Email was invented more than half a century ago, and email marketing soon followed. But while this method is almost as old as the Internet itself, it never stopped being effective, especially due to the rise of mobile devices.
In fact, 46% of smartphone users prefer to receive brand communications via email, and 55% of emails are opened on a mobile device. Couple that with the fact that the average email open rate is nearly 50%, according to HubSpot, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for success.
But what can you send your audience to increase conversions and ultimately drive sales? In this article, we go over the 20 most popular email marketing examples organized by category.
The welcome email is one of the most popular email marketing examples. It’s the first touchpoint between a brand and its new subscribers, as they set the tone for future interactions. They can help you:
Typical messages in this category contain a warm greeting and an introduction to the brand’s values and offerings. They may also include a special welcome offer or call-to-action.
A personal welcome email addresses the subscriber by name, creating a closer connection. It often includes tailored content based on the subscriber’s preferences or behavior, which can lead to increased engagement and higher open rates.
🧴A great example of an effective personal welcome email is the one Curology sends. The brand is known for its custom-made skincare products, and we really like how this is conveyed in the message below.
Image source: Optimonk
A brand introduction email provides new subscribers with an overview of the brand’s mission, values, and key products or services. This establishes a strong brand identity and educates subscribers about what sets the brand apart.
📱If you want to create a successful brand introduction email, follow the example below from reMarkable. Including a quick company story and mission statement will give new customers a sense of what your business is about.
Image source: Omnisend
Promotional emails are essential for driving sales and boosting customer engagement. They often motivate subscribers to make a purchase by highlighting attractive promotions, such as special offers, discounts, and exclusive deals.
Emails in this category create a sense of urgency with appealing promotions, increasing the likelihood of immediate action. By featuring new products or seasonal offers, promotional emails keep customers informed and excited.
A limited-time offer email promotes a special deal that’s available only for a short period. This creates scarcity and encourages customers to take advantage of the promotion on the spot, boosting short-term sales and engaging subscribers with exclusive opportunities.
🛫Nobody does limited-time offers quite like WizzAir. An easy-to-follow design and a simple yet effective call to action are the keys to motivating your customers to take immediate action and make their purchases.
Image source: Automizy
A seasonal promotion email highlights special offers tied to holidays or seasons, leveraging the influence that festive mood has on buyer behaviors. By featuring season-specific products or discounts, this type of message can boost purchasing during peak shopping periods and enhance relevance and engagement.
🍫Knowing the times of year when your product is most sought after is essential for success in this case. In the example below, luxury chocolatier Hotel Chocolat is offering a special Easter discount on its products.
Image source: Enchant
Newsletters are a convenient example of email marketing for keeping customers informed and engaged through regular updates generally sent on a weekly or monthly basis. There are various types of content you can include in yours:
Newsletters foster a sense of community and connection between the brand and its customers through transparency and timely information sharing. This encourages repeat visits and sustained interest.
A content-rich newsletter offers valuable and diverse content such as articles, tips, and industry insights. This leads to increased reader engagement, as it positions the brand as an authority in its sector and encourages regular interaction by consistently providing informative and interesting material.
💄The Sephora newsletter is a great example of a content-rich email that’s visually appealing and easy to follow. Its diversified content offering is complemented by a colorful and modern design that beautifully frames relevant information.
Image source: Moosend
A minimalist newsletter features clean and simple layouts with concise content formatted in a readable manner. This enhanced focus on key messages gives off a professional feel and makes it easier for subscribers to absorb and act on the information provided.
✨If you prefer a more minimalist design, look no further than the Serumize newsletter for an example to follow. With concise messaging and a clean layout in the brand’s colors, it’s a timeless approach to your informational emails.
Abandoned cart emails are a great asset for recovering lost sales and reminding customers of items left in their online shopping carts. These messages nudge potential buyers to complete their purchase, often including incentives such as discounts or free shipping to encourage action.
By addressing common barriers to purchase and providing a convenient link back to the cart, abandoned cart emails reduce cart abandonment rates and increase conversion rates. They also enhance the overall shopping experience by demonstrating attentiveness on the part of the brand.
A reminder email notifies customers about items left in their shopping carts, prompting them to complete their purchase. This not only helps businesses recover potential lost sales but also increases conversion rates and demonstrates high-quality customer service.
🛒The example below depicts a straightforward abandoned cart reminder email sent by the Google Store. While its design is plain, it might be just the nudge some customers need to complete their purchase.
Image source: HubSpot
A discount offer email for an abandoned cart provides customers with a special discount on items left in their cart. This incentive encourages immediate action and purchase completion, boosting overall revenue and customer loyalty.
🎁Birchbox takes a scarcity approach to its abandoned cart emails, informing customers that stocks are running low and offering a discount. Combine this with appealing visuals, and you’ve got a recipe for success.
Image source: ThinkShop by Bolt
Re-engagement emails can help you reconnect with inactive subscribers and revitalize their investment in your brand. You can include several elements in them to spark interest:
By addressing the reasons for inactivity and providing relevant solutions, re-engagement emails help reduce churn rates and improve overall email list health. They also demonstrate the brand’s commitment to maintaining a relationship with its audience, enhancing customer loyalty in the long run.
Sending a ‘we miss you’ email is a friendly way to reach out to an inactive customer and potentially re-engage them. This simple personalized approach can encourage them to visit your website or even make a purchase.
🦉The Duolingo owl is known for its persistence in reminding users to take their language lessons, so it comes as no surprise that it also does the ‘we miss you’ email really well. You can see for yourself in the image below.
Image source: FluentCRM
Feedback requests are also valuable for re-engagement strategies. Asking inactive subscribers for their opinions on your company’s products or services is a great way to re-establish communication and show users that their opinions matter.
🛍️The example below from Shopify illustrates how you can subtly re-establish contact with inactive customers through a customer survey. Sending one out will not only remind them of your brand but also show them that you care.
Image source: Really Good Emails
Transactional emails provide timely updates on the status of a purchase, keeping customers informed about their orders at every step in the buying process. There are various types:
By delivering immediate and relevant details, transactional emails enhance the customer experience, build trust, and reduce anxiety related to online transactions. They also offer opportunities to reinforce brand messaging, encouraging customers to keep engaging with your business.
An order confirmation email provides customers with the details of their purchase, including an overview of the items ordered, their prices, and expected delivery dates. They provide reassurance that the order was successful, reducing post-purchase anxiety through a detailed record of the transaction.
🩴In the example below, footwear brand Crocs provides a customer with a detailed summary of their order, alongside a way to contact support. More often than not, that’s all you need to let your customers know they can rely on you.
A shipping notification email informs customers that their order has been shipped, reducing inquiries about shipment progress and building trust through transparent communication. It often includes tracking information and expected delivery dates.
🧃Go above and beyond like Olipop did in the example below, and include a pun or a joke in your shipping notification. This will get customers excited about their new product and encourage repeat purchases.
Event invitation email marketing examples are direct and personalized email marketing examples that inform and excite potential attendees about upcoming events. They provide key details about the occasion, such as the date, time, location, and agenda.
These messages create anticipation and urgency, often including compelling visuals and clear calls to action to encourage recipients to RSVP or register. By targeting the right audience and highlighting the benefits of attending, invite emails can significantly increase participation.
Webinar invitation emails are sent out for online events, such as seminars, debates, presentations, panels, and more. They are a great way to build brand reputation and showcase expertise, generating leads by encouraging attendance and participation.
📋Monday.com took a very accessible approach to the webinar invite, allowing users to sign up all throughout the week. This is a strong strategy if you have the resources to organize multiple online events over a short period of time.
Image source: Contrast
An in-person event invitation email invites recipients to attend a physical event, providing details like venue, date, time, and RSVP instructions. Physical events foster direct interactions with customers, building stronger personal connections and enhancing your brand presence.
📽️Every year, the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival in Austin, Texas, sends out invitations to attract collaborators. This fosters an atmosphere of creativity and diversity that has come to characterize the event.
Image source: Bizzabo
Survey and feedback emails provide a direct channel for customers to share their opinions, experiences, and suggestions. They can help businesses:
By actively seeking customer input, companies can showcase how much they value their users’ opinions and foster a sense of brand loyalty. These insights enable data-driven decision-making, leading to improved products, services, and overall customer satisfaction.
A customer satisfaction survey email requests feedback on a customer’s experience with a product or service. Sending one will demonstrate that your company is committed to continuous improvement.
🗂️When it comes to surveys, sometimes the simple approach is the best. The example below from Dropbox illustrates a straightforward and effective way to ask your customers to rate your product.
Image source: Salesdorado
The product feedback request is a specific email marketing example that asks customers about their experience with an individual product. It’s usually sent to identify areas for future improvement in a particular offering.
💻Product feedback requests demonstrate a commitment to excellence, as is the case in the example below from Slack. When you have a strongly user-facing offering, these insights should drive your growth.
Image source: Userlist
Milestone email marketing examples are another entry in the list of examples of email marketing initiatives that make your customers feel valued and seen. You can send them out during special times such as birthdays, brand anniversaries, and other significant events.
These personalized messages show customers that the brand values and remembers their important moments, creating a deeper emotional connection.
A birthday celebration email acknowledges a customer’s birthday with a personalized message and often includes special offers or discounts. This not only encourages loyalty but can also drive sales through these exclusive promotions.
👚The example below from Topshop (almost) has it all—the tailored greeting, the special offer, and the fun design. We’d recommend going one step further and personalizing it with your customer’s name as well.
Image source: Yamm
The anniversary email celebrates a significant date related to a customer’s relationship with your brand, such as their sign-up or first purchase. Recognizing and appreciating how long they’ve been with you encourages repeat purchases and enhances retention rates.
🛬The email below from JetBlue is a great anniversary email marketing example. It not only shows that the company values the customer but also has a friendly tone and a fun message, enhancing the sense of familiarity.
Holiday email marketing examples leverage the festive spirit around seasonal events to bring special promotions, limited-time offers, and exclusive deals. This creates a sense of urgency and excitement, which drives customers to make purchases for themselves and their loved ones.
By aligning marketing efforts with holidays, brands can capture customers’ attention when they are most inclined to make purchases. Holiday emails also enhance customer engagement through festive greetings and personalized messages, fostering a stronger emotional connection.
The winter holidays promotion email highlights special offers and discounts available during the winter holiday season, such as Christmas and New Year. During this time, companies can tap into seasonal trends and encourage customers to shop with them.
🎄Starbucks took a collaborative approach for its Christmas promotion, partnering with Uber Eats to encourage customer referrals. This is a simple yet effective way to get your business noticed during the holiday season.
Image source: SendPulse
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two holidays dedicated exclusively to shopping. This is why most brands promote exclusive and time-sensitive deals that are available only during these major events.
🥾Dr. Martens applied the tried-and-true formula for Cyber Monday emails to their campaign: brand colors, eye-catching discounts, and a countdown to create a sense of urgency and exclusivity to the offer.
Image source: SmartrMail
Familiarizing yourself with the various types of emails you can send is the first step. The success of these email marketing campaign examples depends on a few key practices: personalize your content, use effective calls to action, and optimize your messages for mobile devices.
Experiment with different email categories and approaches to discover what resonates most with your audience. Stay consistent, be creative, and always aim to provide value—this is how you’ll build strong relationships and achieve long-term growth.
Technical writer at Touchpoint with a knack for UX. Focused on creating clear, concise product documentation and engaging marketing materials alike.
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