11 Fail-Safe Email Templates for Your Next Marketing Campaign

by John McIntyre

This is a guest post by Haris Halkic. In his newsletter he helps you build a business based on highly effective email copywriting by using the single most important copywriting secret already at your disposal.

email newsletter templates

The art of writing email copy is a beautiful thing – challenging to learn, even better to know. However, knowing how to structure an email campaign (or create newsletter templates) with all its necessary funnels is a challenge in its own right.

Email marketing is as easy as it gets for any sized company to reach its current and potential customers at a very low cost.

I’m telling you, it’s exactly these reasons why so many businesses out there do it wrong.

Keep reading for my 11 Fail-Safe Email Newsletter Templates for Your Next Marketing Campaign…

If you ask me, email campaigns are not something that should be taken for granted simply for their ability to drive sales. Writing copy that sells is only one part of the equation.

Knowing where to start the funnel and envision its flow is a whole another story.

One of my close colleagues likes to say: “The funnel never ends”. Right on!

If you’re thinking of building your own email list, starting a newsletter, or promoting a new product, you’re probably in need of an effective and engaging email campaign.

And some killer email newsletter templates!

So, sit back, read like crazy, and take notes, as the following are tried and tested, fail-safe email newsletter template ideas you might want to consider for your next email campaign.

Note: Some of these email templates can’t be used to drive engagement with a completely new email contact list but only an existing audience. Then, those email newsletters can be strategically funnelled out into never-ending, fruitful customer-client relationships.

1. Welcome Campaign

Did you know that one of the most opened email template types is the welcome email? Well, it is so long as it’s sent PDQ (pretty damn quick) after the recipient subscribes.

Automate a whole series of welcome emails to educate the recipient about your brand and the benefits your brand will bring. If you don’t tell them how great you are, no one else will!

Now that they have signed up, you need to keep them happy with something short and sweet. Try something like:

Thanks for signing up! You’ve been added to our mailing list to receive…

The initial welcome email can then be followed up with a ramp-on to the main newsletter list with a series of 2-5 emails with perhaps a little more regularity to explain some of the features of your brand and help get a new subscriber up to speed.

2. Birthday Emails

One great reason for collecting dates of birth at sign up or during purchase is to be able to send birthday emails to your subscribers. They are one of the best performing emails that you can send; it’s only a shame you can only send them once a year!

“They outperform promotional emails in almost all areas: 481% higher transaction rate. 342% higher revenue per email. [Source: Ortto]

Ideally, you want to offer your subscribers some new benefit on their birthday, whether it’s a coupon, a deal or special content. This gives subscribers a reason to open, personalizes the content to make them feel special, and is engaging.

Timing is important here, as you’ll need to decide whether to email them on their actual birthday, or in the run-up to it. If you’re giving something, then it might be worth considering sending it early so they can redeem it in time for their birthday.

Communicating at the point of sign up that you want to send them a birthday offer or similar will ensure you get quality data points as it’s common for people to provide false personal information like the birth date at sign up.

Here’s an example of a birthday email newsletter template:

It’s your birthday! To help you celebrate, we’re giving you 50% off your next order with us.

Such a huge discount is guaranteed to cheer them up and encourage them to purchase something!

3. Dedicated Sends

These can be a great way of rewarding groups of existing and potential clients! Make them feel special with an email which is written just for them and let them feel as though you are sharing something new and exciting.

Try:

Sssssh… We’re only telling this to a few people so listen up!

If it’s a bit more formal, you might want to try something like:

As one of our most valued and loyal clients, we’re pleased to offer…

You know your customers best, so change up your newsletter templates in a way that best suits them. Once you have their attention, you can amaze them with news of your latest, most amazing offers.

4. Instructive and Educational Emails

Sounds boring? It doesn’t have to be!

Help your readers learn a new skill so whenever they use it, they’ll think of you. This is a fabulous way of building brand awareness and trust. Just remember not to give away all of your secrets!

This could be delivered in the form of a YouTube video, short PDF download, or even an engaging long-form email template.

Imagine you’re a freelance personal assistant and you send out an instructional email newsletter with time management tips. You could start off with:

Do less. Do things that really matter. Slow down and notice what needs to be done and concentrate on only those things. Do fewer things that create more value, rather than more things that are mostly empty.

Bonus tip: add some statistics to boost your credibility when writing newsletter templates.

If you’re a trader, you could send out some instructional videos. During the recent heavy snow events in the United States, some plumbers shared DIY quick-fix videos for boilers.

Not only did these videos build trust in their services (because broken boilers are great money spinners) but they taught something new.

5. Customer Stories

These email templates can be great, but not when they’re written out like essays. Whenever you’re writing your email copy, remember to KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and leave your subscribers wanting more with short, snappy stories.

Try something like:

Remember what we said about doing less and doing things which really matter? Dan did just that! Read about how he transformed his life by doing less and outsourcing more.

or:

Dan was finding it hard to find the time to fit it all in. Trying to grow his business at the same time as working on projects meant that he was struggling to keep on top of his accounting and admin. Here, he shares his story of how outsourcing gave him time to focus on what he loves.

Try to make the stories as engaging as possible to leave your audience wanting to read further or buy from you.

This is a great email example that boosts conversions (because customers love email story-telling).

6. Brand Stories

Another one of my favourite email templates is brand stories.

When people buy products and services from you, the logical thing to assume is that they just want it because it’s good, popular or recommended to them; they don’t care about the backstory behind it.

Wrong! People buy people – so tell them something about yourself, your business, and your team.

Just remember to KISS and your brand stories will go far. Try:

I set up my business to help others. I wanted to provide a great service which would make their lives easier and guess what? I did just that! My company now works with over 400 different businesses to help them achieve their targets.

Then carry on by telling them how you help others.

The ending of these email newsletters can go one of two ways: a) end your story without asking for anything in return or including them in a different funnel straight away, and b) leverage your story into asking for something new or promoting your brand’s products and services.

7. Change Emails

Number 7 on the list is “Change Email” templates.

Change can be great for businesses. It can help them grow and reach new heights.

People, on the other hand, expect change but they don’t always expect to be told, so surprise them.

How about;

Hey guys, just a heads up that a couple of things will be changing for the better around here!

or:

To make your lives easier, we’re making a few changes around here.

Follow this up with brief details of the changes. Remember, if your changes are going to involve price increases, you’ll have to be really positive about them and sell the benefits.

You don’t want to lose customers because of the changes you’re making!

8. Personalization Emails

Do you ever get tired of mass-produced, generic emails which mean nothing to you? You’re not alone!

There’s a good chance that your recipients are also fed up.

The worst part? Generic emails are often ignored and sent straight to the junk folder anyway. Put your reader back in the driving seat by giving them reminders to update their preferences.

Here’s my solution to creating Personalization Email templates…

Try this:

It’s our anniversary! We’ve been emailing you for a whole 12 months and made some great memories together but we know that things change, so don’t forget to head to your account to update your preferences and make sure you’re only receiving the information you find helpful.

Or a simple “Don’t forget to update your preferences” with a link can work really well. You can read it at a glance and act accordingly.

Follow this up with some reminders of the great things you’ve shared with them. It may not be rocket science, but it reminds them of the fabulous benefits you bring.

9. Transactional Emails – E.g. Confirmation

Have you ever paid for something online and not received a confirmation email immediately after purchase?

You start shaking, hands get clammy, beads of sweat start to drip down your forehead until you can’t breathe any longer… Okay, maybe that just me.

The point is that transactional emails are fundamentally boring, but they are also reassuring. And they’re a chance to stand out if you add some story-telling or light humor to make your customers smile (and boost your brand awareness).

Provide that peace of mind to your customers, even if they don’t need it.

You need it, as that’s your open door to continuing your conversation with them and including them in any future offers, newsletters, etc.

Plus – it’s much easier to get repeat purchases, than brand new ones.

According to Yotpo, “returning customers make up about 1/3 of all online shopping revenue, and they spend 3x more than one-time shoppers on average”.

As far as the copy with this email template goes, short and sweet will win the game for you.

It can be a simple “Thank you for your order” email newsletter followed by details of the order (product or service, price, delivery details, any necessary follow up actions) – nothing more, nothing else.

Again, you can customize each email newsletter with a tagline or particular “thing” you like to say that your audience is already familiar with.

10. Sales Emails

Ahh, the classic sales email templates.

These can be tricky, as so many sales emails that are sent out to your contact list go straight to the junk folder or get deleted! However, some can be guaranteed to get through and get a response.

The trick is to do your homework first and to make the email newsletter copy about them, not you.

Try:

Hi Kate,

My name is ____ and I’m the co-founder at ____. We help businesses and individuals get more out of their day by providing outsourced PA services. I wanted to learn more about how you currently manage your time and show you a few things we’re working on at the moment.

Are you/Would you be available on (time/date options) for a call?

Remember to make it really easy for them to contact you. Otherwise, they won’t get in touch. And, yes…

Don’t forget to send a follow- up email if you don’t hear back from them, just recapping who you are and what you do as a friendly reminder.

11. Sales Follow-Ups

Sales Follow-Ups make for great newsletter templates.

It’s a bit like sending a bunch of flowers to your granny. If someone has taken the time to buy something from you, then show them that you care with an email version of a bouquet.

The sales follow-up email template shows your customer that you still think about them even after they’ve purchased a product or service you provided. It’s the icing on the cake.

The most important thing to remember, in all honesty, is that a single KISS can get you so far – something along the lines of:

I hope you were pleased with the service! We loved working with you and it would be great to have your feedback.

or:

We certainly hope you have enjoyed it! If you have time, we would love to hear your feedback, as it only allows us to get better.

You can always add in a phrase like “Thank you/Thanks in advance” or “We look forward to working with you again soon” to build on that great relationship you’ve just started.

So, there you have it…

11 Fail-Safe Email Templates for Your Next Marketing Campaign

These email newsletter templates are your sure shot at improving click-through rates and conversions, regardless of whether you’ve just started building your list or you’re looking for new ways to engage your current audience.

Either way, your focus should primarily be on writing effective email copy.

However, try to never underestimate the “strategic” part of the process.

About the author: Haris Halkic is an email copywriter. He helps bloggers, freelancers, and business owners take their email marketing to the next level. In his special report he shows you how to capture your reader’s attention with a little-known, easy method you can implement today – even if it’s obvious you’ll sell them something in your emails.

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