Sending invitations on Messenger and Viber so they get opened
Sending invitations on Messenger is how most Filipino invitations actually reach people, and it is the step almost nobody plans. A good invitation sent badly gets a fraction of the replies of an ordinary one sent well, and the difference is entirely in the message wrapped around the link.
Wording and details5 min read
Why group threads get almost no replies
Because responsibility spreads out. In a thread of forty, every guest assumes somebody else is coordinating, so nobody replies individually and the few who do get buried. One-to-one messages take an evening for a hundred guests and get several times the response rate.
There is a second problem with groups, which is that the invitation reads as an announcement rather than a request. A guest who was told about a wedding in a group of forty has not been asked to it, and some of them will feel that distinction even if they cannot name it.
Use the group for reminders and logistics afterwards. It is genuinely good at that: a message about parking on the morning of the event belongs in a group, and an invitation does not.
The message to write above the link
Two sentences. One that says why you want this person there, and one that says what to do next. Hi Tita Beth, we would really love you at the wedding in February, is more than most invitations get, and it takes about fifteen seconds per guest to write.
- Name them
- The first word should be their name. It is the difference between a message and a broadcast, and it is what stops it being scrolled past.
- Say why, briefly
- One clause. We could not do this without you, or we want the whole family there, is enough.
- Say what to do
- The invitation and the reply are on this link. Tell us how many seats to hold.
- Do not explain the technology
- No instructions about tapping links or opening browsers. It reads as doubt and the guest did not need it.
Write three versions, not one
One for close family, one for relatives, one for friends and colleagues. Three templates you personalise with a name covers a hundred guests in an evening and none of them reads like a template.
Make sure the link preview looks like an invitation
Check what the preview card shows before you send a hundred of them. A link with no preview image looks like a suspicious URL, and a link with the wrong image looks careless. Send it to yourself on Messenger and on Viber first, because the two render previews differently.
- 01Send the link to yourself on Messenger and check the image, the title and the description
- 02Do the same on Viber, which crops previews differently and sometimes not at all
- 03Check it on a phone rather than a desktop, because that is where every guest will see it
- 04If the preview is blank or wrong, ask your supplier to fix it before you send anything
- 05Then send one to a family member and ask what they saw
This matters more than it sounds because of what a bare link looks like to an older relative. A URL with no picture attached, arriving unexpectedly, is exactly the shape of every scam message they have been warned about, and some of them will simply not tap it.
We hand over a preview image sized for Messenger and Viber with every invitation for this reason, along with a QR code for anything printed.
Messenger, Viber or SMS: who gets which
Messenger for most people under sixty, Viber for anyone whose family coordinates there and for OFW relatives abroad, and SMS for the handful who use neither. Ask rather than guess for the older guests, because a message sent to an app somebody never opens is a message never delivered.
| Channel | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Messenger | Most guests, most of the time | Message requests from non-friends go unseen |
| Viber | Family groups, relatives abroad | Previews render differently, check first |
| SMS | Guests who use no apps | No preview at all, so keep the link short |
| Corporate guests and formal lists | Spam filters, so send a test first | |
| Relatives in the Middle East and Europe | Not widely used domestically |
The message request trap
If you are not Facebook friends with a guest, your Messenger message lands in a request folder they may never look at. For anyone in that category, send it a second way or ask a mutual relative to pass it on.
Would you rather hand it over?
The follow-up, and how many to send
One, about ten days before your reply deadline, individually, with a reason attached. We are giving the caterer numbers on Friday and I want to make sure your seats are held gets answers, because it hands the guest a deadline that is not about your feelings.
Do not chase in the group and do not chase twice. A second individual chase converts very little and costs you something real with that guest, and a public reminder is read only by the people who already replied.
If working through a hundred names twice is one job too many alongside everything else, it is a thing you can hand over. Managed RSVP is ₱999, and you get a final headcount before your deadline.
Asked about this
Should I send my invitation in a group chat or individually?
Individually. In a group of forty, every guest assumes somebody else is coordinating, so almost nobody replies. One-to-one messages take an evening for a hundred guests and get several times the response. Keep the group for reminders afterwards.
What should I write when sending an invitation on Messenger?
Two sentences: one naming the person and saying why you want them there, and one saying the invitation and reply are on the link. Write three versions for family, relatives and friends, and personalise each with a name.
Why does my invitation link have no preview image?
The page is probably missing a preview image, or the app has cached an old one. It is worth fixing before sending, because a bare URL with no picture looks exactly like a scam message to an older relative and some will not tap it.
What if a guest is not on Messenger?
Ask which app they use rather than guessing, and fall back to Viber or SMS. Also check whether you are Facebook friends: if not, your Messenger message lands in a request folder they may never open.
