Promotional emails are emails businesses use to advertise their products and services. They include weekly newsletters, limited-time offers, sales promotion emails, special offers, product launch emails, seasonal campaigns, and more.
The main goal of these emails is to raise brand awareness, convert subscribers into customers, and increase customer loyalty. In this article we’ll show you how to create various types of promotional emails, discuss compelling examples and provide templates to help you start with your own emails.
How to write a promotional email
The main goal of promotional emails is to capture, retain, and increase your email subscribers' interest in your products or service, so they have to be simple to read, clear, and concise. To accomplish this, you need a well-designed promotional email template that has the following elements:
- A captivating subject line;
- A personalized greeting message;
- Promotion offer;
- Pictures of the promoted product or service;
- The sale or promotion’s expiry date;
- Call-to-action (CTA);
- Hyperlink to your landing page or website.
We also recommend testing your promotional email by experimenting with several email templates and checking which subject lines generate the most clicks and conversions.
Why using promotional email templates is important
A promotional email template helps you maintain a professional appearance and brand consistency. It saves you time because you can use it repeatedly for subsequent marketing campaigns. When using a promotional email campaign template, your email recipients recognize the email sender and are more likely to open your emails frequently.
How to title a promotional email
Your promotional email subject line should contain no more than 50 characters and accurately describe the message's content. Include the name of the product or service in the title if it concerns a specific one.
Promotional email subject line examples
- Check out the discounts on [product name]
- The [product name] is now available
- New [product or service name] from [business name]
- [Product or Service Name] is [X]% off today only
- Act quickly because the sale is about to end
- Save right now on [category of good or service]
- This is urgent; do not miss out!
- [Product or service] is only available today
- A special offer has been selected for you
- Purchase [name of product or service] now while supplies last
- Last call; the sale ends at 0:00
- Purchase your preferred [type of product] now and save money
- Order [name of product or service] right away
- Begin building your collection of [type of good or service] today
- Buy [type of product] now from new arrivals
- [Product or service name] was just released and is available
- Get a great deal today on [category of good or service]
- Purchase [type of good or service] right away
- [Name of Product or Service] is now available.
- Book your [name of product or service] now
- Register right away to receive [product or service name]
- Subscribe now to get [product or service]
- Act quickly because [name of product or service] is almost sold out
- Get your [name of product or service] right away
Promotional Email Examples
We’ve curated some promotional emails to get you inspired. Check them out!
Special Offer Emails
Use audience segmentation and personalization when sending a special offer email to ensure its relevance to the recipient. For example, sending a discount code to someone who just paid the total price is definitely not the best idea.
1. Starbucks
Subject line: Buy three holiday drinks and get one free
Starbucks sends exclusive emails to customers by offering them a “buy three and get one free” promo service for a limited time. They place deadlines for all promo seasons because they want their customers to buy the products offline, instead of placing an online order.
2. IKEA
Subject line: Gear up for fun in the sun
This template outlines sections with clear images, different colored text, and bold titles. The company's main messages are prominently displayed: the promotion, advertised products, and prices. Additional information is provided in smaller print if the reader wants to learn more.
The email's content is enough to pique the reader's interest while leaving more to be discovered on the company's website. Call-to-action buttons urge readers to click for more information.
Here are a few tips from IKEA to help you make your emails more compelling:
- Make it simple to skim emails;
- Ensure the most important points are highlighted to stand out from the rest of the email;
- To keep emails clean and easy to digest, use pictures, specific sections, or paragraph breaks;
- Keep detailed information on your site rather than in the email to entice your viewer to click through;
- Make your call-to-action buttons and links visible and easy to find.
Sales Emails
Sales emails are quite risky: send them only to subscribers who have specifically requested them and consistently interact with your emails.
1. EDX
Subject line: Save 10% on program purchases
This EDX promotional email employs the hands-on-deck rule and uses a reliable money-off incentive. Additionally, the phrase "Seize the opportunity" in the image conveys a sense of urgency, enticing readers to immediately click the CTA button.
2. The Guardian
Subject line: Save up to 52% - deal expires tomorrow
In addition to the 52% discount on annual subscriptions, subscribers can get The Guardian and The Observer for a single price. This 2-in-1 combo works wonders for many businesses offering similar or complementary services.
3. Yousician
Subject line: Metallica x Yousician is here! Save 30% on Premium+
You'll frequently see this theme from tech companies that can afford to partner with entertainment outfits like musicians, comedians, actors, and even influencers. They offer a service based on current trends for users to purchase. It's always best to personalize your letters using available data, but if your product selection is as small as Yousician’s, you can draw inspiration from this template.
Holiday Offer Emails
Everyone expects to receive extra emails during the holidays, but you shouldn’t harass or annoy your subscribers.
Amazon
Subject line: Black Friday Deals Only This Week
By the time they receive this email, customers will have probably already read a few articles about Amazon's holiday preparations. They expect good deals, and there is already a context set for this. So this email merely serves as permission to begin shopping.
FirebirdWorkshop
Subject line: Christmas isn’t just a day. It’s a frame of mind.
The Firebirdworkshop Christmas offer is an excellent illustration of using seasonality to market your clearance sale. Also, readers can get a $10 coupon by liking them on Facebook. Using this strategy, you can reward current customers and attract new ones.
AZAZIE
Subject line: A Valentine Gift for you
It's worth checking out this Azazie’s Valentine’s Day promo email. They use color and a brief message to announce their Valentine’s Day giveaway. Azazie’s marketing campaigns are all stylish and concise.
Upgrade Emails
Canva
Subject line: Unlock your access to the best design tools
Canva offers a free trial of its premium service, so you can decide whether you want to upgrade later. Promotional emails are most successful when the product sells itself. If you sell intangible products, offering free trials might be a hint.
'Did You Know?' Emails
"Did you know?" emails are ideal for new and inactive users. They may be behavioral or promotional. We recommend the first option as targeted marketing behavioral emails perform consistently better than promotional emails.
Ask your customers for feedback on your product. You'll probably find that they are only aware of about 50% of its functionality.
Canva
Subject line: 4 reasons you'll love Canva Pro
We all know that Canva’s tools are overwhelming but powerful and helpful. Given that most users now pay a monthly fee to access Canva pro, it's important to keep reminding users of the value they receive for their money. This promotional email is ideal for engaging users with the software and making them feel more satisfied with their purchase.
Apology Emails
Email is an excellent way to send a personalized apology to your users or customers if you've offended them. Additionally, you can make the recipient happy by surprising them or giving them a gift for nothing (read on to learn more).
Microsoft
Even though your tech team does its best to maintain 99.999% uptime, when your website goes down, people seem to be still upset. Or sometimes you need to make drastic changes to the terms and conditions of your services. It may be inevitable but still calls for an apology. Microsoft concisely made this point in this email.
Subject line: Changes to storage limits
Limited-Time Offers
Everyone wants to take advantage of good opportunities. Limited-time offers encourage customers to decide quickly about a potential purchase by creating a sense of urgency and igniting fear of missing out (FOMO).
While time-sensitive offers have a good track record of closing on-the-fence prospects, you must ensure that your campaigns reach as many candidates as possible within the specified time limit. The most effective email marketing method is combining it with website popups.
Product Launch Emails
Product launches are exciting, whether you're getting ready to launch a new book, movie, or app. Moreover, product launches generate interest in your email list and keep your brand top of mind. You can boost your new product sales by using the right promotional emails.
Here's an example by World of Tanks:
New Arrival Emails
Product launches don't happen daily, but new arrivals give retailers an excellent reason to advertise their products and interact with their email lists. The business emails its subscribers with this promotional message in a humorous manner as if they were gossiping.
AZAZIE
Azazie advertises its new arrivals with a sense of urgency and exclusivity while offering subscribers a 20% discount on the brand's latest products. Discounting recently delivered items carries the risk of lowering their perceived value, but it'll undoubtedly get people's attention because it's unexpected.
Giveaway Emails
Giveaways are a great way to gather leads, boost engagement, boost sales, and advertise products. However, how you advertise your giveaways is as important as what you give away. You can increase the outreach of your giveaway by combining website popups with emails.
This email from Binance is an example of a typical giveaway promotion email:
Promotional email templates
Here are a few examples of promotional email template texts.
<h3="final_call">Final Call — The sale ends at midnight
Good day, [Name]
Don't miss out on our sale, which ends today at midnight! Get [name of product or service] now and save. You can't miss this opportunity.
Buy now and save money at [URL].
In addition, for a limited time only, you can also get [second product or service] for free when you purchase one of [product or service name].
Hurry — this offer won't last forever
Good day, [Name]
Our new [name of product or service] is now available. We are making you a unique promotional offer because we know you have been waiting for this. Purchase [name of product or service] with a limited-time discount of [X] percent.
Order now to benefit from this incredible offer: [URL]
Don't miss out — the sale ends soon
Hello [Name],
Our sale will end soon, so act quickly. Before it's too late, get [name of the product or service]. This is your final opportunity to purchase [name of good or service] at this attractive price.
Buy now and save money at [URL].
Changes To Your [product] Plan
Hello [Name],
We wanted to inform you of the updates to our [product] plans. First, we're adding $[X] to the cost of our [product] plan. However, we are also introducing some new features that we believe you'll enjoy.
You can soon anticipate the following new features:
[New function]
[New feature]
Although we know that change can be difficult, we hope you will like the new features.
You have one more chance to upgrade at a discount. The subsequent monthly cost will be $[Y]. Are you prepared to upgrade then?
As always, don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any inquiries.
[Urgent] You have been chosen
Good day, [Name]
We are happy to inform you that you have been chosen to participate in our beta test for a new product. We can't say much about it now, but we think you'll love it.
Please sign up by clicking the link below if you're interested in participating.
Join the beta test here: [URL]
We hope you will join us on this exciting new adventure. We appreciate your continued patronage.
Just released
Greetings, [First Name]
Would you be interested in learning about our newest and finest product first? Lucky for you, we just launched it.
Our newest addition, [name of product or service], is [brief overview of product or service], as you might have guessed.
Click the link below to learn more. We eagerly anticipate your feedback.
Visit [URL] to learn more about [name of the good or service].
We appreciate your participation. Without your assistance, we would be unable to complete the task.
Update before it's too late
Hello, [Name]
We sincerely hope you are doing well during these [seasonal] months. This message is to inform you that your annual subscription will soon expire if you want to continue using our service, re-subscribe before [date].
No issue if you decide not to renew your subscription. You won't be charged, and your account will be [deactivated/downgraded to the free Plan] automatically.
However, if you want to re-subscribe, please click the link below. We don't want you to miss out on any awesome new features we've added.
We also have a unique offer for you. You will receive a discount of [X] % on the annual price if you upgrade before [date].
What do you think, [Name]?
Upgrade by clicking here: [URL]
Say hello to [function]
Good day, [Name]
Our brand-new [name of the item or service] is now available. We are making you a unique promotional offer because we know you have been waiting for this. Get [name of product or service] for [X]% off for a limited time.
Order right away to benefit from this fantastic offer: [URL]
I appreciate your patronage. We value your ongoing assistance.
Take advantage of this special offer
Hello [Name],
Are you prepared for the holidays? We're confident of it. We have a unique promotional offer to help you get in the mood. Receive a [X] percent discount on your [product or service name] purchase for a short period only.
This is an excellent chance to start your holiday shopping early. So why are you still waiting? Buy now: [URL]
We wish you a festive holiday period.
New arrivals — buy now [product type]
Dear [Name],
Our newest products are available and are selling out quickly. Shop now and benefit from our promotional offers for [type of product].
Get [X] percent off [product type] purchases through [date]. Additionally, free shipping is available on purchases over $[Y].
These discounts won't last long, so act now. Buy now: [URL]
If you missed
Hello, [Name]
We currently have a massive promotion on our business packages, which you might have missed. Before [date], you can get [X] % off the monthly cost if you purchase a [plan].
Considering all of the features you'll have access to, this is a fantastic deal.
Click the following link to find out more about [Plan]. Use the discount code [PROMO CODE] at checkout if you're ready to upgrade.
However, act quickly because this promotional offer won't last long.
Visit [URL] to learn more about [plan].
Activation key: [PROMO CODE]
Still undecided? Check out our free trial
Hello there, are you still deciding whether to subscribe to our service? The good news is that you can now try it out before you buy it.
We are offering a limited-time free trial of our [service]. For [X] days, you'll have full access to all the features, and we do not doubt that you'll adore them.
If you continue using the service following the trial period, that's fantastic. Your subscription will begin automatically and be charged monthly.
If not, cancel your trial before it expires, and you will not be charged anything.
Click the link below to sign up for your free trial. And don't worry, we won't request the details of your credit card upfront.
Trial offer: [URL]
Limited Time Only - Hurry Up
Hello [Name],
This is a reminder that the promotional offer will soon expire. If you purchase [name of product or service] before [date], you'll receive [X]% off the list price.
Don't let this fantastic opportunity pass you by; click the link below to buy immediately.
[URL]
We appreciate your ongoing assistance. We sincerely hope you enjoy [name of product or service].
Your annual discount will expire soon
Good day, [Name]
We sincerely hope you enjoy your [name of product or service] subscription. We recognize that you have been using it extensively and value your patronage.
Just a friendly reminder, your annual [X] percent discount will soon end. You will continue to receive [X] percent off the standard monthly price if you renew before [date].
Please click the following link to renew your subscription. And don't worry, the promotional discount will automatically apply to your purchase.
Renew now at [URL]
Last Chance to Upgrade [Product]
Good day, [Name]
Are you still using our free [product] version? If so, it's time to upgrade right away. We're slashing [X]% off all premium plans for a short time.
You'll access special features and first-class support with a premium subscription. In addition, your contribution will enable us to continue adding features and developing our [product].
Click on the link below to upgrade. Also, remember to apply the discount by using the code [PROMO CODE] at checkout.
Upgrade now: [URL]
Activation key: [PROMO CODE]
Don't miss it. The offer will end soon
Get the discount now.
Our Premium [Product] is available at a discount of [X]%.
You read that right: a discount of [X] percent is currently offered on our Premium [product]. You can purchase the premium version's full feature set for a short period for a significant discount.
Click the link below and enter [PROMO CODE] at checkout to receive your discount. However, act quickly because this promotional offer won't last long.
Get Premium [Product] at [URL]
Promo code: [PROMO CODE]
Take advantage of the special offer for [Product]
Congratulations! You have been chosen to get a fantastic promotional deal on our [product]. You can save [X]% off the usual price for a limited period.
Click the link below and enter [PROMO CODE] at checkout to receive your discount. Don't miss out on this opportunity as it will soon expire.
Discount available at [URL]
Activation key: [PROMO CODE]
Thank you for being a loyal customer. Here is an offer for you
Dear [Name],
We appreciate you choosing [name of product or service] consistently. We value your patronage and are constantly looking for ways to reward our devoted customers.
Because of this, we are currently providing a unique promotional discount just for you. When purchasing [Plan] for a year, enter the promotional code [PROMO CODE] at the checkout to receive [X] % off your purchase.
Don't let this fantastic opportunity pass you by; click the link below to buy immediately.
[URL]
Promotional Email Best Practices
Consumers receive promotional emails from their favorite brands daily and either delete or interact with those promotional emails. Your objective is to increase engagement with your highly effective promotional emails. Check out some good promotional email practices below:
- Make an excellent first impression by choosing a compelling subject line. It's your first chance to capture your subscribers' interest.
- Keep your promotional email concise and crystal clear.
- Include a solid call to action line that explains what you want your subscribers to do. Add a CTA button to make it simple for them.
- Use images moderately. A picture is worth a thousand words, but putting too many photos in your promotional email will make it look disorganized.
- Check your promotional email for typos. An email full of mistakes damages brands' reputations.
- Segment your email lists so that you don't send irrelevant promotional emails to your subscribers.
- Consider how to track the performance of your promotional email: are you looking for clicks, sales, or both? You can improve your promotional email for future successful email campaigns by monitoring its performance.
- Create a sense of urgency by including a countdown clock or an expiration date to compel your subscribers to take immediate action.
- Include a promotional code; it's a great way to monitor the success of your email campaign and encourage your subscribers to take action.
- Add customer reviews or testimonials as social proof for encouraging your recipients to convert.
Summary
Creating promotional emails with high conversion rates might seem challenging, yet the task can be done. You can quickly increase email conversions by capturing ideas from our excellent promotional email templates.
Always use persuasive words to create eye-catching subject lines, and use persuasion triggers to encourage readers to act. Maintain your promotional email's relevance, clarity, and, importantly — its call to action. You'll be able to develop an email marketing strategy that generates clicks, opens, and sales.