An event is only as successful as its invite.
Without an impressive invite, there won’t be an impressive turnout, and on the day – it’s the attendee turnout that matters.
If it’s not dawned on you yet, an invite is integral to your event’s success, and it’s the one piece of event communication that you really want to get right.
If you’re in need of some invitation inspiration, here are our tips for creating an irresistible event invite that will maximise event attendance.
Use a unique design.
You won’t want to use the same ol’ email template you use across your communications.
Your invite needs to stand out, as a standalone piece of content.
Recipients should be able to tell from the get go that your email is a special announcement of sorts, and not just run-of-the-mill content.
Consider creating a whole brand look for your event; you can even go as far as creating an event specific logo.
Use enticing imagery and graphic design to make your invite pop. Try to say more with layout and design, so that your invite doesn’t end up being too wordy.
Make your value proposition clear from the get go.
What makes your event worth attending?
It’s important you state your event’s value proposition clearly, and concisely. You should also be making the ‘why’ of your event clear as early on in your content as possible.
If you include too much fluff, and venue or speaker information before making your big sell, then you will lose readers’ interest, and therefore potential registrants.
Make sure you have an enticing, and clear value proposition, and that you state it within the opening paragraph of your invite.
Make your recipients feel like VIP
An easy way to make your invite irresistible, is to make it clear that your invitees are special.
Whether you do this by making your event invite-only (and making this clear in your invite), or by giving early bird registrants, and registrants via email invite special discounts or other treats and prizes, is up to you.
Whatever you do, make sure your invite feels exclusive.
Ensure your Call To Action is obvious, and easy to use
An invite’s call to action is often the register to attend link.
No matter what your invite’s CTA is, it has to be clear, and very easy to use.
For example, if your CTA is registration, make your registration link a button instead of plain hyperlinked text (which can easily blend into the rest of your content).
For ease, make sure your Registration Form is short and sweet. Don’t require too many fields, or ask too many questions.
People are more likely to complete registration if it doesn’t eat up their precious time.
To make it even easier, you can promise a ‘two step registration process’ by pre-populating registration forms with recipient data. This can easily be done if you’ve got plenty of good, useable data on each of your recipients.
Your forms simply have to prefill using that information.
Give your Guest Speaker information prominence
Is your guest speaker a big deal? Well, make sure you’re highlighting them in your invite content.
For example, you may want to dedicate a section of your invite to introducing your Guest Speaker. If they are well known, include a photo to jog people’s memory.
You can bold, and/or use larger font for your Guest Speaker’s name and title.
If your Guest Speaker is less well known – include links to some of their impressive work, or mention what other events they’ve spoken at, or what other thought and industry leaders they rub shoulders with.
You’ll want to sell your Guest Speaker, as it’s a way of selling the value of your event.
Include a venue map, and parking information
When it comes to the vital event information, don’t be withholding.
Be as clear as possible about your event’s venue, and give useful information to recipients who are trying to make their decision.
Try adding the city of your event’s location to your event title byline, in a header image for example.
Not only list the venue address, but include a little embedded Google Map as a visual aid.
You can further help potential registrants by mentioning nearby landmarks for orientation, and what to expect when it comes to parking.
This all contributes to ease of registration – as potential registrants are more likely to make a fast decision if all the necessary details are readily available.
Is your event a part of a series? Include evidence of your past events’ success
Are you holding an event that’s part of a recurring series? Make sure that’s obvious in your invite.
Event series have a sense of legitimacy, and you should leverage that to your advantage.
Make sure the word ‘series’ (or something similar) is included in your event title, or byline, or header image – or in all 3.
For first time recipients of your series invite, prove the success of your past events.
Evidence can come in the form of testimonials from well known people, or brands, who have attended your past events and loved them.
Or you can include a promo video, or imagery, from a past event that showcases the value of your series, and makes it clear why your recipient should want to register.
Your Invite Makes Or Breaks Your Event
Regardless of how much time, effort, and resources you’ve put into the event itself, it’s only as successful as it is attended – which means that your invite has to put bums in seats.
The event invitation is the starting port of call that should definitely not be overlooked, rushed, or done up lazily.
Chances are your recipients already receive plenty of email invites, and other online invitations, and as such are hard to please.
Use some of our above tips, and get creative – make sure your invite stands out from the crowd, and is simply irresistible.
The Preferred Email, Events and SMS Automation Software For All Australian Government Departments
Swift Digital’s templates help you effortlessly create stunning emails and events communications using our drag-and-drop email and event builder.
You can raise engagement with embedded images, videos, polls, article feedback, and emojis and schedule messages to send at the right time.
Government departments’ unique marketing requirements are covered with Swift Digital, and full compliance with all anti-spam and privacy laws is guaranteed. Swift Digital is also ISO 27001 certified.
Swift Digital is Australia’s leader in marketing automation software and event management working with organisations like the NSW Government, ATO, and companies like Westpac Bank and Qantas.
Find out why we’re the Australian government department’s number one choice for their professional communications and events.
To find out how your business can get the best out of Swift Digital’s platform, contact our team today.
Don’t forget to share this post!
