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10 Inspiring and effective email template examples

Do you want to really wow your subscribers with your emails? Of course you do.

Are you frequently looking for template examples to help give you some inspiration?

Have you done a little research, but aren’t sure where to start?

We’ve compiled 10 great email template examples to help give you some guidance and inspiration in your own marketing efforts.

Let's start with segmentation

We all know how important segmenting your email list is, right?

Using email templates for your segmented lists is a powerful way to take advantage of one of your most useful marketing tools—the information you have about your subscribers.

You can, for example, target people in certain cities with their NFL team colors during football season.

You can also target people based on the way they open emails—if you notice a certain group of people open emails in the morning, make sure to capitalize on that by sending their emails early in the day.

Likewise, divide up the rest of your list and send emails when you find that people are more likely to open them.

This shows you are paying attention to your subscribers, and it sets your email marketing strategy up for success.

10 email template examples to wow your subscribers

These are some of the best email template examples we could find. They run the range from fashion and beauty to nonprofits and governmental agencies. Each offers a unique look into an effective email marketing strategy and design. Continue scrolling to see the best of the best in email template examples.

1. Sephora: Travel giveaway enticements

Source: Campaign Monitor

With an offer to win a trip to Paris, Sephora’s email showcases how an offer of a giveaway, free trip, or other promotion can sway users to open the email and take action.

Don’t have a free trip to give away? That’s okay—try starting with a small giveaway of your most popular product or service.

Takeaway: All you need is something to reel people in and get their attention. Then, let your engaging email copy do the rest.

2. Good Eggs: Discounts and delicious imagery

Source: Really Good Emails

Another great example of a promotional offer is from Good Eggs. They offer a $25 discount on your first order and pair it with great, wholesome imagery.

Whatever route you choose, do some A/B testing to see what discounts and offers provide the most value to your email campaigns.

Takeaway: Promotional offers like this entice people to sign up for recurring services they might not otherwise use. You can offer a flat discount or a percentage code for discounts.

3. SXSW: On-trend technology feature

Source: Campaign Monitor

Certain industries may find success in promoting on-trend technology, like SXSW in Austin, Texas did with their email campaign.

The allure of interactive and virtual reality experiences is capitalized on in both their text and imagery. True to the “Keep Austin Weird” motto, the email has a bright, vivid colorway.

Takeaway: Use bright imagery to draw the customer in so that they will register and/or purchase tickets to the event.

4. Synapse: A sense of urgency and a clock

Source: Really Good Emails

An excellent way to impart a sense of urgency for tickets to events is to use a countdown timer or clock that counts down until the day of the event or the day the ticket prices go up.

Synapse did exactly this with their tickets—ticket prices double after the discount deadline, so this email is a timely way to encourage people to take advantage of that early.

Takeaway: While it isn’t necessarily wise to send emails daily, sending them frequently before a large savings expires is a great way to show your customers you want their business.

5. UNICEF New Zealand: Two stories, one call-to-action

Source: Campaign Monitor

UNICEF New Zealand starts off with an emotional appeal about children needing help, and in the same message, they place a more direct message about how your donation can impact children.

Their call-to-action is a simple “donate now” button and the images are simple images of happy children, further exploiting the emotional appeal aspect of their message.

Takeaway: An emotional appeal is a great way to get your customers or subscribers to click-through your email call-to-action.

6. Uber: Using email segmentation to shine

Source: Really Good Emails

Email segmentation is one of the best ways to increase email engagement and click-through rates. One way to segment your list is through geography like Uber did.

Focusing their marketing efforts in Illinois, they provide a list of things to do in Chicago that you can, conveniently, take an Uber to do.

Takeaway: Think outside of the box with your marketing efforts. Rather than saying, “Hey, come ride with us”, Uber said, “Hey, come take a ride to this awesome pizza place.” Much more appealing, isn’t it?

7. FontShop: Smart use of engaging language

Source: Campaign Monitor

Some language is more actionable than other phrases or words. FontShop capitalizes on phrases like “going fast” and “last chance” to encourage people to download their copy of a font face.

Language like this imparts a sense of urgency to the customer or subscriber, and it gives them the impression that they need to hurry and take advantage of this offer.

Takeaway: Engaging language in your subject lines is as important as your email copy, so don’t forget to spend some extra time on those few characters.

8. APTO: Differentiators and promotional codes

Source: Really Good Emails

Skincare brand, APTO, uses its industry differentiators as their message in this email copy. Focusing on being budget-friendly and using seasonal ingredients, they call out what sets them apart.

APTO paired their email copy with a free shipping offer to up the ante a bit. This is a great opportunity to do some A/B testing to see what discounts are most enticing.

Takeaway: Using your differentiators in your welcome email is a great way to keep people interested in your brand. They want to see what’s different about your company, not what’s the same.

9. Global Fund for Women: Upfront, welcoming call-to-action

Source: Campaign Monitor

A little different than some of the other emails we’ve looked at, the Global Fund for Women invites you at the very beginning of their email.

Rather than using a more aggressive sales-oriented call-to-action, they have used a softer, more welcoming approach to asking their subscribers to connect with them.

Takeaway: This may be a great strategy for events, donations for charity causes, and messages in which the call-to-action is something passive.

10. Chipotle: A glimpse into their fresh ingredients

Source: Really Good Emails

Not every email has to be salesy. Some informational emails may even be helpful to your marketing strategy if done correctly.

Chipotle, for example, sent out a multi-part series on the ingredients they use. They paired their differentiators (fresh ingredients) with an educational tactic.

Takeaway: Try sending out emails that talk about more than what you’re trying to sell. If you’re an industry leader, send out emails that show your customers your company is an expert.

How to use your own email templates

Creating your own email templates can be challenging if you don’t have a background in design.

Working with Emma is a great way to incorporate professional services into your marketing campaign and get the quality email help you need.

We have a drag-and-drop editor that makes email design a breeze. With these email template designs, you should be well on your way to crafting the perfect email for your subscribers.

Wrap up

We’ve covered a lot in this blog post. Let’s sum up some of the key takeaways from these email template examples:

Promotional offers: Use promotional offers to entice customers to come back again or make their first purchase. These should be front and center in your email.
Email segmentation: Do some A/B testing to see how best to segment your lists. It may be geography, age, gender, or some other demographic indicator.
Calls-to-action: Think long and hard about what your call-to-action is and is going to be. Are you trying to sell? Get someone to download? Share? You want to reflect on the real action you want them to take.
Informational emails: Use these to stay top-of-mind with your customers between your sales pitches. It shows you want to provide value beyond what they can buy.
Email templates: The best emails vary from industry to industry and action to action, but using these examples as a guide can help you create some impressive campaigns.