72-hour launch strategy

This playbook defines what to send, to whom and when in the 72 hours around your event’s launch moment — whether that’s the lineup announcement, the on-sale opening, or the release of a new ticket phase. The goal is to maximize sales in the window of highest purchase intent, without fatiguing your entire base or wasting effort on audiences that won’t convert.

Who this playbook is for

For concert, festival or any live-event promoters who already have a fan base in Nevent and want to structure their launch communications in a systematic, multichannel, segmented way.

You need at least:

• Audience segments already created, or ready to create, in Nevent.
• Email templates (and WhatsApp templates if you have that channel enabled) prepared before you start.
• The Superapp set up with the event on the home screen, if your event uses the Nevent app.

If you haven’t created segments yet, start with How to create a segment. If you don’t have templates yet, go to Campaigns, Templates before continuing.

When to use this playbook

Use this playbook every time one of these moments happens:

• Official announcement of the event or lineup (before any sale is open).
• Opening of the first sales phase (Early Bird, exclusive presale).
• Release of a new phase when the previous one sells out.
• Reopening sales after a temporary sold-out.

The 72 hours are split into three blocks: the 24 hours before launch, the launch moment itself, and the 48 hours after. Each block has its own goal and its own segments.

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The three phases of the playbook

Phase 1: 24-48 hours before launch

Goal: warm up your highest-value audience and build anticipation before the sale opens to the general public.

This phase is exclusive to your highest-intent fans. The sale isn’t announced yet: you build anticipation and set the stage so that, the moment the sale opens, these people act immediately.

Step 1A: Early access for Champions and early fans (email)

Segment: fans classified as Champions or Loyal Customers in the RFM model OR fans with a purchase history in Early Bird phases (early-fans segment).

Channel: email.

What the message says: it signals that something big is about to happen, without revealing all the details. The tone is exclusive: “you’ll know before anyone else.” If the sale opens with 24-hour early access for this group, say so directly.

Timing: 36-48 hours before the public launch moment.

How to set this up in Nevent:

1. Create the segment combining RFM Champions OR early fans from Audience, Segments.
2. Open the wizard with + Create campaign and select the Email channel.
3. In the subject line step, personalize with the recipient’s name: the subject field supports personalization variables.
4. In the scheduling step, choose “Schedule send” and set the date and time.

Why this segment goes first

Early fans have a proven history of buying early. Messaging this group before everyone else creates genuine urgency and can sell out the first phase without any ad spend. See the benchmark metrics for the early-fans segment: typical open rate between 35% and 55%.

Step 1B: Teaser push notification (Superapp)

Segment: all attendees with the app installed and notifications enabled.

Channel: push from the Superapp.

What the message says: a short heads-up that something’s coming. The title has up to 65 characters; the body, up to 500. Get to the point: “Tomorrow there’s news about [event name]. Stay tuned.”

Timing: 24 hours before launch.

How to set this up in Nevent: from the SUPERAPP, Send push section, the panel shows how many attendees will receive the notification before you send it. The send is immediate and can’t be scheduled, so time it precisely.

Heads up

The Superapp push is immediate and can’t be undone. Prepare the copy in advance and only send it once you’ve hit the right moment in your timing.

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Phase 2: The launch moment (hour 0)

Goal: turn anticipation into purchases in the first hours. Early sales are what create the early-sold-out effect.

Step 2A: Opening email to Champions and early fans

Segment: the same as Step 1A (Champions, Loyal Customers, early fans).

Channel: email.

What the message says: it’s open now. Direct link to purchase, price or terms of the current phase, and real urgency if stock is limited. Short, direct subject lines: “Tickets are now available” or “Your early access starts now” work better than long messages.

Timing: at the exact moment the sale opens (hour 0).

How to set this up in Nevent: prepare this campaign as a draft in advance. In the scheduling step, choose “Schedule send” and set the exact opening time. That way it goes out on its own without you needing to be there at that moment.

Step 2B: Launch email to the broader base

Segment: broader base: fans with Very Hot or Hot Temperature who aren’t already in the Step 2A segment, OR every active fan in your base with a valid email address.

Channel: email.

What the message says: the event announcement or on-sale opening for the general public. It can be the same content as Step 2A or a slightly different version (without mentioning the exclusive early access).

Timing: 2-4 hours after Step 2A. Leaving that gap gives early fans time to act before the announcement reaches everyone.

How to set this up in Nevent: create a second campaign with the same 8-step wizard, using this different segment. If the template content is the same, you can clone the Step 2A campaign and only change the segment and send time.

Step 2C: Opening WhatsApp message (if the channel is enabled)

Segment: fans with Very Hot or Hot Temperature who have a verified mobile number.

Channel: WhatsApp.

What the message says: a short message with an image header (the event poster), a body with the essential information, and a call-to-action button linking directly to the purchase page.

Timing: in parallel with Step 2B, or up to 1 hour after.

How to set this up in Nevent: you need a Meta-approved WhatsApp template in the Marketing category. Keep in mind Meta can take up to 24 hours to approve a new template, so create it with enough lead time. Once approved, select it in the campaign wizard by choosing the WhatsApp channel.

Prior preparation needed

WhatsApp templates require Meta approval before they can be sent. Create them at least 24-48 hours before launch to make sure they’re in Active status when you need them.

Step 2D: Opening push (Superapp)

Segment: all attendees with the app installed.

Channel: push from the Superapp.

What the message says: “Tickets for [event] are now available. Buy now.” With a direct tone and a link to the purchase page if your setup allows it.

Timing: at the opening moment, or up to 30 minutes after.

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Phase 3: 24-48 hours after launch

Goal: win back people who showed interest but didn’t buy, and re-engage those who didn’t open the launch email.

Step 3A: Abandoned cart recovery

Segment: fans with an incomplete checkout in the last 24-48 hours (abandoned cart segment).

Channel: email.

What the message says: a friendly, direct reminder. “You were one step away” or “Your ticket is waiting for you” are subject lines that perform well for this type of campaign. An incentive isn’t necessary in every case: many abandonments happen due to distraction, not price objections. If stock is running low, mentioning it adds real urgency.

Timing: 6-12 hours after the recorded abandonment. The sooner within that window, the better.

How to set this up in Nevent: build the segment with the abandoned-cart criterion for the last 1-2 days (available in the digital engagement category) combined with “no confirmed transaction.” Create the campaign with the usual wizard and schedule it to go out at the right moment.

Criterion availability

Availability of abandoned cart as a segmentation criterion may vary depending on your account setup. Check with your Nevent team whether it’s active for your organization.

Step 3B: Second touch for people who opened but didn’t buy

Segment: fans who opened the Step 2B email but don’t have a confirmed ticket. Build this segment with the email-open criterion (engagement: email opens) referencing that specific campaign, combined with “no completed purchase.”

Channel: email.

What the message says: a second nudge with a different angle: more detail about the event, the lineup, the experience. The fan already knows the event exists (they opened the email), but something held them back. Giving them more reasons to buy, or reminding them tickets are limited, can close that sale.

Timing: 24-36 hours after the launch email.

Step 3C: Reactivating high-value inactive fans

Segment: fans with high historical spend who haven’t bought in over twelve months (inactive reactivation segment). This segment is optional in the 72-hour playbook: use it when the event clearly connects with your promoter’s historical programming and you want to sweep in fans who might be interested but aren’t currently active in your base.

Channel: email.

What the message says: a recognizing tone, as if picking up a conversation. “It’s been a while” or “This might interest you” work better than a pure sales pitch.

Timing: 36-48 hours after launch, as the closing step of the playbook.

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Timeline summary

Timing	Action	Segment	Channel
T minus 36-48 h	Exclusive teaser	Champions, Loyal, early fans	Email
T minus 24 h	Anticipation push	App installed	Push (Superapp)
T = 0	Early-access opening email	Champions, Loyal, early fans	Email
T + 2-4 h	General launch email	Broader base (high Temperature)	Email
T + 2-4 h	Opening WhatsApp message	High Temperature with mobile	WhatsApp
T + 0-30 min	Opening push	App installed	Push (Superapp)
T + 6-12 h	Abandoned cart recovery	Incomplete checkout	Email
T + 24-36 h	Second touch: opened, didn’t buy	Opened launch email, no purchase	Email
T + 36-48 h	Inactive reactivation (optional)	High historical spend, inactive	Email

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How to measure the result

Once the campaigns are sent, check the reports from My campaigns. The key metrics for this playbook are:

Opens and clicks: open the results report for each campaign and compare the open rate against the benchmark ranges for live events (healthy above 25%; warning sign below 15%). Campaigns to the Champions and early-fans segment should clearly beat those averages.

Individual engagement: in the Engagement section of each report, you can filter by who opened and who clicked. That list is useful for building the Step 3B segment: people who opened but didn’t buy.

Unsubscribes: check the unsubscribe rate for each send in the unsubscribes report. A rate below 0.5% is normal; above 1%, the message or segment wasn’t well aligned.

App activity: if you sent push notifications, the Superapp activity screen shows how many notifications reached the device and how many were tapped. Use it to calibrate push effectiveness for future launches.

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Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Sending everything to the same segment at the same time. If you send the exclusive-opening email and the general email at the same time to the same group, you lose the exclusivity effect. The value of the Champions and early-fans segments lies in receiving it before everyone else.

Not preparing templates in advance. The campaign wizard needs the template to exist before you start. If you don’t have the email template or the WhatsApp template ready, the process stalls. Prepare them one or two days before launch and, for WhatsApp, submit them for Meta review with enough lead time.

Creating segments at the moment of launch. Segments can be prepared and saved before you create the campaign. Doing it in advance gives you time to check audience size in the preview and adjust criteria if the result is too small or too broad.

Sending the Superapp push at the wrong moment. The push is immediate and can’t be undone. Draft it in advance, keep it in a reference document, and only send it when the right moment arrives. There’s no option to schedule it.

Not checking bounces before launch. If your list has many hard-bounced addresses from previous campaigns, the delivery rate of the launch campaign can suffer. Before important sends, check the bounce report of your latest campaigns and clean up problematic addresses.

Fatiguing the same audience with too many sends in 72 hours. The playbook has between four and six touchpoints, but they don’t all go to the same segment. The Champions segment gets the teaser email and the early-access email: two emails in 48 hours is reasonable for an engaged audience. The general base gets the launch email and, if they don’t open it, may get the second touch 24-36 hours later. More than that in such a short window starts to trigger unsubscribes.

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Related guides

• How to create a segment
• Early Bird fans
• VIP segment with RFM Champions
• Recovering abandoned carts
• Reactivating high-value inactive fans
• How to create your first campaign
• How to create WhatsApp templates
• Managing your campaigns
• How to interpret your campaign results
• Who opened and clicked your campaign
• Nevent Score and Temperature
• Digital engagement: behavioral criteria for email
• What the Superapp is and what it’s for