Boost Ticket Sales With Drip Campaigns
If you’re promoting an event—whether it’s a concert, festival, haunt, or museum night—managing attendee communication can feel overwhelming. You’re juggling email announcements, flash sales, follow-ups, and thank-you notes.
The answer? Email drip campaigns. These automated, pre-scheduled emails get sent to a targeted list. Once someone buys a ticket, they’re removed from the list. When done right, drip campaigns boost ticket sales and generate excitement. Plus, the automation saves you time in those busy days leading up to the event.
In this guide, we’ll share our best tips for building drip campaigns that get opened and sell more tickets.
Step 1: Know Your Audience
To create high-converting emails, start by understanding your audience.
🎯 Define the Target: We recommend utilizing the TicketSpice feature Contact Insights to discover key demographics, behaviors, and interest groups among your audience.
📌 Segment Your Audience: Group contacts based on factors such as ticket type, attendance history, and engagement level. For instance, you might reward past attendees who purchase before June 1st with an exclusive early-bird price offer.
📊 Collect Attendee Data: Utilize sign-up forms, surveys, and ticket sales data to gather important information about your audience and personalize your outreach.
Step 2: Map Out Your Drip Campaign
Design each email with a clear goal in mind. Even if each CTA is the same, each email message will have a slightly different purpose. Consider including some combination of the following types of emails in your drip campaign.
➡️ Announcement Emails: Highlight your event details, headline acts, and special experiences in the initial announcement. The goal is to set the stage and build anticipation for what’s ahead.
➡️ Early-Bird and Limited-Time Offers: Increase early commitment, by offering an early-bird promotion. Remember, urgency drives action. Don’t hesitate to implement scarcity tactics, such as countdown timers for VIP ticket tiers.
➡️ Reminder Emails: Are prices about to increase? Nudge attendees about ticket price increases, deadlines, or important event details.
➡️ Last Chance Emails: If time is running out but spots are still available, let people know! Keep attendees in the loop by alerting them about dwindling inventory or any last-minute changes in logistical details.
➡️ Post-Event Follow-ups: When the event wraps up, thank attendees, request feedback, and tease next year's event with an exclusive discount.
Step 3: Craft Emails That Convert
People abandon emails when they’re long and confusing. Implement these tips to ensure your email gets opened and read.
Make every email compelling with these best practices:
📱 Optimize for Mobile: Most people read emails on their phones; test your emails on mobile before sending.
🖼️ Use Visuals: Instead of merely telling people about your event, show them the experience. Event images, highlight reels, and short promo videos can go a long way.
🎨 Stay On-Brand: Keep your brand voice consistent throughout the series of emails. Additionally, create an authentic aesthetic with colors, logos, and fonts.
➡️ Write Irresistible Subject Lines: In a world of flooded inboxes, your subject line needs to be compelling enough for readers to open it. Utilize action-oriented phrases, curiosity, and specificity to entice recipients to open the email.
📨 Focus on Value: Getting your emails opened is important, but don’t stop there. Make each email worth reading—whether that’s with behind-the-scenes content, attendee testimonials, or VIP upgrades.
🔑 Clear Call to Action (CTA): In each email, the path to purchasing tickets should be easy and obvious. Direct readers with strong CTAs like 'Buy Tickets Now' or 'Secure Your Spot.'
⏰ Send at the Right Time: The ideal timing to send emails varies based on your audience, but in general, research shows that sending on a midweek (Tues-Thurs) morning leads to the best open rates.
Step 4: Automate for Success
📨 Choose Your Platform: With TicketSpice, you have the convenience of building drip campaigns directly in your account. You can also use popular platforms like Mailchimp or Constant Contact; however, you can neither track ticket sales nor prune attendee lists without advanced programming.
🔄 Set Up Smart Workflows: Automate triggers for actions like early-bird purchases, sign-ups, or event dates.
📊 Track and Optimize: Monitor open rates, click rates, and conversions from your TicketSpice dashboard. Use this data to look for trends, adjust campaigns accordingly, and continue improving it over time.
Pro tip: A/B test by experimenting with subject lines, email timing, and CTAs.
Step 5: Respect Your Audience
Nothing kills trust faster than spam emails. Keep your campaigns compliant and subscriber-friendly by following these best practices.
✅ Make Unsubscribing Easy: If people aren’t interested in your event, don’t make them jump through technical hoops just to unsubscribe from the campaign. Keep your unsubscribe link clear and easy to find.
✅ Find a Balance for Email Frequency: Staying on your attendee’s radar is important, but don’t overdo it, as too many emails will annoy recipients.
✅ Keep Data Safe: Opt for secure platforms (like TicketSpice) that will protect your subscribers’ data, and be clear about how you collect and use their information.
🚨 No Purchased Lists: Never, ever buy emails from the dark web.
Final Thoughts
Email drip campaigns are a secret weapon for selling more tickets and staying connected with your audience. By implementing the best practices for this feature, you’ll fill more seats and create memorable event experiences.
If you want to learn more, download our complete Drip Campaign Guide or reach out to our support team with questions.
We’re here to help you have the best event ever!
— The TicketSpice Team
