How to Write Promotional Emails that People Will Read (+examples)

Email marketing will always remain the number-one marketing method for your products or services. If you hear rumors that email marketing is dead, stay put for the statistics. According to statistics, people worldwide send and receive around 300 billion emails daily.

It should be logical. We live in an industrialized world with technology-powered systems. Work, life, health, finances, businesses, and other sectors of life are operating online. In this online domain, email remains a preferred and widely selected method of communication.

Putting aside other work-life sectors, we are up to discussing business matters, mainly promoting products and services through email marketing. That is learning how to write promotional emails that convert. First of all, let’s clearly define promotional emails. 

What Is a Promotional Email?

To promote in marketing terms means to advertise. Another definition is to support. Thus, with these two meanings combined, promotional emails are messages sent to current or potential customers to advertise a product or service. The goal is to increase awareness, build trust with the recipient, and get them engaged.

How to Write Promotional Emails for Higher Engagement

Learning effective ways to write promotional emails will create a lasting buzz among customers around your business name. Here we are with carefully chosen strategies for crafting winning promotional emails.

Set Promotional Goals 

Sometimes, marketers are so gripped by the idea of getting the click that they ignore the campaign goals. Writing a promotional email is all about goals. Each campaign must have definite set objectives. There are questions to answer to clarify the goals of the promotional emails.

  • What is it we’re promoting?
  • What actions do we want the readers to take?

With definite answers, you will have concrete expectations. Moreover, you will not get puzzled when composing the content.

The promotion can be a new product, a discount, a giveaway, a free resource, etc. The desired action can be signing up for updates on the new product, participating in the contest, downloading the resource, following up for the discount coupon, etc.

Review the Email List

You should decide on the target audience based on the promotional email goals. You probably have a huge list of email addresses. Are all these people the right recipients for your promotional emails? Do you want to send a message to all of them? Probably not, since they have different demographics and have signed up for different purposes and on different occasions.

On one side is the excitement of sending your exceptional offer to many people, and on the other end is the customer journey. Not all customers are progressing at the same stage. Say, your goal is to raise sales. Are all these people ready to buy?

A man with email icons.

To avoid driving them away, seeming too salesy, or sending your incredible message to the wrong people, filter the email list. In other words, get to email segmentation. Segment the list of relevant addresses of people for a highly targeted promotional campaign. Base this segmentation on your goals, and align it with the subscribers’ past interactions, engagement, location, stage of the journey, etc. 

Let the Subject Line Speak

The first line is the first impression. Remember the 300 billion emails sent and received daily. You must keep your promotional email from getting lost in the “emailful” mailboxes. Here, your subject line will speak for you. Make your offer explicit with the subject line. Construct it in a way the reader forms expectations from the content.

  • Personalize with name
  • Ask open-ended questions
  • Make your announcement
  • Avoid spam words 
  • Use numbers
  • Create urgency

An interface of an email. Writing an email.

Some good examples are:

“You prescription time is expiring”

“You’re missing out on coupons”

“Your giveaway wil go away at midnight” 

“15% off your choice”

“Name, earn extra points today only”

Ignoring the importance of a good subject line increases the chances that the receiver will ignore reading or engaging with your message. Thus, when learning how to write promotional emails, you must first learn how to write a subject line that gets clicked.

Offer Relevancy and Value 

The ultimate goal of your promotional emails should be getting the recipients to click on the CTA. The message should smoothly lead the reader to the desired action. While consuming your content, they should get value and find relevancy in the offer. In other words, the reader who finds him/herself in the copy is most likely to click on the call to action.

To create a compelling copy, you can follow these tips.

  • Avoid being too formal in your tone, and use conversational language.
  • Make the offered benefits evident and explicit.
  • Inside the reader’s curiosity, use humor mindfully.
  • Keep it short and to the point.
  • Prove the value with social proofs.

Writing an email copy also concerns utilizing human psychological factors. It is about establishing trust and credibility and emphasizing the users’ interest in the user-generated content. Learn what your audience likes and wants to hear from you, and accentuate it in your copy.

Attract with Design 

When you explore how to write promotional emails, you should also explore how to design your promotional emails. Great content might get lost in a terrible design. However, the unique structure will earn extra points in assuring the reader sticks to your message. 

Consider your emails’ layout, typography, color choices, and white space to create a compelling copy. A simple design with neutral colors will result better than a complicated layout with strong coloring. You can create email branding with distinctively-selected email features. 

When using visuals, apply the heading and the great offer on the face of it. Thus, your visual will communicate the experience, while your message will highlight the perks.

White spacing is important for engagement. Piles of texts will divert the reader and scare them away. In contrast, having appropriate white space will create a smooth flow between paragraphs and ideas, leading to the CTA. 

Staying consistent with the color choices create a visible contrast between the body paragraphs and your CTAs. 

Tips for Promotional Emails 

Here are general, irrefutable, and practical tips to strengthen your promotional emails and take your campaigns to the next level.

  • Don’t send unwanted emails. Ensure the recipient wants to get your message.
  • Perform A/B testing to understand which variation your recipients like.
  • Don’t exaggerate your offer with overstatements.
  • Be transparent in your statements to build trust. 

“Click” written on a green background.

Effective Promotional Email Examples 

 You learned proven and practical ways how to write promotional emails. Try to craft yours after exploring compelling examples of our choice.

#1

Subject: Don’t Miss Our Exclusive Sale – Up to 50% Off!

Here’s an exclusive sale event! For a limited period, save up to 50% on select products. 

Do you need new apparel, accessories, or home goods? We’ve got you.

Visit our website or head to our nearest store to take advantage of these amazing deals today.

The sale won’t last forever. 

See you at the sales!

[Sender’s Signature]

#2

Subject: [Company Name] Latest Product In the Inbox – Get Yours Today!

[Customer Name],

We are excited to introduce our latest product, the [Product Name]. This innovative new product is designed to [Product Benefits]. We believe it will quickly become a favorite among our loyal customers.

To celebrate the launch, we are offering a special discount of [Discount Percentage] off your first purchase. Simply use the code [Discount Code] at checkout to claim your discount.

Take advantage of this exciting offer! Visit our website or head to pre-order today.

Best,

[Your Company]

#3

Subject: [Customer Name], you’re Invited to Our Exclusive Event!

We want to appreciate our most loyal customers with an exclusive event just for you! Join us for an evening of [Event Description]. 

Plus, you’ll receive a special discount of [Discount Percentage] off your entire purchase during the event.

Space is limited, so RSVP today to reserve your spot. We can’t wait to see you there!

Best,

[Your Company]

Stand Out in the Inbox With Your Promotions 

In conclusion, email marketing is still the number one marketing method with around 300 billion emails being sent and received worldwide each day. Learning how to write promotional emails that convert is essential for businesses to increase awareness and build trust with their current or potential customers. 

The process involves:

  • Setting promotional goals.
  • Reviewing the email list.
  • Writing an engaging subject line.
  • Offering relevancy and value.
  • Designing the email layout with a simple yet distinct brand image.

By utilizing these strategies, businesses can craft winning promotional emails for various email marketing campaigns to create a lasting buzz among their customers.

 

SEO Content Writer

Hripsime Manukyan

Hripsime is an avid SEO Content Writer at SayNine. She is self-driven and self-motivated to create content on topics in branding, marketing, and advertising. She has set off writing for SaaS websites and enjoys the process of creating authentic content. You can find her composing a piece, teaching English, practicing yoga, exploring nature, or delved in a book reading.