6 Webinar Email Examples & What to Learn From Them

Key takeaways:

• Email marketing is an effective way to promote your webinar. 
• Personalizing your webinar emails to your audience is essential. 
• Email marketing for your webinar should start months ahead of time.

Email marketing is definitely not dead! 

As someone who hosts monthly webinars, I can assure you webinar invitation emails convert new (and old) attendees. 

So where to get started?

In this complete guide, we’ll cover types of emails, best practices and a full step-by-step on creating and sending your own webinar emails.

Let's dive in!

Table of contents:

• Types of Webinar Email
• Webinar email checklist: What should you include?
• 6 Webinar email examples to inspire you
• 5 Best practices for webinar emails that convert
• How to build your own webinar email invite: 5 Steps
• How to automate your webinar emails
• Webinar invitation email templates to follow
• Bonus: 5 Webinar email subject lines that’ll hook your audience
• FAQs for Webinar Invitation Emails

Types of Webinar Email

Before we dive into the optimal content for your webinar emails, we need to define the kinds of emails you’ll be sending. 

Remember that these aren’t one-time-only transactional communications. If you’re doing things properly, you’ll establish a chain of communication with your webinar audience up to two months before the actual day. 

There are a few different types of emails associated with organizing webinars: 

Webinar invitations & promotions

You’ll use invitations and promotions to share upcoming events and webinars.  

• When to send: Up to two months before the webinar. 
• Who: Contacts on your mailing list. 
• Goal: To push potential attendees to sign-up. 
• Contents: Information about what your webinar will cover, guest speakers and other key details. 

Webinar reminders & save the dates

With busy daily schedules, people can easily forget they signed up for your webinar. Reminders put your event back to top of mind, making them more likely to actually attend. 

When: In the days leading up to the webinar
Who: Confirmed attendees
Goal: To remind attendees of the date and time. Also to create a sense of anticipation and momentum in the lead up to the event.
Contents: Key information including time, date and other logistics (eg how to access the webinar) 

Webinar follow-up emails

You can use follow-ups to send a recording of your webinar or to keep a relationship with your new leads.

When: After the event
Who: Attendees and no-shows
Goal: To nurture relationships built during the webinar and to round off the value delivered during the webinar. To emphasize what no-shows missed out on.
Contents: Thank yous, links to relevant resources, link to recording of webinar, and audience survey. 

Webinar email checklist: What should you include?

Here’s a webinar email checklist that you can use to check you’ve included everything you need to: 

• A strong subject line. Your email subject line needs to hook your audience and convince them to open the full message. It should also succinctly describe the contents of the email.
• Personalized greeting. By including your readers own name, you create a more personal connection.  
• A value-driven introduction. Your audience needs to be convinced that it’s worth reading your email and attending your webinar. Drive the show by explaining what your webinar offers them. This could be a solution to a pain point, for example, or how to learn an in-demand skill.
• Key details.  This should include the basics. For example, the time of your event, who your guest speakers are and what topics are covered
• Strong CTA: Offer readers an easy way to register and take on the next steps. You can link your CTA straight to the registration page.
• Topical authority: It’s important your audience trust you. You can add credibility by showing how your speakers’ are qualified to speak on your webinar topic. 
• Social proof: Another way you can gain trust and credibility is by showing readers how your work is successful. Get a quote or testimonial from past webinar attendees that shows off the value they received by attending.
• Social sharing. You want to encourage your audience to reshare and promote your event. Make sure to include all relevant social links in every email. 

6 Webinar email examples to inspire you

Now that you know what to include in an email. Let’s look at some webinar emails that nail these principles.

Spotify for Podcasters 

Type: Invitation

Spotify for Podcaster’s Masterclass webinar invitation catches your eye immediately. The colors pop, but also the text is short and concise. Short text is easier to read and gets to the point quicker.

What to learn:

• Try a distinctive graphic design with bold use of color 
• Use a clear hierarchy of information. The title and key dates give you everything you need in just a glance. 
• Keep your email copy short and sweet for better readability. 
• Make your CTA stand out to guide readers to take action. 

Filtered 

Type: Invitation

This Filtered webinar email’s strength is its topical authority. It flaunts its experts to show readers they can expect trustworthy information. 

Filtered also nailed reaching out to their audience’s needs. They explain exactly how listening to their webinar will solve issues they’re facing.  

What to learn:

• Include panelist photos, names, and credentials.
• Bold title with clear information 
• Inclusion of discussion agenda to give potential participants a taste of what the conversation will cover 
• Repetition of key information just before CTA button 

Zoom 

Type: Invitation

People have short attention spans, and going visual is what this Zoom email does well. 

They stick to the key details and make their CTAs pop. Zoom also encourages you to register even if you won’t attend live. This is a great way to repurpose your webinar and get more viewers from different time zones.

What to learn:

• Keep it simple with a quick question or phrase that draws your readers in.
• Use visuals like Zoom uses an arrow to draw readers to your CTAs
• Make sure you have a clear CTA button throughout your email.
• Add social links to encourage recipients to stay in touch on other platforms. 

Dyspatch

Type: Reminder

Dyspatch’s reminder email is a good example for keeping your webinar on top-of your audience’s minds. It reminds them of key details and gives them the option to set a calendar reminder for themselves. In this way, people are bound to know when they need to join.

What to learn:

• Add a calendar link so your registrants have a set reminder on their phones.
• Include your recipient's names to personalize your emails. (You can automate this.)
• Include a joining link in case they search for it in their emails and not their calendars.

Hive

Type: Follow-up

Hive’s visual survey is the first thing they’ve nailed in this follow-up email. It’s not long and complicated. The graphics are fun and inviting. And it literally will take one click to send a response. It’s much more likely attendees will fill this in over a long survey. The only fallback here is that this feedback may not be as descriptive. 

Their follow-up consultation is also a great way to keep the conversation going beyond email. Interacting with your audience 1-1 makes sure their questions are answered. You can show them exactly how you can serve their specific needs.

What to learn:

• Record your webinar and send it to attendees and registrants so they can rewatch it.
• Include an interactive and visually inviting survey for attendees.
• Add any resources or links you mentioned throughout the webinar. 
• Invite your attendees to keep in touch beyond email.

Shopify

Type: Invitation

The first thing to notice in Shopify’s email is their subject line. You are left imagining your business. Maybe you’re imagining its success, or maybe the challenges you’re facing. This piques you to open the email and find out how this webinar can help.

Shopify also includes other key elements like calendar links, social pages, and credentials.

What to learn: 

• Start with a strong subject line that leaves curiosity.
• Include calendar links for all devices and platforms.
• Keep it short and don’t overload your email with information.

5 Best practices for webinar emails that convert

Here’s a list of all the best practices for writing webinar emails that actually convert: 

Sending at peak times 

Sending out your emails at peak and optimal times is the best way to maximize opening and click-through rates. 

Your CMS or email management system should give you an indicator of which times work best for your mailing list.  

Clear and concise value propositions 

The main point of these emails is to convey the value of attending your webinar. 

You need to clearly highlight the various benefits and unique value of your event throughout your email campaigns. 

Try not to stuff single emails with too much information. Spreading the value proposition over a few emails will minimize the risk of overwhelming your recipients with information. 

Considered design and branding 

Don’t forget that your emails may be the very first impression that some attendees get of you and your webinar. That’s why it’s crucial to think about the design, colors and general visual feel of your emails. 

The design should be cohesive and carry over throughout your various emails. It’s also nice to tie your email design and branding to your webinar site and possibly the webinar itself. 

Combine visuals and text

Using a combination of written text and visuals (videos, images, gifs) is a great way to keep your emails interesting. Static written emails can get boring. 

Incorporating short videos is a great way to explain your value proposition or logistical information in a more engaging way. 

If you’ve previously recorded your webinars, you could use Riverside’s Magic Clips feature to create short taster videos to include in your emails. 

Low barriers to entry

Making your webinar attendee workflow as seamless as possible should be the top priority. Explore including features such as “convert to my time zone” or “add to my calendar” to minimize the number of no-shows. 

Consistent Copy From Emails to Landing Page 

Maintaining a consistent tone of voice, phrasing, and descriptions between your webinar emails and webinar landing page is important for building a cohesive user journey. 

Personal webinar email invitation

Personalizing your webinar emails is a great way to drive conversions. These emails won’t look very different from the general template above. Segmenting your mailing list into different demographics or profiles is a great way to customize your emails to match individual profiles. 

For example, you could group previous webinar attendees together so that you can reference the last webinar they attended: 

• “Thank you so much for joining us at our last webinar.”
• “Build on what you learned last time at our upcoming webinar.” 

Equally, you should categorize mailing list members who have never attended one of your events together so you can do a harder sell on them. 

How to build your own webinar email invite: 5 Steps

Step 1: Sketch out your email campaigns 

You first need to have a plan for which kinds of emails you’re going to send and when. 

Understanding where each email sits in your broader campaign will help you to build a narrative and include the most relevant information at the right point in your communications. 

For example, emails to potential attendees will be focused on a hard sell of your webinar. Whereas, communications with confirmed sign-ups will serve to remind them of key information and build excitement in the lead up to your webinar. 

Step 2: Compose the Body 

The next step is to compose the body of each email. As above, the body should be effective and concise. 

Try to avoid overly lengthy sentences and stick to the most important information. We suggest including the most important and enticing information first. 

Remember to maintain a consistent tone of voice throughout each email. 

You can check out our templates below to get an idea of what email structure to follow.

Step 3: Add visuals 

Break things up with your visuals of choice. Your visuals should match your branding, but no overpower your webinar details.

You can create a webinar banner with all the main details of your event. For example, this webinar email below incorporates visuals without overdoing it.

Alternatively, think of adding video snippets promoting your webinar. (You can easily do this if you’re using Riverside’s clip creator.)

Step 4: Add CTAs 

Don’t forget to add compelling CTAs. 

Once you’ve convinced your reader to sign-up, you want the sign-up button to call out to them and get them to follow through. 

If you’re communicating with confirmed sign-ups, you can add CTAs that encourage them to post about the webinar on their own socials. 

Step 5: Subject Lines & Preview Text 

Last but not least, you need to craft a clever subject line and preview text. This is easier said than done. Your subject line and preview text need to do a lot of heavy lifting while sticking to a limited character count. 

Some examples you can try are: 

• Unlock [Key Benefit]: Join Our Free Webinar on [Topic]"
• "Learn the Secrets to [Desired Outcome]: Register for Our Webinar Today"
• "What You Need to Know About [Topic]: Don’t Miss Our Upcoming Webinar"
• "Last Chance to Register: Webinar on [Topic] – Limited Seats Left!"

How to automate your webinar emails

To avoid having to think about clicking “send” each time, you can automate your webinar emails. The exact steps for automating webinar emails depends on your CMS or email management system. You could try platforms like HubSpot or MailChimp. 

Some webinar platforms like Zoom might also have built-in automation emails as well. 

Whatever platform you’re using, you’ll likely need to:

• Categorize who from your email list is part of your target audience.
• Create a sequence of emails that send automatically based on certain actions. For example, if someone registers, they should automatically receive a reminder email.
• Add dynamic fields to include names for personalization.
• Design emails with visuals and graphics relevant to your branding.
• Schedule your first set of emails to get the ball rolling. 

This will look different, depending on what software you use. We suggest you look at the guidelines of your email or webinar software.

Webinar invitation email templates to follow

Writing compelling and effective webinar emails can be a drag. Luckily, there are a number of great templates out there that you can follow. Here are some places to look for good examples: 

• Your email marketing platform is sure to have a bunch of templates that you can edit directly and make your own. 
• Email design platforms such as Unlayer or Stripo will give you a good idea of the kinds of emails you could be sending. 
• Buy templates from marketplaces like ThemeForest, Envato or BeeFree.
• Design platforms like Canva can also be a great source of inspiration.

Bonus: 5 Webinar email subject lines that’ll hook your audience 

Your subject lines are a core piece of the puzzle when it comes to webinar email marketing. Though they’re short, they need to pack a punch. Here are a few sample subject lines to get you started: 

Pre-webinar email subject lines: 

• Save the date for the XXXX Webinar 
• Don’t forget to register for the XXX Webinar 
• You don’t want to miss this 

Reminder email subject lines: 

• X days till the XXX webinar
• Counting down the days
• Don’t forget the XXX webinar 

Thank you email subject lines

• Thank you for attending! 
• Webinar recording & additional resources 
• The webinar was just the beginning 

FAQs for Webinar Invitation Emails

How do I send a webinar invitation via email?

If you’re not already, you should be using an email marketing or automated marketing platform to manage your mailing list communications. Your platform should make composing, designing and sending your emails super simple. 

But it’s also worth noting that your webinar platform may well have email marketing features or, at the very least, be integrated with your email marketing platform of choice. 

What is a good webinar email conversion rate?

Your email conversion rate refers to the percentage of people who, on reading your email, click through and reserve a spot at your webinar. 

On average, you’re looking for a conversion rate of between 2 and 5%. Anything beyond that means you’re doing a great job. 

How many webinar reminder emails should I send and when?

Your exact email marketing cadence will depend. But in general, if you’re stopping at one email, you might be doing something wrong. It’s a good idea to send a couple of reminder emails to minimize the number of no-shows. We’d recommend sending a reminder a month, week and day before. 

What is the best time to send out webinar email invitations & how do I send a webinar link?

It’s a good idea to send your email invitations out to your audience with ample time to spare. Anywhere up to three weeks before will work. You can copy the webinar link from your webinar platform. Or, depending on which service you’re using, you may be able to send the email out from the platform directly. 

What are some best practices for A/B testing webinar emails

Just like A/B testing any other kind of email, you should do a combination of the following on a set sample from your mailing list: 

• Trial and error with different variables
• Random testing
• Collect the data and analyze it 
• Optimize and try again based on the results 

What makes a good webinar invitation subject line?

Your webinar invitation email’s subject line does a lot of heavy lifting. You need to convey a whole lot of information in a short number of characters. Here’s what makes the best subject lines: 

• Draws the recipient in 
• Alludes to the content of the email clearly and quickly 
• Contains a clear CTA that evokes action 
• Personalized