How to Write a Friendly Reminder Text Message for an Event

It is hard work to plan and promote an event. There are many moving pieces to manage, even for virtual events like webinars, so following up with your registered attendees can feel like a waste of time. Sending reminder texts to your customers can go a long way not only to remind them of when and where the event is but to keep them interested as well.

While any reminder message is better than nothing, your attendees are constantly bombarded with marketing messages in their email and texts, so you’ll have to work a little harder if you want your event reminder to stand out. Here are some tips for how to write a reminder message for an event that will grab your attendees’ attention and boost attendance.  

Why Event Reminder Messages Are Important

When you’re planning an event, it tends to be the only thing on your mind for the weeks or months leading up to it. Your attendees, however, aren’t nearly as invested and likely have many other scheduled obligations to keep track of. Sending a friendly reminder text to your attendees will help refresh their memory of the event and increase the odds that they will show up.

How to Write a Reminder Message for an Event

While your reminder text messages should be personalized, there are a few key elements that should be included in every event reminder.

1. Event name and topic: You should usually make the event name the very first piece of your reminder SMS message. That will ensure your attendees don’t have to hunt through your message to figure out which event you’re talking about, and it also makes it easier for them to search for your text later if they need to.
2. Time and date: Your attendees need to know when to attend your event. That’s the whole purpose of your reminder text message, after all.
3. Location: If you’re hosting an in-person event, you need to provide the address. Even better, you can embed a Google Maps link so attendees can easily pull up the directions on their way to your event. For webinars and other online events, you should provide a link in your reminder message.
4. Requirements: If there are any requirements for entry to your event (such as a ticket or ID) or if there are any particular rules at the venue, you should let attendees know in the reminder text.
5. Thank you: Saying thank you can help generate goodwill with attendees before the event. Thank them for attending in the last line of your reminder message will come across polite and encourage attendance.

Tips for a Friendly Event Reminder Text Message

Now that you know what to say, you need to think about how to say it. You don’t want your reminder message to look like it was written by a robot, so even if you use a template, you should customize it to sound more human. Here are some tips for crafting personalized event reminder text messages.

Address Attendees by Name

Using somebody’s name is the fastest way to get their attention. We are wired to recognize our name even in a loud room or crowded inbox, so addressing your reminder SMS message to your attendees by name is a great way to make sure it gets read.

Provide Helpful Information

Your reminder message should provide all the information your attendees need to show up prepared and enjoy your event to the fullest. If you’re worried that including all these details will make your message too long, you can link to an FAQ page on your event website.

Match the Tone of Your Event

The tone of your reminder text message should match that of the event itself. If you’re hosting a formal, professional event, your reminder message should use formal language, and reminders for casual events should use casual language. Your wording should always be friendly to ensure attendees feel welcomed and excited about coming.

Use Active Voice

Writing your event reminder using active voice will make your message more natural and easier to understand. All you need to know to write with an active voice is that the subject of your sentence should be taking action upon the verb. 

For example, an event reminder written in passive voice would say: “Your attendance at my event is appreciated.” That same event reminder written in active voice would say: “I appreciate your attendance at my event.” You’re saying the same thing in both messages, but active voice sounds more personal and less robotic.

Making Event Reminder Text Messages Even Easier

You could certainly send event reminders from the native SMS messaging app on your phone. However, you’ll either need to go through the hassle of copying and pasting your message for each attendee (and changing the attendee’s name each time) or use a group chat that won’t allow you to personally address the messages.

The best way to send event reminder text messages is through an SMS delivery platform that allows you to create custom templates, import attendees’ contact information, and track responses. An SMS delivery platform is also a powerful marketing tool you can use to increase your outreach and advertise future events.

Jeff Winaker

Jeff Winaker is the CEO of NorthText. He’s passionate about helping clients reach their customers faster with SMS marketing. He resides in the Bay Area with his family.