Half the battle in event planning is event promotion. And just because you share info about your event doesn’t mean that people will care. Crafting marketing messaging — emails in particular — should be fun and exciting, not challenging! Take the guess work our of writing event promo email subject lines with our ideas and templates.
But first, lets explore email marketing for events, best practices and some stats.
Jump right to the subject line examples.
How to market your event
Marketing your event is the best way to get people to learn about what you’re doing. Without marketing, you’ll plan these amazing events and your members will never know! There are a lot of different ways you can promote your event including:
- Non-paid social posts
- Radio or TV ad buys
- Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or YouTube ads
- Videos
- Member newsletters
- Email marketing
Why email marketing?
Email promotions are still very relevant and very effective. When it comes to using email marketing to promote events, you can see up to 40X more engagement than just promoting it on social media.
According to a study done by HubSpot (an email marketing platform):
- 77% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over 2021
- 89% consider email to be key to their marketing success
- 37% of brands surveyed actually said they’re increasing their email budget
As an association or chamber, email is an amazing way to communicate news to your members. Events especially.
Building an event promo email
In your event promo email, you should include all the basic info like:
- The name of your event
- Date of your event
- Location of your event
It’s also a great idea to include info like:
- What your members can expect to learn or gain from the event
- Any speakers or special guests
- If it’s online, in person or hybrid
You’ll also need to think about the technical aspects like:
- Who are you emailing (all your members, new members only, people who aren’t yet members, etc)
- When you’ll send your emails
- What email you will use / who it will be sent from
- Subject line
Why email event promo subject lines matter
Your subject line is the hook that can determine if people open your email or not. It’s like the title of a movie, or the curb appeal of a house for sale. You have to intrigue them enough to have them click and open your email
Ideally, you should aim for an open rate between 17 – 28%. But, look at how your past emails have performed and use that as a benchmark. In associations or chambers, your members may be more invested in opening up your emails to get resources and news from you.
Dos and don’ts of email subject lines
It can be hard to come up with the best one liner for your subject line, but these tips can help.
Dos
Keep it short
Subject lines should be around 9 words or 60 characters. Short and sweet!
Highlight a benefit
Nothing gets people clicking like real value. Put benefits front and center.
Be specific
What exactly are you promoting. There are many different types of events. Are you hosting a conference? Trade show? Webinar? Lunch and learn? Get specific!
Identify yourself
Some members will open emails as soon as they realize that it’s from you.
Don’ts
Get too formal
Stay true to your mission and brand as an organization
Get sneaky
Some companies will put FW: or RE: in the subject to trick people into thinking it’s coming from a trusted source. Don’t do that.
Use too many symbols or special characters
Emojis are used a lot now in subject lines, but special characters or symbols can limit your ability to communicate your message clearly.
Use all caps
Getting shouty can make your email stand out for the wrong reasons. Trust that your message is valuable enough.
13+ Example subject lines for event promo emails
Here are some of our best examples of subject lines for your emails.
1. The Announcement
- “Breaking News: [Event Name] Unveiled!”
- “Just In: [Event Name] – A Game-Changer!”
2. Personal Invitation
- “Your Exclusive Invite: Experience [Event Name]”
- “[Your Name], You’re Specially Invited to [Event Name]”
3. Details Inside
- “Discover What’s Awaiting at [Event Name] – Details Inside”
- “Inside Look: The Heart of [Event Name]”
4. Straightforward and Direct
- “Secure Your Spot: [Event Name] Registration Open”
- “Join Now: [Event Name] Awaits You”
5. Addressing Pain Points
- “Overcome [Challenge] at [Event Name]”
- “Find Solutions to [Issue] at [Event Name]”
6. Urgency and Excitement
- “Act Fast: Last Day for Early Bird Tickets to [Event Name]”
- “Hurry! Limited Seats Available for [Event Name]”
7. Exclusive Offers
- “Members-Only Special: Exclusive Access to [Event Name]”
- “VIP Offer: Be the First to Experience [Event Name]”
8. Curiosity Sparkers
- “Did You Hear About [Event Name]?”
- “What’s the Buzz? Uncover the Secrets of [Event Name]”
9. Celebration and Joy
- “Celebrate Good Times: Join Us for [Event Name]”
- “A Night of Fun Awaits at [Event Name] – Don’t Miss Out!”
10. Learning and Growth
- “Expand Your Horizons: Learn [Skill/Topic] at [Event Name]”
- “Join the Experts: Masterclass at [Event Name]”
11. Community and Connection
- “Connect with Like-Minded People at [Event Name]”
- “Building Bridges: Networking Opportunities at [Event Name]”
12. Innovation and Trends
- “Be at the Forefront: [Event Name] Showcases Cutting-Edge [Topic]”
- “Trending Now: [Event Name] Offers Insight into [Industry Trend]”
13. Mystery and Intrigue
- “Uncover the Mystery at [Event Name]”
- “Intrigue Awaits: The Secret World of [Event Name]”
Don’t forget to play into holidays, as well. For example, if Halloween is coming up, consider a promo email with the subject line, “This week only – Scary good prices for [Event Name]!” Or if it’s St. Patrick’s Day, try something like, “Save some green with this 24-hour flash sale!”
The more relevant you can make your subject lines, the better your open rates, click-through rates, and registration rates are likely to be.
Post-event subject lines
After your event, you’ll be sharing thank you’s, recording of virtual events, wrap-up or summaries of speakers, post-event member surveys and more. You can use these subject lines to connect with members after your event.
After the event…
1. Nostalgia and Feedback
- “Hey, Remember When… [Event Name Edition]”
- “[Event Name]: Tell Us How We Did!”
2. Gratitude and Forward-Looking
- “Until We Meet Again…”
Now the subject line is just one of the components of an engaging email. But aside from that, your email copy needs to be engaging too, so the more personality you can add, the better. Remember, you want to get people EXCITED for this event! And on that same note, if you can add pictures, gifs, and/or videos, that’ll help with engagement as well. (Who can resist a good gif?!)
How early and how many emails should you send?
How early you should start sending emails depends on the type of event your promoting.
If you’re promoting a large trade show or in-person event, you want to give 6 months’ notice. People need budget and planning to attend events like that. Follow up 3 months, 2 months, 1 month, and then 2 weeks before your event. If you’re offering early bird sign ups then you can time your events around price changes in tickets
For online events, hybrid events or smaller events like a chamber networking event, 6 weeks to 4 weeks before your event is when you should send your first email.
You probably want to send 3 or so promo emails, but a final “Don’t miss out!” email the week of your event. Hybrid or online events don’t require as much commitment, so you don’t need to give members as much notice.
Email Promotions for Events
Hopefully you feel confident to write subject lines for your email promotions. If you want more tips on promoting your upcoming event, we’ve got the guide for you!
Want more tips for promoting your upcoming event – via your website, email, social media, etc.? Check out our free guide below!
