5 automations every promoter should set up
In this guide
- What is a marketing automation?
- Before you start: get your data in one place
- Automation 1: The welcome series
- Automation 2: Know before you go (ticket buyers)
- Automation 3: Post-show follow-up
- Automation 4: On-sale reminders for people who registered interest
- Automation 5: Win-back for lapsed fans
- Common automation mistakes
- Where to start
- Frequently asked questions
Marketing automation for events means setting up messages that send themselves when something happens, such as a fan signing up, buying a ticket or attending a show, so every person gets the right message at the right time without you remembering to send it. The five automations every promoter should have are a welcome series, a ticket buyer's "know before you go", a post-show follow-up, an on-sale reminder for people who registered interest, and a win-back for lapsed fans. Set them up once and they keep working on every show.
Below, each one is broken down with its trigger, timing, what to say and what to watch.
Key takeaways
- An automation is a message or series of messages triggered by an event (a sign-up, a purchase, a date), not sent manually.
- Start with the welcome series: new subscribers are usually at their most interested in the first few days.
- Always exclude people who've already bought from automated sales messages, which means your ticket data needs to reach your CRM.
- Keep automations short and specific. Two or three well-timed messages beat a seven-email sequence.
- Review every automation every few months: dates, links, prices and promoter details go stale.
What is a marketing automation?
A marketing automation is a rule that sends a message, or a sequence of messages, when a set condition is met. Each automation has three parts:
- A trigger: what starts it. A fan joins a list, buys a ticket, checks in at the door, or a set number of days passes before an event.
- Conditions: who should or shouldn't get it. For example, only people in Manchester, or not people who've already bought.
- Actions: what happens. Send an email, send a text, wait two days, add a tag, move to another list.
For promoters, automation does two jobs. It handles repetitive messages that every show needs, and it catches people at the moment they're most likely to act, which manual campaigns often miss.
Before you start: get your data in one place
Automations are only as good as the data behind them. Before building any, make sure:
- Consent is recorded. Every contact should show how and when they opted in, and for which channels. Automations should only send marketing to people with consent or the soft opt-in.
- Ticket buyers are in your CRM. If you can't see who bought, you can't exclude them from "tickets selling fast" messages. Import from your ticket platform regularly, or connect it directly if your tools allow.
- Attendance is recorded. If you scan tickets or check in guests at the door, that data tells you who actually came, which is what the post-show and win-back automations rely on.
- Locations or interests are tagged, so automations can be targeted by city or genre.
Automation 1: The welcome series
Trigger: someone joins your list, through a sign-up form, presale registration, QR code at a show or Instagram.
Why it matters: a new subscriber has just shown interest. As a rough guide, the welcome email is often among the most-read emails you'll send, and the first few days are when people are most likely to buy.
A simple sequence:
| When | Message | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Immediately | Welcome email | Confirm sign-up, say what to expect, show the next event |
| 2 to 3 days later | "What we do" email | Your story, past line-ups, photos, how presales work |
| 7 days later (optional) | Next event or "pick your nights" | Prompt a first purchase or ask for preferences |
What to say in the first email:
- Thank them, and confirm what they signed up for.
- Tell them how often you'll email and what about.
- Show your next one or two events with ticket links.
- If they signed up for a specific presale, confirm when the code will arrive.
Tip: create a different first email for each sign-up source. Someone who scanned a QR code at last Saturday's show should get "Thanks for coming", not a generic welcome.
Automation 2: Know before you go (ticket buyers)
Trigger: a set time before the event, for everyone holding a ticket.
Why it matters: clear information reduces no-shows, door queues and the "what time does it start?" messages that pile up on show day. It also makes your event feel well run.
Timing: send the day before for most shows. For festivals or all-dayers, send a week before as well, with travel and camping or bag information.
What to include:
- Venue address and nearest transport, with last trains if relevant.
- Door time, set times if known, and curfew.
- Ticket and ID requirements.
- Bag policy and anything not allowed in.
- Access information and a contact for access requests.
- How to transfer or resell a ticket if they can't make it.
Keep this message free of promotion for other events. If it only contains information about the event they've bought for, it's a service message rather than marketing, so it can go to every buyer. If something changes on the day, send a short text as well. Our guide to door check-in covers what helps on the night.
Automation 3: Post-show follow-up
Trigger: the morning after the event, for everyone who attended (checked in) or held a ticket.
Why it matters: fans who just had a good night are more likely to buy for the next one than at any other time. A follow-up turns a one-off buyer into a regular.
A simple sequence:
| When | Message | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Next day | Thank you, photos, next date | Capture the good feeling, point to the next event |
| 3 to 5 days later (optional) | Short feedback survey | Learn what to improve |
Tips:
- Lead with photos or a short video. People open to find themselves in them.
- Include the next date with a ticket link. If you have an early bird or a presale, offer it here.
- Keep surveys short: one to three questions. "How was it, out of 10?" and "What should we change?" are enough.
- Treat people who held a ticket but didn't check in differently. A "Sorry we missed you" email is better than "Thanks for coming". This only works if your check-in data is accurate.
Our guide to getting ticket buyers to come back goes further on turning first-timers into regulars.
Automation 4: On-sale reminders for people who registered interest
Trigger: a fan registers for a presale or shows interest in an event (signs up on the event page, clicks a link, comments on a post), and then the on-sale date arrives.
Why it matters: many people register interest and then forget to buy when tickets go live. A reminder at the right moment recovers those sales.
A simple sequence:
- When the presale opens: send the code and link to registrants by email, plus a text or WhatsApp message to those who opted in to those channels.
- A few hours before the presale ends: remind registrants who haven't bought yet.
- When general sale opens: a final reminder to registrants who still haven't bought.
Conditions: stop the sequence for anyone who buys. Sending a "don't miss out" message to someone who's already bought looks careless and drives unsubscribes. Our guide to presale codes covers how to set up the presale itself.
In Backline, ticket-platform imports land on the same contact records your automations use, so buyers can be kept out of reminder messages once their purchase is imported.
Automation 5: Win-back for lapsed fans
Trigger: a fan hasn't bought a ticket or attended for a set period. As a rough guide, try six to twelve months, depending on how often you run events.
Why it matters: people drift away for all sorts of reasons: they moved, their music taste changed, they forgot about you. Some can be won back. Those who can't should leave your list, which keeps it healthy and protects your email deliverability.
A simple sequence:
| When | Message | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | "We miss you" plus your best upcoming event | Reminder of why they signed up |
| 7 days later | Preferences: "Tell us what you want to hear about" | Let them choose city, genre or frequency |
| 14 days later | "Should we stop emailing you?" | Final check before removing them |
What happens next: people who engage go back to your normal lists. People who don't respond to any of the three emails stop receiving marketing. That's good list hygiene, and it fits UK GDPR's principle of not keeping personal data longer than you need it. See how long to keep fan data for more.
Common automation mistakes
- Not excluding buyers. The most common and most annoying mistake. Every sales automation needs a "has not bought" condition.
- Overlapping automations. A new subscriber who also buys a ticket might get a welcome email, a presale reminder and a "know before you go" on the same day. Set priorities, or pause the welcome series while someone's in a ticket buyer flow.
- Stale content. An automation built in spring might still show spring's events in winter. Use dynamic "next event" blocks if your tool supports them, or review each automation monthly.
- Ignoring consent per channel. An automation that adds a text step must only text people who opted in to texts.
- Too many steps. Long sequences rarely help. If a message doesn't have a clear job, cut it.
- Never checking results. Look at clicks, sales and unsubscribes for each step. If one step has a high unsubscribe rate, change or remove it.
Where to start
If you only have time for one, build the welcome series. If you run regular events, add the know-before-you-go and post-show follow-up next, because every show benefits from them. The on-sale reminder and win-back come once your ticket data flows into your CRM reliably.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important automation for event promoters?
The welcome series, because new subscribers are usually at their most interested when they first sign up. A good welcome email confirms what they signed up for, sets expectations and shows the next event. Add a know-before-you-go email for ticket buyers next.
Can automated messages be sent by text as well as email?
Yes, as long as each person has opted in to texts or is covered by the soft opt-in, and every marketing text gives a way to opt out. Use texts for time-sensitive steps, like a presale opening or a day-of change, and email for the rest to keep costs down.
How do I stop automations emailing people who've already bought?
Your automation needs to know who has bought, which means importing or syncing ticket buyers into your CRM. Then add a condition to each sales automation that removes anyone with a ticket for that event. Check the timing of your imports, so recent buyers drop out before the next message.
How many emails should a welcome series have?
Two or three is enough for most promoters: an immediate welcome, a "what we do" email a few days later, and optionally a prompt to buy or choose preferences after a week. Each email should have one clear job. If you run events often, keep it shorter so the welcome series doesn't clash with show campaigns.
Are post-event emails marketing under PECR?
A thank-you email that promotes your next event is marketing, so it needs consent or the soft opt-in. A purely informational message to ticket holders, such as a lost property notice, is a service message. If you're unsure, treat any message that encourages a future purchase as marketing. This is general guidance, not legal advice.