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Promoting a new product is very challenging.
What should you write in the email? How do you show your product in the best light? What’s the best way to stand out in a crowded inbox? More importantly, how do you drive early sales and keep the momentum going?
We searched high and low for the best product launch emails (focusing on modest brands) and spoke to several ecommerce marketers to answer these questions.
This guide compiles some of our favorites.
Effective product launch emails drive early sales and maintain momentum.
So, what elements should you incorporate in your emails to accomplish this? Based on our experience, it boils down to:
Product launch emails take on various forms: feature announcements, pre-order emails, and future sales emails.
This guide mainly focuses on new product release emails.
Keep scrolling, even if that's not what you're creating. Most of these tactics are applicable in other emails as well.
Stylish wigs take center stage in our first product launch email example. By placing the pricing of its hair product upfront, Irresistible Me fosters trust and demonstrates confidence in its quality.
What we like in bullet points:
What we think can be improved:
Nothing! This email ticks all the boxes.
How you can apply this tactic in your product launch email:
Turn a primary CTA into different variations to generate more clicks (e.g., Explore the new collection, Buy now, Find my perfect fit, etc.).
“CTAs are not just buttons,” explains the email marketing specialist at Irresistible Me. “They're opportunities for your audience to engage further with your brand.”
Using multiple CTAs also prevents you from sounding repetitive as you’re appealing to shoppers across different stages of the funnel.
Products look and feel more attractive when email design is on point. Note how Little Planet uses visual hierarchy to direct focus to where it matters: high-quality organic clothing for your little ones.
What we like in bullet points:
What we think can be improved:
Use a bigger and darker font to draw more attention to the free shipping perk. The original white text against the green background is barely noticeable unless you squint your eyes.
A great example is Irresistible Me.
Notice how it draws eyes to its free shipping and returns without detracting attention from the new wigs?
That's what you want to do with these “click boosters.”
How you can apply this tactic in your product launch email:
Convert your email list to SMS subscribers.
With 73% of marketers saying text messaging drives incremental revenue for their businesses, consider combining both email and SMS to increase the chances of subscribers converting to customers.
To collect more phone numbers, offer an incentive, such as a discount, free shipping, or a mystery gift.
Public Good grabs sweet-toothed folks’ attention with its newest fair trade organic dark chocolate bars. This product launch email is a visually scrumptious feast.
What we like in bullet points:
What we think can be improved:
Nothing! This email ticks all the boxes.
How you can apply this tactic in your product launch email:
Include your product benefits to convince shoppers on the fence.
While key features lay out the specification of your product and target shoppers at a high stage of awareness, benefits help customers further up in the funnel visualize their desired outcomes.
💡 For best results, according to copywriters, put your “best and biggest” benefit in the header and bullet copy.
Lofi Girl scores high points for weaving a story into its email. It captures what subscribers want after a long day at work: chilling with a video game, alongside an adorable pup and a feel-good playlist.
What we like in bullet points:
What we think can be improved:
Show how much shoppers stand to save with the bundle deals.
As mentioned earlier, by putting the cost of your product front and center, you boost transparency, demonstrate confidence, and create an overall better experience.
How you can apply this tactic in your product launch email:
Cross- or upsell email subscribers to increase your average order value using an email marketing suite like Getsitecontrol.
Using an extensive library of professional templates, you can easily set up a product launch email campaign and customize it to fit your unique brand within minutes.
For example, here’s how it might look when you display shoppable cards in your emails. Click +Insert > Product Cards.
In the product cards settings, click +Add product and enter the product URL link you want to assign to the card.
Next, fill in the remaining product details.
Style the product cards and rest of the email accordingly.
Click Save & close when you’re done.
Disney fans will be chuffed to bits with this email from Sunnystep. Watch how it plays up the denim blue Mickey Mouse shoes against the cool yellow background and vibrant graphics.
📝 Fun fact: Sunnystep sent a pre-launch email to tease subscribers, reiterating our point earlier about setting up a product launch email drip sequence!
What we like in bullet points:
What we think can be improved:
Place the exclusive collaboration in a prominent position. It'll drive home the product’s unique selling proposition (USP).
For example, a bright “Only at Sunnystep” text overlay icon at the bottom left of the first image. Or next to the “Limited Edition Collection” label to instill urgency.
How you can apply this tactic in your product launch email:
Showcase your product's USP right away.
Whether it's a money-back guarantee, eco-friendly materials, or natural ingredients, don’t bury it! Doing so risks subscribers who don't scroll all the way to the end missing it.
A better approach is to highlight it in the subject line to stand out in the inbox and above the fold in your email to maintain interest.
EDEN + ELIE shines a light at its Spirit of Place Collection, an exquisitely curated jewelry capsule co-created with Selling Sunset star Amanza Smith.
What we like in bullet points:
What we think can be improved:
Feature a quote from Amanza Smith (sourced from the official press release) to share how the once-in-a-lifetime collaboration came about. Not only does this add a personal touch, but it also speaks volume about EDEN + ELIE's exclusive pieces.
How you can apply this tactic in your product launch email:
Share what happens behind the scenes.
One of the top things consumers want to see more from brands on social is information about how products are made or sourced. Consider weaving it into your product launch email to give email subscribers a peek at how your product came to life.
Helumi is a one-woman ecommerce brand known for its “cute and uber-functional planners.”
The product photos are on the scrappy end, but with the glowing user reviews and bundle savings, it’s compelling enough to entice shoppers to click the order button.
What we like in bullet points:
What we think can be improved:
How to apply this tactic in your product launch email:
Spotlight how customers use your product (or MVP), focusing on their experience, benefits, or outcome achieved.
Locate customer reviews in these places:
And drop them a quick message to get their permission
What other tactics can you implement to increase sales for a new product? Here are four additional ideas worth exploring.
Quizzes help you understand customer buying preferences in a fun way.
These multiple-choice questions work by tagging customers before sending them personalized emails based on the information they share.
Instead of the entire email list, you're reaching out to a specific customer segment who expressed interest with a tailored recommendation.
“This means every customer won't get every email, which is fine,” explains Gabriel A. Mays, co-founder and CEO of POPSMASH, a Shopify quiz app.
Companies that excel at personalization drive 40% more revenue. If you tailor your emails according to customers’ interest, adds A. Mays, they're more likely to open them.
“They also convert more often, because the emails are more relevant.”
Note how this product launch email recommends a specific coffee creamer based on the customer's favorite season (fall) and activity (reading).
Created for an F&B ecommerce store, the email even expanded on the subscriber’s favorite author and suggested a similar book they might enjoy.
It took months to build the data before the store could reuse the email for future campaigns.
The effort paid off.
In the end, the duo generated a 2X higher open rate and 3.4X higher conversions.
New product launches fizzle out eventually.
To capitalize on the early excitement, send a booster email 24-48 hours after the official launch email.
Why 24-48 hours?
“We found that it's the ideal time for most of our audience to engage with the first email,” says Zach Daneett, co-founder of Tumble.
When the home furnishing ecommerce store added a booster email within this timeframe for its new faux fur spill-proof rugs, open rate increased from 20% to 35%, leading to more sales.
“The main goal is to remind customers they're one of the first to access this new product.”
This approach, according to Daneett, also gives your email another chance to be seen, especially by subscribers who missed the first launch email but are still interested in your new offer.
Use a slightly different angle in the booster email’s subject line to keep it fresh.
For example, here’s how it might look for a new spill-proof, waterproof keyboard:
You can use an email marketing suite like Getsitecontrol to set up a drip sequence like this. Easily set triggers and conditions of your choice, and leave the rest to the app.
Express checkout tools like Shop Pay let shoppers purchase with a single click.
Since everything is pre-filled at checkout, customers don't need to re-enter their payment information whenever they make a new order.
This friction-free and seamless checkout process often sees more customers buying, so much so that when Cafely implemented it in its recent product launch emails, conversion rates rose to 15%.
Opt for an email marketing service that natively integrates with an express checkout tool.
You'll likely see a significant increase in conversions.
When’s the best time to send emails so customers are more likely to see them?
Research points at 9 am to 12 pm. However, we think your best bet is to conduct an A/B test and analyze which has the highest open rate.
That should help you pinpoint the best time to send your emails.
Your first product launch email campaign doesn’t need to be difficult.
Try these tactics to drive early sales and keep the momentum going.
To recap, here’s what you should do today:
And watch out for the increase in sales over time.
Priscilla writes product-led and comparison posts for mar- and salestech companies. 36.7% of her articles rank on the first page of the SERPs.
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