Congrats – your event went off without a hitch! Now, it's time to send a thoughtful post-event email that shares your gratitude to each attendee. However, considering the average person receives over 100 emails per day, it's important to ensure that the thank-you message after attending your event stands out from the crowd. Here's how to craft an irresistible email that'll make your attendees feel super appreciated!

Why a post-event thank-you email matters

Your attendees took the time to come out to your event and had a memorable time with their friends and family in the process. A heartfelt thank-you email after your event not only shows your genuine appreciation but also reiterates how valuable it was for them to attend in the first place. It builds their trust, thus making them excited to come back to your next one! When done right, these emails are vital to your event marketing strategy because of how they help retain existing attendees. Plus, add a survey to this email, and you'll be able to gain valuable feedback on how you can improve your future events!

Key elements to include in your post-event thank-you email

Eager to spread the love? Let's dive into the essential elements that make up effective event follow-up emails.

1. Subject line

Your subject line is your first impression – so make it count! To start, keep it concise and compelling at around 9 words or 60 characters. Remember, the goal of a clear subject line is to grab your recipient's attention and make them eager to open your email.

Consider adding emojis for an extra touch of excitement and warmth. Don't shy away from question marks or exclamation marks as they can convey enthusiasm or peak curiosity. And if you want to spice things up, think about incentivising your readers with a sneak peek or exclusive offer if they fill out your post-event survey. Here's a few examples of some email subject lines:

• “🎟️ Want a Free Ticket to Our Next Event? (Fill Out Our Survey!)”

• "Cheers to Harmony Fest! 🎶 Thanks for the Magic!"

• "Kudos from CharityRun! 🌟 Your Presence Shined Bright!"

• " 🌠 We're Grateful for Your Support at Unity Gala!"

• "Epic Moments at DreamQuest! 🚀 Thank You, Trailblazers!"

2. Personalised greeting

A personalised greeting is powerful! Addressing recipients by their name, referring to the specific event they attended, or even acknowledging their continuous support (if they're regular event attendees), all make your event-goers feel seen and valued. A good example of this could be "John, Thanks for Helping Make Our Event a Success!" or "Thank You for Making Our Fall Event Unforgettable, Sarah!"

3. Email body

This is the bulk of your email where you'll want to go into more detail to fully express your gratitude. To help get you started, we've included a few more important pieces you may want to mix and match in your email's body paragraphs.

Showing gratitude 

Express your thanks sincerely, acknowledging their contribution to the event's success. Opt for a genuine, heartfelt tone and go into detail about the ways that people helped make this event an unforgettable one. Sharing specific stories or examples could go a long way towards truly capturing how much you appreciate your attendees.

Event highlights 

When selecting the right specific highlights to share, consider moments that were the most impactful for attendees. These memorable moments might include videos or event images of standing ovations, surprise moments, or even lively speaking sessions. Be sure to include any measurable outcomes your event might have reached. Did you exceed your fundraising goal? Did your event sell out? Let your attendees know about their incredible impact!

Testimonials 

Sharing quotes and testimonials from attendees can also paint a vivid picture of the event. To gather these testimonials, you could ask attendees during the event about their favourite moments or check if attendees left any meaningful comments on social media that you could highlight (with their permission, of course!). And if your event has a specific cause like a charity fundraiser, reach out to the people that your event is impacting! Hearing direct accounts from the community benefiting from your event will motivate your attendees to continue lending a helping hand!

Video clips of your team's thanks 

Incorporating a short video clip into your post-event thank-you email adds a dynamic and personal touch. In your video, you can edit clips of your team expressing their gratitude to those who attended! You could also provide a visual recap of your event's highlights, capturing the energy from your event that words alone might struggle to fully convey.

4. Call to action

Your thank-you participation email should end with a clear call to action (CTA) that'll encourage your readers to take the next step. You typically want one primary CTA and possibly a secondary one, but that's all! Your goal is to direct as many people to completing your CTA as possible. Here are a few ideas of what that could be. 

• Fill out a survey – Encourage feedback to show attendees that their opinion matters.

• Follow you on social media - Keep the connection going and boost your social media presence by directing them to your various accounts on Instagram, Facebook, etc. 

• Reserve tickets to upcoming events - Give a sneak peek into other upcoming events and link to where they can secure their tickets.

• Watch a video – Captivate your readers with a video that'll express your thanks beyond just words!

• Sign up for your newsletter - Make sure your attendees are signed up to stay up-to-date with all your latest event news.

Depending on the CTA you choose, you may have the link as a large, bold-coloured button near the top or bottom of your email with a short, imperative phrase like “Sign Up Now!” or “Get Your Tickets Today!” You may also embed the video or survey form inside your email.

5. Design 

Now, we've gone through how to write a post-event thank-you email, but what should it look like? A well-designed email is just as important as the words themselves. Opt for a clean and organised layout, making it engaging and easy to read at a glance. And when it comes to visuals, ensure the font and colour scheme match your event's branding to drive increased trust with your brand identity. With an aesthetically pleasing email design, your appreciation will be communicated much more effectively! 

6. Privacy Act compliance portion

One last thing! When it comes to email marketing, it's essential to respect your recipients' privacy. For organisations operating within Australia, the Privacy Act 1988 sets important legal rules for marketers to abide by. The Privacy Act gives customers the right to know about the personal information a business collects about them and how it is used and shared. When crafting your post-event thank-you email templates, ensure you're compliant with the Privacy Act by being transparent, offering an opt-out option, and having a system in place for data deletion requests.

Don't forget to thank your team

Follow-up emails are more than just for your event's attendees! Think about all the moving parts of your event and who helped in making it a success. This could include event sponsors, vendors, speakers, volunteers, and staff. It's important that you express your sincere gratitude to them too for bringing your awesome event to life! By incorporating post-event thank-you emails to these groups in your post-event game plan, you'll cultivate those relationships and excite them to continue working with you in the future. To go even a step further, you could branch out from email and send them a handwritten thank-you note as a small token of your appreciation.

When is the best time to hit send after a successful event?

Choosing the right time to send your post-event thank-you email is as crucial as its content. After all, you'll want to make every email count! Typically, the optimal time to send your thank-you email is within 24 to 48 hours after the event. This is when their experience is still fresh in your attendees' minds, meaning they're more likely to engage with your email and provide valuable feedback. To help, certain email marketing platforms can determine the ideal send time for the best possible open rates (in general though, it's suggested that 10am and 2pm are prime times for engagement). This way, your thank-you email will not only be heartfelt and engaging, but adequately timed too.

Tracking and measuring success

The success of your post-event thank-you email can be measured through a few key analytics. With the following metrics, you can fine-tune your thank-you emails for future events!

Open rates 

Open rates measure how many people click into your email from their inbox. Higher open rates mean your subject line was effective at capturing people's attention and making them eager to read more. According to a Mailerlite study, the target open rate for events is around 36.16%. To help increase your open rates, consider trying the following tips: 

• Conduct an A/B test using various subject line variations.

• Incorporate an enticing email preheader that provides recipients with a compelling reason to open.

Click-through rates

Click-through rates measure how many readers clicked the content within your email (like a video, a CTA button, or links to your socials). Looking at this metric shows whether your content and call to action were compelling enough for readers to take an action. According to the same Mailerlite study as above, the benchmark click-through rate for events is 6.63%. Feel free to try the following tips to improve your click-through rates:

• Divide subscribers into more targeted and meaningful segments.

• Provide more enticing incentives to encourage people to click.

• Conduct A/B testing on various email scripts to determine which ones connect better with your audience.

• Include links to blog posts, surveys, quizzes, or any other valuable content for your audience.

Email responses

People's responses to your email, particularly by filling out your survey, are great ways to gain insight. In addition to direct feedback, look at any replies to your email, comments on your videos, and anywhere else attendees might share their thoughts about your event. These responses can help you understand what resonated with them the most and what aspects of the event should be improved in the future.

Sample thank-you email templates

We've created a few post-event thank-you email examples for different event types with a mixture of various CTAs. Whether you're a music festival or a non-profit, we have a template for you! Take a look to gain inspiration for writing your next one!

Example #1: Comedy Club

Example #2: Music festival

Example #3: Charity event

Example #4: Beer festival

Tools for creating effective follow-up event emails

The best email marketing tool for your events depends on your specific needs. When choosing your tools, consider factors like their ease of use, customisation options, integrations, pricing, and analytics capabilities. Here are a few notable email marketing platforms to consider:

MailChimp

MailChimp is an easy-to-use platform with a plethora of email templates (including thank-you emails!) to choose from. In addition, MailChimp offers advanced analytics, making it easy to track and measure the success of your campaigns.

HubSpot

Renowned for its comprehensive inbound marketing capabilities, HubSpot excels as an email marketing platform. It offers a vast array of templates for post-event thank-you emails. The platform's inherent analytics provide deep insights into your email campaign's performance, enabling you to better optimise your strategies.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact offers a wide range of customisable email templates, including those designed specifically for event follow-ups. It also has robust analytics to assess the effectiveness of your emails.

Brevo

Known for its excellent automation services, Brevo can set up a series of emails to be sent at specific intervals. This can be particularly handy for sending your thank-you emails and follow-ups.

Benchmark

As an intuitive and user-friendly email marketing service, Benchmark offers a variety of responsive templates for thank-you emails. It provides real-time reports to measure the effectiveness of your emails, plus A/B testing capabilities to refine your email strategy.

Campaign Monitor 

Campaign Monitor enables businesses to create, send, and optimise email campaigns, allowing them to engage with their audience, track performance metrics, and build effective communication strategies.

Emma

Emma focuses on providing tools for creating visually appealing emails, segmenting audiences, and analysing campaign performance to optimise marketing efforts and enhance customer engagement.

Wrapping up

Now you're more than ready to start drafting your post-event thank-you email! Remember, an effective thank-you email should be timely, personalised, and appreciative, with a clear call to action. Equipped with these tips and tools, you'll be well on your way to making attendees feel valued. Cheers to successful events and memorable thank-you emails!