Our favorite announcement emails and tips for your own

We can all agree that digital marketing can be elaborate—but announcement emails are so fun to craft.

They’re often simple and to-the-point, and they seem like they’re effortless to create. 

At its most stripped-down, the announcement email lets people know what’s going on. But what does an announcement email really look like—what’s it supposed to communicate?

What is an announcement email?

The function of an announcement email is to inform and prepare your subscribers for an upcoming change, event, or offer. 

An announcement email makes a promise. Your email should highlight the usefulness or desirability of what you’re announcing to your subscribers.

Announcement emails include press releases and event invitations, but they’re not always synonymous with promotional or retail emails. The subject matter can range from launching a small-batch product launch to communicating a company rebrand.

Part of why the announcement email works so well is because it’s sent to your email list. When people sign up to receive your content in their inbox, they’re telling you they are receptive to receiving news about your brand.

How do you craft a great announcement email?

Instead of waiting for people to find out about pertinent details on their own, write an official email. Be in charge of how and when your target audience finds out about details important to your brand. 

How do you create an intriguing and instructive announcement email? Follow the three steps below.

1. Create content that’s clear, compelling, and communicative

Every email type in your marketing campaign has slightly different guidelines. To begin an announcement email, gather and double-check the soon-to-be-shared information. What’s the most compact and fluff-free way to write about it? 

• Keep the focus on what’s important: If you can avoid doing so, don’t add elements that can compete for attention with the main point of your email. The fewer distractions, the better.

• Include interesting and contextual visuals: Text descriptions only go so far. More than 65% of people understand information better when it’s delivered in a visual format.

• Let your audience know what to do: You’ve given your subscribers all this information. Now what? Every marketing email benefits from a call-to-action (CTA) and the inclusion of a clear path to conversion.

Oh, and make sure your email has all the required contents of an announcement email.

2. Deliver the news to the right people

Here’s how to put together an announcement that won’t stay unopened in your subscribers’ inbox.

• Make your subject line unforgettable: The subject line could be the most important text in your announcement. Why? It’s the first thing subscribers see. So the subject line should be exciting enough to warrant an email open. If it’s not, the rest of your message will remain unread.

• Don’t send the same announcement to everyone: Do you segment your email list? Segmentation is useful, even if you eventually want your announcement to be general knowledge. For example, news about limited-edition releases may be worth keeping between you and your VIP customers first. Perks like this keep your big spenders loyal.

• Figure out the best time to send your email: The timing of an announcement is crucial - but can be dependent on so many factors, especially for an event invitation. Flash sales or press releases are easier, but don’t make the mistake of sending one email with no follow-up. 

Bottom line: Great content is only half the adventure. Make sure your email delivers successfully to a receptive audience. 

3. Work with mobile technology, not against it

When email started replacing physical correspondence, we all adapted. Why? 

No one can dispute the power of email. Ease-of-use and widespread accessibility aside, email marketing generates around $38 for every $1 spent. Direct mail marketing produces less than one-fifth of that: Only $7 per $1. These days, most adults have an active email address, and more than 60% check their inboxes daily. More than 70% prefer to interact with brands through email.

With all this in mind, why are some marketers still resistant to mobile-friendly emails? Like having an email account, accessing the internet through a smartphone is now the norm. More than half of all emails are first seen on a mobile device.

If an email doesn’t display correctly in less than three seconds, more than 70% of people will simply delete it without thinking twice. Not formatting for mobile is tantamount to not wanting subscribers to see your announcement.

Here are 10 inspiring announcement email examples

Now that we’ve gone through the steps of creating a great announcement email, let’s look at some inspirational real-life examples. 

1. Outdoor Voices’ limited edition tee and one-day sale 

Source: Really Good Emails

Why we love it: Concise and compact, this Outside Voices email is an announcement of both a limited edition item release and a one-day sale. The charity slant of the campaign is perfectly captured by “Doing Good Things” in bold capital letters against white space. Brief explanations (in a small font) support the headline as well. 

2. Domino’s new Italiano range of pizzas

Source: Really Good Emails

Why we love it: The “#Greatness” and social network icons integrate social media marketing with an email campaign without too much added effort. This Domino’s announcement email is also a great example of using interactive content through kinetic design.

3. Basecamp’s new book in multiple formats and stores

Source: Really Good Emails

Why we love it: The red is striking—and a great complement to the promoted book. The color also conveys a sense of urgency. Despite the small text of the email body, the announcement is scannable with headings in a large font and multiple CTA buttons leading to three different online merchants. A tiny (but much-appreciated) detail we almost missed: The forward email button in the footer.

4. The North Face’s ’92 Rage – Black & White capsule collection 

Source: Really Good Emails

Why we love it: The North Face created an image-heavy email for a good reason: A fashion capsule collection would be hard to feature without beautiful visuals. The rest of the message follows the same color story, making the announcement very attractive. Because the email is long, the CTA and free delivery offer at the top is crucial. The “Find the Nearest Store” section is a great use of personalized dynamic content, as well.

5. Trello’s Inspiration template gallery

Source: Really Good Emails

Why we love it: The stylized concept of a Trello board coming to life looks like it was custom-made for this announcement. While it’s the star of this email, it doesn’t distract from the actual message—the green CTA button is still eye-catching. Trello also manages to sneak in a mention of their referral program in the last line of the main email body, “Get Free Gold.” 

6. Love Cocoa’s Amazon UK availability

Source: Really Good Emails

Why we love it: The email subject line uses emojis—“🚛 🍫We're now on Amazon.co.uk!🙌”—which matches their smart but whimsical brand tone. We appreciate the casual use of squiggly lines in a color that matches the accent tone of the Amazon logo, too. And finally, the use of white space accentuates the single CTA button and the quirky image.

7. Musixmatch’s Chrome extension 

Source: Really Good Emails

Why we love it: Making the CTA button a similar color as the brand logos—MusixMatch and YouTube—is genius. Even more impressive is the image that ties the whole email together. The screenshot of Adele’s music video for “Hello” makes sense because it’s a popular sing-along song. It feels like influencer marketing magic without an actual celebrity endorsement.

8. Alit’s small-batch rosé

Source: Really Good Emails

Why we love it: They used a GIF to feature the product and cement the email’s color story. There’s a sense of urgency and a feeling of exclusivity, but the overall tone remains bubbly and sassy—like rosé. The pink CTA button is a nice touch, too.

9. InVision Design Disruptors’ documentary world premiere

Source: Really Good Emails

Why we love it: The headline typography mimics what’s in the premiering documentary’s poster, making it an appealing visual element as well as a source of information. We appreciate the inclusion of all the event details, coupled with CTA buttons that allow you to add the event to either an Apple or a Google calendar.  

10. Social Print Studio’s job opening 

Source: Really Good Emails

Why we love it: Social Print Studio’s announcement email is so bad it’s good. It looks like  “oops!” emails don’t have the funny content corner completely to themselves. The bad graphic design further highlights the need for potential new hires to respond because the company is seeking a lead designer.

Wrap up

How do you write an effective announcement email? Follow these tips:

• Create content that’s clear, compelling, and communicative. Include every significant detail.

• Deliver the news to the right people. Don’t waste great content by waiting for your audience to find it on their own. Do the virtual legwork.

• Work with mobile technology, not against it. Make sure the email doesn’t remain unopened or end up deleted.

Need more guidance on crafting great emails? Check out Emma’s preflight checklist for email campaigns.