epic event.
Take a look at the event invitation email template above for some inspiration. Here are some of the things that this example does well:
- Using “don’t miss” in the title. Get the FOMO brewing from the get-go by adding something similar in your email’s headline. The headline should be attention-grabbing and snappy.
- Offering a taster of what the event involves. To really build a desire to attend the event, it’s a good idea to give your audience a taste of what they can expect. For example, in the above email, it says guests “may get to meet” some real Titans if they attend the event.
- A deadline to RSVP. If there’s no sense of urgency to secure their spots, they might never get around to buying them. So be sure to add a deadline to persuade people to buy tickets sooner.
5. Formal invitation email
If your event is more formal, the language and layout of your event invitation email should reflect that.
This invitation type sets the tone for the rest of your event. It’s ideal for corporate events or something like a dinner and wine tasting, where you want invitees to know that the event is a little more upscale.
You can use the above template as an example of a formal email invitation. But before you do, let’s walk through the key elements of this email that’ll help you sell more tickets.
- Create a sense of exclusivity. The opening line in the example shows potential guests that your event is exclusive. This can be a great way to generate interest and desire from your subscribers and give them the chance to be part of such a cool experience.
- Show subscribers what the event involves. To build on the desire to attend your exclusive event, give readers an idea of what to expect and why your event is worth attending. This is your time to really sell the event’s excitement.
- Keep the language professional. Use phrases such as “we’d be delighted if you attended”, “we hope you can attend”, or “we hope you can support us”.
6. Unique invitation email
Eventbrite creator, The Hustle, says the secret to email marketing is adding personality. This allows you to build a relationship and a sense of loyalty to your brand. When customers feel connected to brands, more than half of them will make a purchase.
This is what a unique email invitation can do.
Use an invitation email as a way to showcase the heart of your brand — going beyond a quick ticket sale. Email marketing can be an extension of your brand with jokes, poems, or storytelling.
The language in the above example is something different and is clearly unique to the brand. The use of personality shows thought and will encourage subscribers to engage.
Here are a few tips to help you craft a unique invitation email:
- Use a catchy email subject line. Grab the attention of your subscribers with a catchy subject line that showcases your brand personality. You could add a joke, emojis, a question, and so on.
- Inject your personality into the language. Don’t be afraid to break the mold. The email above is a great example of something unique. It’s funny, laid back, and different.
- Include event branding. Add logos, colorways, and fonts that represent your brand. That way, potential attendees will automatically know who you are (which helps you build some brand recognition, too).
7. Party invitation email
A party invitation email is a way to invite people to a party you’re hosting. It could be an anniversary party to celebrate how long you’ve been in business (like this 8th anniversary party for elrow), a cinco de mayo party, a new launch party — the list goes on.
In your party invitation email, you want to express how deeply you want the person to attend. Make the email personal by talking about why you need to attend the party, and grab their attention with images and details of what attendees can expect.
Here are some tips for a successful party invitation email:
- Keep the email brief. You don’t need more than 100 words to present the core details.
- Inject some personality. Emails are an extension of your brand, so get creative by imagining how your party would talk if it’s a person.
- Incore core details. Is there a dress code? What activities can attendees expect? Bullet points or infographics effectively get across the key information at a glance.
8. Invitation email for previous attendees
Repeat customers are more cost-effective than new ones. Plus, you know that past guests have an interest in your event, so it makes sense to reach out to them again rather than chasing a new crowd.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways the above email template makes your previous guests feel special and sways them to buy tickets:
- Offer exclusive discounts. Include a discount code specifically for returning customers. This additional perk not only shows that you value their loyalty, but also boosts the chances of them buying a ticket. In fact, 78% of online customers have decided against making a purchase if it didn’t have a discount.
- Highlight what’s new or different about your upcoming event. Previous attendees know what to expect at your events. Generate excitement and interest by telling them what’s different about it this time around.
- Use images from previous events. Include an enticing image to trigger FOMO and positive memories of past events. If you remind guests of how much fun they had at your last event, they might come again.
- Build a community. Building a community creates a sense of belonging and connection among your customers. Using language like “we can’t wait to see you” and “thanks for sticking with us” makes people feel like they’re part of the bigger picture and gives them more incentive to buy tickets.
Now that you have all the SOPs and examples you need, it’s time to start crafting your own email invitations. Next, we’ll take a look at how to set up your email invitations and email marketing strategy, and how Eventbrite’s event marketing platform can help you get more sales with your email marketing.
How to set up your event invitation email marketing for success
Crafting an impactful email marketing campaign involves more than sending out mass invitations. You need to know your target audience to provide them with language and visuals that’ll entice them.
There are a lot of different ways to improve your event invitation email marketing strategy. Here are some of our top tips:
- Understand the buyer’s journey. Doing some target audience research helps to understand how your subscribers decide which events to attend. When you have a better idea of their process, you can create emails that align with what your potential customers are looking for and (hopefully) increase ticket sales.
- Track your engagement rates. Analyzing email data lets you know what is and isn’t working. Important tracking engagement metrics include open rates (the percentage of your audience who opens the email) and click-through rates (the percentage of people clicking a link or image in your email).
Mailchimp states that the optimal click-through rate is around 3%, and being clear with the reader about where the link is directing them (avoid generic language like “click here”) will increase your rates. - Segment your subscriber list. Segmenting your list of subscribers allows you to send emails to the right audience, at the right time. For example, you could segment your audience based on whether they’re new customers or returning customers. Then, you can send emails that are tailored to those audience groups and boost your chances of getting them to buy tickets.
- Set up a double opt-in process. Setting up a double opt-in when growing your email list takes more time than a simple “submit your email”. In case you don’t know what that is, it’s when a user signs up for an email list, and then an email is sent to them which includes a link to click and confirm the subscription.
The people who go through both steps are probably interested in what you have to say. As a result, you’re more likely to build a subscriber list of people who will engage with your emails and attend your events. - Use an event marketing platform. An event marketing platform helps you plan, manage, and optimize all your email marketing activity. You can review key email marketing data to figure out what’s working, what to improve, and how to encourage more people to buy tickets for your events.
With Eventbrite, you can send up to 10,000 emails a day, automate your event planning with Zapier, and increase open rates with Smart Audience targeting.
Put these event email examples into action
Now that you’ve got a good understanding of how to draft an effective event invitation email, preview it before you hit send. A/B testing is a great protocol to check what methods work best to increase open rates and sales.
With an event marketing platform like Eventbrite, you can manage your entire email strategy in a central location. Integrate with third-party tools like Mailchimp, track your email performance, and analyze results to improve your emails and increase ticket sales.
