What it is for

An event invitation sequence takes someone from hearing about your event to turning up and, afterwards, taking the next step with you. It works for a webinar, a roundtable, a customer dinner, or a conference side event. The common failure is one invitation, one generic reminder, then silence. People who registered forget, and people who attended never hear from you again.

This template has six emails. Three get the registration: the invite, a reminder with the agenda, and a short personal nudge. Three serve the attendee: a confirmation with logistics, a day-before reminder, and a thank-you with the follow-up. Split your list after registration so each group only gets the emails meant for them.

When to use it

You are hosting a webinar, workshop, or online panel and need registrations.
You are inviting a short list of customers or prospects to a dinner or roundtable.
You have a booth, talk, or side event at a conference and want to book meetings around it.
Past events had good registration numbers but poor attendance.

The template

Square brackets mark what you fill in. Timings are starting points.

Email 1

Subject: [Event name], [date]: an invitation

Send: Three to four weeks before the event

Hi [first name], on [date] we are hosting [event name], a [format, e.g. 45-minute online session or dinner for twelve] about [the topic, in plain words].

It is for [the specific role or type of company]. You will leave with [the one practical thing attendees get, e.g. a plan for X or an answer to Y].

[Speaker or host name], [their role and why they are worth hearing], will [lead the session or host the table]. [For a dinner: seats are limited to [number], so it stays a real conversation.]

Save your seat here: [registration link]. It takes under a minute.

[Your name], [role] at [company]

Lead with the topic and the outcome, not the company. Say who it is for so the wrong people can skip it.

Email 2

Subject: What we will cover at [event name]

Send: Two weeks before the event

Hi [first name], here is the agenda for [event name] on [date]:

[Time or segment 1]: [topic]. [Time or segment 2]: [topic]. [Time or segment 3]: [topic, e.g. open questions].

One thing we will go into that you will not find in the slides afterwards: [a specific, concrete item, e.g. the exact checklist [speaker] uses for X].

If this is relevant to someone else on your team, feel free to forward it. Register here: [link].

[Your name]

The agenda does the selling. Give people a concrete reason to show up live rather than wait for the recording.

Email 3

Subject: Quick one: are you joining on [date]?

Send: One week before the event, to people who have not registered

Hi [first name], short note. [Event name] is on [date] and I noticed you have not registered. I wanted to check if it is useful to you.

[One sentence tying the topic to something specific about them, e.g. their role, their company stage, or something they downloaded from you.]

If yes, here is the link: [registration link]. If the time does not work, reply and I will send the recording.

[Your name]

Plain text, no banner, no logo. It should read like one person writing to another.

Email 4

Subject: You are in: [event name] on [date]

Send: Immediately after registration

Hi [first name], thanks for registering for [event name]. Here is everything you need.

When: [date and time, with time zone]. Where: [link to join, or venue address with a map link]. [For a dinner: dress code, arrival time, and who to call if you are running late.]

Add it to your calendar: [calendar link]. [For online events: the join link is also in the calendar invite.]

If you have a question you would like covered, reply to this email and I will pass it to [speaker or host].

[Your name]

Every logistical detail in one place. Nobody should have to search their inbox for the link.

Email 5

Subject: Tomorrow: [event name] at [time]

Send: The day before the event

Hi [first name], [event name] is tomorrow at [time, with time zone]. Join here: [link]. [For in-person: the address again, plus parking or transport notes.]

We will start on time and end on time. Come with one question about [topic] and we will try to get to it.

If something has come up and you cannot make it, reply and let me know. [For a dinner: it helps us plan seating. For a webinar: I will send you the recording.]

[Your name]

Short. The link and the time are the whole point.

Email 6

Subject: Thanks for joining, plus the [recording or notes]

Send: The day after the event

Hi [first name], thanks for joining [event name] yesterday. Here is the [recording or the notes]: [link]. The [slides or checklist] [speaker] mentioned are here: [link].

The questions that came up most were [question 1] and [question 2]. The short answers: [one sentence each].

If you want to go further on [topic] for your own team, I am happy to talk it through. A 20-minute call, no pitch: [booking link].

[Your name]

Send a separate version to people who registered but did not attend: the recording, no thanks-for-joining line, and the same offer.

How to adapt it

For a dinner or a small roundtable, cut Email 2 and make Email 1 and Email 3 fully personal: name the other guests you can mention and why the mix is useful.
For a conference side event, add a line in Emails 1 and 4 offering a 20-minute meeting slot at the booth or venue.
If registrations are low after Email 2, send Email 3 to a hand-picked list rather than everyone, with a different one-line reason for each person.
Send registered people only Emails 4 to 6. Send non-registered people only Emails 1 to 3, plus the recording version of Email 6 if they asked for it.

The thinking behind this template: How do you write an event invitation email sequence?.

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This is one of Sawa's illustrative frameworks, not a copy of client work. It claims no result. Last updated 2026-10-08.