Apology for Our Mistake email template

A short, honest apology after a wrong send: a plain heading, what happened in two paragraphs, a small sorry code and a signature from a real person.

Light shows the email as designed. Dark and Gmail show how email apps can change its colors.

Industry
Ecommerce
Type
Plain text style
Size
9.6 KB, 600 px wide

About this template

An apology for the day something goes wrong: a wrong email, a broken link, a mix-up with an order. It is meant to be read as a person owning up, so there is nothing to look at but the words.

A plain heading says what happened in six words. Two short paragraphs explain the mistake and what the reader needs to do, which in this sample is nothing at all. A small code in a dashed box says sorry without making a fuss. A named person signs it, so there is someone to reply to.

Send it as soon as you know the facts, and only once. Change the details to fit your own slip, say what you changed so it will not repeat, and do not turn it into a sale.

Use it in your email tool

  1. Click Copy HTML, or download the .html file.
  2. In Mailchimp, Brevo, HubSpot or Klaviyo, start a new email with the custom HTML or code editor and paste it in.
  3. Change the text, links and images. Map merge tags such as {{first_name}} and {{unsubscribe_url}} to the tags of your tool.
  4. Send a test to yourself on desktop and phone before you send it to your list.

Sections in this email

  1. Plain heading
  2. What happened
  3. What we changed
  4. Sorry code
  5. Signature
  6. Footer

Subject line ideas

  • We sent you the wrong email
  • Sorry about that last email
  • Our mistake, {{first_name}}

Preview text idea

That email about your order was not meant for you. Your order is fine. Here is what happened.

All notice templates

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