How I Send Real Estate Event Invitations by Text and Email Without Using My Personal Phone Number
- Jerad Larkin
- Dec 31
- 5 min read
If you are looking to create online event invitations and want to send them via text message or email at scale, there is a better option than blasting people from your personal phone number.
Here is the short answer up front:
I use Punchbowl for text message invitations and Eventbrite for email marketing. This combo lets me promote events hard, protect my personal number, and track results. Below, I am breaking down exactly how I do this step by step, why it works so well for real estate events, and how you can copy the same system for your own classes, panels, client events, or networking mixers.
Why Text Message Event Invitations Matter More Than Ever
If you are hosting real estate events, you already know this:
Email alone is not enough anymore. Inbox competition is brutal. Even good emails get buried. Text messages, on the other hand, get opened almost immediately. When I want real estate agents to actually see an invitation, read it, and RSVP, text wins every time.
The problem is that most text blasting tools send messages from your personal phone number. That is a hard no for me. I host a lot of events. If I sent hundreds of messages from my own number, I would be setting myself up for replies at all hours, confusion, and potential spam issues. That is where Punchbowl changed the game for me.
Why I Use Punchbowl for Text Message Invitations
The single biggest reason I use Punchbowl is simple:
Text messages are sent from Punchbowl’s phone number, not mine.
That alone makes it worth it.
Here is what I love most:
I can send up to 500 text messages at scale
Messages go out from Punchbowl’s system, not my personal device
Guests can RSVP directly from the text
I can schedule reminders automatically
I can track who opened, clicked, and responded
Pricing is also extremely reasonable. At the time of recording, the preferred plan is about $5 per month, roughly $60 per year. For anyone running recurring real estate events, that is a no brainer.
When I Still Use Eventbrite
I am not anti Eventbrite. I actually still use it regularly.
Here is how I split responsibilities:
Eventbrite handles email blasts, event pages, and organic discovery
Punchbowl handles text message invitations and reminders
Email plus text is a powerful combo. One supports the other instead of relying on a single channel.
Step 1: Create Your Punchbowl Account
Once you create your Punchbowl account, fill out your profile information first. This helps everything downstream look more professional.
After that, you will choose between two options:
Greeting card
Online invitation
If you are creating events at scale like I do, always choose online invitation.
Greeting cards are fine for personal use. Online invitations are built for events.
Step 2: Create Your Invitation Design the Right Way
This is the part that trips most people up.
Punchbowl allows you to upload your own custom image. That is what I recommend doing.
The key detail most people miss is image size.
For the invitation style I use, the image dimensions must be:
360 pixels wide by 510 pixels tall
If your image is not sized correctly, it will look blurry or cut off.
How I Create My Images
I usually do one of three things:
Use ChatGPT to help reformat an existing Eventbrite banner
Use Gemini or another AI tool to assist with resizing
Final polish inside Canva using the exact dimensions
If I already created an Eventbrite banner, I do not start from scratch. I reformat it.
Once the image is ready, upload it into Punchbowl and select it as your invitation design.
Step 3: Fill in Event Details Carefully
A few important things to know here:
Event titles are limited to 50 characters
Punchbowl does not like same day end dates
I usually list the time range in the description instead
I enter:
Event name
Date
Start time
Host name
Venue details
Full event description
For longer descriptions, I recommend formatting the text outside of Punchbowl first.
Step 4: Formatting the Event Description Cleanly
Punchbowl’s editor can be a little finicky with spacing.
Here is what I do:
I take my Eventbrite description, paste it into ChatGPT, and ask it to clean up spacing and formatting so it is Punchbowl friendly.
Once formatted properly, I paste it back into Punchbowl and everything looks clean and readable.
You can also use:
Bold text
Bullet points
Paragraph spacing
This makes a big difference in how professional the invitation looks.
Step 5: Uploading Contacts the Smart Way
This is a big one.
Punchbowl allows you to upload contacts via CSV. The format matters.
For text message invitations, I only upload:
First name
Last name
Phone number
I intentionally do not upload email addresses into Punchbowl.
Why?
Because if an email is present, Punchbowl may default to sending an email instead of a text. Since I am already handling email through Eventbrite, I want Punchbowl to focus 100 percent on texting.
My CSV has three columns only:
First Name
Last Name
Phone Number
That is it.
Step 6: Customize the Message So People Know Who You Are
Never send a generic invitation message.
If someone receives a text from a random number with no context, they will ignore it.
I always customize:
Subject line
Message body
For example:
Subject: You’re Invited Message: Jerad Larkin with Chicago Title is inviting you. Click the invitation to see details and RSVP. This instantly establishes trust and clarity.
Step 7: Turn On Automatic Reminders
This is one of the most underrated features.
I always enable automatic reminders so guests receive a follow up text closer to the event date. This alone boosts attendance significantly.
People are busy. Reminders work.
Step 8: Preview the Invitation Before Sending
Before sending anything out, I always preview the invitation.
I look at it exactly how a guest will see it:
Envelope design
Event title
RSVP buttons
Calendar add option
Description layout
If something looks off, I fix it before sending.
Step 9: Branding the Invitation
Punchbowl allows you to add branding touches that make a big difference:
Upload your logo to the envelope
Customize the stamp or seal
Adjust colors to stand out visually
These small details increase curiosity and click through.
If someone does not recognize the number, the visual presentation helps pull them in.
Step 10: Send and Track Results
Once sent, Punchbowl lets you track:
Who opened the invitation
Who RSVPed yes
Who has not responded
This helps you follow up intelligently instead of guessing.
Why This System Works So Well for Real Estate Events
I host classes, panels, networking events, and workshops constantly. This system lets me:
Promote aggressively without annoying people
Protect my personal phone number
Combine text and email strategically
Track engagement
Look professional and intentional
If you are serious about hosting real estate events that actually get attended, this setup works.
Final Takeaway
If you are still relying only on email or texting people one by one from your personal phone, you are making event promotion harder than it needs to be.
Using Punchbowl for text and Eventbrite for email has been one of the simplest upgrades I have made in how I market events.
If this was helpful, I share more tools, resources, and real world marketing strategies like this at:
Questions? Contact:
Jerad Larkin
303.630.9430
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