Business email templates

Email marketing is a very flexible method of communication. This channel gives you the possibility to send written messages in diverse formats including text, static and dynamic images, tracked URLs, or colorful fonts.

For this reason, most companies use email marketing in their strategies to send out promotions and offer to customers.

If you think all emails are the same, then you are very much mistaken! We can divide the types of email marketing messages into three main formats:

• Transactional emails
• Relational emails
• Promotional emails

It is necessary to keep these distinct formats in mind when crafting your email marketing strategy since each fulfills different goals.

Understand the three types of email marketing campaigns

As we have already mentioned, email marketing is very flexible. If you take a quick look at your inbox right now, you may notice that you receive emails from companies that communicate different messages with different styles.

An email promoting flight tickets, for instance, will not look the same as an online purchase confirmation. Yet both are still considered a part of email marketing!

To understand the fundamental elements of each type of message, best practices, and related marketing strategies, we divide email marketing campaigns into three main categories: transactional, relational, and promotional email types.

Transactional emails

As the name suggests, transactional emails are those which relate to a transaction that has taken place between two parties.

When you make a purchase in an online store, for instance, you may receive a series of transactional emails: one confirming the transaction when you complete the checkout, then one when the company receives your payment, and another when your product has been shipped, etc.

Some examples of transactional emails are:

• Confirmations of transactions
• Receipts
• Delivery notifications
• Return confirmations
• Support tickets
• Password recovery
• Email address confirmations

Relational emails

The main objective of relational emails is the engagement or enticement of your audience.

Relational emails focus on the relationship with your customers and potential customers by sending them content that will educate them and/or bring additional value.

Your relationship emails can contain:

• Welcome messages to new subscribers
• Newsletters
• Emails promoting blog articles
• Confirmation of webinar sign-ups
• Opinion surveys
• Emails about news or trends in a particular industry
• Invitations for courses

Promotional emails

Promotional emails are sent by businesses to their existing and potential customers.

For this reason, it is generally the format that is most strongly associated with email marketing. But as you have seen, there are several types of emails that can be sent and fall under the same category.

In addition to promotions and offers, a promotional email can also contain:

• Info about the launch of new products or services
• Launches of new resources
• Summaries of webinars
• Messages offering free trial periods
• Upgrade offers

But does emailing still work?

Email is still one of the most commonly used communication channels in the world. It is a less invasive and more accurate alternative than many other communication methods. If used properly, emailing creates a solid direct relationship between businesses and their customers.

Its versatility is one key reason for its great reach and efficiency. We could spend literally hours talking about all of the objectives that this tool fulfills. Email continues to be the main way to wrap leads, distribute content, increase sales, and improve customer relationships, just to name a few.

An important fact is that 72% of people prefer to receive promotional content via email rather than through social media (source). 

According to Email Monday, 68.9% of recipients view marketing emails on their smartphones 2-3 days per week (source),  and 81% of mobile device owners regularly use a smartphone for checking emails (source).

It is impossible to ignore the power of email, and you should be aware of all the possibilities offered by this communication channel. However, what is the most convenient way to use emails in your business? How can you leverage the power of email and do so most conveniently and efficiently? The answer is: using business email templates of all kinds.

What is an email template and what are the benefits of using one?

An email template is an HTML or text template that serves as a guide. The contents can be altered to fit your messaging.

An email template allows you to create email campaigns quickly. All you have to do is adjust the template to your needs by replacing images, text, fonts, and other elements. A good email template is suitable for all kinds of organizations operating in different industries, whether it is e-commerce, tourism, and hospitality, business, gastro, health care, education, or anything else.

Benefits of using an email template

You save time and resources

Instead of writing an email or creating an email template from scratch, you can easily upload your images, change the text, and select new content that is relevant for your database. You don’t have to choose which parts of the email to include, where to insert the images or where to write the text. Instead, with a ready-to-use template, you’ll have more time to create unique content.

No need to check the formatting

Every time you create a new email template from scratch, you have to check it for errors, because working with a large amount of data risks leaving out important sections or making formatting mistakes. Using a template ensures that your email looks exactly the same as the preview. Regardless, don’t forget to test the template out just in case.

Business emails templates explained

As mentioned above, there are three types of emails: transactional emails, relation emails, and promotional emails. Each of these categories comprises of different emails. We’ve curated a set of business email templates for each category to make it easier for you to launch your first campaign or improve an existing one.

Business email templates – Product launch

New feature release announcement template

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New physical product launch template

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Product or service launch email – short template

Find out more about Product Launch Email Templates

Business email templates – Testimonials/reviews

The professional approach testimonial/review email template

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Friendly check-in testimonial/review email template

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A positive opinion testimonial/review email template

Find out more about Testimonial/Review Email Templates

Newsletter email templates

Newsletter related to a holiday or a certain season

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Newsletter email template for different business sectors

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Email newsletter template for sending informative messages

or:

Find out more about Newsletter Email Templates

Business email templates – Onboarding

Onboarding welcome email

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An onboarding  email template that comes from an actual human being

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“Thank you for joining us” onboarding  email template 

Find out more about Client Onboarding Email Templates

Business email templates – Feedback request

Rate products you bought feedback request email template

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Thank you for a joint project feedback request email template

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Share your thoughts via video feedback request email template

Find out more about Feedback Request Email Templates

Business email templates – Call invite

Initial outreach call invite email template

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Follow-up to a call invite email

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“Schedule a call?” call invite follow-up email template

Find out more about Call Invite Email Templates

Business email templates – Call follow-up

When you want to sum up a meeting

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When you want to arrange a meeting

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When you want to promote your product or service directly

Find out more about Call Follow-up Email Templates

Business email templates – Discount offer

Formal discount offer email template

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Casual discount offer email template

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General discount code email template

Find out more about Discount Offer Email Templates

Subject lines for the various business email templates

Product launch email subject lines:

• Struggling with [a problem]? We’ve got you covered! [product]
• It’s finally here! Meet [product]: You will now get [benefit]
• New [product or service] from [company]: A solution to your [problem]
• Say hello to [product]! Now [benefit] is at your fingertips
• Tired of [problem]? Worry no more! [product] is here to help you out!
• Available Now: [product], the solution to [problem]

 Testimonial/review email subject lines:

• Many thanks from the [company] team!
• Thank you for your purchase/How do you rate our service?
• Your free subscription/gift
• So, what do you think about [company/product/service]?
• Share a few words and get [an incentive]
• Thanks for your help

Newsletter email subject lines:

•  There’s no better time than now
• A dose of the latest news from [company] especially for you, [name]
• [name], it’s your last chance to save big this [name of a holiday/season]
• Get your free [product/or service] by simply reading this email
• Ever wonder how [a certain area of expertise] works at [a Fortune 500 company/any other list of successful/renowned companies]?
• Are you a [name of a certain profession] who wants to [desired outcome] 

 Re-engagement email subject lines

• Still want to receive our newsletter? Whatever your decision, you need to tell us the truth
• Be honest with us [name]… We can’t wait any longer
• Do you miss us? Let’s reconnect!
• It’s been a while. We’ve been counting the hours and the days
• Are we breaking up or what?
• Do you still want to hear from us?

Client onboarding email subject lines:

• Welcome to [company], [name and surname]
• [name], welcome to the [company] community!
• [name], let’s get you moving!
• [name], you deserve the best
• Welcome to [company], [name]. Your quotes are here!
• New to our [company] world?

Feedback request email subject lines:

• A quick thank you from the [company] team
• We’d love to know your opinion about [product/service]
• How did we do, [name]?
• Share your thoughts about [product/service/company]
• Thanks for purchasing [product/service]. How was your service?
• We need to talk, [name]…

Call invite email subject lines:

• Let’s talk, [name]
• [name], are you ready for a quick chat?
• Still struggling with [pain point]? Let’s discuss some solutions!
• Let’s meet over the phone, [name]
• We need to talk, don’t we?
• Don’t miss out on our call
• We’d love to hear from you – literally

Call follow-up email subject lines:

• It was nice talking to you [name]!
• Thanks for finding the time to talk with me
• Here’s what we agreed during our call on [date and time]
• Summary of our call on [date and time]
• Thanks for taking the time to speak to me today, [name]
• It was so nice to meet you, [name]
• Thanks for discussing your concerns about [one of your prospect’s challenges] with me
•  I’ve just left you a message

Discount offer email subject lines:

• X% off – find your discount code inside
• Special offer: X% off 
• X% off – discount code inside!
• X% off on all items!
• Today only: X% off on all items!
• X% off your favorite [products]
• X% off all subscriptions!
• Get X% off on all plans!

Sending business emails – best practices

If you want your business emails to drive the expected results, you need to follow certain rules. We won’t even mention obvious things like placing a CTA at the bottom of your email, segmenting your subscriber’s list, measuring and analyzing each campaign, or personalizing every message as much as possible. You already know all that, right? Let’s talk about some less popular but still important aspects of email marketing that you need to take care of if you want to run the best email marketing campaigns possible.

1. Use secure SSL servers for email communication

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is an encryption technology that allows you to communicate with your email server using enhanced security. It uses two separate “keys” to encrypt all of the data in an email: a public key and a private key, which only the recipient has access to. This means that in the unlikely event of an email being intercepted, it will not be readable by the intercepting party without the private key.

When configuring your desktop clients such as Outlook, Thunderbird, or mobile devices, please try to use our secure ports and servers.

2. Avoid SPAM words in your messages

Email providers have anti-spam filters in place to prevent us from receiving junk messages in our inboxes.

This is a very positive thing for all of us (it’s awful to receive SPAM every day, isn’t it?), but it’s also a challenge that all those involved in email marketing must overcome.

Your newsletters will likely end up in SPAM folders if you are not careful enough. And, if this happens, then every time we send an email from our server it will go straight to that user’s SPAM folder.

There are different factors that email providers take into account when placing an email in the SPAM folder. One of them is identifying words that are commonly associated with spammy messages.

If you want your email to land in your customer’s inboxes smoothly, avoid words like: free, gift, best price, special promotion, discount, sale, click here, make money, buy, best price, lowest price, only for, free call, investment, 50% less, why pay more, eliminate your debt, now, do it now, start today, for a limited time, seen on TV, and lose weight, etc.

3. Change passwords and redirect accounts of former employees

This ensures that when employees leave your organization, they no longer have access to your accounts or business operations. Forwarding ensures that if anyone answers a business email sent using the account of a former employee, a current employee can complete or delegate the ongoing communication.

4. Don’t send mass emails with your mail service

When you send bulk emails to your contacts, either for advertising, announcements, or newsletters, don’t do so from your webmail or desktop client. Why? Because such an action puts your domain reputation at serious risk. You can get all of your emails cataloged as spam in the long run, or even cause the closure of your mail service.

To send bulk emails securely, you must ensure that you follow certain rules and procedures. Usually, this is done through specialized providers that will help you comply with anti-spam regulations.

5. Less is more 

In most cases, the simplest emails work much better than those filled with images, different colors, or complicated designs…

Less is more: your email has to be simple. The less it resembles typical newsletters (those that are laid out in different columns, full of huge images or with headers), the better.

We are used to associating SPAM with “well laid out” newsletters. That’s why, interestingly, a plain email that looks like a “normal” message, like one that a friend would send us, usually delivers better results.

The rule is as follows: keep it simple, stupid (KISS).

Business email templates – Frequently asked questions

How can I measure the success of my business emails?

The basic and most useful metrics for measuring the success of an email campaign are delivery rate, open rate, click-through rate, and bounce rate percentages. All reliable marketing agencies or email marketing tools will provide these statistics.

• The delivery rate is the ratio of emails that didn’t bounce to the number of emails sent.
• The open rate is the ratio of subscribers who opened your emails to the number of emails delivered.
• The click-through rate is the ratio of people who clicked links to the number of emails delivered.
• The bounce rate is the ratio of email addresses in your mailing list that did not receive your message, because their mail servers or clients returned them, to the total number of email addresses in your list.

Typically, good results are:

• Delivery rates of 95% or more 
• Open rates of 30% 
• Over 10% for click-through rates
• Less than 2% for bounce rates

However, these rates and benchmarks vary from industry to industry. The most important elements that influence these results are the campaign’s data quality and the value of the content.

How long should my emails be?

Content should be short, scannable, and presented in small chunks. Recipients spend seconds skimming over emails, picking up on general keywords and topics. If they spot something relevant, they will slow down and read your message more carefully. Start by writing your email and editing it down until you only have the key information left.

Should I write a plain text email or send an email in HTML?

A plain text email contains only text without any formatting. It also enables you to embed simple visuals or gifs into the email copy. At the same time, an HTML version contains images, colors, and other text formatting options. The choice depends on your email marketing strategy, branding, style guide, and many more factors. 

It seems reasonable to use emails based on HTML code, especially in the case of B2C products, as this kind of email gives you more options to visually present your product. However, 62% of marketers say they send a hybrid of HTML and plain text emails to their subscribers (source). 

How big should my email database be?

This is an individual aspect of every business. If you are selling a mass B2C product that is available for many types of customers (like a mobile phone, a scarf, or an economical car), your database will be huge and consist of hundreds of thousands of contacts. However, if you offer a highly-specified B2B shipping management software, your database will obviously be smaller. The most important thing here is to segment your database.