Who doesn't love a good deal?
Regardless of what industry you're in, a well-executed discount campaign can grow your profits, expand your customer base, and improve customer loyalty.
Yet, the reality is more nuanced. Done wrong, promotions can devalue your product or compromise the intrinsic motivation of a new customer.
We've collected this list of 15+ discount emails from around the web to inspire your writing. You'll also learn about the psychology behind this tactic, the two types of SaaS discount emails, and what details to include in these emails.
What are discount emails and why do they work?
Discount emails let your qualified audience know about a limited special offer applied to your products or services. They're a great conversion tactic to turn leads into new customers, and turn existing ones into super fans.
And while these emails look different across industries, the psychology behind why they work is the same. It's all about urgency and the fear of missing out.
Urgency
Because these discounts are only offered for a limited time, you're telling the lead to act now before the deal expires.
So if they've been thinking about upgrading to a paid or higher plan for quite some time, you're nudging them to do it now (aka activate that dormant purchase intent).
Fear of missing out (FOMO)
In ecommerce, stores would often show customers the "hot item" that others are buying to show them what they might be missing out on.
For SaaS, you can induce FOMO by showing them:
- The $X value they can save with the discounted price
- The added features and benefits they get with the upgraded plan
How to use promotions and discounts in SaaS email marketing
Depending on your audience, discount emails are a great tactic to help you achieve lifecycle goals. For example, you can:
- Convert marketing leads into trials
- Reactivate expired trials
- Upgrade free users to a paid plan
- Upsell paid users to a higher plan
- Sell annual plans
- Sell lifetime deals
For lifetime deals, make sure that your costs of doing business are low enough to allow you to offer them.
Types of discount emails
When it comes to delivery mechanics, there are two types of promotion emails:
- Seasonal discounts. These are sent as a one-off broadcast to the entire qualified audience. Think of your typical Black Friday deal or a "hot summer discount".
- Automated discounts. These are sent within automation workflows to encourage conversions on autopilot. You'd first try to convert the user with educational emails, and include the discount at the end of your workflow as the ultimate measure.
What to include in your discount emails
To make it easy for your customers to decide, you want these emails to convey the details of your promo as clearly as possible.
Aside from the discounted price, here are other details you should include in the email:
What they'll get with the upgraded plan
Whether you're convincing leads to upgrade to a paid plan or customers to a higher one, your email should tell them what they're getting with the upgrade.
Discount emails usually communicate this through:
- The list of product features and benefits they'll enjoy with the premium or upgraded plan
- Comparison between the product features and benefits of their current plan and your other paid plans
The deadline
Especially for seasonal discounts, you have to be very clear about when this offer expires. While a date is sufficient, you can even go more specific by including a time in a specific time zone (i.e. 11:59 PM UTC), especially if your leads are located across the globe.
Who can participate in the promo
If you're offering a promo for a specific segment (i.e. startups), make that clear in your copy so the reader immediately knows if they can participate.
Go a step further by leveraging your customer data to send this specific campaign to that segment only.
The period the discounted price applies to
If you're offering discounted prices for your monthly and annual subscriptions, you have to be explicit about the period that it applies to.
This is why you might find clauses like "new subscribers only" and "automatically renews at the regular price" in the fine print at the end of the email. This ensures that the new customer isn't caught off guard when you charge them the regular price on renewal (see the example from Apple TV+ below).
Other important details from your terms and conditions
While you can always include a link to the the full terms and conditions of your discount, it'll be helpful to include TLDR versions of the important details in your email such as:
- If the discount can't be used with other promos
- If charges might include taxes
- Excerpt from your cancellation and refund policy
A frictionless process for claiming the offer
To ensure that the lead or customer takes action, it's best to make the process as frictionless as possible.
Whether you're offering a free trial or a discounted price for your paid plan, it's best that your lead or customer can claim the offer with just a few clicks.
Discount email examples from SaaS brands
#1. LastPass
Subject: Last day to save 20% on LastPass plans
LastPass is a password management platform.
They sent this email on the last day of their 20% discount campaign. The email body talks about the benefits and features the reader gets when they purchase a premium plan. We think it's a nice touch that they added "Don't wait, this offer ends tonight" under the CTA button to remind the reader why they should act now.
And if the reader needs more information to decide, they present the different plans with the important details.
#2. Skillshare
Subject: ENDING SUNDAY 40% Off
Skillshare is an online learning community that provides educational videos.
Instead of just talking about the discount, the hero section of the email tells the reader that they can learn and save big at the same time, a win-win scenario for everyone.
The next section then talks about how the platform can help everyone with their goals ("from hobbies to career growth") and that they should keep investing in themselves. Meanwhile, the third section talks about the benefits the reader can enjoy on a discount. The email also contains several variations of the CTA at the end of each section to remind the user that they should take action now.
#3. ClassPass
Subject: 1 month for PHP 250 starts NOW ⏰
ClassPass is a fitness and wellness membership platform that lets users access fitness studios, gyms, salons, and spas around the globe.
This re-engagement email is sent to users to encourage them to rejoin the platform by offering a lower price on the first month. Short and straight to the point, their email leverages a GIF to show the reader the different activities they can explore on the platform.
#4. Shine
Subject: LAST day for 50% off Shine Premium, [First name]!
Shine was a platform for inclusive mental health and wellness support.
To celebrate their sixth anniversary, Shine offered a 50% discount on their premium membership. They tell the reader about what they'll get access to when they upgrade.
And because this is the final email, they encourage the reader to act now and why getting a premium plan will be beneficial.
What can be improved?
Since they mentioned a deadline of 11:59 PM, they could have included the specific time zone so it's less confusing for readers across the globe.
#5. Grammarly
Subject: Last day: 50% off a year of Premium
Grammarly is a digital tool that provides grammar and spell checking, plagiarism checks, and more to help users improve their writing skills.
Their email uses a graphic to visually compare the free and the premium tier experiences. The email copy then talks about how Grammarly can help you make a great impression at work.
#6. Apple Music
Subject: Claim your free 3 months before they're gone.
Apple Music is the audio and video streaming service developed by Apple.
This email is simple and straightforward. It opens with a heading telling the reader that the offer won't last long, implying that they should accept it now. They then proceed to talk about what the reader could enjoy when they claim this offer.
We think it's great that they added "All with no commitment" at the end of the copy to address the reader's hesitation with signing up.
#7. Apple TV+
Subject: Final reminder: Your free 3-month offer for Apple TV+ expires soon.
Apple TV+ is the streaming service that features Apple Original shows and movies.
This plain text email was sent as a final reminder about the free three-month Apple TV+ access that came with the new device purchase.
Similar to the previous example, this one also talks about what content the user can get access to when they claim the offer. They also tell the user that there's no commitment to address possible hesitations with claiming the offer.
#8. NordPass
Subject: Final call for Premium at $1.49/mo
NordPass is a password management tool.
Their email highlights a specific feature, file attachments, to convince the reader to convert to a premium plan.
While the discounted monthly subscription price is highlighted in the visual, which is somewhat misleading, the copy mentions they'll be charged $17.88 because they will be signing up for an annual plan.
#9. AllTrails
Subject: Last chance: 200+ national park guides for half the price
AllTrails is a fitness and travel mobile app used in outdoor recreational activities.
Aside from the 50% discount, this email leverages AllTrails' latest Guides feature to convince the user to upgrade to a premium plan. They also compare the features of their free and premium plan to let the reader know what they'll get if they upgrade to premium.
#10. Wix
Subject: Ending soon! 50% OFF—upgrade your site now
Wix is a popular no-code website builder.
This was Wix's final email reminder about their 50% sale on premium plans. Aside from mentioning the deadline of the promo, they took it a step further and added a countdown timer to to double down on urgency.
They also list the features and benefits the reader will get if they claim the offer and purchase a paid plan.
#11. Zapier
Subject: [Ends tomorrow] 3 months of Starter for $10
Zapier is an automation platform that lets users seamlessly integrate the tools in their tech stack so they can focus on what matters.
This is one of a series of emails Zapier sent out about their $10 promo on a three-month Starter plan subscription. They tell the reader about the features they'll enjoy with the Starter plan.
Aside from the deadline of the offer, they also mention that the reader will be paying the full price of $24.99 after the end of the three months.
#12. Headspace
Subject: Last chance
Headspace is an app that helps users achieve better mental health.
Headspace celebrated their birthday by offering a 50% discount on their annual plan and sent this email as a final reminder.
What can be improved?
They should have included the specific timezone of the deadline so readers wouldn't get confused by the deadline.
#13. The New York Times Games
Subject: Final hours: Save 50% on Games
The New York Times Games app allows users to play NYT games with new puzzles each day for free.
NYT Games had a 50% promo on their annual subscription to celebrate the 1000th Wordle. They used a GIF to show the different word and logic games the reader can get access to when they subscribe:
The succeeding sections then discuss other features that come with the premium subscription such as:
- Helpful tools
- Past puzzles
- Statistics and more
#14. Rise
Subject: Restart your journey with a 40% discount 😴
Rise is a sleep debt and energy tracker.
They sent this email about an exclusive 40% off to encourage the user to stay even after their trial ends. Rise mentions the features and benefits the reader can continue enjoying if they claim the offer.
What can be done better?
They should have mentioned a deadline when the offer expires to create a sense of urgency.
#15. Heavy Bag Pro
Thanks to Ekaterina Howard for this example.
Heavy Bag Pro is an app for punching bag or shadow boxing training for users of all experience levels.
They sent this email to thank the user for downloading their app. To encourage the user to level up their training and sign up for a premium plan, they offer the user a 7-day trial on their annual plan so the user can have unlimited access to all of the workouts.
And if the reader is new to boxing, Heavy Bag Pro also offers other discounts and freebies when the reader uses their code during checkout.
#16. MyLnker
Thanks to Daniela Borrego for this example.
MyLnker is a tool that allows you to create a personalized platform, bringing together all your essential links in one accessible location.
To say thank you to their users, MyLnker gave an exclusive discount to help users start the new year right. They talk about how much the reader can save with this promo ($27) and the clear next steps on how to claim this offer. They even included a visual guide to help users navigate their platform to claim their exclusive discount.
#17. Setapp
Thanks to Olena Khodos for this example.
Setapp is a subscription service that gives users access to Mac apps for a fixed monthly fee.
This short email uses visual elements and brief copies to talk about their deal of the year: a 40% discount off Setapp, 1Password, and MasterClass subscriptions.
The email mentions that readers can pick and choose their subscription combos and they should claim this offer on or before the specified date.
What can be improved?
Instead of having "view offer" as the CTA, they should have used stronger ones like "claim offer".
Full-text discount email template
Grab the templates below to get started with your own discount email.
General discount email
Hi [First name],
To celebrate [anniversary, holiday, company milestone], we're giving everyone X% off on our subscription plans.
With a premium plan, you'll get:
- Feature or benefit 1
- Feature or benefit 2
- Feature or benefit 1
[CTA]
Offer ends on [date] at [specific time at a specific time zone].
Win back email with discount
Hello [First name],
We don't want to see you go, so we're giving you a X% discount on your first [Y months or 1 year] with us.
Just use the code below at checkout:
[Code]
Cheers,
[Name]
[Position and company]
Don't miss out on the power of discount emails
Aside from giving them a good deal, discount emails are an effective way to highlight the benefits of your platform.
We hope this guide helped you figure out how to get started.
If you need more help with email marketing for your SaaS product, welcome to book a demo call or check out our done-for-you services.
