A good art show invitation does two things. It communicates the full who, what, where, when, why, and how of the event, and it does so in a tone that makes people actually want to come.
Here’s how to get both right.
Announcing, commanding, and inviting: what's the difference?
Whether you’re opening a show at a gallery, hosting an open studio, unveiling new work at a pop-up, or inviting collectors over for a private preview, your wording sets the tone for how people will respond.
Announcing
An announcement is a presentation of the facts.
I’m having an exhibition. Here’s the opening date and time. Here’s how you can see the work.
Announcements work earlier in your marketing, especially paired with a “Save the Date.” They’re useful for press releases, social media captions, and anywhere you need to convey information efficiently.
Commanding
A commandment sounds like this:
Come to…, Drop by…, Mark your calendar…, Sign up…, or Don’t miss….
Calling this a commandment sounds harsh, but’s not usually perceived that way.
We’ve been trained by years of marketing to read commands as invitations and understand the spirit behind them. They get the job done on postcards and posters where space is tight.
They can also go ugly fast in the wrong hands. Too pushy, too salesy, too many exclamation points.
Inviting
An invitation is a request for someone’s attendance. It’s warmer, more personal, and closer to how you’d actually talk to a friend.
I hope you can come.
It would be lovely to see you at…
Please drop by if you can.
I’d love for you to be there.
You’re invited.
When I write invitations, I picture the person at the other end. Real names, real faces. I’m talking to them as individuals, not as a list.
“Come to my show” asks someone to show up. “I hope you can come” tells them they’ll be welcomed when they do.
When should you announce, command, or invite?
The closer you get to the event, and the warmer your relationship with the recipient, the more your message should lean toward invitation.
- Save-the-date postcards, emails, and early buzz: announcement or light commandment.
- Printed show invitations where space is tight: mostly announcement with clear details, but find room for a warm phrase (“You are invited…” or “I hope you’ll come”).
- Email to your list: invite. You have the room, and email feels personal. Just remember that they are receiving as individuals, not as a collective. None of this “You’re all invited.”
- Individual messages to collectors, VIPs, close contacts: invite, and make it specific to them.
- Social media: mix. Announce early, invite closer in.
What should an art show invitation include?
Every version (announcement, commandment, or invitation) should consider these questions. Of course, not every invitation can include all of this information. A postcard has room for the essentials. An email or a personal letter has room for all of it (or at least a link to more detailed information on your website).
Questions in bold must be answered.
As for the rest, use your best judgment for various platforms and purposes.
Who
- Who are you? Full name.
- Who is the host?
- Who are the other participating artists, if any?
- Who is it benefiting, if it’s a charity event?
What
- What is this? (Opening reception, open studio, artist talk, sale, preview.)
- What will we see?
- What will we do?
- What should we bring, if anything?
- What’s the phone number to call or text if someone can’t find the place?
Where
- Where is it? City AND state. If the invitation might travel internationally, include the country.
- Where do we park?
- Where can I see more of your art or find more information in advance?
When
- Date and start time.
- End time.
- Exhibition open and close dates, if it’s not a one-night event.
Why
- Why should I come?
- Why are you doing this show?
How
- How do we get there? Any tricky directions, elevator issues, or accessibility notes?
Common mistakes artists make with show invitations
- Forgetting the state. You know you’re in your town. The internet does not. (This is especially true if you aren’t segmenting your list and careful to send it only to local people.)
- Assuming people know they’re invited. You learn this the hard way. You hand someone a detailed postcard and they ask, “Is this a business card?” Not everyone recognizes an art show invitation when they see one. Say “You are invited” explicitly, especially for anyone outside your core art community.
- Assuming people know what an open studio is. Many don’t. Spell it out: “My studio will be open so you can take a peek behind the scenes. Come see new work, have a glass of wine, and say hello.”
- Leaving out the dress code when the event is new to recipients. If it’s casual at your studio, say that. People hesitate when they don’t know what they’re walking into.
- Designing a postcard without following postal service specs. USPS (and most international postal services) apply a barcode to the bottom portion of the address side during sorting. Any text or artwork in that zone gets covered. Use a mail-approved postcard template for your country so your event details don’t disappear under a sticker.
- Not naming the host venue. If the event is hosted somewhere other than where people expect you to be, make that crystal clear.
- Sending an email invitation with no images or cramming too many images onto a postcard. If people can’t see the work, they have no reason to come see the work. On the other hand, single images on postcards are bigger and more impactful than including a bunch of smaller images.
- Treating every recipient the same. A stranger on your mailing list and your top collector should not receive identical copy. The collector gets a personal note. The stranger gets the warmest version of the public invitation.
One last thing
An invitation’s job is to bring specific people into your world so they can experience your work in person. Write as if you’re writing to one person at a time, and your invitations will do their job.
7 thoughts on “How to write an art show invitation: announcing, commanding, or inviting?”
Great insight. I probably tend to be a little too “professional” in my announcements. Next time I’ll try the friendly approach.
Thanks!!
Tom: Mix it up and see what works. I do think that, especially with email, casual and friendly works best. Worth a try.
As usual, you are right on point! I am guilty of the “save the date” command,ugh.
No reason to feel guilty, Luise! “Save the Dates” are perfectly acceptable and have a solid place in your marketing. Keep using them! Then, when it comes time, invite.
Hi Alyson, I used postcards this time along with one of my greeting cards, put them in the same envelope. The postcard then became a proper invitation with all the info about the show. I personally wrote on each of my greeting cards what is happening in my life and shared personal info to the person I invited. Like…”Lovely to see you last week”… “I cant believe your grandkids are getting so big”… “take care of those wonderful dogs”… “I hope you had a great holiday in Spain”…. And so on.
Then I wrote, “I hope you can make it to my art show, Paul, the owner of the cafe, makes a great cappuccino and they serve wonderful lunch, make sure you try the steak and stilton!” 🙂
You know what? I would say I have had a 50% attendance rate (so far) and the month isnt half over! The show is still going at the moment so not sure how many people are still going to attend, but this show is in another town. And I am an amateur. Just saying, kindness and SHARING… WORKS 🙂 Thank you Alyson, if not for your SHARING, and giving ideas, I would not have done this. I also took my art coffee table book and Paul gives it to ppl to look at, he was impressed to have extra tools to show off my artwork. I have to say, DONT just use email to invite, SEND THOSE POSTCARDS and use a personal touch. Thank you.Cindy Williams
That’s a great ROI (return on investment) Cindy! And it sounds like you enjoyed the process. Good work!
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