How to Promote a New Product Using Email Marketing

You’re excited about your new product or service and want to launch it ASAP. Yet, a question creeps into the back of your mind. Will it sell?

If it does, you’re a genius. If not, well…

Fortunately, you’ve embraced email — the most profitable digital marketing channel out there – and that gives you a head start.

Today’s post shares some of the best product launch announcement emails we’ve seen.

It also covers all the basics you need to prepare a launch email series that’ll help you promote your new product or service.

Did you know? With GetResponse Email Marketing you can create stunning and highly-captivating email campaigns in a matter of moments. It comes with 100+ ready-made newsletter templates, an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, and other practical features that’ll help you deliver your campaigns straight to your audiences’ inbox. Start sending better emails today, with our free-forever plan!

9 product launch announcement emails to learn from

1. Chubbies

Subject line: Our coolest innovation… ever?

Here’s what I love about this product launch email.

First of all, the subject line and the headline. They create this feeling that you’re about to see something great, something you haven’t experienced before.

As you scroll down, you see an engaging animation (GIF) that fully explains what the “windbreaker fanny pack” is. It shows you the entire process of how the jacket transforms into a fanny pack that you can carry comfortably as the weather improves.

Next, the email goes on to explain what the product is and what *specific situation* it was designed for. Plus, you get to see the product from a closer look so you can get a better feel about its quality.

Last but not least, we’ve got a strong call-to-action button that invites you to browse through all their jackets, that’s followed by an informal, side-note story about the difference between British and American slang.

This goes well with Chubbies brand image and potentially lowers the friction of clicking on the CTA button and searching through the offer.

Essential guide: Email Marketing 101: How to do email marketing right

2. NYX Professional Makeup

Subject line: EVERYONE Is Talking About This Mascara! 👀

There are a few things that I really like about this announcement email.

First off, its use of the above the fold section. NYX Professional Makeup managed to squeeze in their key links, free shipping offer, and an invitation to join their members club – all that without taking too much attention from their hero offer.

Next, it’s about how they presented their mascara and placed their headline that says, “worth the hype.” Naturally, you could be suspicious if you saw such claim in an advertisement, that’s why the rest of the message is all about social proof and testimonials.

They’ve surrounded their product with quotes from their happy customers, showed their average rating, and even shared photos created by consumers that have already used their product.

To top it off, the testimonials are user-generate photos are then followed by a highly-visible CTA button and an animated banner that reminds you of the free shipping option.

3. MVMT

Subject line: COMING SOON: Party Favor Collab

Some announcement emails try to sell you on several things and have multiple CTAs. This one here is almost 100% about their upcoming collaboration.

Other than the fact that this newsletter is highly focused, I like that it creates anticipation by showing very little. It just shows you the picture of the artist, gives a brief description of who he is, and offers a sign up now button.

It goes even further to emphasize how spectacular this new launch is going to be by offering a way to “beat the crowd” and get notified via text when the product drops. This reinforces the initial message and makes you want to act as fast as possible

4. Bellroy

Subject line: Introducing…Bellroy Premium

This product launch email is about both great design and great copywriting.

In terms of design, just scroll through it and see how smoothly it goes from dark to light colors and shows their leather products in all kinds of ways. It feels great even just to look at and imagine yourself using these products.

The copy makes that feeling even more pleasing. It mixes the old “the art of leather” with the new “with a new attitude”, and prepares you for something unexpected, “Don’t be surprised if the unboxing gets a little emotional.”

Each product is presented in a single column (which means it’ll look great on mobile) and is followed by a highly-visible CTA button.

Lastly, there’s also a video that shows you the entire range of products and a comment from the brand’s founding designer – both of which show you that this isn’t just any line of products.

5. P.F. Candle Co.

Subject line: IT’S HERE!

Sometimes you don’t need to craft beautiful copy to capture your audiences’ attention. Sometimes all it takes is sharing your excitement in a way that people actually talk. That’s what this email is about.

The funny headline captures your attention. The next paragraph gives you a bit of a background for what’s coming in this message. Then it goes on to to their main CTA – “find your scent.”

If that’s not enough for you to click-through to their site, they go on to list the most favorite candles and seasonal scents, which are all followed by nice and descriptive CTA buttons.

6. The Oatmeal

Subject line: I have a new game for you

This email may seem a bit unconventional and hard to replicate, but bear with me for a moment (no pun intended).

The key thing I like about this is that it feels personal. It’s visible in the subject line – through the use of the word “I” instead of “we” – and the header, which reminds you of that time you backed the Oatmeal’s project on Kickstarter.

On top of that, it provides entertainment through funny images while also creating a sense of urgency by emphasizing that there are only 15 days left before you’re no longer able to back this project.

7. Casper

Subject line: Meet our new Nova Hybrid mattress

This product launch email checks many of the right boxes.

It’s got a great headline that makes you almost feel the product – “Our most plush mattress yet”.

They also describe all the important benefits and overcome hesitations – “A velvety-soft layer makes bedtime extra cozy without sacrificing support and cooling”.

Then it goes on to provide details about the technical aspects of the product so you can better rationalize buying it.

Last but not least, it lists testimonials from a few of their happy customers who, through their own words, back up the claims made by the brand.

As you can see below, they even did a follow up later the same year that shares more reviews of their products.

8. CAT Footwear

Subject line: Meet Sprint: The Athletic Alloy Toe Sneaker

Cat Footwear knows exactly who their target audience is and whom they’re designing their shoes for. They also make sure to get this across through their emails.

Although the design of this product announcement email is simple, it makes an impact.

Here’s what works well:

• The hero image shows both the product and the intended user
• The headline and copy preceding the CTA show great appreciation for the target audience “workers who keep our world moving”
• The highly visible CTA that comes right after the short copy
• Single column layout that looks and works great on mobile devices

9. Huckberry

Subject line: Round Out the WFH Uniform

You could say this email came in rather late (it was sent on July 7), but since it’s only recently started getting warmer and we’re still working remotely – I think this product announcement is very relevant.

While relevancy is important if you want to market a new product successfully, it’s not what I like the most in this email.

It’s three other things, actually.

First of all, the backstory that Huckberry always starts their emails with. There’s always a reason for why you’re receiving the message and why they’re featuring a particular product – and that’s made clear in the first paragraphs.

Next, it’s the use of imagery that shows the product from several angles that lets you judge its quality and general style.

Finally, it’s the commentary from their cofounder. It’s super relatable. And it’s reassuring that their cofounder vouches for this product and is using it himself.

This is a clever tactic that can help you support your product and your advertising claims if you don’t (yet) have customer testimonials you could share.

How to introduce a new product to customers through email

1. Include time for preparation

For an efficient email marketing campaign, start planning well before the official launch.

Start with a promo campaign designed to tease and familiarize your contacts with your upcoming product or service. Explain in detail who your offer is for, present the specific problems it solves, and show all the benefits for the user.

A well-planned campaign should:

• Gradually disclose information about key features
• Arouse interest among prospects
• Build anticipation for the launch
• Motivate contacts to want to pre-order your product
• Incentivize feedback and product recommendations

If you do it well, your most loyal customers will be watching their inboxes for the latest news about your “big announcement”.

Pro tip: Consider launching your product around the dates when your audience is already active and engaged. Think of all the special holidays and introduce your new product e.g., through a valentine’s day email campaign.

2. Plan and create content for the new product

In order to launch a successful promotional campaign, you need some good content – content that answers the information needs of your target audience. Basically, you should be able to explain why it’s worth buying your stuff. What are the benefits of using it? How will it help me achieve my goals? Etc.

Instead of sending a one-off email blast, you can use marketing automation to plan all the necessary content pieces. The workspace allows you to conceptualize the communication pattern – this way you know exactly how many assets you need.

Workflows containing web forms, landing pages, emails, and webinars show you exactly how much content you need to produce and most importantly, because you see the flow of communication, you’ll be able to design proper CTAs for each content piece.

Set a precise goal before you start writing copy or content. Ask yourself: what is the purpose of this piece? The goal should always be linked directly to the promotion of the new product or service.

Decide whether the content should:

• Reach target audience
• Build a solid contact list
• Inform contacts about the benefits of using your product
• Show its functionalities
• Explain how your product or service solves their problemBuild brand awareness and strengthen brand image
• Generate pre-order sales

As you prepare educational content, you can refer to industry news and current trends that are relevant to your product. Include appropriate fragments of articles and links to useful external sources. Educate your subscribers about how your product solves a common problem.

Remember that the product is a novelty, so make it the focus of your campaign. Don’t include information about older products or solutions that your contacts are already familiar with.

Keep your messages clear and make sure each contains a single call to action – this will dramatically increase the impact of you communications.

Also make sure that your messages are relevant, e.g., if the subject line is “Explore the surprising features of the WYZ camera”, make sure your message is dedicated to features that might be considered surprising.

3. Present the new product or service from every angle

Are you introducing a product that’s versatile enough for many different uses? Don’t worry — you can create an email series, with each message explaining a different use.

For presenting features and benefits, the message should be short and simple. More people will read your email, and it will be more comprehensible and memorable. Direct each message to a particular group of recipients.

Present features, advantages, and benefits that match their specific needs and expectations. List segmentation can help you use email marketing to the fullest. For greatest efficiency, send a dedicated message to each subscriber group.

To learn more about list segmentation, read the following article: How to Segment Your Email List Effectively.

4. Solicit external reviews

External reviews and opinions have a huge impact on marketing message credibility. Consider sending a demo version of your product or service to influencers in your industry. Ask them to test and review your product. Opinions of satisfied customers will certainly help people make up their mind about your solution.

Contact with bloggers might be helpful. If you’re wondering how to incorporate bloggers into your marketing strategy, read the following blog post about forming relationships with bloggers.

5. Prepare a special offer for subscribers only

Email marketing is an exceptional way to stay in touch with your customers. With properly executed email marketing activities, it’s possible to create long-lasting subscriber relationships built on trust.

If you build your contact list properly, with addresses of people truly interested in receiving messages form your brand – your email list becomes an elite club.

Show subscribers you care by sending a unique offer they can’t find anywhere else. For example, you could offer a freebie to all subscribers who buy the product via a link in your message. Or send them a unique promotional code they can use when they purchase.

To reduce the range of your promotional offer, use contact information to isolate a particular segment for special appreciation, such as the first ten subscribers or the five people with the highest click-through rate (people who clicked the links in your message most frequently).

Marketing automation features such as tags and filters will help you easily send exclusive campaigns to the right people.

6. Diversify your marketing

If you distribute information consistently via different online marketing channels, you’ll generate more buzz and increase brand awareness.

So, remember to use several channels to promote your content and reinforce the message. This will increase the range and overall efficiency of any campaign.

For example, with marketing automation you can track subscriber activity on your website to send personalized campaigns based on purchase or browsing history, for instance. Such contextual emails are really powerful.

This is just one example, but it shows just how important it is to promote your new products using various channels.

To learn how to make the most out this cross-channel approach, check out the following articles:

• 10 opportunities to use marketing automation across the customer lifecycle
• How to make social media and email marketing work together
• 10 tips on getting results with ecommerce email marketing automation
• Guide to email marketing for retailers

Take action

Now that you know what to put in your product announcement emails, it’s time for you apply this knowledge and launch your next campaign.

GetResponse can help you with that. With 100+ ready-made email templates, an intuitive email creator, and automated email sequences, you can market your new product with ease.

Just sign up for a free trial and try it free for 30 days.

Oh yeah! Did I mention GetResponse also comes with webinars, landing pages, conversion funnels, and Facebook Ads?

Read more:

1. Most Announcement Emails Suck
2. 30+ Best Email Marketing Campaigns We Loved