Many marketers want to include an "Add to Calendar" link in email campaigns, allowing recipients to click a button and instantly add an event — such as a webinar, sale date, or appointment — to their personal calendar.

Acoustic Campaign does not include a native calendar event generator or built-in calendar link type. However, you can achieve this using calendar provider tools or a third-party service. This article covers three options.

How calendar links work

A calendar link is a URL that, when clicked, opens the recipient's calendar application and pre-fills event details such as title, date, time, location, and description. The format depends on the calendar provider:

• Google Calendar uses a URL with query parameters for event details.
• Outlook / Microsoft 365 uses ICS (iCalendar) files or calendar event URLs.
• Apple Calendar uses ICS files.

Because each provider uses a different format, the most universally compatible approach is a third-party service that generates a single link compatible with all major calendar providers.

Option A: Third-party universal calendar link (recommended)

This is the simplest and most reliable approach for campaigns targeting a broad audience.

Step 1: Choose a third-party service

The following free services generate a single link that works across Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Yahoo Calendar, and others:

• AddToCalendar (addtocalendar.com) — Free; generates universal links and ICS files
• Eventable or similar calendar marketing tools — Includes tracking capabilities
• CalendarLinks.com — Simple, free link generator

Step 2: Create the calendar event link

1. Visit your chosen service (e.g., addtocalendar.com).
2. Fill in your event details: title, start date/time, end date/time, time zone, location, and description.
3. Generate the link. The service will provide a URL that, when clicked, opens a page where recipients choose their calendar provider.

Step 3: Insert the link in your Acoustic Campaign email

1. In Composer, select the text or button element you want to use as the "Add to Calendar" CTA.
2. Click the Insert Link / URL button in the editor toolbar.
3. Paste your calendar link into the URL field and click Insert or Apply.
4. Send a test email to yourself to verify the link opens correctly.

Option B: Google Calendar direct link

If your audience primarily uses Gmail or Google Workspace, you can create a Google Calendar event link directly.

1. Open Google Calendar in your browser and create a new event with the correct details.
2. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) on the event and select Publish event.
3. Copy the shareable link Google provides.
4. Paste this link into your Acoustic Campaign email as a hyperlink or button URL.

Note: Google Calendar links may require recipients to be signed into a Google account to add the event. For mixed-audience campaigns, use Option A instead.

Option C: ICS file for maximum compatibility

An ICS (iCalendar) file is a standard format that works with virtually every calendar application. This method involves hosting an ICS file and linking to it in your email.

1. Create an ICS file using a tool such as ics.js, or by exporting an event from Outlook (File > Save As > iCalendar Format) or Google Calendar.
2. Upload the ICS file to your company's web server, AWS S3, or any publicly accessible hosting location.
3. Copy the public URL of the uploaded file.
4. Insert this URL as a hyperlink in your Acoustic Campaign email.
5. When recipients click the link, their device will prompt them to open it with their default calendar application.

Note: Whether a recipient receives a calendar invitation acceptance notification depends entirely on their calendar provider's settings. This is not a behavior Acoustic controls.

Which option should I use?