Event Marketing: 11 Event Invitation Email Examples Proven To Work
Looking for promotional inspiration? This list features event invitation email examples that show what goes into turning invites into attendees.
How do you create the perfect invitation email? The short answer: There is no such thing as the perfect email. That said, email marketing success is possible when you craft an email around a goal, such as generating event registrations or downloading a new piece of content.
More than ever, event marketers are challenged to stand out. With so many virtual events filling up inboxes and eating up calendar space, you have to get creative with your invitation emails. Whether you’re hosting a virtual event or getting back to in-person events, the right event email invitation is your ticket to convincing and converting.
Here are some of the best email invitation examples we’ve seen recently and why we think they rock.
1. SaaStr 2022: Back to In-person
One of the biggest tech conferences in the United States, SaaStr went completely virtual in 2020, hybrid for SaaStr 2021, and SaaStr 2022 is scheduled to be in-person in September 2022. SaaStr’s messaging gets straight to the point with excitement and eagerness and features an array of engaging images. In addition to a video with an animated GIF overlay, the email also features user-generated content (UGC) from last year’s event to drive home the “don’t take our word for it” concept.
Key takeaway: Work smarter, not harder! Put social posts and other UGC to work to sell your event and drive registrations.
2. INBOUND 2022: Going Hybrid
INBOUND 2022 is all-in on hybrid, and we raise our glasses to the HubSpot team for choosing the most far-reaching option for its flagship event. To celebrate the exciting inaugural hybrid event, INBOUND sent out a clean, crisp email with clear CTAs and a simple charge: Register! The email also includes a section about pass perks but ultimately tells the reader to head to the event website, the hub of information for everything you need to know about what to expect, who the speakers are, what the health and safety precautions are, and more.
Key takeaway: Sometimes, simple is best. Always, leaning on your event website to do the heavy lifting is the best way to get the details in front of the right eyes at the right time.
3. Willo: Virtual Happy Hour
Whether you’re hosting a full-on conference or a one-off virtual happy hour, you can’t underestimate the power of faces in your event invitation email! Willo knows that its customers and fans want to know what (and who) to expect, so they put the speakers and panelists (if you have them) front and center. It also helps to put faces to names so when people do show up, they have a bit of a head’s up on who is who.
Key takeaway: Use your speakers and panelists in your email invitation to entice readers to register and attend.
4. Sumo Webinar: Obvious Value Proposition
When attending an event or webinar, the most valuable investment an attendee makes is not their money, but their time. Thus, a focus in all event invitations should be to clearly explain exactly what the reader will get out of the event if they attend. Doing so will drive action more quickly and effectively.
This email wastes no time in telling the reader the value they’ll receive from attending the webinar. By boldly stating that the webinar will help increase eCommerce revenue by 50%, the reader immediately understands the benefit of attending the webinar and thus spurs them to take action more quickly. The sooner the reader knows what’s in it for them, the faster they will decide whether or not they want to end.
Key takeaway: Let the reader know, as soon as possible, what they’ll get out of the event. Making the value prop clear and specific will help to drive action.
5. SXSW: Remember Us
Arguably one of the most popular conferences in the United States, SXSW takes place in Austin, TX, and is multiple conferences in one, featuring tech, education, music, and more. After canceling the event in 2020 and going all virtual for 2021, SXSW is ready to get back to in-person in 2022. The event might be months away, but that didn’t stop the fantastic event marketers at SXSW from sending out a little reminder once participation opportunities were ready to go live.
By sending out a simple, on-brand message, SXSW was able to create excitement about its return to Austin and drive early interest in everything from sponsorships to volunteer opportunities.
Key takeaway: Not every event email has to point to registration. Build up interest in your brand by messaging the value of your event early and often.
6. EMS 2022: Bold Design
You probably can’t tell by looking at this email screenshot, but this email featured a live counter to create urgency and FOMO. We’re also loving the bold and vibrant colors and layout of the email that guide the reader from the celebratory header down to the “Register Now” button. This email feels like a confetti party delivered straight to your inbox, doesn’t it?
Key takeaway: Don’t be afraid of going bold with your color scheme, even if it doesn’t match your primary brand. Sometimes, to reach a wider audience, you have to step outside the box and veer away from what people know or expect.
7. Marketing Optimization Week: Memorable Logo
This webinar invitation stands out because of its unique branded logo. With so much talk about on-brand emails, it would make sense to emphasize the importance of the brand itself. A week of online workshops hosted by Unbounce is sure to cover many different topics, but the simplicity and clarity of the logo make the reader feel that the workshops will be neatly presented in a consumable format. A logo does a lot to affect an event invitation so spending enough time and effort to ensure that it is a good one is a worthwhile investment.
Key takeaway: Unique and memorable logos go a long way to keep an event invitation fresh in the minds of the reader.
8. Livefront Augmented Reality Demo: Less Is More
There’s a difference between simplicity and intentional lack of information. This invitation by Livefront is meant to promote their augmented reality demo event by giving as minimal information as possible. While they give the date and time of the event, they leave out the location and specific details of the event to induce a sense of curiosity within the reader. The consistent bubble theme throughout the email makes this message both clever and memorable. Combining a clever, unified theme with a slight lack of information to encourage a CTA button click is what makes this invitation email successful.
Key takeaway: Withhold certain information from the reader to make them want more information, nudging them closer to the CTA button.
9. Gainsight: The Streaming Experience
With a clean design and plenty of images, Gainsight promoted its virtual event in a very Netflix-reminiscent way. The copy of the email makes it clear that there is a ton of content to choose from, and even the header and CTA button feel more like a streaming experience than an event from a tech company.
Key takeaway: Take your time with design. You don’t always have to get fancy, but a clear and clean visual layout will help you stand out in the inbox.
10: WWDC2021: Dark, Mysterious, and Enticing
Apple’s developer conference is one of the most popular events that Apple runs, and in 2021 the event was entirely virtual. This invitation email offers an air of dark and mysterious (classic Apple), but also exudes excitement with the memoji figures in the header. The great thing about this email is that it succinctly shares what attendees can expect, from the keynote and 200+ sessions to an awards ceremony and more. But the best thing about this email is that it parallels the event website to a tee, creating a seamless and consistent experience.
Key takeaway: Make sure your event website and event invitation email deliver a seamless visual and textual experience.
11. MozCon: Transparent Purchasing Process
Invitations are not only supposed to generate enthusiasm for the event but are also meant to effectively convince readers to attend. One such tactic of persuasion is to justify the costs. Attending a conference is a sizable investment for companies since each ticket can cost hundreds of dollars, not to mention the time spent at the conference and away from the office. To help justify these costs to attendees, the event team at MozCon decided to create a ticket breakdown to illustrate exactly how their dollars were being put towards the event. This is an effective way to not only be transparent with attendees but to help them justify to their managers that attending the event will be worth the investment.
Key takeaway: Readers will appreciate transparency when it comes to ticket pricing. This will help justify the costs not only to themselves but to their managers as well.
Wrapping Up: 5 Tips for an Effective Event Invitation Email
Short on time? Here are five tips for rocking your next event invitation email:
- CTAs: Make this CTA as clear as possible, and include the same CTA in multiple areas of your email to really drive the expectation for registration home.
- Branding: Event invitations are an extension of your event brand, so ensure that your brand is consistent and put on full display throughout the email.
- Design: Keep the design simple, but don’t be afraid to go bold.
- Innovate: Instead of sending the same emails every time you host an event, get creative and find inspiration on sites like ReallyGoodEmails.com.
- Share: Hosting an event and want to extend your reach? Submit it to our event directory!
