Event Marketing: How To Write Webinar Email Subject Lines To Boost Registrations
Did you know that 45% of email recipients say they’re likely to read your email because of the sender and 33% decide whether to open an email based on the subject line alone?
Those stats are courtesy of research by SuperOffice, a CRM provider, but we’ve seen figures that say as many as 50% of email recipients open an email based on the subject line. On the other hand, according to HubSpot research, 65% of marketers say subject lines have the most significant impact on open rates.
Increasing the chances that your next webinar has the highest attendance yet starts with writing attention-grabbing email subject lines that encourage email recipients to engage with your promotional content. After all, event marketers agree that email marketing is the most effective channel for promoting events.
In this post, we’ll examine the elements of event marketing webinar email subject lines and what you should keep top of mind to ensure you write the best webinar subject lines for every email you send out.
The Winning Formula for Effective Webinar Invite Subject Lines
The next time you write email marketing outreach messages to promote an upcoming webinar, use these best practices to help drive more registrations.
Err on the Side of Brevity
First things first: If your event marketing webinar email subject lines read like novels, most recipients are unlikely to engage with your messages. For the best results, aim to keep your webinar invite subject lines between six and 10 words; research shows that this is the sweet spot that drives the most engagement. If you can’t hit that mark, try to write five words or fewer since subject lines that include 11 words or more are increasingly unlikely to be opened.
Use Personalized Email Outreach
These days, people expect personalized experiences when they interact with brands, so it’s essential to do everything you can to personalize email outreach when you’re inviting folks to a webinar. As part of that personalization, you might consider including recipients’ first names in your subject lines. According to one report, emails that include the prospect’s name in the subject line have a 39% higher open rate than those that do not.
Don’t Shy Away from Numbers and Emojis
If your goal is attracting as many signups for your webinar as possible, try mixing up subject lines using numbers and even emojis. Research suggests that subject lines with emojis have higher click-through rates than those without them. Similarly, using numbers in subject lines can help capture recipients’ attention and encourage them to engage with your content.
Generate Excitement and FOMO
For folks to want to attend your webinar, they need to be excited. That’s why it’s critical to do everything you can to create a sense of urgency and instill the fear of missing out (FOMO) on what’s sure to be a great event.
According to OptinMonster, catchy email subject lines that leverage FOMO have a 22% higher open rate than those that don’t. While you might not want to use FOMO to inspire every email subject line, it should be in the mix.
Run A/B Tests on Your Subject Lines
Chances are you have some assumptions about what types of subject lines will work better than others, but your gut only offers feelings. To ensure you’re getting the most bang for your effort and using the best subject lines, you need to run A/B tests on your subject lines (and other aspects of your webinar emails). Here are a few things you can split test for your next webinar email subject line:
- Recipient name vs. no name
- Urgency vs. no urgency
- Emojis vs. no emojis
- Hyphens vs. colons
- Webinar title vs. descriptive copy
- Date vs. no date
Webinar Invite Subject Lines for Every Stage of the Webinar Journey
The best event marketers send multiple reminder emails that engage audience members at each stage of the webinar journey. Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
Initial Invitation Email Subject Lines
To create urgency and excitement around your event, you’ll need to craft an eye-catching email subject line that includes the event’s name and date.
- Save your seat: Blockchain webinar on March 10
- March 10: Join us for a blockchain webinar
- ⚡⚡ RSVP for our blockchain webinar
- Join the blockchain revolution: Save your virtual seat!
- Elite blockchain professionals: Register for this webinar
“Reminder to Register” Email Subject Lines
Everyone is busy, and we could all use some gentle nudges to remind us about what’s coming down the pike. Try to send this one out one week before the event and again about three days before ensuring the stragglers register.
- Reminder: Join us on March 10 for a blockchain webinar
- LAST CHANCE: Our blockchain webinar is next week
- Have you registered for our March 10 blockchain webinar?
- Join the blockchain revolution: Register for our webinar now
- ⏳ Early bird prices are ending: Blockchain waits for no one!
- Be an early bird Register for our blockchain webinar now
“Reminder to Attend” Email Subject Lines
As the webinar comes closer, send out emails that remind folks who have registered about the event and what they need to know to make the most out of it.
- [First Name], see you March 10 at our blockchain webinar!
- 1 day until our blockchain webinar!
- T-minus 1 hour until our blockchain webinar
“Thank You for Attending” Email Subject Lines
Only some people who register for your event will attend. Those who do should be thanked for their participation and allowed to provide feedback and view the webinar on-demand.
- [First Name], thanks for attending our blockchain webinar!
- What did you think? Take the survey & get a gift.
- Watch the blockchain webinar on-demand NOW!
- Thanks for joining! Take our survey & watch on-demand
“We Missed You” Email Subject Lines
After the webinar, engage the folks who registered for your event but couldn’t attend. Be sure to also provide a link to the on-demand content in this email.
- [First Name], we missed you at our blockchain webinar
- Still interested in our blockchain webinar?
- Missed it? Watch the blockchain webinar on-demand
- Catch up on our blockchain webinar … now on-demand!
- View our blockchain webinar from anywhere, on-demand
Webinar Cancellation/Rescheduling Email Subject Lines
If you need to postpone your event or cancel your webinar, let your audience know early.
- [First Name]: We’re moving our blockchain webinar to April 2
- Rescheduled: The world’s best blockchain webinar
- Blockchain webinar rescheduled: Save the date
- Never fear! We’ve rescheduled the blockchain webinar.
- Blockchain webinar: New date inside
Need some help putting together email subject lines for your next event? Check out these essential virtual event email templates for inspiration.
Pro Tip: Use a Tool Like ChatGPT To Write Email Subject Lines
Since we’re living in some version of the future, keep in mind that you don’t have to write all of these email subject lines from scratch. Are you using ChatGPT for events yet? It’s an easy way to accelerate the brainstorming process and get proverbial ink to paper faster.
To illustrate, we asked ChatGPT:
Can you write several email subject lines thanking attendees for coming to our blockchain webinar? Include emojis on some of the subject lines please.
In just a few seconds, ChatGPT gave us five solid ideas:
- Thank you for joining our blockchain webinar!
- We appreciate your attendance at our blockchain webinar
- Thanks for being a part of our blockchain webinar
- Grateful for your participation in our blockchain webinar
- Our blockchain webinar wouldn’t have been the same without you! Thank you
You’ll note that some of these surpass the 60-character limit recommended for email subject lines. The good news? All you have to do is follow-up with a prompt like this for ChatGPT to get it right:
Can you rewrite those subject lines in 60 characters or fewer please?
Then … wait for instant magic!
Take the Reins on Your Webinar Event Strategy
Although email subject lines play a significant role in the success of your event, they’re not the only important factor. To learn more about what you can do to deliver unforgettable webinars every time, download our Webinar Production Kit today.
