Want one of the highest ROIs of any marketing channel? It’s not social. It’s not ads. It’s email. For every £1 spent on email marketing, the average return is £42 — an incredible 4200% ROI.
And Eventbrite organisers take it even further: not only are Eventbrite email open rates 77% higher than the industry average, but those who use our built-in marketing tools sell 67% more tickets, generate 64% more revenue, and save over £525 per year.*
In this guide, you’ll learn how to pair proven strategies with Eventbrite’s powerful tools to turn emails into sold-out shows.
1. Segment your audience for personalised targeting
No two music or arts fans are alike, and today’s consumers expect personalised messages. By segmenting your email list, you can strengthen your reputation, build trust, and sell more tickets by delivering content your audience, well, actually cares about.
And meaningful segmentation goes deeper than age and location. With Eventbrite’s email tools, you can filter and create custom groups from your attendee list in just a few clicks. Segment by past attendance, ticket type, engagement level, or lifecycle stage to make every message feel personalised and relevant.
You can track email sales using Eventbrite’s unique tracking links or email reports, and identify and segment audiences for precise email retargeting post send, helping you convert lost leads into loyal customers.
Pro tip: “Use insights from past attendee behaviour — like ticket type or engagement level — to identify your most valuable segments. Then, tailor your next campaign to speak directly to those groups.”
Stacey Worrell, Senior Lifecycle Marketing Manager, Eventbrite
Checklist:
- Create custom lists for each segment in your CRM or email marketing system.
- Target fans of specific music genres, artists, or event types.
- Give personalised recommendations based on their music and arts tastes, location, or purchase history.
- Invite repeat attendees to exclusive early access.
- Send personalised thank-you emails after multiple purchases.
2. Scale without losing relevance with a multi-event strategy
When you’re managing multiple large events, email marketing gets more complex. Audiences overlap, calendars collide, and the risk of inbox fatigue grows.
A multi-event strategy requires balance — scaling your reach while keeping communication personalised and relevant. Eventbrite’s email tool includes automation, segmentation, scheduling, and reporting capabilities, so you can manage complex calendars without overwhelming your fans and losing that one-to-one connection they expect. And with a Pro or Premium Plan, you can send up to 10K sends a day.
Pro tip: “If multiple teams or promoters are involved, centralise your email plan early. Align on send dates, creative themes, and tone so your fans experience a cohesive brand voice, not inbox chaos.”
Stacey Worrell, Senior Lifecycle Marketing Manager, Eventbrite.
Checklist:
- Map a master campaign calendar that accounts for overlapping events, so recipients aren’t bombarded with too many emails at once.
- Stagger announcements and roll out by priority or ticket release dates.
- Cross-promote intelligently by using one event to build momentum for another.
- Create loyalty and subscription paths by offering perks like pre-sale access.
- Automate the “between events” experience and keep your audience engaged with behind-the-scenes rehearsal content or artist interviews.
3. Use behavioural automation to nurture attendees and sell more tickets
Behavioural automation is like having an extra member of staff on your marketing team who never sleeps. By responding to audience actions with precision and timing, you can nurture attendees, strengthen loyalty, and boost ticket sales across your entire event lineup.
With Eventbrite’s built-in automation tools, you don’t need to be a tech expert to make it happen. Just set it up once, based on purchase behaviour, activity, or time, and let the system do the work while you focus on event production.
Pro tip: “One well-timed automation can outperform 10 manual sends. Focus on a single high-impact trigger, like order abandonment or early bird deadlines, and build from there as you learn what drives conversions.”
Stacey Worrell, Senior Lifecycle Marketing Manager, Eventbrite.
Checklist:
- Highlight limited ticket availability or expiring early-bird pricing.
- Upsell VIP upgrades or season passes to your most loyal fans.
- Reengage inactive subscribers with special discounts or perks.
- Enhance the event experience with countdowns, onsite tips, and exclusive content.
4. Test, test, test
Testing subject lines alone won’t cut it. To optimise performance across multiple events, advanced testing digs deeper into timing, content, audience behaviour, and lifecycle engagement. Just remember the golden rule of A/B testing: only test one element at a time.
Eventbrite’s email marketing tools and performance dashboards make it easy for you to move beyond guesswork and run structured, data-driven tests.
Pro tip: “Keep a ‘winning formula’ playbook. Each time a test outperforms, record the variables, e.g., subject line, send time, CTA, and layout, so you can replicate what works across future campaigns and events.”
Stacey Worrell, Senior Lifecycle Marketing Manager, Eventbrite.
Checklist:
- Run tests in defined monthly windows, not ad hoc, using sufficient samples for reliable results.
- Review tests regularly. Track engagement and behaviour, then refine messaging and cadence.
- Design modular emails so you can A/B test elements quickly without starting from scratch.
- Run A/B tests on different segments (e.g. early-bird buyers vs. last-minute purchasers) to see which messaging drives the strongest engagement.
- Test and track when your audience is most likely to engage using data from past campaigns to refine your timing.
- Experiment with content hierarchy. Spotlight artists first in one version vs. testimonials or social proof in another.
*Based on a comparison of Eventbrite’s email marketing pricing with the average cost of three third-party email marketing platforms surveyed across multiple send limits as of 2024.
