How much better would your meetings be if everyone showed up on time and prepared?
Reminder emails can make a big difference in reducing no-shows and hosting more productive meetings.
In this article, you’ll learn how to write meeting reminder emails that keep your meeting top of mind, boost attendance rates, and give attendees the resources they need to prepare. Plus, we’ll share meeting reminder email templates to help you get started.
7 tips for writing effective meeting reminder emails
1. Include all the must-know meeting details
Don’t forget the basics: Who, what, where, when, and why? Reminder emails should include all the necessary information for attendees:
A clear subject line that communicates the purpose of the email
A descriptive, concise meeting name (“[Client Name] Onboarding Session,” “Proposal Review with [Client Name],” or “Initial Interview with Hiring Manager: [Hiring Manager Name]” explain the meeting purpose better than “30-Minute Meeting”)
Important details of the upcoming event (meeting time, duration, location or meeting links, etc.) so they don’t have to dig through their inbox for the original confirmation email
2. Make it easy to cancel or reschedule
This might sound counterintuitive — you want people to show up to your meeting, so why would you give them an easy out? But effective reminder emails are all about communication, which can sometimes mean accommodating a change of plans.
If someone needs to cancel because they no longer need your product or service, a heads-up saves you from waiting in an empty room or video call, wondering if they’re ghosting you or just running late.
Asking attendees to reschedule or cancel if they can no longer attend the upcoming meeting lets you plan ahead and adjust your schedule. Make your cancellation policies clear, so there’s no surprises on either side.
Pro tip
If you use Calendly for meeting scheduling, it’s easy to add a cancellation or rescheduling link to your reminder emails. Invitees can cancel or choose a new time in just a few clicks, without any email back-and-forth.
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3. Provide an agenda, pre-read, and other resources
Include the meeting agenda in your reminder email, so attendees can think through the topics and come prepared with questions.
If you have a ton of meetings to prep for, this might seem super time-consuming — but you don’t have to craft a bespoke agenda for every meeting! For business meetings that follow a consistent format, like a sales discovery call or interview phone screen, create a standard agenda template you can tweak as needed.
Reminders are also a great vehicle for sharing helpful resources — like an interview guide or sales enablement content — without sending an extra email.
“Often, attendees aren't sure what to expect, so we have to make sure to set the tone before the call even happens.”
Morgan J. Ingram
Chief Executive Officer at Ascension Media Productions (AMP)
4. Ask for last-minute info or questions
Reminder emails can double as check-ins to gather any additional information from invitees ahead of the meeting. The sales team at CallRail uses Calendly’s automated reminder emails to ask free trial users what questions they have about CallRail’s product.
“Not only are these reminders helpful, but they also make our meetings more to-the-point and shape the discussion for our sales team members and customers.”
Nick Jackson
Sales Manager at CallRail
5. Don’t be afraid to send multiple reminders (via email and text)
It’s generally acceptable to send at least two reminder messages before a scheduled meeting, but they don’t have to both be via emails. Mixing in same-day text message reminders catches attendees’ attention, even when they’re away from their inboxes.
As a starting point, we recommend sending meeting reminders via email 24 hours before a meeting, then a last-minute text 30 minutes before. Feel free to try out a few different cadences to see what works best for your invitees.
“We have a lot of interviews going on simultaneously, and we’ve gotten really great feedback from candidates that we notify them the most. We’ve enabled reminders for an hour before an interview and then 15 minutes.”
Odlenika Joseph
Talent Operations Specialist at Muck Rack
6. Put a personal spin on your message
Professional emails don’t have to sound impersonal. Craft a reminder email that fits your industry, audience, and personality. For example, if your company uses a more casual, friendly tone with job candidates, you might sign off with “Can’t wait to connect!” instead of “Best regards.”
Pro tip
You can add a personal touch without writing every note from scratch. If you use scheduling software or an email platform to automate your reminders, dynamic fields can automatically fill in details like the recipient’s name, meeting time and location, and any relevant info they shared when booking the meeting, like the challenges they’re hoping to solve with your product or service.
7. Automate reminders with Calendly Workflows
You may be thinking, “Of course I want to send reminders, but I don’t have time to manually email or text everyone.” Calendly has you covered with reminder Workflows.
Calendly Workflows are automated emails and text messages triggered to send before and after meetings. Think of Workflows as your personal meeting communications assistant. Once you set up Workflows, Calendly automatically sends emails and SMS messages to the right people, at the right time. No extra apps or integrations required.
When you use Calendly Workflows to send email and text reminders, you can:
Start from a template or build your own. Workflows are completely customizable, so you can tailor reminders to fit your industry, processes, and team.
Personalize messages for each attendee with dynamic fields, so you don’t have to manually copy-and-paste anything.
Automatically add a cancellation or rescheduling link to your messages.
Set up email and text reminders for hosts, too, so meetings always start on time.
Prompt invitees to confirm they’re still attending by including a reconfirmation button in your reminder.
Apply Workflows to multiple types of meetings — no duplicate setup or updates needed.
Advisors at Churchill Mortgage use Workflows to stay in touch with clients and make sure everyone is on the same page before a meeting.
“People enjoy getting the meeting automatically on their calendar, receiving reminders, and knowing what to expect. Our team appreciates it, too, because there's less chance of missed appointments.”
Nancy McMahan
Director of Client Engagement at Churchill Mortgage
Workflows are available on all paid Calendly plans. Sign up for a free 14-day trial of Calendly’s Teams plan, including Workflows!
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Reminder email examples and templates
Whether you automate your meeting reminder emails with Calendly Workflows or send each one out manually, templates are a great way to speed up the process. Don’t forget to customize these email subject lines and copy templates to match your voice, audience, and industry.
Appointment reminder email template
Subject line: Reminder: Your appointment with [Your Name or Company Name] is coming up!
Hello [Invitee Name],
This is a friendly reminder about your upcoming [Appointment Name].
Appointment Details:
Date: [Appointment Date]
Time: [Appointment Time]
Location: [In-person Meeting Location or Online Meeting Link]If you need to cancel, please do so at least 24 hours in advance. You can reschedule or cancel your appointment using this link: [Reschedule/Cancel Link]
We look forward to seeing you! If you have any questions or need further assistance, contact us at [Your Contact Information].
Best,
[Your Name]
[Your Title]
[Company Name]
[Your Email Address]
Learn how to create an online booking system with Calendly, so clients can book appointments right from your website.
Interview reminder email template
Subject line: Reminder: Upcoming interview with [Company Name]
Hi [Candidate Name],
This is a reminder that your interview with [Interviewer Name] is coming up tomorrow at [Event Time]!
Interview Details:
[Interview Type, ex: Hiring Manager Interview] with [Interviewer Name]
Date: [Event Date]
Time: [Event Time]
Location: [In-person Meeting Location or Online Meeting Link]For your reference, here’s a link to [Company Name]’s interview guide. If you’re not able to make it, please use this link to reschedule: [Reschedule/Cancel Link]
Let me know if you have any questions. We look forward to meeting you!
[Your Name]
[Your Title]
[Company Name]
[Your Email Address]
Get more tips and templates for interview invitation, reminder, and follow-up emails.
Event reminder email template
Subject line: Reminder: [Event Name] is coming up!
Hey [Invitee Name]!
We’re so excited to see you at [Event Name], happening on [Event Date] at [Event Time].
Event Details:
Date: [Event Date]
Time: [Event Time]
Location: [Event Location][Any additional information that’ll help your invitees prepare for the event, like parking instructions or attire.]
If you have any questions or need to update your RSVP, please reply to this email.
See you soon!
[Your Name or Company/Organization Name]
[Your Email Address]
Trying to find an event time that works for everyone? Learn how Meeting Polls make group scheduling a whole lot easier.
Sales call reminder email template
Subject line: Looking forward to our call tomorrow!
Hi [Invitee Name],
This is a friendly reminder about our upcoming call scheduled for [Event Date] at [Event Time].
Call Details:
[Event Name, ex: 30 Minute Sales Call]
Date: [Event Date]
Time: [Event Time]
Meeting Link/Phone Number: [Online Meeting Link or Phone Number]During our call, we’ll talk through how [Your Product/Service] helps teams like yours [Your Value Proposition]. If you have any specific questions or features you'd like to cover, please feel free to let me know in advance.
If you need to reschedule, you can do so using this link: [Reschedule Link]
Talk soon!
[Your Name]
[Your Title]
[Company Name]
[Your Email Address]
Learn how automating meeting admin (like reminder emails!) gives sales teams more time to build relationships and close deals.
Better communication, better meetings
Great meetings start long before you get on a call or sit down in a conference room. Meeting reminder emails are more than just notifications — they're a way to connect with your prospect, client, or candidate. You show you respect their time and give them the info they need to prep for the meeting, and they show up on time and ready to dive in.
That’s a better meeting experience for everyone.
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