How to write professional email invitations – with examples
Need to schedule a work meeting? Whether you’d like to invite a candidate to a job interview or get your project group in one room to plan some next steps, sending an email invitation remains one of the most effective ways to get people on board.
That’s why it’s important to write a well-structured, professional email invitation that clearly communicates all the meeting details. Find out how!
by Alyssa SchmittIf you want your meeting to be well-attended, write a clear, professional invitation
Email invitation subject line
To ensure that your invite does not get overlooked in a full inbox, make sure your subject line indicates that yours is an important message that should be read. A basic “Meeting” or “Event” does not signal to your recipient that action is required from them. Use the subject line to introduce the topic and/or time of your meeting, e.g.:
Interview for Marketing Associate position
Project kick-off on May 6: Input needed
Mandatory All-Hands Meeting Friday
Your subject line should be specific, but concise. Nowadays many people read their emails on their phones, and there is a danger that a too-long subject line will be cut off. With that in mind, keep your invitation subject line under 50 characters.
When writing a professional email, it’s important to respect your recipient’s time by communicating clearly and concisely. Plus, you don’t want people to have to get back to you with questions because you forgot to include the location or the purpose of the meeting is not clear. One sure-fire way to write an effective email invitation to a meeting is by focusing on the five Ws:
Why: What is the purpose of the meeting? For long or formal meetings, you may even wish to include an agenda.
When: What time will the meeting start? When will it end?
Where: For external meetings, include an address; for meetings with coworkers, give the meeting room; for remote meetings, send a video-conferencing link.
Who: Let your recipient know who will be attending – is it a one-on-one or will the whole department be there?
What: Let the attendees know if they have to do anything to prepare for the meeting.
Be sure to ask for confirmation
It’s hard to plan your meeting if you don’t know if people can attend! So, make sure you always request that your recipient RSVP or confirm their attendance. Even if you are sending your invite using an email calendar meeting request with an automated “Accept” button, you can still include a friendly reminder along the lines of “Please let me know if you will be able to attend."
Pro tip: Send a calendar invite for your meeting
Most of us use an email program that lets you send a meeting invitation directly from your calendar – so your recipients not only receive a message, but also can click a button to automatically accept your invite and save the date in their own calendars. Many people find this the most efficient way to send out email invitations. You can still use the checklist and templates below to compose a professional message to go along with your calendar invite.
If you are arranging a virtual meet-up, make sure that your invite contains the link the person will need to join the meeting, and that it is clearly labeled (e.g., Teams link, Zoom link) so the recipient knows in advance what program they will need to use. As a courtesy, you should also include a way to reach you if they have any problems when trying to enter the meeting – e.g., a phone number.
How to structure your email invitation to a meeting
Use this checklist to make sure you don’t leave anything out of your email invite.
Or try our ready-to-use invitation templates for common types of meetings below!
Meeting invitation email examples
Template: email invitation for an interview (in-person)
Subject: Interview Invitation: (Job title) at (company name)
Dear (Recipient name),
Thank you for your interest in our company! Your application for the position of (Job title) really stood out and we would like to invite you for an interview at our office.
This would be a chance for you to meet me as well as the head of the team, (Name of Manager), and to learn more about the position.
We would also appreciate it if you could bring (examples of work, insights about a specific topic, etc.) and come prepared to discuss ways that you could contribute to our team.
We would like to conduct all interviews for this position next week. Please let me know which of the following time slots work for you:
- (day, date, time)
- (day, date, time)
- (day, date, time)
Once I have heard from you, I will send a confirmation email with final details and directions on how to find us.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Best regards,
(Your name)
(Your title)
(Your contact information)
Template: email invitation for an interview (virtual)
Subject: Interview Invitation: (Job title) at (company name)
Dear (Recipient name),
Thank you for applying to (name of company)! Your application for the position of (Job title) caught our attention, and as a next step, we would like to invite you to participate in a virtual interview. Specifically, we’d like to hold a one-hour (Zoom) video call with me and two members of my team so we can get to know you better and answer any questions you may have about the position and our company.
If you are interested, could you please let me know about your availability next week? Once I have that information, I will send you a calendar invitation with all the details and instructions for joining the meeting.
To facilitate scheduling, I would appreciate a reply by (date).
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Best regards,
(Your name)
(Your title)
(Your contact information)
Template: email invitation to a meeting
Subject: (Name of project) Kick-off on (Day)
Dear (name),
I’m reaching out with good news: It’s time to kick off the (project name)! As a first step, I’d like to get the team together to align our objectives and schedules.
We’ve planned a kick-off meeting on (date & time) in (meeting room and location). We plan approximately (duration) hours so that we have enough time to cover the following topics:
1. (agenda item one)
2. (agenda item two)
3. (agenda item three)
If there are any additional topics you’d like to see on the agenda, you are more than welcome to share them with me beforehand.
Please confirm your attendance by (RSVP date) by accepting this calendar invite.
Looking forward to seeing you on (date)!
Best regards,
(Your name)
(Your title)
(Your contact information)
Template: email invitation for virtual meeting
Subject: Follow-up Meeting on (day) on Teams
Dear (name),
Thank you for sharing your insights on (topic of discussion)! I have a few questions regarding (specific items) and would welcome an opportunity to discuss them in more detail.
I believe a 30-minute call will be enough to clarify those points. How about on (day) at (time)? We can chat on (Teams) using this link (meeting link).
If this timeslot doesn’t work for you, please let me know and we can reschedule.
Looking forward to our discussion!
Best regards,
(Your name)
(Your title)
(Your contact information)
We hope our email invitation examples will inspire you next time you have to send out a meeting invite! We look forward to your feedback!
