Most events rely on compelling email communication before, during and after the event. The invitation email, in particular, is the crucial link that affects RSVP rates significantly.
In the previous article, we provided technical tips for your event communication emails on how to avoid landing in the guest’s spam folder. This time, we are going to share tips on how to craft the perfect event invitation email in terms of design, layout and content to make you stand out from the rest.
1. Create a catchy subject line to draw attention
Most people receive too many emails every day, and they will decide within a second if your email is worth opening. In general, everyone likes to receive invitations and you should make sure that your subject line does not look like a marketing email but rather a personal or exclusive invite.
Here is a classic email subject line which still works: You are invited to [Name of Event] + [Event Date]
Another popular subject line:
Join us! [Event Type] @ [Event venue]
You may, however, spice things up and may get higher opening and response rates with the following variations:
Largest [Event Type] in [Geographic Location]: [Event Name]
Adding the location right to your subject line gives guests the perception of having the opportunity to be at the right time at the right place.
The following subject line is great for encouraging action because email subject lines with a sense of urgency get opened.
Countdown to [Name of Event]: last week to register
Think about offering early-access or limited-time access and pair it with an email subject line that starts with “Act fast.”
Don’t overuse email subject lines with a sense of urgency or people will stop responding to them. Use them sparingly for maximum effect.
Please also mind that the subject line length varies between email clients, so keep them as short as possible. This will account for people reading emails on their mobile devices, which happens for over half of all emails sent. You may only have about 40 characters to encourage readers to open your emails, so use that space (and negative space) wisely.
2. A clean email design
Successful event planners know the importance of great email design and therefore rely on professional creative designers. Simple and clean design is key to make sure emails are displayed correctly in every email client. It also increases the RSVP rate. Here are some email design tips:
If possible, always use a white email background
Create a banner including the event details to place it on top. You may optionally create a footer banner as well. These banners should not exceed a width of 600px and should be easy to read when scaled down to mobile phone screens.
Less is more because the ultimate goal is to let the guests know your event details and lead them to a clear call to action.
Choose your font carefully. Default fonts are usually the best bet for all email clients and devices, check out this article to learn more about how to choose fonts for invitation emails.
3. An effective call to action
The right call to action can magically motivate people to click and consequently RSVP. Create the call to action as a real button instead of a standard hyperlink. Use a button color that sticks out from the rest of the email. Keep the words short and precise such as “RSVP here”, “Register Now”, “Sign me up”.
4. Event date and time
Make sure the event date(s) and the event start and end time are included in the email and stand out, so guests do not need to search or for it or take a guess. If your event is a multi-day event, make sure the guest clearly sees and understands the different options to attend.
5. Use HTML tags to personalize the email
Personalized email content improves the response rates and makes your invitation more exclusive. HTML tags can also be used to insert guest names; a unique registration number, a personal QR code, or a personalized signature by adding the relationship manager of that guest. Check your email service provider to learn more about how to use the right HTML tags because each email system uses its own tag structure.
6. Link your emails to an RSVP management software
Traditional invitation emails often asked guests to reply to the email to confirm or even worse, asked them to send a completely new email to a dedicated email address. This set-up significantly increases the workload and room for errors for event planners by managing all incoming responses one by one.
Using an integrated RSVP system instead, allows you to collect responses through personalized RSVP forms, and by doing so measure the opening, click and response rates and trigger instant confirmation emails (optionally including unique QR codes).
Central Pacific offers professional email invitation campaign services. We transform email designs into mobile-optimized HTML emails and guarantee high email delivery rates. CP furthermore helps customers to implement the right invitation process and software for their events. Contact us and we help to solve your tech issues.