10 SaaS Email Marketing Examples & What Makes Them Work

Want to improve your SaaS email marketing strategy, but don’t know where to start? Then you’ve come to the right place! We have analyzed dozens of SaaS emails to find out what exactly makes them effective, and today we’re ready to share our findings with you. 

Follow our guide to learn about the advantages of email marketing for SaaS, check out 10 efficient SaaS email marketing examples, and discover numerous tips that will help you craft your best SaaS email templates and increase the number of paying customers.

5 Benefits of a SaaS Email Marketing Strategy

Emails remain one of the most powerful communication channels for different businesses, including SaaS companies. The numbers clearly reflect that: 50.7% of users buy something from a marketing email at least once a month!

Here are 5 reasons to make emails a significant part of your SaaS email marketing strategy:

1. Widespread outreach. More than 4.4 billion people worldwide use emails, and the number grows each year! With the power of SaaS email marketing, you’ll be able to reach out to users all around the globe.
2. Cost-effective with high ROI. The average ROI for email marketing stands around $36 to $40 for every dollar spent. Impressive, isn’t it? And an average cost of just $100 for sending an email campaign to 10,000 contacts makes SaaS email marketing even more beneficial!
3. Segmentation and personalization. Email marketing for SaaS allows you to segment your user database and create highly personalized messages that resonate on an individual level. Analyze your audience and make your emails even more relatable for the subscribers to boost customer relationships and attract new clients. Important note here: choosing the right email marketing software can significantly enhance segmentation and personalization.
4. Variety of content. Email marketing provides SaaS companies with a huge variety of content! From simple text to colorful visuals, videos, or even interactive elements, there’s plenty of stuff to captivate your audience with. Try experimenting with different content and find the best possible option for your audience.
5. Results examination. Finally, you can easily track and evaluate the performance of your SaaS email marketing campaigns! Measure the results (from open rates and click-throughs to conversions), conduct the analysis, and make all the necessary adjustments to increase the efficiency of your future emails.

10 Effective SaaS Email Marketing Examples

SaaS emails are as varied as the products themselves. Let’s take a look at 10 SaaS email marketing examples from real-world brands, complete with detailed explanations of what makes them effective. 

These examples might significantly enhance your email marketing efforts by helping you nurture relationships with your user base, acquire new clients, increase customer retention, engage subscribers, and run effective campaigns. Get ready to turn your SaaS emails into marketing masterpieces!

Welcome Email (Duolingo)

As they say, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. The welcome email marks a crucial starting point in the customer journey, and here’s one of the best SaaS email examples by Duolingo that simply nails it.

What makes it so great? First off, the email doesn’t waste any time: after the greeting part, it goes straight to simple tips on practicing the language and features CTAs encouraging subscribers to start the learning process. 

And second, the subscriber is greeted by none other than Duo the Owl, the company’s popular mascot. A familiar character is a pleasant and engaging addition that provides an immediate connection with the brand.

Grab these tips for your SaaS email templates:

• Proceed straight to the point without wasting any time
• Include starter tips in the welcome email
• Feature recognizable brand elements (and a mascot, if you have one)

Onboarding Email (SimilarWeb)

Next, we have a SaaS email that leads the way for first-time users. Onboarding emails help with the initial setup and provide the first steps on how to properly interact with your product. They must educate users yet remain easy to understand.

Onboarding emails are also essential for guiding users through the entire customer journey, ensuring they receive relevant content at each stage to enhance engagement and retention.

Here’s how SimilarWeb onboards its subscribers. This excellent example is both friendly and useful, featuring greetings and step-by-step visual instructions on how to get started. And the best part is, the instructions are illustrated with screenshots, which makes the process even easier!

Grab these tips for your SaaS email templates:

• Keep your onboarding email simple yet informative
• Include a step-by-step guide and illustrate it

Account Confirmation Email (Zencastr)

Don’t brush confirmation emails aside as just technical messages that deserve little attention! They are still responsible for the impression your SaaS business makes, and this example by Zencastr shows how to craft an excellent one.

Probably the most noticeable thing about this confirmation email is how totally minimalistic and direct it is. The design is tasteful and visually appealing, with plenty of white space. 

And even with all that, the email features everything you need from an account confirmation message: personalization (with the recipient’s name included), email purpose laid out in a couple of sentences, and an unambiguous CTA.

Grab these tips for your SaaS email templates:

• Always remember about the visual appeal of your email
• Personalize email messages by including the recipient’s name in the subject line or the email body
• Don’t overload the confirmation email: keep it simple, with just a few effectively placed elements

Event Email (Zoom)

Events are an invaluable opportunity to enhance brand visibility. You get a chance to showcase your products and grow exposure, while users can directly engage with your brand: ask questions, give feedback, and interact in real time.

In turn, event newsletters become a dynamic and powerful tool in the arsenal of SaaS email marketing! Keep them engaging, tailor your messages to drive anticipation, and of course, include all the relevant information: from the agenda and the list of guest speakers (if any) to the date and venue. 

And if you want to increase engagement from such emails, share customer success stories from past events.

Here’s an example by Zoom that includes an overall agenda for the upcoming events and lists not just one, but 4 webinars (each with a date, time, and a CTA)! It’s direct, informative, and allows users to participate in the most relevant event.

Grab these tips for your SaaS email templates:

• Provide all the important event details right in the email itself
• Include a direct link to register or reserve a seat
• If you hold several events, list them to give users a choice

Digest Email (Blocks)

Next up, we have a SaaS email that will help you remain in touch with your customers and keep them in the loop at the same time. Digests are perfect when you want to share news, product updates, or even stories from your practice. 

One important thing to keep in mind here is the balance between valuable, entertaining, and promotional. Think from the subscribers’ perspective and use customer data to craft content that’ll be relatable, useful, and (most of all) interesting for them.

With this in mind, Blocks offers you a SaaS email template that will be a perfect place to start. This digest template is designed to meet even the most specific demands. All you need to do is sign up for free, choose the template from the gallery, and fill it with your content. Simple as that!

Grab these tips for your SaaS email templates:

• Include content that’s engaging and educational at the same time
• Make the announcements short and captivating
• Avoid overly promotional content

Trial Expiration Email (Squarespace)

Try it before you buy it! That’s what product trials are all about: they give the users limited-time free access to the product and eventually turn them into paying customers. A couple of days before the trial period comes to an end, you need to inform the client about it (offering an upgrade along the way).

Squarespace shows a great example of how to do it properly:

1. Its SaaS email example remains modest and doesn’t aggressively push the client to make a purchase. 
2. It presents the benefits of going live and also offers to extend the free trial (which is excellent for those who still need time before making a buying decision).

Grab these tips for your SaaS email templates:

• Send the email timely and give the subscribers enough room to act
• Remain modest and inform your client about the benefits of upgrading
• Give the opportunity to extend the free trial (if that’s possible for your product)

Milestone Email (Loom)

When you clearly see the results of your activity, it brings an incomparable feeling of accomplishment. And for SaaS companies, milestones become a perfect way to nurture leads, retain customers, and build a community!

Craft an email that celebrates the results accomplished by your clients: time spent productively, the number of completed projects, and anything else you can think of! This shows how fruitful their interaction with your product is, and encourages them to use it even more actively.

Here, Loom demonstrates how this can be done. The email puts emphasis on the numbers and shows exactly how much time the user has saved so far. On top of that, it explains what benefits this brings and how effective the software has been in the long run.

Grab these tips for your SaaS email templates:

• Show how valuable the subscriber’s achievements are
• Put emphasis on numbers for a greater effect

Promotional Email (Wix)

Got an interesting offer for your customers? Maybe you’ve come up with a brand-new product or a hot option for the existing one? Or maybe you’re holding a sale soon? 

Let your customers know about it with the help of promotional emails! Use them to present the announcement in the best way possible: for example, showcase the offers right from the start. And to spice things up, embrace the fear of missing out (FOMO) by offering limited deals. This way, you can use promotional emails to convert free users into paying customers, enhancing the growth of your SaaS business.

This SaaS email example by Wix is an excellent reference point. It features several elements that will turn your promotional emails from good to great, including a countdown timer, a list of benefits, and an effective CTA.

Grab these tips for your SaaS email templates:

• Start it off with the promotional offer itself
• Embrace FOMO and a sense of urgency
• List the benefits of the displayed products, price plans, and other options

Referral Email (Busuu)

Here’s a SaaS email marketing tactic that will help you expand outreach and win new customers: ask your subscribers to invite their friends! The main component that makes referral emails effective is trust (since personal recommendations from someone close to you sound reliable and ignite curiosity).

However, remember that this must be a win-win for all participants. Reward your existing customers with something valuable for inviting their friends, and don’t forget about the newcomers as well: welcome them on board by delivering attractive terms and special offers.

Busuu shows how this strategy can be applied. The email immediately offers a reward (30 days of Premium access) for both the subscribers and the friends they invite.

Grab these tips for your SaaS email templates:

• Reward the subscriber with something special for inviting a friend
• Feature short instructions and illustrations on how your referral program works

Feedback Email (Headspace)

Lastly, let’s talk about the feedback SaaS emails. Whether you collect survey results or full-fledged reviews, customer feedback might help you detect issues or provide valuable insights for the next steps of your product development.

But how to correctly ask for feedback? What may convince the subscribers to spend several minutes of their time on a survey? This excellent SaaS email example by Headspace provides an answer:

1. The email doesn’t beat around the bush and goes straight to the point while staying short.
2. It includes lighthearted humor, which adds a human touch and makes the message feel much more genuine. 
3. Brand identity shines through thanks to the visual style, choice of words, and overall aesthetic of the email. 

Grab these tips for your SaaS email templates:

• Explain to the subscribers why their feedback matters
• Avoid unnecessary information in your feedback email
• Include lighthearted humor (whenever possible)
• Provide rewards to boost engagement (the longer and more complex your survey is, the more valuable the rewards should be)

Email Marketing for SaaS: 5 Extra Tips

With the SaaS email marketing campaign examples above, you’re sure to find an inspiring solution for yourself! And now, let’s add a finishing touch and take a look at 5 additional pieces of advice for your SaaS email campaigns:

1. Keep emails consistent. Consistency is a must for marketing emails since every piece of communication represents your company and products. Keep your emails in line with the overall brand style and maintain the look and feel across various campaigns.
2. Run A/B tests. Before you put your SaaS email marketing strategy to work, a good idea is to thoroughly test your messages. This will help you check what works best and make all the required adjustments to ensure the success of your campaign.
3. Include unsubscribe links. Both the American CAN-SPAM Act and the European GDPR demand that you provide subscribers with the opportunity to opt out. Include the unsubscribe links in your SaaS email templates and ensure that they are highly noticeable.
4. Revise frequently. Whenever you update your services, alter your brand design elements, or make other changes, reflect that in your emails as well. Also, remember to keep an eye on other important areas: for example, when a social network you use rebrands or changes its logo, timely update it in your templates.
5. Don’t send too many emails. Every message has its time and purpose. Don’t send tons of emails: the abundance of them will simply overwhelm and annoy the recipient. And, of course, don’t send anything that’s not desired by the subscriber (i.e. newsletters or marketing messages, if they’ve unsubscribed from such emails).

Conclusion

Thanks to tips, hints, and inspiring examples laid out in this guide, you’re now fully equipped to make the most of your campaigns! All that’s left is to create your finest templates that will help you stay on top of the SaaS email marketing game. 

Blocks is ready to become your perfect assistant on this journey. From text-based transactional messages to visually stunning newsletters and promos, our advanced tool can handle any type of email. Give it a try and see it yourself!