The Art of Event Invitation Writing That Sells
by Mindi Leatham
With 30 years of marketing, professional writing, and event planning experience, I’ve learned that a successful event begins with effective communication. Knowing the right information to include in your invitation makes ALL the difference.
I’m about to spill the tea on my essential written invitation details, along with social media posting strategies, that boost client convenience and maximize ticket sales. My goal is to help you promote your event concisely.
You’ll want to write two versions of your event invitation: a long one for your Purchasing Page (or Registration Page) and a short one for your Social Media.
The long Purchasing Page version needs to be comprehensive, it is the definitive source of all info. This version may be on your website and/or a ticketing platform like Eventbrite. It’s where potential attendees go for details, FAQs, and to purchase tickets or register.
The short Social Media version just includes the most important info and goes on your various social media platforms. Think of it as a commercial. Its job is to get potential attendees to tap on the link to the Purchasing Page, get more info, and purchase.
For both versions of your invitation, make sure you’re answering Who, What, When, Where, How, and Price. Your invitation will mostly, but not strictly, be written in that order.
WHO
Purchasing Page: Who is this for? Business owners? Subscribers? Are guests welcome? Don’t lose clients because they don’t know if they’re invited. Include any requirements, including age restrictions. Also, Who’s putting the event on and what’s their contact info? It’s important for followers to know how to get in touch if they have questions.
Social Media Post: write Who it is for but only say Who is putting it on if it’s not you/only you. If it’s obviously your event, be prepared for followers to DM you with their questions. Don’t lose sales because you’re not responding to messages.
WHAT
Purchasing Page: What is it? An online marketing webinar? An in-person networking meeting? A great and simple way to communicate this is to give your event a no guesswork title, e.g. Christmas Cookie Decorating or Moms’ Game Night. You can also include a short description of what makes the event worth attending. If applicable, list what people need to bring. If food will be served, mention it. (If not, it’s polite to not schedule during regular mealtimes.)
Social Media Post: keep it short, it’s usually best to only use the title and mention food being served.
WHEN
Purchasing Page: When is it? Include day of the week, month/day/year, start and end times, am or pm, with the time zone if it’s online.
Social Media Post: this information will likely be the same.
WHERE
Purchasing Page: Where is it? If in-person, post the whole address with the venue name, if applicable. If it’s hard to find, include some landmarks or a map. If online, say it is virtual and include the link or info about when/where the link will be sent.
Social Media Post: If your event is in-person, include the city and state at minimum. This is a big one I see people neglect all the time. People looking at your social media are all over the world, so it can be frustrating to not be able to quickly determine if your event is near enough to attend. If it’s virtual, make sure you include that, as well.
HOW
Purchasing Page: How to join? This is your call to action, tell potential attendees exactly what to do, e.g. register or buy a ticket, and they should be able to do that right on the same page.
Social Media: include the link to the Purchasing Page. How you do that will depend on the platform.
In an Instagram story, make a sticker link that links directly to the Purchasing Page. Don’t link to your homepage and make potential attendees search, you could lose the sale due to inconvenience.
In an Instagram post, until sticker links become available, you have two options. You can include the link in the form of a written URL or write “link in bio.” For a URL, I recommend making it short and memorable, if possible. If that’s not possible and it’s long, use a service like Tiny URL to shorten it. I recommend this because Instagram doesn’t currently allow users to copy and paste from either the image or the caption, which is very inconvenient. Your goal in a post is to make the process as streamlined as possible. For link in bio, make sure there is a direct link to the Purchasing Page in your bio, not just a link to your homepage. (Again, you could lose the sale if there are too many steps involved). If you need multiple links in your bio, use Linktree with clear labels for what each link is.
In a Facebook and LinkedIn post, include the URL in the caption and it will automatically become a link.
On TikTok, only some accounts allow for links in bios.
On YouTube, put the URL in both the video captions and channel profiles and it will become a link.
A note on QR codes: these are fantastic for signage, but can be confusing on social media for phone viewers, which make up 94% of social media users. If you really want to include a qr code for the 6% viewing on a different device, make sure you always include the written link for phone users, as well.
PRICE
Purchasing Page: What’s the Cost and what’s included? Are there any deals, early bird specials, or ways to get a discount? When do ticket sales close?
Social Media: Pricing is another important detail that I see a lot of people forget on social media posts. Your potential attendees might assume there is a cost, not tap the link, and miss out on something complimentary. The reverse could also happen if your followers assume something is free, tap the link, and feel disappointed to find it’s behind a paywall. If it seems like a good idea, list the price plainly, which I especially recommend if it’s free. If you’d rather followers tap the link to get pricing info, an elegant way to signal that it won’t be free is to say, “purchase tickets at the link.” You could also make it evident by working it into the title of your event, e.g. Complimentary Wine Tasting or $40 Boat Rides. If applicable, list what will be included, e.g. craft supplies or swag bags.
Additional Info I generally only recommend on your Purchasing Page can include sections like What to Expect, Schedule of Events, Dress Code, Hosts and Featured Guests, Food and Beverage Menu, Parking and Transportation, Accessibility, Refund and Cancellation Policy, and Deadlines.
Bringing it All Together
This is the long copy I wrote for my Purchasing Page when I hosted a craft night last year:
Valentine’s Craft Night: Collegiate LOVE Banner with Mindi Leatham
Welcome to our Collegiate LOVE Banner Valentine’s Craft Night! Join Mindi at Kiln for a fun evening of paper crafting for decoration, all ages welcome. Supplies and instruction provided.
Friday, February 7, 2025 | 6-8 pm
Kiln | 2162 East Williams Field Road, #111 Gilbert, AZ 85295
Buy Tickets here!
In-person | all ages | free parking | no refunds | ages under 13 need adult accompaniment
FAQ
Q: Who will enjoy making this craft?
A: This craft has the benefit of being fun and easy. These classic “chenille” collegiate letters are having a moment as a top trend among adults, teens, and kids!
Q: Are the letters paper or chenille?
A: Each letter is made entirely of paper but looks chenille. Other craft supplies include ribbon, glue, and mini clothes pins.
Q: Do I need to bring anything?
A: Your all inclusive kit is included with your ticket purchase.
Q: What if I purchase a ticket and can’t make it?
A: Your kit and instructions will be mailed to you.
Here are some short Social Media invitation copy examples:
Pumpkin Palooza: A Festival for the Whole Family
Games, Rides, Petting Zoo, Crafts, Food Trucks, Costume Contest and more!
Brought to you by Redleaf Landscaping
Saturday, October 31, 2026
5-10 pm
Heritage Park
1313 Main St, Anywhere, USA 12345
Ticket both opens at 5:30
$20 for adults, $12 for kids
Women’s Sound Bath
Sounds by Maya Tucci and Anica Babic
Complimentary Juice Shots • BYO Yoga Mat
Fri 3/19/27 • 10-11 am
Namaste Yoga Studio
222 Retreat Street, Anywhere, USA 12345
Purchase tickets by 3/18/27 at namaste.co/soundbath
Bring a friend for 20% off!
Poets Wanted!
The Bookshop’s 10th Annual Virtual Poetry Reading
With Special Guest Julian Everly
New Year’s Day, F 1-1-27
4:30-6:30 pm PDT
Register for free and submit your poetry for reading at VirtualPoetryReading.co
Must be 18+
Once your invitation is written, it’s always a good idea to show it to a friend and ask them if they have any questions. Getting feedback from someone with no knowledge about what you’re trying to communicate is a good way to find what needs improvement. When everything is clear, go ahead and make your post.
The last step I always do with my own events is to go through the whole process as if I was purchasing a ticket, making sure all directions are easy to follow, links are functional, and purchasing works.
This is everything you need to know to successfully write and post your event invitation for maximum sales. Good luck and if you have any questions or want to hire me to do all this and more for your event, please email me at MindiLeatham@gmail.com or visit MindiLeatham.com.