As an event organizer, sometimes your biggest obstacle isn’t convincing people to come to your event, but making sure they know — and remember — it exists. In fact, even when you start promoting your event two months out, a lot of your RSVPs will end up coming in the last two weeks.
Enter: the reminder email.
There are plenty of practical reasons to send a reminder email (maybe someone missed your first email, or their schedule opened up, or you have new details to share) — but when done right, they can also be an invaluable tool for driving attendance.
It’s one thing to send a reminder email or two. But what’s the secret to writing effective emails that actually help move the needle? Here are my top 9 tips:
The last thing you want is a reminder email that feels overwhelming or confusing — which could make people stop reading right in their tracks. First and foremost, make sure you include all of your event’s key details (like date, time, and location), and don't overcrowd it with too much information.
If it’s a reminder email closer to the day-of, also think about including any relevant information about the venue (parking, entrances, etc.), what to bring, or who to ask for at the door.
Here's any example of a reminder email we sent the day before a happy hour event:
It’s also important to think through the design of your reminder email, especially the imagery you use. Here’s some ideas of what to include:
Try to schedule at least one reminder email in advance (or in an ideal world, all of them). When you’re creating that first invite email, go ahead and create a reminder email, too. That way, you won’t be scrambling to get a reminder out during crunch time. (Pro-tip: in Splash, you can easily schedule your emails in advance for a specific day and time.)
This might seem minor, but don’t overdo it on the exclamation points — it can make your email seem spammy (which is the last thing you want in a reminder email). It's always good to add a sense of urgency, but there are ways to do that through your language and images, rather than just slapping on punctuation.
Your reminder email's subject line should be different from your initial invite, but still compelling in its own way. You’re competing for your guests' attention against all their other work emails, newsletters, and promos, so keep it short, make it engaging — but make sure it still conveys what you need it to.
Whether it’s to RSVP (if you’re still trying to drive reg) or see more details on the event page (if your email is only going to your confirmed attendees), make sure your call to action is clear.
This means, don’t bury it too far down or between images, and use language that’s as straightforward as possible (without sacrificing creativity, of course).
Wondering when you should send your reminders? Every event promotion cycle is different, but here are some general guidelines to follow (note: this is based on an 8-week promotional cycle):
4-6 weeks out:
• Send an email to anyone who didn’t open your previous emails (try using a different angle)
• Send a second “announcement” email
The key to driving attendance? Making sure the right people know about your event. See all of our tips in this all-in-one guide to event promotion.
Ben Hindman is co-founder and CEO of Splash, the country's fastest-growing event marketing platform that helps businesses and brands more effectively market through their events. An event planner turned tech entrepreneur, events are in Ben’s DNA. Prior to starting Splash, Ben was the Director of Events at Thrillist, where he produced large-scale events from concerts to mystery fly-aways.
