The big day is looming: it's finally time to launch your SaaS product to the world. How exactly do you announce its release? What should that perfect launch email look like?
Lots of pressure is put on that single email. The messaging, brand voice, creatives — everything has to be right. After all, this launch email is going to bring in your first subscribers.
But don't stress. We've got you covered.
In this article, we've compiled a list of 20+ amazing product launch emails by SaaS companies and highlighted the key takeaways from each. We'll also briefly explain some best practices for product release emails.
Don't wait for the muse. Apply this step-by-step method to write high-performing email campaigns in hours, not weeks.
Different types of product launch emails
A product launch email announces a new SaaS product to its potential customers.
There are many types of these emails and each has its own unique elements. Let's take a look at the common ones:
- Product release emails. They announce the launch of a new product. This can be a new product by an existing company or a completely new brand.
- Pre-launch email. Emails sent before the launch day to build anticipation.
- Future sales email. Also sent pre-launch, these emails let your mailing list know about special discounts or other offers upon product release.
- Beta release and early access invite. They're sent to people who have registered for your product before its official release.
- Partnerships/acquisitions announcement. When either of these happens, there may be a significant change in the products or pricing that customers will need to know. It is similar to a product launch email.
- New branding announcement. These are sent out to users to let them know about new brand colors and logos after rebranding.Event invite: Some companies choose to unveil their product(s) during an event. This can be announced through an event invitation email.
How SaaS product launch emails are different from other industries
Firstly, launching software products takes a lot more effort than launching physical products.
The goals and KPIs you set for a SaaS product launch will be different. Physical products or services are mostly one-time purchases. But for SaaS, customers subscribe to a free trial or opt for a product demo before fully committing. Time taken for a SaaS lead to convert is significantly higher than in other industries. This means teams will need to send out a sequence of launch emails.
Tips for creating amazing product launch emails
Product launch emails are sent to people who barely know about your brand so you need to make it compelling and highlight the benefits.
Launching your product will be an exciting process for the whole team. But don't let that excitement get the better of you. Remember: customers don't care about your product; they only care about what benefits they get from it and how their problems will be solved.
Here are a few best practices you can follow when creating launch emails for your SaaS product:
Tip 1. Use real product images and other visuals
With a launch email, you need to establish the tone of your brand and explain product functionality. Take screenshots of your product or include a video in the email. This will make your email stand out.
Tip 2. Appropriate CTAs
Call-to-actions can make or break your launch email. Make it clear and compelling. You can also opt for creative CTAs.
A single call-to-action is a good practice to follow because you don't want to confuse the reader. In fact, a study by Unbounce showed that emails with a single CTA increased clicks by 371%. However, if your email is long, it's best to include multiple CTAs at different parts of the email.
Tip 3. Personalize the launch email
By addressing the recipient by their name, the click-through rate can be increased up to 35%. But, personalization doesn't have to be limited to adding the customer's name to the subject line. One way is to gather and leverage user data.
Tip 4. Put up secondary links to more info
One email will not be enough to explain all the features of your new product. So instead of writing a really long launch email, put up links to pages where readers can find more details. This can be a blog post, a YouTube video, or product demo. You can also add links to the Help Centre and an FAQ page.
Tip 5. Craft irresistible subject lines
The results of all the effort you put into crafting an email are very much determined by the 20-character subject line. Prove that your product is worth the customers' attention with a great subject line. Get started with our compilation of subject line formulas.
Tip 6. Set goals and KPIs — for the launch in general, and the email announcement in particular
What do you want to achieve with the launch email? And what is your plan of action?
Setting goals before creating your emails will allow you to come up with a strategy that best suits your product. For example, if signups are your goal, you can send out discount coupons with the launch email. If social media shares are what you're after, adding ClicktoTweet links in the email is a good idea.
Measure the success of your launch emails. Make sure the metrics you track are distinct from other campaigns for the launch so that you can clearly know how well the email performed.
KPIs for announcement emails can go beyond open rate and click-through rate. Here are a few metrics to measure the success of a SaaS product launch email:
- The number of free trials started
- Number of demos booked or inquiries received
- Product landing page metrics
- Traffic on Product Hunt page, upvotes
- Event signups
- Capturing leads with a lead magnet
- Social media shares
- Views on a video
The goals you set will largely depend on your product, its pricing, and the target audience.
What are the elements of a successful launch email?
From the research we did for this article, we came across many SaaS product launch emails. Here are the top characteristics that we noted from them:
- Leads with product benefit
- Attractive design or minimal design: based on the brand image
- Well-structured with bullet points and white space
- Compelling CTAs
- Testimonials or other social proof
- Brand or founder story
20+ examples of best SaaS product launch emails to inspire your own
Let's look at some announcement emails for SaaS products. We've organized the examples into several categories:
- Product launch emails (new company)
- New product announcement by an existing company
- Beta launch announcement
- Miscellaneous
Product launch emails (new company)
#1. Short and straightforward: Pitch
Subject line: 🚀Pitch is Live
Pitch is a presentation software that lets teams design beautiful decks in minutes.
The email starts with a description of the product in very short words. It also has a branded image with the Pitch logo.
The author mentions that they have onboarded 25,000+ teams in beta. Someone who hears about your product for the first time is more likely to be convinced about its benefit when they see an element of social proof — this can be a testimonial or simply stating how strong the user base is. At the end, the CTA button leads to the announcement post of their product launch.
Overall, the email perfectly does the job of announcing the product release. The author of the email keeps things short and manages to make the email attractive.
#2. Minimal launch day email: Userlist
Subject line: Userlist is now live on Product Hunt
Userlist (that's us!) is an email automation tool built for SaaS businesses.
This is our launch day email, announcing Userlist's release on Product Hunt. For a bigger picture, here's an article about the product launch strategy we followed when Userlist went out of beta.
The email copy follows a friendly and casual tone and is just over 100 words. We like how there are only subtle anchor-text CTAs to sign up for the free trial and Product Hunt, instead of buttons.
The day before this went out, we sent out a 'launch prep' email, which is longer.
Subject line: Userlist is going live tomorrow ⏰
The purpose of this email was to brush-up readers about the product. We wrote about the major product features in brief and also linked to some of the stories we published earlier.
#3. Launching with a discount code: Scrumpy
Subject line: It's Launch Day
Scrumpy is a simple project planning tool. The company stopped service this year because of the many challenges it faced.
This launch day email starts by announcing that Scrumpy is available publicly and a 'create an account' CTA above the fold. They also include a link to Product Hunt. The email has a friendly and exciting tone to it. It's short, but not as short as Pitch's launch email. It has more details on product features.
The authors also leverage a key launch day strategy: discount codes. Readers are given an early bird discount code that they can avail for the first six months.
The email is likely sent to Scrumpy's beta users. We like how they thank the reader for their support and ask them to keep supporting them.
What can be improved?
- The email is signed off by the founders but doesn't start with a greeting.
- A few sentences about the product at the beginning would have been great.
#4. Celebrating launch day with a contest: CoachCompare
Subject line: I went ahead and entered you [first name]
CoachCompare is an online platform to find coaches.
The subject line generates curiosity, hinting at some sort of a contest. The email opens with a tone of excitement for the launch. They are celebrating it with a giveaway contest for which they already entered the users — which is what the subject line is all about. They also have a referral code that the users can share for more rewards.
We like how the email generates excitement around the product with a contest and a referral code. Also, putting up a referral code in the launch email is a great way to kickstart word-of-mouth marketing for their brand.
What could have been improved?
- A visual, like a brand logo or product screenshot, could have added more color to this plain text email.
- A starting paragraph about the product would be great — this is almost inevitable for a product launch email, even if it's sent to a list that's already familiar with the product.
#5. Focusing on one feature: Avocode
Subject line: Announcing Avocode Private Cloud
Avocode is a design software with cloud features that makes collaboration easy across large design teams.
The email starts by describing their brand values, with a CTA to visit the Avocode product timeline. The second half of the email talks about the most important feature of the product: security. The CTA button, which reads 'See how we do it,' apparently leads to their landing page or a product demo. Two different CTAs seem appropriate for an email of this length.
We love how it's well-structured and gives the reader just the right amount of details about both their brand story and the product. The template is neat and aligns with Avocode's brand image.
What could have been improved?
- Putting in an image (or two) would have been nice.
- Although technically, this email lacks personalization, we love Avocode's format. But adding a touch of personalization in the subject line would be good.
#6. Follows all best practices: Lunacy
Subject line: Lunacy comes out of beta, meet version 5.0
Lunacy is an advanced vector graphic app for UI, UX, and web design. The product's public launch is announced with a detailed email listing its best features.
After a one-line description of the product, the author of the email puts a CTA to Lunacy's Product Hunt page. The email then goes on to point out all the new features of Lunacy along with product screenshots. The last part of the email promotes the free version of the product. Lastly, the author requests the reader to leave feedback and again puts up a CTA that leads to Product Hunt.
Despite being a long email, it's well-structured with bullet points, images, and lots of white space. The copy also maintains a casual tone.
New product announcements by existing companies
These are launch emails by SaaS companies that launched new products different from their existing products.
#7. Creative and fun: FigJam
Subject line: Must be FigJam 'cause jelly don't shake like that
FigJam by Figma is a collaborative online whiteboard for remote teams.
This launch email reflects Figma's brand in every aspect — vibrant and engaging. With illustrations that give you a sneak peek into the product features, a casual copy, and unique CTAs, the author plays the creative card throughout the email.
As for the copy, it starts by stating the USP of FigJam and gives a CTA to the signup page. Further, the author briefly describes the main features of the product along with a visual.
We love how this long launch email is distinctly divided into two parts. The first half of the email has limited information and ends with an invite link to the product launch event. In the second part, the author describes features in detail — with headlines, three to four pointers, and an image. After each feature, there's a corresponding CTA button.
Readers who find the product interesting can find more information in the second half, while others get closure in the first half. That's why we think this email is a perfect example of a long email that doesn't leave readers overwhelmed.
The CTAs used in this launch email are worth noting. There are eight different CTA buttons and two text-based ones. The buttons have unique texts like 'Start jamming' and 'Call me maybe' instead of generic texts like 'Sign up' and 'See more.' We think this is a great tactic to follow — studies have shown that making the button copy more relevant significantly increased the click-through rate.
FigJam's launch email is easily our favorite one on this list!
#8. Official-looking launch email: Litmus Builder
Subject line: Code emails like it's 2014
Litmus is an-all-in one email marketing platform with advanced tools and solutions. This is the announcement email for the new Litmus Builder, a code editor built for email design.
The banner image describes the product accurately along with a screenshot of Litmus Builder in action. Below the fold, different features of the product are listed. You can see how they are all hard facts written in a few words. There's also an anchor text CTA that leads to an example.
Before the main CTA at the end, a text is added stating 'Builder is free for everyone.' Such compelling text can make all the difference when it comes to click-through rates — that's the key takeaway from this email.
What can be improved?
Since it's a new product with lots of features, adding more secondary links to blog posts or tutorials could be good.
#9. Builds customer loyalty: PreziNext
Subject line: This gift is to thank you, [first name]
Prezi is a tool for better collaboration and interaction within hybrid workplaces. This email was sent out announcing the advanced version of their product.
Prezi's email stands out by going above and beyond a generic launch email in every sense — structure, visuals, and copy. It reads like a letter from the founders to early customers. The email also follows a loyalty marketing strategy.
It starts with the brand story: how Prezi evolved from an idea into a product millions have registered for. In the next paragraph, the email announces free access to the product, rewarding their most loyal customers.
It is structured in three paragraphs alternatively placed, with light illustrations in between. We love this unconventional design.
Prezi's launch email is subtle yet leaves a memorable impression on readers. It's short yet follows all the best practices of an announcement email — the new features are mentioned, social proof is added, and a proper CTA.
What could be improved?
- Because of its personal tone, it would be appropriate to start the email with a greeting.
- The copy could encourage the reader to share the new product among their circles. The email already wins the loyalty of the customer by offering free access to the product. Asking them to refer it to someone or encourage social share would bring in better results.
#10. Classic copywriting structure: Sendinblue Meetings
Subject line: Deliver a smooth meeting experience [Get FREE access today]
Sendinblue is an intuitive email marketing tool for growing businesses. They recently launched Sendinblue Meetings, a platform that allows users to manage appointment scheduling.
After a standard greeting, the email copy follows the PAS (Problem-Agitation-Solution) copywriting formula. It leads with a pain point their buyers face — manually scheduling meetings — and introduces their product as the solution.
The email closes by offering full early-bird access. Apart from the CTA, there are links to the landing page and Help Centre, giving the reader ways to explore the product further.
Copies that follow classic copywriting formulas almost never go wrong. We love the minimal approach the author follows, getting straight to the point.
Key takeaway: You don't have to go over the top to create a good product launch email. Stating how the product solves customer pain points will do the job well enough.
What can be improved?
The subject line is vague and doesn't capture what the product is about. We recommend going for simple language when it comes to launch email subject lines.
#11. Announcing on product newsletter: Vimeo
Subject line: Meet our new hiring tool
Vimeo is a video hosting, sharing, and marketing platform. They recently released a hiring tool for their users to easily connect with talented creators.
The team chooses to announce their new product via their product newsletter, along with other product update news. The hiring tool announcement is put up in the first section of the email as a major highlight. It's also mentioned in the subject line.
If you have a strong email list for your newsletters, announcing a new product in it is a good approach. You will not need to put in a lot of effort in coming up with a launch strategy.
What can be improved?
Including more details about the product features would be great.
#12. Use a launch video: ClubCollect
Thanks to Laura Roeder of Paperbell for contributing this example.
ClubCollect is a fintech product used to collect payments online. They created a new product, Forms Tickets, which allows merchants to sell tickets online.
This email stands out from the rest by embedding a video about the new product. A majority of marketers claim that videos helped increase user understanding of their product. So videos in launch emails are a great addition.
Most of the launch email best practices are followed: a list of top features, well organized, and a secondary link to the FAQs page. The author also adds in an element of social proof by briefly describing a case study and linking to it — the cherry on top!
What can be improved?
A personalized greeting at the beginning would be a great addition.
#13. Use GIFs instead: Notion Calendar
Subject line: Notion 2.37
Notion is a freemium productivity and note-taking platform that lets you do task management, project tracking, to-do lists, and more.
Screenshots might not be enough to showcase what your new product can do. Meanwhile, current email standards don't allow for video embeds. That's why GIFs could be the right visual element to do just that.
Notion used GIFs in their email to showcase all the cool things you can do with Notion Calendar:
What can be improved?
Launching a new product is a major milestone, the subject line should have explicitly said Notion Calendar to get readers to open their email.
#14. Plain and simple: Buy Me a Coffee
Buy Me a Coffee is a platform that helps creators and artists accept support and membership from their fans.
You can also go the simple and straightforward route with plain text emails, just like what Buy Me a Coffee did for their new Voicenotes product. This format works perfectly for the launch because the platform's design is also minimalist.
Don't wait for the muse. Apply this step-by-step method to write high-performing email campaigns in hours, not weeks.
Beta launch announcement emails
These are examples of emails that announce the beta release of SaaS products.
#15. Solution-oriented: Mailchimp
Subject line: Mailchimp's new website builder is here
Mailchimp offers different marketing tools for small businesses including email platforms and landing page builders. In 2019, they launched an eCommerce website builder tool.
This email invites Mailchimp users to try out the beta version of the website builder. The title 'We're giving you early access…' creates a sense of urgency.
Just like the Sendinblue launch email, the copy starts by presenting a challenge their audience face. The product is then presented as a solution, listing the benefits of building a website with Mailchimp. There are also three anchor text CTAs leading to informational pages.
What can be improved?
- We think a screenshot of the product could be included.
- Since this email has a friendly tone, we'd love to also see a personalized subject line and greeting.
#16. Fun and engaging: Reelgood
Subject line: Your Beta invite: Reelgood Streaming Hub is here
Reelgood is a central hub for streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and AmazonPrime.
This beta launch announcement email has a fun and friendly theme — an appropriate brand voice for an entertainment hub.
The copy gives the reader many reasons why they should become a beta user. The benefits are explained in short sentences, written in simple language, and with visuals. We also love the creative text on the four different CTA buttons.
What could have been improved?
We don't see anything that can be improved. Great job team!
#17. Attractive theme: CodeSandbox
Subject line: CodeSandbox Project Goes into Open Beta
CodeSandbox is a development environment for coding teams to create better workflows and manage projects efficiently.
The email announces that the product is in open beta. We love the email design — with an eye-catching color palette and product screenshots. The part above the fold has a CTA to start using the product and also a learn more link below it. It's a standard beta announcement email.
What could have been improved?
- There is no CTA at the end of the email. A reader will have to scroll back up to click, which is not ideal.
- Since there are a lot of features, we think there could have been more secondary links.
#18. Detailed and well-organized: Descript
Subject line: Announcing Descript Podcast Studio, free transcription, and more
Descript is an all-in-one video and audio editing software built for creators.
This is an email announcing Descript's closed beta release. Despite being a long email, it's well-structured and has excellent readability. They introduce the product with a video and then describe the major features in detail. We love how they put screenshots of the product in action for each feature listed.
The email doesn't overwhelm us with information. Instead, it links to the corresponding pages with anchor text CTAs.
What can be improved?
- The email is a closed beta announcement, which means the product is available to a select few. So, the copy could have started by creating an air of exclusivity, instead of diving straight into product details.
- Linking to multiple product information pages is a good approach when creating SaaS launch emails. But having one primary CTA will ensure that the reader is not left confused about what action to take so we think a CTA button at the end would be a proper addition.
- The copy has a conversational tone so a personalized greeting would be great.
#19. Minimal letter-like format: ZipMessage
Thanks to Brian Casel for contributing this example.
Subject line: Introducing ZipMessage
ZipMessage is a simple tool for asynchronous video conversations with clients or colleagues.
In a letter-like format, this email describes how ZipMessage works, its major features, and the backstory. It is well-organized into bullet points and sections. The email concludes by giving the readers an option to request an invite for early access.
What can be improved?
- An image of the product would be great.
- The email could be condensed by including just the major point for each feature.
- Use a personalized greeting.
Product launch teaser & pre-launch emails
These are examples of emails sent before the launch email. They are likely part of a sequence of emails created for the product launch.
#20. Creative and visual: Havenly
Subject line: Something new is coming to Havenly…
Havenly is a platform to discover interior designing and decoration services.
This is a teaser email sent the week prior to Havenly's latest launch. The copy builds anticipation around the launch with visual elements. It gives the user something to look forward to.
What can be improved?
Giving a small hint on what the launch is about and let the readers guess — this could build up the anticipation more.
#21. Based on social proof: Tome
Subject line: Your Tome invite arrives tomorrow
Tome is an interactive storytelling platform used to create advanced designs. The product is still in beta and has 1.4k upvotes on Product Hunt.
This is a pre-launch email sent out the day before the launch. Being a design software, the email rightly presents the brand image with an eye-catching design and lots of images.
After listing down a few of the features, the author of the email puts in multiple testimonials of beta users collected from social media. The email builds customer trust even before the product has launched officially — great job!
Miscellaneous
Here are a few more launch emails we found that are worth mentioning:
#22. Partnership announcement: Pagely + Object Cache Pro
Subject line: Pagely Partners with Object Cache Pro
Pagely is a platform that offers Managed WordPress solutions. This email announces their partnership with Object Cache Pro, a WordPress plugin, which brings in new features for users.
The email has a color palette that combines the brand colors of both partners. We like how the email is structured into three distinct parts. The second part features a quote from the founder of Pagely — bonus points for transparency!
Most importantly, they explain how this partnership benefits customers. In the end, there's an anchor text CTA to a blog that has more details on how to enable the new feature.
#23. New branding announcement email: Stacks
Subject line: Introducing the Stacks Ecosystem brand
Stacks is an open-source blockchain network of decentralized apps and smart contracts.
When a company undergoes rebranding, its customers need to know about it. Stacks does a great job of it by sending out this visually appealing email to announce its new branding. The new logo and brand colors are used throughout the email design.
The email also describes the journey of the brand and what led to its new branding. The CTAs lead to the announcement post and brand kit.
#24. iOS app launch: Tickertape
Subject line: You asked, we delivered. Our iOS app is finally here
Tickertape is a platform that comes with tools to help investors make better decisions.
This launch email for the Tickertape iOS app is short, casual, and to the point. We think that the top features could have been included. But overall, the email serves its purpose — announcing the app launch to users who are already familiar with the product.
What can be improved?
Since it's a short email, linking to an informational page would be great for readers to get more details.
#25. Product launch event invite: Miro
Subject line: Product reveals & Problem Solving at DISTRIBUTED 2021
Miro is a collaborative whiteboard platform for remote teams.
The email invites users to an event where Miro's new products will be launched. The event also has sessions hosted by industry leaders, thus adding more value to users. It's a long email with a detailed session schedule for the event along with the names of the speakers.
What can be improved?
- The copy could have emphasized more the fact that the event is free to register.
- A personalized greeting would be great.
Key takeaways: how to craft a great product launch email
- Short emails are great as long as they get the job done.
- Long emails are great as long as they are well-structured.
- Don't forget to add a personalized greeting.
- Make your launch email memorable with attractive images, illustrations, and unique copy that reflects your brand.
- Don't be afraid to try out creative subject lines instead of the usual '[product name] is here.'
- You can use multiple CTAs in long emails.
- Make the CTA button text more relevant to your target buyer. This might not be possible in every case but we suggest giving a little more thought when writing button copy.
- Add testimonials or other social proof elements if you have them.
- Highlight the USP of your product. To know what the most attractive feature of your product is, run user surveys and do market research.
- Build excitement with pre-launch emails
- Ask for feedback
- Give readers options to know more about the product by linking to blog posts, videos, or Support pages.
The first interaction with your potential users
Good product launch emails educate readers about the product, emphasizing top benefits. The best announcements have social proof elements and unique copy.
Take inspiration from these examples and put together a product launch email for your SaaS company. Remember, you don't have to follow all the best practices and there's no one secret formula for a successful launch email.
Short or long? It depends on how much information you need readers to know. The best email copy is one that resonates with your target audience — so do your research and get started.
Good luck!
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