Email Drip Campaigns for Ticket Sales: What They Are & How to Make Them Work
Tired of constantly writing and sending emails in the months leading up to your event? Do you ever wish you could automate the entire process, build momentum, and drive more ticket sales—without doing everything manually?
An email drip campaign is a powerful way to automate your outreach, build excitement, and guide attendees toward buying tickets—all without sending a single one-off email yourself.
Whether you’re organizing a festival, fair, haunt, zoo, or museum attraction, a well-designed drip sequence can help you sell more tickets and keep attendees engaged without the constant effort of drafting emails one by one. Let’s walk through what a drip campaign is, why they’re essential for event organizers, and how to build one that works.
What Is an Email Drip Campaign?
So, what exactly is a drip campaign? We’re so glad you asked! An email drip campaign is a series of pre-written emails that get sent automatically based on a schedule or specific behavior (like signing up for updates or clicking a link).
Unlike a one-time promo email, drip campaigns are strategic and tailored. They’re designed to nurture leads, deliver timely info, and keep your event top of mind.
One of the biggest advantages of an email drip campaign is automation—you can maintain consistent communication with your audience without needing to generate new emails manually every time you want to communicate. Another key benefit is segmentation, which allows you to tailor messages to different groups based on their behavior or stage in the ticket-buying journey. Ultimately, you’ll increase your conversion rates by sending the right message to the right person at the right time.
Why Drip Campaigns Work for Events
When you’re organizing an event or planning for an event at an attraction, a drip campaign is a powerful lever that can drive real results—here’s how:
➕Build anticipation - By sending sneak peeks, early bird offers, and behind-the-scenes glimpses, email drip campaigns effectively hype up your event.
➕ Nurture curious leads - Not everyone on your email list buys tickets right away, even if they’re interested. A drip campaign helps warm up these leads by providing them with a steady drip of content.
➕ Upsell and Add-on - Drip campaigns aren’t just for selling event tickets. If you have VIP passes, merchandise, or parking add-ons, you can increase your revenue by offering them to a post-purchase drip email.
➕ Re-engage past attendees - There’s no need to reinvent your email list each year. Strategically re-engage last year’s attendees; they’re likely to be some of your biggest fans!
Event-Focused Drip Campaign Examples
Here are three tried-and-true drip campaign sequences that work for generating ticket sales:
Early Interest Campaign
This strategy is ideal for people who signed up for updates but haven’t bought tickets yet. Keep them warm until they’re ready to commit with the following types of emails.
➡️ 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.
Ticket Buyer Journey
A well-designed post-purchase drip keeps buyers engaged, reduces no-shows, and opens up new revenue opportunities. Here are examples of email subjects you might include in your sequence.
➡️ Ticket confirmed! Here’s what’s next…
Send this email immediately after the purchase. Confirm their ticket, express excitement, and set expectations. Include essential info like event date, location, and how to access their ticket.
➡️Plan your visit: parking, schedule, tips - A week or two before your event, help your attendees feel prepared by sharing parking instructions, event schedules, nearby dining, and FAQs. Remember, the more confident they feel, the more likely they are to show up and have a great time.
➡️Don’t forget to grab merch or VIP upgrades - A few days before the event (or even the day before), send a final email encouraging add-ons. Highlight limited-edition merch, fast-lane access, parking passes, or VIP perks.
➡️ Post-Event Follow-ups: After the event concludes, thank attendees, solicit feedback, and preview next year's event with an exclusive discount.
Last-Minute Push
For those who opened emails but didn’t buy, use urgency in your emails to drive action.
➡️ Hurry! Prices Increase Tomorrow - Alert attendees about ticket price increases, deadlines, or important event details.
➡️ Don’t Miss Out—Last Chance to Buy! - If time is running out but spots are still available, let people know!
Pro tip: Be specific and include the name of your event in the subject.
How to Set Up an Event Drip Campaign (Step-by-Step)
Ready to launch your own campaign? Here’s how to do it:
- Choose your campaign goal - Is your goal to sell more tickets, upsell VIPs, or retain past attendees? Your goal will dictate the direction of the campaign.
- 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.
- Write mobile-friendly emails - Use compelling subject lines, and make each email worth reading—whether that’s with behind-the-scenes content, attendee testimonials, or VIP upgrades. Pro tip: test your emails on mobile before sending; most people read emails on their phones.
- Schedule and automate - Plan out when each email will be sent, based on the timing that’s best for your event.
- Monitor and optimize - Once you’ve completed the hard work of writing the emails, use TicketSpice data analytics to monitor and optimize the campaign. Track open and click-through rates, and tweak subject lines and content as you go. Try email marketing software to make writing clean, effective emails and subject lines easier.
Tips to Maximize Results
💌 Use personal names and event names in subject lines
📅 Include countdown timers to create urgency
🎯 Always include a clear CTA: "Buy Tickets" or "See Schedule"
🔗Keep links minimal (1-2 max) per email. This keeps you landing in their inbox and not the spam folder.
🧪A/B test subject lines and send times
📬 Space out your emails—no one likes a flooded inbox!
What to Avoid in Drip Campaigns
Don’t turn your drip campaign into a disaster campaign; avoid these three mistakes.
🚫 Sending too frequently - Be consistent but not annoying. The unsubscribe risk is real!
🚫 Sending generic emails - Avoid vague subject lines like “Buy Now” or “Last Chance!” Instead, make your emails personal and relevant.
🚫 Forgetting to test - One broken link can cost you hundreds or thousands in sales. Test and double-check before you go live.
Ready to Launch Your First Campaign?
Whether you want to sell out a haunt, museum exhibit, or local fair, TicketSpice drip campaigns are simple and powerful sales levers that reduce your workload leading up to the event. Want to get started? Sign up here, or talk to our support team for setup tips.
We’re here to help you have the best event ever!
— The TicketSpice team
