How to Craft a Product Launch Email That Drive Engagement (+25 Examples For Inspiration)21 min read
Creating a successful product launch email campaign is one of the challenges you’ll need to overcome with your product launch strategy. Data from G2 shows that 95% of newly-launched products fail, which means you’ll need every advantage you can get to avoid meeting the same fate.
This guide will go over everything you need to know to create the perfect product launch email — such as writing click-worthy subject lines, including key details in the body content, and following the best practices of 25 curated examples from top SaaS companies!
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What is a product launch email?
A product launch email is a marketing message sent by companies to announce the official release of a new product, service, or feature to its customers. This creates buzz around new offerings and highlights the benefits for both existing and potential customers.
Types of product launch emails
There are five main types of product launch emails that you’ll be using to market to both prospects and existing customers:
- Product preview email. Product preview emails notify users of the state in whichthe new version of the product is in and set expectations for the upcoming launch date. The purpose of this email is to update those on the waitlist and build anticipation around the upcoming product.
- Pre-order emails. Pre-order gives interested customers the opportunity to purchase a product before it officially launches (usually at discounted prices to incentivize early adopters). Pre-order emails need to contain all relevant details, such as the product’s features and pricing.
- Beta test launch email. A beta launch email lets you announce that your existing product is now available to beta testers so they can test it and provide feedback. The email may also contain incentives to encourage prospects to participate in the beta test.
- Product release email. The product release announcement serves as your official launch message and should thus include all the details about the product, including its key features and benefits. A good launch announcement should have a clear call to action to sign up for a demo or trial.
- Feature announcement emails. Feature announcement emails inform customers that you’ve added a new feature or functionality, highlight its benefits, and state the release date (if it hasn’t been released yet).
How to write an email for a new product launch?
While there are many product launch email templates available, it’s important to understand the fundamental principles before writing your launch emails. The sections below will go over how to select your target audience, plan your email sequences, craft a clickable subject line, and more!
Define your target audience
The first step is to pick a user persona in order to personalize the copy and include highlights that will resonate with their specific needs or jobs to be done (JTBD). By launching targeted email marketing campaigns.
For example, you might segment customers based on which department they work at. If you know that your audience that most of the people on your newsletter work for HR, then you’d be able to tailor the subscribers’ subject line and body copy to highlight the features that’d be useful for human resources.
Plan a strategic product launch email sequence
Your product launch campaign will need more than one email (that could possibly end up in the spam folder) to spread the word to current and potential customers. It’s more realistic to create a strategic email sequence as a series of emails is harder to miss and communicates more information.
First of all, you’ll need to send out a teaser email that tells subscribers that something big is in the works. It’s alright to hint at which problem the product is supposed to solve, but be sure not to give too much away. You would follow that up with an announcement email to relay the launch timeline.
Once you reach launch day, you’ll send out your official product launch email so that anyone excited to try the product can get started. Finally, you’ll need a follow-up letter for anyone who missed the previous emails in your sequence.
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Craft an engaging subject line
It won’t matter how many emails you include in your sequence if none of them have subject lines worth clicking on. Subject lines are the first things that users see when they receive your email, which is why they have the largest impact on your open rates.
Here are a few best practices to follow when crafting your product launch email subject line:
- Keep them short and on point.
- Ensure it’s related to the body of the email.
- Convey urgency or intrigue.
- Use emojis to stand out.
- A/B test to find the best variant.
Remember, the goal is to create anticipation for your product, so be sure to convey that in your subject lines as well as the body content of your email.
Develop the body of your email
When it comes to writing the body content of your product launch email, there are three key things you need to include:
- Product overview.
- Value proposition.
- Visuals/graphics.
The subsections below will go over each one in greater depth!
Provide an overview of your product launch
First and foremost, you need to give a concise description of what the new product/feature is, what it does, and other relevant technical specifications. Think of this as your elevator pitch that lets recipients know what the product is/does so they can decide whether or not they want to keep reading.
Highlight the value proposition of your product
Next, delve deeper into the specific benefits so recipients know what they stand to gain from the product being launched. The best way to highlight the product’s value and its key selling points would be to provide examples for potential use cases.
Include eye-catching visuals
You can make your email more engaging and digestible by incorporating visuals like images, GIFs, animations, videos, or even full-on interactive guides that showcase your product in action. Feel free to mix and match media types, but don’t use too many visuals to avoid overwhelming the prospect.
Share a clear call to action
Finally, you need to include a compelling call to action — but be sure to tailor the CTA to the goal of the email. For instance, a pre-launch email may only require that readers visit your landing page. In contrast, a launch email needs to get them to actually try the product.
Regardless of the use case, you should only have one CTA per email to make the next step as clear as possible. That said, you can mention the (same) CTA at both the start and end of your email in case people don’t scroll all the way to the bottom.
Measure the success of your product launch email campaign and improve
Using the right email marketing software or marketing automation platform can help you track key metrics such as:
- Open rate. The percentage of email recipients who opened your email. It is often a measure of the sender’s reputation and your chosen subject line.
- CTR. The click-through rate or CTR measures the percentage of email recipients who click a link in an email.
- Conversion rate. The percentage of email recipients who take the desired action. This may involve making a purchase, joining a waitlist, etc.
- Revenue generated. This metric tracks the monetary success of your email campaigns. You can insert UTM codes within links to attribute revenue to customers who saw your marketing emails.
Best product launch email examples from SaaS
Feeling ready to write your own product launch emails? Use these 25 product launch email examples (which helped uber-successful products acquire customers) as inspiration for your upcoming email sequence!
Product launch email example #1: Figma introducing their new tool
What makes it work?
Figma uses this product launch email to promote the release of their collaborative whiteboard tool FigJam. The email is easily digestible as it has multiple graphics that break up the content. Figma has also linked to a blog post for further reading and invited users to an upcoming webinar on the topic.
Product launch email example #2: SocialBee’s special launch offer
What makes it work?
SocialBee uses this launch email to announce that they’re spinning off concierge services as its own agency named ConciergeBee. While the email is lengthier than we’d like, SocialBee uses headings, images, and bolded text to break it up into short paragraphs with a 20% introductory offer at the end.
Product launch email example #3: Deel promoting their Product Hunt launch
What makes it work?
Deel’s product launch email hooks users with shiny new features and then promotes their Product Hunt launch to gather upvotes. The email is easily skimmable due to the bullet list format (using emojis as bullets to communicate what each feature does) and uses a high-contrast CTA button to increase CTR.
Product launch email example #4: Graphy early access email
What makes it work?
Graphy uses an early access announcement email to invite prospects as beta testers. It starts the email strong by agitating pain points, then closes with a bullet list summarizing its value proposition. That said, the email should definitely be shortened to reduce the distance from hook to USP and CTA.
Product launch email example #5: Doit’s pre-launch email access
What makes it work?
Doit uses a pre-launch email to invite users to beta-test the product (along with features that were recently added). The inclusion of a dashboard screenshot gives users a preview of what they’re signing up for, while the descriptive CTA button clearly shows the next step they need to take.
Product launch email example #6: Notion AI beta launch email
What makes it work?
Notion uses this feature announcement email to recruit beta testers for its Notion AI writing assistant. It uses a GIF to showcase the writing assistant in action and includes a bullet list with use case examples to highlight benefits in a way users will find relevant (rather than overly promotional).
Product launch email example #7: Notion AI private beta launch confirmation
What makes it work?
Those who converted from the previous email receive this concise follow-up email that confirms they’ve been added to the waitlist. It includes a referral link that incentivizes word-of-mouth marketing in order to move up in the line and another link that helps recipients see where they currently are in the queue.
Product launch email example #8: Notion AI private beta launch access
What makes it work?
Finally, Notion uses this feature launch email to announce that the AI writing assistant has launched in beta and can now be used by enabling it in settings. The subject line makes it clear that the recipient has made it off the waitlist while providing clear instructions for the next step and attaching a full guide.
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Product launch email example #9: SEOwind’s visually appealing email
What makes it work?
SEOwind uses this feature announcement email to promote the release of the 2.0 version of their AI outline feature. The video and numbered list provide a detailed description of how the feature has improved, while the bright pink CTA button draws attention to itself without straying from SEOwind’s brand palette.
Product launch email example #10: Narrato’s pre-order email
What makes it work?
Narrato uses its product launch email to acquire as many customers at launch as possible. It leverages its success on Product Hunt to build credibility and then offers a limited-time 50% discount on the first year to encourage prospects to sign up before the introductory deadline.
Product launch email example #11: Blaze after launch webinar invite
What makes it work?
Blaze uses a post-launch email to carry its Product Hunt momentum into a founded-led webinar. The bullet list sets a clear agenda for what the presentation will cover, and the CTA uses scarcity-inducing phrasing to encourage recipients to “save their seat” (suggesting that the number of seats is limited).
Product launch email example #12: Guidde AI sponsored inclusion inside Product Hunt newsletter
What makes it work?
Guidde bought a sponsored placement on the Product Hunt newsletter to promote the launch of its product to an existing audience. It uses a bold hook to agitate the main pain point, then explains how Guidde works with bullet points before finally telling prospects it’s free and inviting them to try it out.
Product launch email example #13: Airtable update email
What makes it work?
Airtable uses an update email to announce its redesigned home screen and encourage customers to log into the product to have a look. While the email does utilize bolding and bullets, it doesn’t contain any graphics that could’ve otherwise helped break up the lengthy text.
Product launch email example #14: Trello’s template gallery launch
What makes it work?
Trello uses this launch email to promote the launch of its template gallery rather than a specific product or tool. While the primary CTA is a bit vague, the secondary “Get Free Gold” CTA picks up the slack by incentivizing word-of-mouth marketing in exchange for Trello Gold perks (which are no longer available).
Product launch email example #15: Designmodo uses visual and design elements
What makes it work?
Designmodo uses a low-text announcement email to promote the release of its responsible email builder: Postcards. The graphic shows recipients what the tool looks like, the text explains exactly what it does, and the CTA button gets people to view the presentation so they can see Postcards in action.
Product launch email example #16: Loom’s redesign announcement
What makes it work?
Loom’s announcement email lets users know that its desktop recorder has been redesigned. It uses a compelling subject line and opening graphic to concisely explain how Loom’s redesign has improved the product then prompts recipients to get the new recorder as their next step.
Product launch email example #17: Wordtune uses big CTA’s above the fold
What makes it work?
Wordtune uses this feature announcement email to bring attention to the new section summaries feature within the AI writing workspace. The title and TL;DR already give recipients an idea of what it does, but the screenshot and instructions listed below clarify what the actual process looks like.
Product launch email example #18: Descript goes for detail
What makes it work?
Descript’s product update email announces the latest release of the software and highlights new features. It immediately piques the recipient’s interest by framing the update as Descript 1.0 then showcases new features with product screenshots and link to resources for further reading.
Product launch email example #19: Figma announces Figma Plugins
What makes it work?
Figma announces multiple plugins in a single integration announcement email to avoid spamming customers. Grouping the plugins by purpose makes it easier for recipients to figure out what each integration is for. Meanwhile, they also encourage users to build their own plugins.
Product launch email example #20: Ahrefs exploits the power of video
What makes it work?
Ahrefs sends out periodic product update emails that recap all the changes from the past month. By embedding a recap video, they can keep the email as concise as possible while still linking to the product update blog post for those who want to read about the new features instead of watching.
Product launch email example #21: Willo’s exclusive update
What makes it work?
Willo uses a pre-launch announcement email to update those who are already on their waitlist. By giving their waitlist an exclusive discount and creating scarcity by limiting stocks, they increase the conversion rate from prospects who have previously expressed interest in the automated toothbrush product.
Product launch email example #22: DigitalOcean’s value-driven email
DigitalOcean used a pricing announcement email to promote the release of CPU-optimized VPS hosting plans. The performance metrics add credibility, while the bullet list clarifies how those gains translate to end-user benefits to encourage existing customers to upgrade their subscriptions.
Product launch email example #23: Mailchimp’s beta launch email
Mailchimp’s beta launch email publicized the limited release of its new website builder. While the bullet list is fine, the opening paragraph (which is supposed to be a concise hook) has too much filler text with vague fluff — and cutting it entirely would make the entire email far more compelling.
Product launch email example #24: Blissfully’s redesign announcement
Blissfully’s product update email to announce their 2.0 redesign. The email evokes curiosity using the founder’s backstory but beats around the bush too long about the drawbacks of poor visibility. That said, the bullet list and overview video below make up for it with a highlight reel of improvements.
Product launch email example #25: Asana’s pre-launch email
Asana’s feature teaser email hypes up the upcoming Kanban board update and rule-based automation capabilities. While conciseness is usually a good thing, this email does lack some depth around how the features will actually work and what benefits users will experience once they arrive.
Conclusion
Developing an excellent product means nothing if you aren’t able to get it in front of prospects and make them sign up for a trial or demo. A well-crafted product launch email can mark the difference between success and failure — especially with the constant, year-round stream of product launches.
Once you get users to try out your product, Userpilot can help you onboard them and drive adoption through in-app guidance to ensure they stick around long-term! If you’re ready to turn your email-driven signups into paying customers then book your free Userpilot demo to get started!
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