Sales email templates
Event Invitation Email Templates
In Ken's view, invite 3-4 weeks ahead, say who else will be in the room and ask for a reply. The 8 templates below cover webinars, dinners, roundtables, booth visits, launches and meetups, plus a reminder and a day-before note.
Template 1 as a Ken Sequence Step
Ken sequence step
Query
Sequence step 1 - Event invitation email
- Subject
- Dinner in [city] on [date]
- Body preview
- I'm hosting [guest group] for dinner in [city] on [date] to talk about [topic]. No slides and no pitch, just the conversation. [other guests] ...
- Variables
- {firstName}, {sender_first_name}
- You write
- [city], [date], [guest group], [topic], [other guests]
Template 1 below, "The dinner invitation", set up as the first step of a Campaigns sequence.
When to Use
In short Send a personal invitation when you want specific people in the room and a marketing email would get lost.
- Customer dinner or roundtable: invite by name, say who else is coming and how many seats there are.
- Webinar: invite people whose role matches the topic, and say what they'll be able to do after.
- Trade show: invite prospects who are going to the show to your booth at a set time.
- Product launch: invite customers and close prospects to see the release first.
- Local meetup: invite people in the city with one named talk and a date.
Templates
In short Copy any of the 8 templates below, replace each [bracketed] part and cut any line that isn't true for you. Ken fills the {firstName}-style variables.
Variables
The templates use Ken's editor syntax. Ken fills {firstName}, {company} and {industry} from each contact and {sender_first_name} from the sending inbox. {{First Line}} is an AI variable. Ken's AI personalization writes it for each contact from the prompt of that name. To cover an empty field, add a fallback after a pipe, such as {firstName|there}. Replace every word in [brackets] with your own before you paste.
Your signature
For cold and other commercial email, put your postal address and a one-line opt-out in the signature under {sender_first_name}, such as "Reply stop and I won't email again." The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide requires both, B2B email included.
Subject: Dinner in [city] on [date]
Hey {firstName},
I'm hosting [guest group] for dinner in [city] on [date] to talk about [topic]. No slides and no pitch, just the conversation.
[other guests] are coming, and I'd like you at the table too.
Want a seat?
{sender_first_name}Why it works: Naming the guests and the topic tells the reader why the evening is worth it, and the ask is a one-word yes.
Subject: [topic] on [date]
Hey {firstName},
On [date], [speaker] will show how [example company] [result], step by step. It runs live, with time for your questions at the end.
It lines up with [related goal] at {company}, so I thought of you.
Want me to save you a spot?
{sender_first_name}Why it works: A specific result from a named team gives the reader a reason to show up live instead of waiting for a recording.
Subject: [topic] roundtable
Hey {firstName},
I'm putting [seat count] [peer group] in a room on [date] to compare notes on [topic]. Each person brings one thing that worked and one that didn't.
Your view from {company} would add something the others don't have.
Can I count you in?
{sender_first_name}Why it works: A small peer group with one clear ask of each guest reads like a working session, which is easier to justify than a sales event.
Subject: Meet at [show name]?
Hey {firstName},
If you're at [show name] next week, we're at booth [booth number] showing [what you show] for the first time.
I've kept a few times open for short demos on the floor. Want one on [day]?
{sender_first_name}Why it works: A set time at a named booth turns a maybe into a meeting on the calendar.
Subject: First look at [product name]
Hey {firstName},
We're releasing [product name] on [launch date]. Before that, I'm showing it to a few customers who asked for [feature ask].
You were one of them, so I'd like you to see it first, live, on [preview date].
Want in?
{sender_first_name}Why it works: Telling someone they asked for the thing being launched makes the invite feel earned rather than broadcast.
Subject: [meetup name] on [date]
Hey {firstName},
[meetup name] is back on [date] in [city]. [speaker] is talking about [talk topic], then it's drinks and conversation.
It's mostly [audience], so I think you'd know half the room.
Want me to add you to the list?
{sender_first_name}Why it works: One named talk and a clear crowd tell the reader what the evening is before they have to ask.
{firstName},
[event name] is on [date] at [time]. One update since my invite: [new detail].
Still good to join?
{sender_first_name}Why it works: A reminder with one new detail gets read, and the yes or no question confirms the seat.
{firstName},
See you tomorrow at [time]. [logistics].
If something came up, just reply and I'll give your seat to someone on the waitlist.
{sender_first_name}Why it works: Practical details plus an easy way to cancel keep seats from going empty on the night.
Timing
In short In Ken's view, invite 3-4 weeks ahead, remind 1 week out and send a short note the day before.
| Day | Step | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| 3-4 weeks before | Invitation (templates 1-6) | Get a yes or a no |
| 1 week before | Reminder (template 7) | Confirm the seat and add one new detail |
| 1 day before | Day-before note (template 8) | Share logistics and open up unused seats |
| 1-2 days after | Thank-you or recap | Send the notes or recording and ask for the next step |
This is Ken's view, not a measured benchmark. Webinars can go out 1-2 weeks ahead; dinners and roundtables need the full 3-4 weeks because people plan evenings and travel around them.
Examples
In short 3 filled-in versions for commercial insurance, HR software and industrial equipment, all with fictional companies.
Thistlecombe Insurance is a fictional company. A broker at a commercial insurance agency invites operations heads at local manufacturers to a small dinner.
Subject: Dinner in Columbus on May 8
Hey Laura,
I'm hosting 10 plant and operations managers for dinner in Columbus on May 8 to talk about what insurers now ask for after a safety incident. No slides and no pitch, just the conversation.
Two managers from local packaging plants are coming, and I'd like you at the table too.
Want a seat?
BenMarrowby HR is a fictional company. A product marketer at an HR software company invites the HR director of a clinic group to a webinar on onboarding.
Subject: Onboarding checklists on June 12
Hey Andre,
On June 12, our onboarding lead will show how a 200-person clinic group cut new-hire paperwork from two weeks to three days, step by step. It runs live, with time for your questions at the end.
It lines up with the hiring push at your clinics, so I thought of you.
Want me to save you a spot?
KimOxhallow Pumps is a fictional company. A sales engineer at a pump maker invites a plant engineer who is going to a water industry trade show to a demo at the booth.
Subject: Meet at the water expo?
Hey Ruth,
If you're at the water expo in Denver next week, we're at booth 1412 showing our new low-flow pump for the first time.
I've kept a few times open for short demos on the floor. Want one on Wednesday?
CarlosMistakes to Avoid
- Sending one invitation to the whole list. A dinner or roundtable invite should read like it was written to one guest, with a reason they belong in the room.
- Hiding the date, time or city. Put them in the subject or the first line so the reader can check the calendar before reading on.
- Asking for a click on a registration page in the first email. Ask for a reply first, then send the calendar invite once they say yes.
- Inviting a week before a dinner. People plan evenings and travel weeks ahead, so a late invite reads like you're filling empty seats.
- Skipping the day-before note. Logistics and an easy way to cancel keep seats from going empty.
FAQ
How do you write an event invitation email?
Say what the event is, who else will be there and when, in the first two lines. Then ask for a one-word reply, such as "Want a seat?", and send the calendar invite once they say yes.
How far in advance should you send an event invitation?
In Ken's view, 3-4 weeks ahead for dinners, roundtables and in-person events, and 1-2 weeks for webinars. Send a reminder 1 week out and a short note the day before.
What should the subject line of an event invitation say?
The event and the date, in plain words, such as "Dinner in Austin on May 8" or "Onboarding roundtable on June 3". Skip all caps and exclamation marks.
Should you send a reminder email before an event?
Yes. Send one about a week before with one new detail, and a short note the day before with logistics and an easy way to cancel.
Do This in Ken
Send This Sequence in Ken
Run these templates as a Campaigns sequence in Ken. Campaigns finds and qualifies leads, writes personalized email and LinkedIn sequences, and sends them from your outbound inboxes. AI personalization, priced below, can fill the personal lines for each contact.
- Create a campaign and paste template 1 as the first email step.
- Add the next steps from this page on the days in the timing table.
- Replace every [bracketed] part, and add a fallback such as {firstName|there} where a field can be empty.
- Add your contacts and launch.
- Module
- Campaigns
- Open in Ken
- /waitlist
- Cost
- AI personalization: 300 credits per 1,000 contacts
The new Ken opens to the waiting list in batches.
Related
- All sales email templates
- Sponsorship Email Templates
Pitches for event, newsletter, podcast, meetup and nonprofit sponsors that lead with the audience and one package.
- Trade Show Follow-Up Email Templates
Follow-ups for booth talks, brief hellos, badge scans and missed meetings, sent within 1-2 business days.
- Meeting Request Email Templates
Cold, referral, inbound, executive, event and customer meeting requests that ask for the call in plain words.
- No-Show Follow-Up Email Templates
Same-day reschedules, a useful second email and a short close for missed calls, demos and second meetings.
- Cold email skills for AI agents
The open-source skills these templates are written from.
- Ken pricing
Sources
| Source | Checked |
|---|---|
| FTC, CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business | |
| Ken cold email skills (MIT), email-copywriting and campaign-strategy |
Changelog
- Page published.