Email vs SMS vs WhatsApp for gigs: which to use when
In this guide
Use email for most of your gig marketing, SMS for urgent moments when you need people to act within minutes, and WhatsApp for fans who've opted in to a more personal, two-way relationship. Email is cheap and holds the full story; texts get read quickly but cost money per message; WhatsApp sits between them, with rich messages and replies but stricter opt-in rules. Most promoters and artists get the best results by using all three, each for a different job, rather than sending the same message everywhere.
Here's how the three compare and which to use at each stage of a campaign.
Key takeaways
- Email is your default: lowest cost per message, room for detail, and easy to segment.
- SMS is for speed: presale opening, final tickets and day-of changes. Keep it to one 160-character segment.
- WhatsApp is for opted-in fans who want direct contact and may reply. It needs a WhatsApp-specific opt-in.
- Consent is per channel. An email opt-in doesn't cover texts or WhatsApp.
- Don't send the same message on all three. Pick the channel that suits the moment, and exclude people who've already bought.
The quick comparison
| SMS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Announcements, detail, regular updates | Urgent, time-sensitive moments | Presales, VIP fans, conversations |
| Cost per message | Very low | Paid per message segment | Paid per template message |
| Space | As long as you need | 160 characters per segment (70 with emoji) | Longer, with images and buttons |
| Speed of reading | Hours to days | Usually minutes | Usually minutes |
| Replies | Possible but rare | Possible from a number, not from a name | Expected and easy |
| Images and buttons | Yes | No (links only) | Yes, in templates |
| Consent needed (UK) | Consent or soft opt-in | Consent or soft opt-in | Consent or soft opt-in, plus Meta's WhatsApp opt-in |
| Risk if overused | Unsubscribes, spam folder | Annoyance, opt-outs, cost | Blocks, account restrictions |
Email: your default channel
Email does most of the heavy lifting in any gig campaign. It costs very little per message, so you can send to your whole relevant segment. It can carry artwork, line-up, set times, venue info, and a clear ticket button. It's also the easiest to segment by city, genre and purchase history.
Strengths: cheap, detailed, easy to automate, and people expect promotional email from businesses they've signed up to.
Weaknesses: slower to be read, competes with a busy inbox, and can land in spam if your domain isn't set up properly or your list is stale.
Use it for: announcements, presale registration, on-sale emails, line-up news, "know before you go" for ticket holders, and post-show follow-ups. Our complete guide to email marketing for promoters covers the full setup.
SMS: for when timing matters
A text sits on someone's lock screen. It's short, direct, and it doesn't need an app or an inbox to get through. That makes it the strongest channel for moments where acting now matters.
Strengths: fast, works on any phone, and stands out because people get far fewer marketing texts than marketing emails.
Weaknesses: costs money per message, limited to 160 standard characters per segment, no images, and easy to overuse. Fans tolerate far fewer texts than emails before opting out.
Use it for: presale opening (to people who registered), final tickets (to engaged fans who haven't bought) and day-of information for ticket holders. Our guide to SMS marketing for events in the UK covers timing, rules and costs.
WhatsApp: personal and two-way
WhatsApp is where many fans already talk to friends, so a message there feels personal. Through the WhatsApp Business Platform, you can send rich templates with buttons, and fans can reply easily. Replies open a 24-hour window where you can chat freely.
Strengths: personal, supports images and buttons, encourages replies, and suits a smaller group of keen fans.
Weaknesses: needs a WhatsApp-specific opt-in under Meta's policy, business-initiated messages need pre-approved templates, it costs per message, and blocks or reports can restrict your account.
Use it for: presale codes for your most engaged fans, VIP or early-access lists, answering ticket questions, and day-of info for buyers who chose WhatsApp. Our guide to WhatsApp for gigs and events explains the rules in detail.
Which channel at each stage of a campaign
This is a sensible pattern for a single show. Adjust it for the size of the show and how fast it's selling.
| Stage | SMS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Announcement | Yes, to the relevant segment | No | Optional, to VIP list |
| Presale opens | Yes, to registrants | Yes, to registrants who opted in to texts | Yes, to registrants who opted in on WhatsApp |
| General on-sale | Yes, excluding buyers | Only for big shows | Optional |
| Mid-campaign news | Yes, excluding buyers | No | No |
| Final tickets | Yes, excluding buyers | Yes, to engaged non-buyers | Yes, to engaged non-buyers |
| Day before / day of | Yes, to buyers | Yes, if anything has changed | Yes, to buyers who opted in |
| After the show | Yes, to attendees | No | Rarely |
The pattern: email runs throughout, and texts and WhatsApp come in at the two or three moments when speed counts. For a full week-by-week plan, see our event marketing timeline.
How much each costs
Email usually costs a flat monthly fee for your tool based on list size or volume, so the cost of each extra email is close to nothing.
SMS is paid per message segment. A 160-character standard text is one segment; anything longer, or any text with an emoji, uses more. Sending to 1,000 people costs roughly a thousand times one message, so segmenting matters.
WhatsApp on the Business Platform is paid per template message delivered, with Meta's rate depending on the message category and the recipient's country. Replies within the 24-hour customer service window aren't charged by Meta.
As an example of how prepaid pricing works, Backline's Free plan includes 1,000 emails a month, while texts and WhatsApp run on prepaid credits: 1,000 text credits for £60 and 1,000 WhatsApp credits for £75. Whatever tool you use, work out what a send will cost before you hit the button, and use texts and WhatsApp where the extra cost is justified by extra sales.
Consent works per channel
Under PECR, marketing by email, text and similar electronic messages to individuals needs consent or the soft opt-in.
- Consent should be specific to the channel. The ICO recommends separate opt-ins for each channel, so a fan who ticked "email me" hasn't agreed to texts or WhatsApp. Offer separate tick boxes.
- The soft opt-in can cover email and texts if you collected the details during a sale of your own, gave people a clear way to opt out then, and offer it in every message. It only covers your own similar products, such as your future events.
- WhatsApp has an extra layer. Meta's policy requires an opt-in specifically to receive messages from your business on WhatsApp, regardless of what UK law would allow.
- Opt-outs are per channel too, unless the person asks to stop everything. If someone replies STOP to a text, stop texting them. If they say "stop contacting me", stop on all channels.
This is general guidance, not legal advice.
A sign-up form for a gig might look like this:
How would you like to hear about presales and new shows from [Promoter]?
Tick box: Email
Tick box: Text message
Tick box: WhatsApp
You can opt out at any time. Privacy notice.
Leave all boxes unticked by default, and record which ones each person chose and when. In Backline, consent is tracked per contact, so each channel's opt-in sits alongside where and when the fan signed up.
Using all three without annoying people
- One message, one channel. Don't send the announcement by email, text and WhatsApp in the same hour. Choose the best channel for the moment.
- Exclude buyers. Nothing loses a fan faster than "only 20 tickets left!" after they've bought. Remove buyers from every sales message on every channel.
- Let fans choose. If someone opted in to WhatsApp and email, use WhatsApp for the urgent stuff and email for the rest, instead of texting them as well.
- Watch opt-outs by channel. A rise in STOP replies or WhatsApp blocks is a sign you're sending too often there.
- Respect the hour. As a rough guide, send texts and WhatsApp messages between about 9am and 8pm.
Frequently asked questions
Is SMS or email better for selling gig tickets?
They do different jobs. Email is better for most of the campaign because it's cheap, detailed and easy to segment. SMS is better for a small number of urgent moments, such as a presale opening or final tickets, when you want people to act within minutes.
Should I use WhatsApp or SMS for event reminders?
Use whichever the fan opted in to. WhatsApp allows richer messages and replies, but needs a WhatsApp-specific opt-in and approved templates. SMS works on every phone without an app and is simpler to set up, so it's the safer default if you haven't collected WhatsApp opt-ins.
Does email consent cover texts and WhatsApp?
No. The ICO recommends getting consent separately for each channel, and Meta requires a WhatsApp-specific opt-in. The soft opt-in can cover both email and texts if the details came from a sale of your own, but you still need to offer an opt-out in each message.
How many channels should a small promoter use?
Start with email, and add one other channel when you have opt-ins to use it. For most small promoters, that's SMS for presales and final tickets. Add WhatsApp when you have a group of keen fans who want direct contact and someone available to answer replies.
Which channel has the lowest cost per ticket sold?
Usually email, because each extra message costs almost nothing. Texts and WhatsApp cost more per message but can be worth it at the right moment, especially when sent only to engaged fans who haven't bought yet. Track sales by channel with separate links to see what works for your shows.