How to Tell Parents Your Show Tickets Are On Sale (With Templates You Can Copy)

You've booked the venue, set your prices and decided how many tickets each family gets. The event is built and ready to go live. There's just one job left before the money starts coming in: telling parents.

It sounds like the easy bit. Then the replies start.

"Is this for Saturday or Sunday?"

"Do we need to print these?"

"Can Nana book her own?"

"I can't find the link."

By the end of the week, you've answered the same four questions forty times, usually while trying to teach a class of seven-year-olds.

Here's the thing: most of those questions come from the announcement, not the parents. A clear, well-timed message answers them before anyone has to ask. So here's how to write one, when to send it, and a set of templates you can copy straight into your next email.

And if you're selling through Stage Stubs, a lot of the heavy lifting is already done for you. We'll point out where along the way.

Send three messages, not one

Most studios send a single message on the day tickets go live and hope for the best. That works if every parent opens their email at exactly the right moment. They won't. Some are at work, some are doing the school run, and some have your studio emails filtered into a folder they check once a month.

A simple three-step rhythm catches far more of them:

1. The heads-up, about a week before tickets go on sale, so families can check diaries and talk to grandparents.
2. The on-sale announcement, the moment tickets go live, with the booking link front and centre.
3. The reminder, sent once, when a performance is filling up or sales are about to close.

That's it. Three messages, each with one job. If you'd like a full parent email schedule that also covers costume deadlines and show-week reminders, our free parent communication timeline works backwards from your show date and builds one for you.

Stage Stubs makes this easier by giving every event its own branded page, plus a studio listing page that shows all your upcoming shows. That means every message you send can point to the same link, whether it's October's heads-up or December's last call.

What every ticket announcement needs

Before you write a word, make sure your message answers these. If it does, your inbox stays quiet. If it doesn't, you'll be answering the gaps one reply at a time.

• Which show, which performance. Dates, times and, if you're running more than one show, which classes are in which. Parents don't want to buy Saturday tickets and then find out their child dances on Sunday.
• When tickets go on sale. A date and a time. "Next week" is not a time.
• Where to buy. One link. Not a link on Facebook, a different one in the email and a third on the noticeboard.
• How many tickets each family can buy. And a line on why. "So every family gets a fair chance to book" heads off most complaints before they start. Still deciding on a number? Our guide to how many tickets each family should get will help.
• Price and seating. How much, and whether seats are reserved or unreserved. If you're unsure which suits your venue, have a read of Seating Plans vs No Seating Plans.
• Any booking fee. If there's a small fee at checkout, mention it. Nobody likes a surprise at the payment page, and being upfront builds trust. Our post on ticket booking fees explains how they work.
• How tickets arrive. Say it plainly: tickets come by email straight after booking and can be shown on a phone at the door. This one line saves you a surprising number of "do we need to print these?" messages.
• Who to contact. A name and an email address for anything that goes wrong.

Stage Stubs takes care of several of these for you. Your event page shows dates, times, prices and seating in one place. The booking fee is shown clearly at checkout, so there are no surprises. And tickets are emailed automatically the moment someone books, with a copy saved to their Stage Stubs account. If a parent loses the email, they can sign in and download their tickets again, so "I can't find my tickets" becomes a quick fix rather than a job for you.

When to send each message

The heads-up: 5 to 7 days before tickets go live

This gives families time to check dates, speak to grandparents and work out who's coming. It also means nobody can say they didn't know tickets were going on sale.

Want to give families a reason to book early? Stage Stubs lets you create discount codes, so you could offer an early-bird price for the first few days and mention it in your heads-up. It's a simple way to get a good chunk of sales in before the rush.

The on-sale message: the moment tickets go live

Not the night before, and not with a link that doesn't work yet. Send it when parents can actually book.

Pick your on-sale time with your families in mind. An evening slot after bedtime, or a weekend morning, tends to work better than the middle of a working day. And avoid a time when you're teaching, so you're free to answer questions if anything goes wrong.

If you're expecting a rush (a popular Christmas show, a small venue, or both), let parents know they might be placed in a short queue when they click the link. Stage Stubs has a built-in virtual waiting room that moves people through in order, so everyone gets a fair chance. A heads-up about the queue stops people refreshing the page in a panic.

The reminder: once, when it's useful

The best reminders are based on something real. One performance is nearly full. Sales close on Friday. There are only a handful of seats left in the front rows.

With Stage Stubs you can see sales for each performance in real time, so you know exactly which show needs a nudge and which one can look after itself. One well-timed reminder beats three vague ones.

Copy-and-paste templates

Swap in your own details, adjust the tone to sound like you, and you're done.

If you're using Stage Stubs, just copy the link from your event page and drop it in wherever you see [link]. Parents land on a page with your studio's branding, can pick their seats if you're using a seating plan, and can pay in seconds with Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Template 1: The heads-up

Subject: Tickets for [Show Name] go on sale [Day, Date] at [Time]

Hi everyone,

Tickets for [Show Name] go on sale on [Day, Date] at [Time], so pop it in your diary now.

Here's what you need to know:

• Performances: [Date, time and which classes are in each show]
• Price: [Price] per ticket, [reserved / unreserved] seating
• Limit: [X] tickets per family, so everyone gets a fair chance to book
• Tickets: sent by email as soon as you book, and shown on your phone at the door. No printing needed.

We'll send the booking link on the day. Any questions before then, just reply to this email.

[Your name] [Studio name]

Template 2: On sale now

Subject: Tickets for [Show Name] are on sale now

Hi everyone,

Tickets for [Show Name] are now on sale.

Book here: [link]

A few quick reminders:

• [Performance dates and times]
• tickets per family

• Your tickets will arrive by email straight away. Just show the QR code on your phone at the door.
• If lots of people are booking at once, you may be placed in a short queue. Please don't refresh the page; you'll be moved through in order.

Grandparents and friends can book with the same link [within your family's allocation].

Any problems, reply here and we'll help you out.

[Your name]

Tip: if you have reserved seating, add a line letting parents know they'll choose their own seats when they book. Stage Stubs builds a bespoke seating plan for your venue for free, so it's worth mentioning. Selling show t-shirts, programmes or other merchandise? Parents can add them at checkout with Stage Stubs, so include that in your on-sale message too.

Template 3: Last few seats

Subject: [Performance] is nearly full

Hi everyone,

A quick update on [Show Name]. Our [Saturday evening] performance is almost sold out, but there are still seats available for [Sunday afternoon].

If you haven't booked yet, here's the link: [link]

Ticket sales close on [Date].

[Your name]

Short version for WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram

🎭 Tickets for [Show Name] are on sale now! [Dates] at [Venue]. [X] tickets per family. Book here: [link]

For Instagram, swap the link for "link in bio" and make sure the booking link is actually in your bio before you post.

Want something for the studio noticeboard too? Our free ticket poster generator creates a printable A4 poster with a QR code that takes parents straight to your booking page.

Five mistakes that fill your inbox

1. Sharing the link before tickets are live. Parents click, see nothing, and assume it's broken. Then they message you. Then they forget to come back. Once your event is set up on Stage Stubs, click the link yourself before you hit send.

2. Different details in different places. Facebook says 7pm, the email says 6.30 and the noticeboard says "evening". Write your details once and copy them everywhere. Better still, keep them on your Stage Stubs event page and point everyone there. Update it once and every parent sees the same information.

3. Burying the important bit. If the on-sale date is in paragraph three, underneath news about the new tap class, half your parents won't see it. Put dates, times and the link at the top.

4. Not saying whether seats are reserved. If parents don't know, you'll get questions about where to sit, whether to arrive early, and whether they can save seats for Grandad. With reserved seating on Stage Stubs, families choose their exact seats when they book, so there's nothing to save or squabble over on the night.

5. Sending too many messages. Six emails with six different bits of information are harder to follow than one clear one. As we said in our Christmas show planning guide, the aim is to make things boring in the best possible way.

Let your ticketing do the heavy lifting

A good announcement answers the questions before tickets go on sale. The right ticketing platform answers the rest.

With Stage Stubs, parents get one booking link, your per-family ticket limit is applied automatically, and QR code tickets land in their inbox the second they've paid. You can watch sales come in for each performance in real time, so you know exactly when a reminder is worth sending. And on show night, you and your helpers can scan tickets from your phones to get everyone seated quickly.

All of it is free for studios to use.

So copy the templates, fill in your dates, and get your tickets out there. Then get back to rehearsals.

Ready to put your next show on sale?

Create your free Stage Stubs event, set your performances and ticket limits, and send your first announcement today. Still working out whether one show will be enough? Our venue capacity calculator will tell you in a couple of minutes.

Start selling tickets with Stage Stubs