Certainly, the covid pandemic has significantly contributed to the spread of virtual events. These days, online events are as common as in-real-life gatherings. And although they differ in format and require a different approach toward their organization, these events still share one element.
An invitation process is a pivotal aspect that often pre-determines the event’s success. An invitation needs to be accurate, informative and most importantly, engaging, enticing people to attend the event and spend some quality time.
You can choose any of the invitation templates available on the web and adjust them to your event for your convenience. This way, you will be sure that the visual part is behind you. But does it mean the invitation itself is ready for distribution? We wish it would be that simple. Besides visuals, you should compile a catchy email and provide minutiae on your event – all that to let receivers know whether they find it interesting and worth attending.
The following tips will help you come up with a captivating invitation email and attract as many people as possible.
Add a comprehensive plan of your event
It may be tempting to include that one performance set for your event. And then another one. And another one. In the long run, the list of things taking place during your event may be so extensive that it will do your email no good.
If many things are afoot for the event–i.e., you have many people performing, the event is broken down into several days, etc.–it’s best to create a plan and attach it to the email. Those who are genuinely excited to attend your event will be able to open the entire agenda (you can attach it as a PDF document or insert a link with a detailed schedule) and get familiar with it.
Similarly, try to put together visuals if you plan to attach any to the email. Here, you don’t necessarily need to include weighty, high-resolution images, as checking them all would be time-consuming and even tiresome if your readers reach the email via smartphones. The best way to handle the visual aspect is to use Vista’s Create Awesome Collages feature that will help you glue multiple visuals together and make a full-fledged and incredible picture of your incoming event.
Choose the right tone
When writing an invitation letter, it’s crucial to pick the right tone, as you reach out to every invitee via it. Of course, if you plan to invite your friends, you don’t need to send them an official email; a simple message or call will suffice.
With others, though, you should be professional and think about how to write an email pertinent to every person. We suggest sticking to a formal or semi-formal style, as it would be best to deliver the central message and invite people to the event, no matter its format. Also, make sure to avoid colloquial language, for many may misunderstand what you have in mind.
Make sure all the formatting essentials are included
Like with any other type of email, an invitation should contain all the fundamental elements: a subject line, salutation, closing, and postscript if necessary. Without them, not only will the email look weak and repelling, but the recipients may also ignore its contents and move it to trash with no hesitation.
Even if you design a visually appealing banner but omit the mentioned points, the chances are people won’t get to see it, let alone to bait the hook and show up to the meeting.
Try not to stall and provide the most critical points straight away
What’s similar between a lengthy academic paper and an invitation email? Both documents, if written well, provide the most crucial information right at the beginning. Although a research paper typically comprises an abstract, an invitation email usually doesn’t contain any separate section addressing the most critical information.
But that’s beside the point. What is more important is to provide an answer to common questions that might arise when reading the invitation. They are where, who, what, and when. Indubitably, you don’t need to lay out everything about your event (see the following tip). Just make sure to answer fundamental questions so that the readers have a rudimentary understanding of your meeting.
Make the joining-slash-leaving procedure straightforward
Although virtual meetings are much more flexible than traditional ones–people can attend them while on the go–there might sometimes be circumstances when one should leave the event and rejoin it in a while.
For these reasons, it would be excellent to simplify the check-in and check-out process, allowing for quick leaving and joining the event. The easiest way to do that is to render an entrance code so that people can enter and leave meetings without your intrusion.
Be brief and straight to the point
In the case of invitation email writing, quality is way over quantity. If you lack ideas and can’t think of a way to build a fascinating letter, don’t worry. As mentioned previously, the readers would like to know more about the virtual meeting first, so make sure to meet their expectations.
Other than that, you don’t need to include too much information aside from the basics. Just don’t forget about the proper opening and closing. And the document with the more specific info on your event, of course.
A Virtual Invitation
As you can see, writing an invitation letter for a virtual event isn’t daunting. All you need to do is complete the six tips from the above. Oh, and yes. Keep in mind that visual element; it may even tip the scales for people tuning in to your event.
