3-inspiring Product Launch Email Strategies (+what they did right)

📆 Tuesday, 2nd Apr 2024

Hey — It's Rhythm. Thrilled to have you back in Ecom Circle, where I spend my time scaling ecom brands & finding best growth strategies to share with you.

DEEP DIVE 💡

Google Glass. Premier smokeless cigarettes. New Coke. What do those expensively developed, highly anticipated products have in common?

They all flopped.

And they’re in good company. Of nearly 30,000 new products launched every year, an estimated 95 percent end in abject failure.

Product failures happen for any number of reasons, from the simple (like running out of cash) to the more complex (such as regulatory or legal challenges). But with many products, the issues stem from a badly executed launch.

Good product launches allow you to:

• Reach an already dialed in audience

• Let customers know when you’re launching a new product

• Generate buzz for the release

• Fill readers in on key details

• Show them the value

Email marketing plays a key role in pretty much all product launches—hardly surprising, given that email delivers an average return of $36 for every $1 spent. To help you nail your next product launch, today we share a proven email strategy and 3 product launch case studies with you!

How to Write a Product Launch Email

Planning is essential for any successful marketing campaign, and product launch emails are no different. Before you start writing your email, you need to:

1. Identify Your Target Audience

Are you sending a generic product launch email to everyone on your marketing list? Or are you creating different emails for different customer segments? We’d always recommend option #2. For instance, you might share a discount code or pre-order email to your most valuable customers.

2. Define Their “Need” for Your Product

Obviously, any product launch email should communicate the key features and benefits of the product in question. But if you’re personalizing your launch emails for different customer segments, you can drill deeper to pull out more relevant benefits.

Say you’re launching a new pair of walking boots. Let’s consider how your messaging might vary for different audiences:

• Die-hard walkers might want to know about how durable they are (including any guarantees you offer).

• Early adopters may be interested in the space-age materials used to craft your new boots, and why you chose them.

• Older walkers might be keen to find out about how much support your boots provide and how comfortable they are to wear.

3. Come Up With a “Hook”

The fact your product is new isn’t always enough to get customers jazzed up for the launch date. So you need to define the hook for your product launch email—the message that compels people to take action. It could involve:

• Highlighting scarcity. You could say limited stocks are available—and they’re expected to sell out soon.

• Promoting an offer. Maybe existing customers get a 10 percent saving on your latest product, or perhaps it’s available as part of a discounted bundle for the next 48 hours.

• Emphasizing exclusivity. Encourage customers to be the first to get their hands on your latest creation.

If you're launching a new product, and that product is good, you have every reason to put everything you've got behind it.

Case Studies: Product Launch Emails

1. Burberry

Burberry is a luxury British fashion brand with a reputation for sleek, chic style. One of the main reasons their customers love them is because they consistently put out new collections, which are always unique and ultra fashionable. Case in point, the TB Summer Monogram Collection.

“A journey from reality to fantasy, the campaign blends real-life capture with a dreamlike digital world inspired by geometric skateparks and swimming pools.”

If you check out the collection on their website, you’ll quickly see how innovative it is. And Burberry does a fantastic job of conveying the vibe on this product launch email example.

It starts off with this beautiful image of a model wearing one of the swimsuits from the collection perched on top of geometric cubes.

It’s a definite attention-grabber and does a great job of  showcasing Burberry’s newest products. Just below that, the brand gives readers a quick rundown on the launch, featuring concise copy to fill them in on the details.

Burberry also uses two dead simple CTAs to instantly move readers from the email to their website.

Below that, readers can take a close look at one of the most popular items from the new product line—the TB Monogram print handbag, while selecting the exact style they prefer.

And at the bottom, readers can discover more where Burberry directs them to men’s bags, sunglasses, and women’s bags.

This email is very straightforward, and with little effort readers can figure out what’s going on and why they should be interested. I love the clean, elegant design, which meshes perfectly with Burberry’s sophisticated branding.

I also love how they condense all of the essential information down into an easily digestible format. So, there’s much to be learned from this product launch email example.

2. Burrow

Here’s a brand that makes “clever, uncompromising furniture and other nice things fit for modern life at home.” In this email, Burrow gives readers the skinny on the unveiling of their newest product, the “Nomad Sectional.”

It starts off with a bang with this header and a stunning image of the Nomad.

So, with a quick glance, readers know what’s up and can tell what the product looks like and how big it is. Directly below that, Burrow whips up some sharp copy and highlights their new product’s UVP.

The Nomad Sectional has an award-winning design and is big enough to fit the whole family. But it’s “not your grandmother’s bulky sectional sofa,” — a line I thought was extremely witty.

The CTA is well-placed.

And Burrow lets readers know that the Nomad Sectional is totally customizable.

In fact, customers can design their own cozy corner and ensure their couch has ample seating.

Below that, Burrow dives even deeper into their UVP, explaining that they offer free, one-week shipping on every order so customers don’t have to deal with the hassle of borrowing a truck.

I know that’s a huge selling point for me. And to cap it off, Burrow also mentions that their sectionals can easily be disassembled for customers who plan on moving.

Here Burrow is stacking up value upon value and shows why the Nomad Sectional is more than “just another couch.”

3. GoPro

I think most people are familiar with GoPro by now. They’re one of the leaders in action cameras and are used by countless vloggers to capture epic video footage.

One of their main strengths is their branding. They’ve managed to create massive brand equity and become the gold standard in their industry. They even have a staggering 17.7 million Instagram followers, and counting.

This product launch email featuring what (at the time) was their latest product, the GoPro 8, contains all of the vital elements readers are looking for but boils it down into content that’s insanely easy to absorb.

Readers can literally see everything without having to scroll whatsoever. It starts off with the GoPro logo at the top, along with a sleek looking image of the product and the number 8 so readers can instantly put it all together.

This is followed by hyper-concise copy that doesn’t mince words.

It gets straight to the point, while giving readers a brief overview of the UVP, which is “Built in mounting. Unshakably smooth video. And so much more.” Then, there’s a crystal clear CTA of “Get Yours.”

There’s no beating around the bush or long-winded spiels here. GoPro simply dives right in and gets the word out about their most recent product, providing readers with the essential information they need to know. And to find out the full enchilada, all they have to do is click-through.

So, if you’re looking to achieve simplicity, this is one of the best product launch email examples to base your formula off of.