What is a reminder email?

A reminder email is the smallest piece of marketing in your entire funnel. And yet it often decides whether your room is full or half empty.

Why a reminder email matters

All sorts of things happen between signing up and the event. A busy week, a client who calls, a child who’s ill. Your webinar slides down the list. A reminder email puts it back at the top, and adds a reason.

What goes in it

1. A subject line that says what’s coming. “Tomorrow at 10am: your masterclass on pricing” works better than “Reminder”.
2. The practical details. Date, time, link or address. At the top, not under three paragraphs of text.
3. A reason to come. One question you’ll answer, one example you’ll show.
4. A calendar button and a way to cancel. If someone can’t make it, you’d rather they tell you than simply stay away.

When to send it

A common rhythm is a few days before, the day before and shortly before the start. If there’s more than a week between sign-up and event, add an email that gives something: a question to send in, a short video or a taster.

Where it goes wrong

The reminder email that only contains a link. It says when, but not why. And the opposite: an email so long the link disappears at the bottom. Someone opening their email a minute before the start wants to find one thing only.

The OMB view

A reminder email isn’t admin, it’s warming up. Every email is a small piece of your event, so people arrive already half convinced. In the Sold-Out Recipe, that’s the Oven: not filling the room, but making sure the people who said yes actually turn up.

Explained by Rubin Koot, Online Marketing Bakery. Updated 21 October 2026.