30 Compelling Email Subject Lines for Effective Event Marketing

Are you in the process of composing an event announcement email? Maybe your event marketing efforts are going to waste because of a poor open rate. And you’re left wondering, are the recipients even opening their emails?

You could have an exceptionally well-crafted email or a newsletter with all the reasons for your leads to join your event, but all that effort can go to waste if you don’t have a fitting subject line for your email.

The subject line is the first thing your lead will see besides the sender’s name. If the subject line doesn’t pack a punch, the email will be ignored like hundreds of others daily.

A whopping 69% of email recipients have stated that they report emails as spam solely based on their subject line. That is, if the email hasn’t already been flagged as spam by your provider’s spam filters. So, this single element can also affect how your leads perceive your brand.

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With all that said, let’s discuss the best ways to write email subject lines that are guaranteed to give you a high open rate and, subsequently, a high conversion rate, along with the best catchy email subject lines for events!

How to Write Compelling Subject Lines

The tone of the subject line should be consistent with the style of the rest of the email. For example, if you’re marketing an event in a formal tone, your subject line should reflect that. It’s essential since your subject line will create the reader’s first impression. Here are some pointers to consider as you draft your subject lines. These subject line suggestions are all meant to encourage recipients to notice and open your email.

A. Create A Sense of Urgency

Create a sense of urgency, so the recipient is tempted to open the email. But this sense of urgency must be followed through with an email that makes up for evoking that emotion by giving them solid reasons to attend the event. Again, use this sparingly, as regularly doing this will numb the readers to it. Examples:

1. “Don’t miss out on our next big trade show!”
2. “We’re almost full; hurry up!”
3. “The wait is over, [the event] is almost here!”
4. “Hurry! 3 days left before [the event].”
5. “Take action now!”

A good example here is the subject line for the Eventeer Awards final registration invite, which got a 41.21% open rate. The subject line looked like this:

This created a sense of urgency and compelled recipients to open the email so they didn’t miss out!

B. Leverage the Fear of Missing Out

No one likes missing out on things. But, unfortunately, a sense of FOMO gets the best of almost all of us. So, a subject line that can convince the reader that it’s something they don’t want to miss out on can work wonders. 

6. “Did you know?…”
7. “Take a look at who’s attending [your event]!”
8. “Here’s your chance to network with industry professionals!”
9. “Your friends are attending, will you?”
10. “4 out of 5 people won it big last year at [your event]”.

C. Make it Informative

If you can make the subject line informative, it’ll make you look professional and credible. 

11. “[Leading industry professional] will be at [your event] on [date].”
12. “Here’s the schedule for [event].”
13. “We will be giving out 100 coupons for…”
14. “Here’s what to expect from [the event].”

Those are some ways you can write subject lines with high open rates. Next, look at more catchy subject lines for events marketing and in different scenarios. 

D. Personalize Your Subject Line

Personalize your subject line with tokens if you have access to a platform that can do so. Hubspot, Mailchimp, and vFairs’ email tool can all help you do this easily. 

An excellent example would be when vFairs hosted a mixer for local contacts in Nashville. The registration reminder email got a 33.33% open rate. Here’s what it looked like: 

This subject line had a personal touch with the personalization token and mention of ‘I.’  It was also a quick, straightforward question and incentivized action where people felt like they now had somewhere to be on Thursday, so they wanted to double-check.

E. Segment Your Emails

Email list segmentation involves splitting your email list into various groups or segments commonly known as A/B testing in email marketing. Then, you can create unique messages exclusively for each segment. The difficulties that your target audience faces and the primary reason they signed up for your email marketing list are taken into account at each level of email segmentation.

You can segment your email by the following:

• Email Engagement
• Email Domain
• When Subscribers Joined Your List
• Geographic Location
• Interest
• Profession or Role

Email Subject Lines Based on Your Event Goals

A. Get More Registrations

To get more registrations, your subject line will need to use the principles we saw before. Here are some more examples: 

15. “Tickets for this year’s [event] are up for sale!”
16. “Invitation to register and join us….”
17. “Register now and get 10% off.”
18. “Join us as we meet this year’s presenters.”

B. Boost Attendance

People commonly miss the event dates once they’ve registered. This can even be a bigger problem if you’re hosting virtual or hybrid events, as people often miss those due to time constraints. To ensure maximum attendance, you can keep reminding your leads, but make sure to change it up if sending emails repeatedly. Also, please don’t overdo it. 

19. “X days left until the event….”
20. “You’re just X days away from an experience of a lifetime!”
21. “Don’t forget!”
22. “While we wait, here’s what you should know about….”

Follow-up Emails

It’s crucial to send emails post-event to build your relationship with the attendees. Some examples:

23. “That was a blast!”
24. “We are delighted that you joined us.”
25. “We’d like to hear from you….”
26. “So, how did it go?”
27. “ “X options to get started.”

Tips to Create Effective Subject Lines

• Try emailing “from” an actual name rather than the name of your company or event. People will feel closer to one another and more personally invited. Using “I,” “you,” and other pronouns will also help establish a sense of familiarity and connection with the receiver.
• Many receivers frequently prefer shorter emails, especially those who view them on mobile devices. We advise you to stick to a maximum of 9 words and 60 characters. Since many emails aren’t opened if they’re too general or lengthy, the subject line must find the perfect balance. 
• You can also start the subject line with a number or include an emoji. For example,

28. “3 Steps to Achieve [event goal].”

• Be mindful of the day and time. Email marketing platforms also allow you to stagger the send time to match the recipient’s time zone, so you’ll receive it at the set time regardless of where you are. 
• Never pass up an opportunity to use emotional triggers and powerful wording. Humans are emotional beings, and you can easily use words in the subject lines of your emails to appeal to their feelings and emotions. For example,

29. “5 Proven Techniques to Enhance Event Engagement.”
30. “Only 2 Spots Left. Apply Now.”

Email Subject Line Mistakes to Avoid

Although it’s easy to make mistakes when composing them, effective subject lines are concise and relevant to the reader. These subject line sins can significantly lower your open rates, but they are simple to avoid if you know what to look for. Here are some pointers:

• Do not use “Re:” or abbreviations in the subject line.
• Avoid overusing phrases like “urgent” or “important” in your subject lines, as the recipient may see them as spam due to their frequent overuse.
• Avoid employing slang or acronyms that not everyone can comprehend.
• Watch out for using too many exclamation points!
• DON’T USE CAPS. Doing so gives the impression that you are shouting at the recipient.

Conclusion

We have looked at some of the best lines you can use for event marketing and ways to craft new ones. Remember to follow up the subject line with an equally compelling email.

For the best impression, the email must be consistent with the subject line, carrying that same punch. Email design, scheduling, and targeting are essential in ensuring your prospects register for the event. Some virtual event platforms, like the vFairs virtual conference platform, offer email marketing features so you can design all your campaigns while designing your event.