A Comprehensive Guide To Writing Perfect Email Subject Lines For Events

Why event email subject lines are so important

Events are getting harder to promote through email nowadays because you’re competing against a barrage of email campaigns that bombard users’ inboxes daily. This is why it is an absolute must to have a terrific email subject line to capture your reader’s interest from the get-go. 

Email subject lines are sort of like first glances. They allow people to form an initial impression regarding an email’s contents by providing a sneak peek of the message it carries. For some people, it is the only thing that they read before they ultimately decide to open the message or delete it right away. 

Effective email subject lines can help you avoid getting set aside and achieve the following simple, but hard to achieve goals:

• Obtain the reader’s attention
• Provide adequate information about the event
• Emphasize the importance of your event
• Create value to the recipient

To help you carry out these goals, here are some tips and tricks formulated from some tried and proven marketing tactics to get your event email noticed. 

Types of emails for events

There are many different types of event emails that you can use depending on what kind of experience or product you are promoting. Remember that each type highlights a different aspect better. Hence, knowing which one is most appropriate for you is essential.

To lend you a hand, take a look at the following examples of event emails. Who knows, maybe one of them will be most effective in guiding your audience to your event:

Event invitation

From: Treehouse

Subject: Announcing: Treehouse Festival, June. 7-11🎉

From the name itself, event invitation emails request the recipient’s presence on a specific occasion. In this case, the receiving party is usually expected to confirm their attendance by responding to the email, procuring passes, and contacting a specific person. 

These emails can also include special sneak peeks at what to expect from the affair, such as a scheduled list of activities, a list of speakers, or promotional items.

Subject lines for this email type can be:

• Join us for an exciting night of [Event] at [Event venue/date]!
• Sign up for [Event] now and see us at [Event venue/date!]

Speaker and performer announcements

From: Salesforce

Subject: Dreamforce speakers: REVEALED. We can barely contain ourselves.

Another way of promoting your event is through advertising your speakers and performers. By directing attention towards them, you attract the interest of their supporters and fans, thus increasing your chances of your email being read.

Subjects for this type of email can include the following:

• Catch [Speaker/Performer] at tonight’s [Event]!
• [Event] brings you [Speaker/Performer] LIVE!

You can even tie in their most popular achievement to increase the chances of recognition.

• [Speaker/Performer] of [Achievement] to perform at [Event]
• [Event] highlights [Achievement] with [Speaker/Performer].

Event reminder

From: Dyspatch

Subject: Reminder: Increasing Conversions with Interactive Email and AMP webinar is in one hour! 🗓

These emails are usually sent as follow-ups to an initial email. Still, they may also be used in a campaign for people who belong to a particular group or signed up for a newsletter to inform them of a potential event that they might want to attend.

This can include updates and other important details regarding the day that may pique your audience’s interest.

In this example, you can see a notification for an event, including the specific time of the event. There is also an included link so that the recipient can join the event straight from the email.

For this type of email, you can expect to see subject lines like

• Don’t forget! [Event] is happening real soon!
• Mark your calendars for [Event] coming at [Event date/time].

Thank you email after the event

From: Hive.co

Subject: Thanks for attending our Ecommerce Email Marketing Webinar 💌

Thank-you emails are usually sent following an event to highlight the importance of the audience’s presence. Receiving these kinds of emails usually evokes a feeling of value in your audience, thus increasing potential commitment to your brand.

As illustrated in the example above, these emails can also be a hybrid email of sorts by including other details such as summarizations of discussed topics, promotional links, slides and documents from the event, as well as surveys regarding services available during the event.

Subject lines for these types of emails can look something like this:

• Thank you, [recipient], for making [event] a success!
• Our deepest gratitude for your part in [event].

Tips on writing catchy email subject lines

While these lines can appear short and simple, constructing them can be pretty tricky. To help make things easier, here are some guides that you may want to remember when formulating just the right event email subject line.

Know your audience

Being aware of things such as tone and slang used by your target audience can assist you in writing better lines thus enabling you to communicate your message more effectively.

Example:

• For a skincare event – “Join your fellow skintellectuals at [event] for a radiant time.”
• For a mobile game event – “Don’t be sus, rank up IRL and attend [event]!”

Be consistent with a style

Once you’ve established a certain voice, make sure to maintain this for all future correspondence.

Example: Hive.co’s consistent use of emojis at the end of their subject lines.

• Our Ecommerce Webinar recording + free consultations reminder ✨
• It’s the not having a segmentation strategy for me…👀

Be personable

An event email subject line that exudes a warm and positive attitude can increase your chances of attracting potential readers to be enticed by your event.

Example:

• Hey [Name], can’t wait to see you at [Event]!

• We are extremely grateful for your continued support for [Event], [Name]! 

Remind your audience of the value

As the saying goes, time is gold. That being said, it is extremely important that you create a subject line that convinces readers that reading your email is worth their while. 

Example:

• You don’t want to miss out on [Event], the hottest party of the year!
• You’re gonna wish you learned these things sooner; check out [Event]!

Best practices for event email subject lines 

There is no single step-by-step procedure for making the best event email subject line. However, here are some tips and guides that have produced the greatest results in getting your message across.

Creating a sense of urgency

People tend to respond faster when confronted with a deadline or time restriction. With that in mind, to improve the open and click-through rates of your emails, you can create a subject line that evokes a sense of urgency. It’s likely to spur people to actually read the contents of your email.

This is achieved by emphasizing time limits, creating deadlines, or making use of pressing vocabulary such as “act now!”, “breaking,” “important!”.

Take the following subject lines for example:

• Act now and attend [event]! Tickets are selling FAST!
• Last Chance! RSVP’s for [event] closing soon!
• You only have 1 DAY LEFT to reserve your slot for [event]!

Using the emotional appeal

Psychologically speaking, humans are very driven by emotions, and playing into that may very well get you the results you need. This can be quite exciting as you can choose from many different emotions depending on your end goal.

Some emotions you can tug at to get the most reactions can be excitement, joy, curiosity, and compassion.

Some examples of this approach can be:

• You’ll never guess who’s coming to [event] – 🤔
• The hottest event ever is coming to town! – 🤩
• You can help the starving children with [event] – 🤗

Leveraging the fear of missing out

With its seemingly continuous sequence of trend after trend, this era has undoubtedly established an intense fear of missing out or FOMO with the general public. No one wants to be left behind; everyone wants to get in on the latest thing.

If written well, your subject can play into that aspect of human nature. Present your event as a phenomenal experience they will surely regret not being a part of. This usually involves making a lot of urgent claims and deadlines.

Subject lines utilizing FOMO can look like the following:

• LAST CALL to claim big rewards from [event].
• Don’t miss out on [event] — the biggest party of the year!
• Reserve your slot for [event] before it’s TOO LATE!

Including promotional offer

Another thing that’s sure to catch your audience’s eyes? Freebies and discounts. People tend to buy into a particular event or idea more if they are made to feel like they have gotten more than their money’s worth.

In this case, your event email subject line can bring the focus to a perk included in the event.

Some examples of promotional offer email subject lines can include:

• Register for [event] now and claim your complimentary gift package!
• Enjoy 50% OFF on fees by RSVP-ing for [event]!
• Get the chance to win a BIG prize from [event]!

Using informational subject lines

Highlighting the most exciting and vital information in your subject line can also drive up rates of your email being opened.

Do your best to jam in as much information as possible while maintaining a short and descriptive structure. Summarize the intention of your email while maintaining an engaging, professional tone.

Examples of informational email subjects include

• Learn about email marketing from top lecturers at [event].
• Join [event] and get a first look at our latest products.

Experience the greatest musicians LIVE at [event]. 

Wrap up

Marketing your event through invitations sent via email campaigns can be quite tricky. You have to grab the attention of your projected audience, and the most effective way to do that is by having a great email subject. At Selzy, we have found that the following tips can get the best results:

• Emphasize the importance of your event. Communicate what benefits your potential audience can obtain.
• Be informative yet engaging. Include as many details about your event as possible but keep it short and yet impressive.
• Personalize your subject line for your intended audience. Know your audience and cater to their interests by using relatable vocabulary, emojis, and offers.