Email remains the highest-converting marketing channel for events. Not social media, not paid ads — email. The reason is simple: people who have given you their email address have already shown interest. They are warm leads, not cold strangers scrolling past your content.
This guide covers everything you need to know about email marketing as an event organiser: building your list, writing emails that sell, automating sequences, and staying on the right side of UK data regulations.
Why email outperforms social media for ticket sales
Social media reach is unpredictable. A Facebook post might reach 5% of your followers. An Instagram Reel might get pushed to thousands or might fall flat. You are always at the mercy of the algorithm.
Email is different. When you send an email, it lands in the inbox of every subscriber (deliverability issues aside). Open rates for event emails in the UK typically sit between 20% and 35%, and click-through rates between 3% and 7%. Those numbers might sound modest, but applied to a list of 2,000 subscribers, that is 60 to 140 people clicking through to your ticket page from a single send.
The other advantage is ownership. Your mailing list belongs to you. If Instagram shut down tomorrow, your list would still be there. That makes it the most valuable marketing asset you can build.
Building your mailing list
Every event organiser should be actively growing their email list. Here are the most effective tactics:
Checkout opt-in
The easiest way to build your list is to add a checkbox during ticket checkout: "Keep me updated about future events." This captures people who have already bought — your most engaged audience. Make sure this is an opt-in (unchecked by default) to comply with GDPR. Tickts and most other ticketing platforms support this.
Website signup form
Add a simple email signup form to your website. Keep it short — name and email address is enough. Place it prominently: in the header, at the bottom of event listings, and on a dedicated "Join our mailing list" page.
Social media capture
Use Instagram Stories, Facebook posts, and your bio links to drive people to your signup form. Offer a reason to join: "Be the first to hear about new events" or "Get early access to tickets before they go on general sale."
At-event signups
Put a tablet or clipboard at your merch table, bar, or entrance with a simple signup sheet. QR codes work even better — print a code that links directly to your signup form and display it on screens, on tables, or at the bar.
Opt-in incentives
Give people a reason to subscribe beyond "updates." Effective incentives include:
- Early access to tickets (24 or 48 hours before general sale)
- Exclusive discount codes
- Behind-the-scenes content or lineup reveals sent to subscribers first
- Entry into a prize draw (check Gambling Commission rules for competitions)
Segmenting your list
Not everyone on your list wants the same thing. If you run different types of events — say, comedy nights and live music — sending every email to every subscriber leads to unsubscribes. People who signed up for comedy updates do not want weekly emails about drum and bass nights.
Basic segmentation options:
- By event type or genre — Let subscribers choose their interests at signup.
- By location — If you run events in multiple cities, only email people about events near them.
- By engagement — Separate active openers from dormant subscribers. Send re-engagement campaigns to the dormant group before removing them.
- By purchase history — People who have bought before are more likely to buy again. They deserve different messaging than people who have never purchased.
The pre-event email sequence
For each event, plan a sequence of emails rather than a single blast. Here is a proven structure:
Email 1: Announcement (6–8 weeks before)
Tell your list the event is happening. Include the date, venue, headline act or theme, and a link to buy tickets. Keep it concise and exciting. This is where early bird sales come from.
Email 2: Full details (4–5 weeks before)
Share the complete lineup, schedule, or programme. Include practical details: doors time, age restrictions, parking, and anything attendees need to know. Link to tickets again.
Email 3: Social proof (2–3 weeks before)
Share testimonials from previous events, photos, videos, or press coverage. Include a ticket sales update: "Over 60% sold" creates urgency without being pushy.
Email 4: Last chance (3–5 days before)
A short, direct email. The event is nearly here, tickets are running low (if they genuinely are), and this is their last chance to secure a spot. This email typically drives a significant spike in sales.
Email 5: Day-of reminder (morning of the event)
Send to ticket holders only. Include doors time, venue address, parking info, what to bring, and any last-minute changes. This reduces "I forgot" no-shows and shows professionalism.
Writing emails that get opened and clicked
Subject lines
Your subject line determines whether your email gets opened or ignored. Keep it under 50 characters, make it specific, and create curiosity or urgency.
Examples that work:
- "Tickets on sale now — [Event Name]"
- "You are invited: [Event Name], [Date]"
- "Only 40 tickets left for Saturday"
- "The lineup is here"
- "Early access: 48 hours before general sale"
Examples that do not work:
- "Newsletter #47"
- "AMAZING EVENT YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS!!!"
- "Update from [Your Brand]"
Email body
Keep your emails short and scannable. Most people skim rather than read word-by-word. Use:
- Short paragraphs (two to three sentences maximum)
- Bold text for key details (date, venue, price)
- A single clear call-to-action button: "Get Tickets" or "Book Now"
- One compelling image (the event poster or a strong photo from a previous event)
Avoid walls of text, multiple competing calls to action, and attachments. Every email should have one job and one link.
Post-event follow-up emails
The sale does not end when the event finishes. Post-event emails are critical for building repeat attendance:
- Thank-you email (1–2 days after) — Thank attendees, share a few highlights, and ask them to follow you on social media.
- Photo and video share (3–5 days after) — Send a link to the event photo gallery. This gets forwarded widely and brings new subscribers.
- Feedback survey (5–7 days after) — Ask what they enjoyed and what could improve. Keep it to five questions maximum. Tools like Google Forms or Typeform work well.
- Next event announcement (2–4 weeks after) — Strike while the memory is fresh. Offer early access or a loyalty discount to previous attendees.
Choosing an email marketing tool
You do not need an expensive platform. For most event organisers, these options cover everything:
- Mailchimp — Free up to 500 contacts. Good templates, easy to use, integrates with most ticketing platforms.
- MailerLite — Free up to 1,000 subscribers. Clean interface, good automation features, and strong deliverability.
- Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) — Free tier with 300 emails per day. Good for transactional and marketing emails in one place.
- ConvertKit — Popular with creators. Strong automation and tagging. Free up to 1,000 subscribers.
Pick one, learn it properly, and stick with it. Switching platforms is a pain and rarely worth it unless your current tool genuinely cannot do what you need.
GDPR compliance for UK event emails
UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) set clear rules for marketing emails. Ignore them and you risk fines, but more practically, you risk destroying trust with your audience.
The key rules:
- Consent must be freely given, specific, and unambiguous. Pre-ticked checkboxes do not count. The subscriber must actively opt in.
- You must say who you are in every email. Include your organisation name and a physical address or PO Box.
- Every email must include an unsubscribe link. Make it easy to find and make it work immediately. Do not make people log in to unsubscribe.
- Keep records of consent. Store when and how each person opted in. Your email platform should handle this automatically.
- Soft opt-in exception. If someone has bought a ticket from you, you can email them about similar events without explicit opt-in, provided you gave them the chance to opt out at the time of purchase and in every subsequent email. This is the "soft opt-in" under PECR and it is extremely useful for event organisers.
Measuring email performance
Track these metrics for every campaign:
- Open rate — Percentage of recipients who opened the email. Aim for 25%+ for event emails.
- Click-through rate (CTR) — Percentage who clicked a link. Aim for 3%+ to your ticket page.
- Unsubscribe rate — Should stay below 0.5% per send. If it spikes, you are emailing too often or to the wrong segments.
- Revenue per email — If your ticketing platform tracks referral sources, you can calculate how many tickets each email campaign sold.
Review these after every campaign and adjust. If open rates are low, test different subject lines. If CTR is low, simplify your email and make the call to action more prominent. Email marketing is a practice, not a one-off task. The organisers who treat it as an ongoing discipline are the ones who consistently sell out.