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A Step By Step Guide On Product Launch Email Sequences
Tips and Templates For Your Product Launch Email Sequences
Russell Cargill
June 10th, 2024
You've consumed more energy drinks than you'd like to admit, but the time has finally come to launch your product and go to market.
From your research, you know you should make a social media post letting people know your product is live. So, you make the post, write a quick email saying, "Go check it out," send it to your list, and call it a day, expecting the sales to just start rolling in.
Except they don't. Cue the crickets.
You worked so hard perfecting every detail of your product, but you completely ignored the most important part — the marketing!
After pouring your blood, sweat, and late nights into building something incredible, the last thing you want is for your launch to fall flatter than a stale beer.
Strategically mapping out product launch email sequences will build anticipation, showcase your authority, and practically force readers to hit that "Buy Now" button.
And that’s exactly what you will learn to build in this article—a step-by-step guide to building your very own automated product launch email sequences that convert like crazy.
Table of Contents
Let’s get started.
Understanding the Basics of Product Launch Email Sequences
If you're still sending slapdash "buy my thing" email blasts for launches, you're leaving a truckload of money on the table.
That’s because if you’re putting low effort into your marketing, your audience is going to assume you’ve put low effort into your product.
Here are the basics you need to know:
Build anticipation through teaser emails
Educate your audience about the product's features and benefits
Share success stories, testimonials, and social proof
Offer exclusive discounts or bonuses for early buyers
Have a clear call-to-action (CTA) in every email
Follow up with reminders and last-chance emails
Planning Your Product Launch Email Sequence
Now you know the basics, let’s take a closer look at how to plan your email sequences properly.
Defining Your Goals and Target Audience
Aimless marketing is a surefire way to get lost in the noise. Before sending a single email, you need clarity on two fronts:
Your launch objectives - Note down the specific goals anchoring your entire sequence. Are you gunning for raw sales numbers? Driving free trial signups? Increasing open/click engagement metrics? Define 1-3 concrete objectives to align all your efforts.
Your ideal customer persona(s) - Those semi-fictional representations of the humans you're really trying to reach. Maybe it's "Game Night Gary" - a family-oriented dad in his 40s looking for fun board games and activities to enjoy quality time with his kids. Or let’s use an ICP htat would be ideal for Arnolds Pump Club as an example. "Fitness Frankie" - A health-conscious 30- 50 year-old seeking straightforward nutrition and workout guidance to build strength, sustain energy levels, and age well. Frankie values simplicity over overwhelming complexity and responds to positive, motivating content that breaks down fitness/nutrition topics clearly.
The more vividly you can sketch out their demographics, psychographics, core wants, and frustrations, the more persuasive your messaging will land.
You can use beehiiv’s audience segmentation and create static segments based on specific subscriber conditions like location, acquisition source, engagement levels, and more.
Or, you can set up dynamic segments that automatically update as subscriber behavior changes over time.
With clear goals and personas in mind, you can start mapping out the overall email sequence flow and cadence.
Let's use Gamer Gavin as an Ideal Customer Persona (ICP) example.
Gamer Gavin is a passionate gamer in his late 20s to early 30s who is deeply invested in the world of gaming. He's a tech-savvy individual interested in the latest gaming hardware and technology trends.
Gavin's demographics include being urban-based or suburban, likely employed in a tech-related field, such as software development, IT, or digital marketing. He might also be a student pursuing a degree in a related field.
Psychographically, Gavin values high-performance gaming equipment, immersive gaming experiences, and staying connected with the gaming community.
His core wants to include owning a powerful gaming laptop capable of running the latest AAA titles smoothly, experiencing high-resolution graphics, and participating in online multiplayer gaming sessions with friends.
His frustrations may stem from outdated hardware limiting his gaming experience, budget constraints, and difficulty in finding the right balance between performance and affordability.
How many emails will you send, and at what intervals? A higher frequency may be needed for driving urgency vs. a more spaced-out nurturing approach.
Decide on the core content themes and offerings for each email so there is a logical progression building toward your main call-to-action.
Don't overlook scarcity boosters like limited-time discounts, bonuses for early buyers, countdown timers, and other psychological turbochargers. When used right, these tactics can spark serious FOMO and fear of better offers.
Here’s an example of how an email sequence could be structured:
Welcome Email: Introduce your gaming laptop brand or product line and highlight the key features and benefits. Provide a brief overview of what Gavin can expect from your emails, such as product updates, gaming tips, and exclusive offers.
High-Performance Gaming Laptops: Showcase your top gaming laptop models with specifications tailored to meet Gavin's gaming requirements, such as powerful processors, dedicated graphics cards, high refresh rate displays, and advanced cooling systems.
Immersive Gaming Accessories: Recommend gaming accessories that complement Gavin's gaming laptop, such as gaming mice, keyboards, headsets, and ergonomic chairs.
Customization and Personalization Options: Discuss any customization or personalization options available for gaming laptops, such as RGB lighting, customizable keycaps, and software tweaks.
Gaming Performance Optimization Tips: Provide tips and tricks for optimizing gaming performance on laptops, such as adjusting graphics settings, updating drivers, and utilizing performance-enhancing software.
Exclusive Gaming Bundles and Promotions: Present Gavin with exclusive gaming bundles, discounts, or promotional offers that incentivize him to make a purchase.
As a quick side note, ensure that you also promote your launch via organic and paid promotion channels like social media, advertising, influencer outreach, and affiliate marketing. This will help increase your reach and visibility during the crucial launch window.
Why Trust Me? Russell, the founder of the InboxConnect marketing agency, has over five years of deep expertise in email marketing. Under his leadership, the agency has become known for innovative strategies with notable successes, including campaigns for renowned clients like Payoneer.
Crafting Your Email Marketing Strategy
There's no hard and fast rule, but the most successful product launch sequences range from five to 12 emails in total.
If you send less than five emails, you’ll have trouble building anticipation. Beyond 12, you risk exhausting your audience with too many emails.
I wish I could give a more concrete number, but it depends on your product, your time to market, and the audience.
More complex products that need lengthy explanations will require a longer series than a new type of Rubix cube.
The number you choose depends on how valuable your offer is, how much content your audience wants, and how many objections they might have.
More expensive and complex offers usually need longer sequences to guide potential customers through the process.
Timeline Planning: When to Send Your Emails
You can have the most epic launch sequence lined up, but if you drop it at the wrong time, it'll be like a tree falling in the forest with no one around to hear it.
Here’s what you need to consider to determine the best time to send your emails:
Seasonality
Industry Events
Competitor Activity
In addition, you can also consider:
Your Own Revenue/Content Cycles
Historical Customer Engagement Patterns
Time Zones of Your Audience
Your Own Revenue/Content Cycles: Time your launch to complement your existing marketing cadences. For example, schedule it shortly after one of your biggest quarterly content/marketing pushes.
Historical Customer Engagement Patterns: Analyze data from past campaigns to understand when your specific audience tends to be most active and engaged with emails. Certain days/times may see spikes in open/click rates.
Time Zones of Your Audience: If your audience is geographically dispersed across multiple time zones, you'll want to schedule a sequence that lands in prime inbox hours for each region.
Let's say you're launching a new productivity app for remote workers and digital nomads.
Using the above factors, your planning would look something like the following:
Seasonality: As resolutions kick in at the start of a new year, people tend to reassess and reoptimize their workflows. An early January launch could perfectly align with that fresh start energy and demand spike.
Industry Events: A launch timed with something like a remote work summit could snowball awareness.
Competitive Landscape: Use tools like Mailcharts to analyze when and what your competitors are doing.
There’s no need to overthink it. Your goal is to make an educated guess based on any information you can find.
Once you've picked your launch date based on these factors, it's time to map out your email sequence and schedule it.
Using beehiiv’s automation tool, you can set up the whole thing in no time. Click on the Write drop-down and then Automation.
From there, hit new automation. Give the new automation a name and brief description and hit save.
Write > Automation > New Automation > Name & Description > Save
Now, it’s time to set the trigger. beehiiv has many trigger options, but for this example, I’m going to select “Signed Up.” If someone signed up for early access to my product, I'd have this trigger the automation.
Then, you’ll set your conditions. I’ll set the condition to Attribute by URL (meaning they signed up to my list via a specific URL). And boom, they are automatically in your automated product launch email sequence.
From here, it’s just a matter of adding your new emails, setting your conditions, and letting the automation run its course.
You can learn more about beehiiv’s automation possibilities in this video.
Of course, you'll want to monitor open rates, click-through rates, and conversions as the launch unfolds.
Creating a Product Launch Email Sequence
Pre-Launch Emails
The pre-launch phase is your chance to pique curiosity and build anticipation for your upcoming product launch.
Drip-feed just enough info to get people excited without giving everything away too soon.
The key components of effective pre-launch emails are:
Capturing attention with curiosity-inducing subject lines and opening lines
Offering sneak peeks or teasers about the product without fully revealing it
Highlighting the core problem/pain point the product will solve
Suggesting the launch will be a huge hit in the market
Creating urgency/scarcity by mentioning limited-time offers or exclusivity
The pre-launch teasers are all about piquing curiosity and anticipation for what's to come. Start this sequence 2-3 weeks out from your launch date.
Teaser Email Sequence:
Email 1 (3 weeks out): "Something Huge is Brewing..."
Email 2 (2 weeks out): "Sneak Peek: [Product Name]"
Email 3 (1 week out): "Exclusive Pre-Launch Discount - Act Now!"
The first teaser email should be vague, hinting at a potential game-changing solution. The next few can start to reveal more details through images, GIFs, or short video clips of the product in action. But don't give away the full picture yet!
The final pre-launch email is where you dangle the carrot of an exclusive discount or bonus for taking action during the initial launch window. This email injects scarcity and gets prospects primed to buy.
Email 1 (3 weeks out): "Something Huge is Brewing..."
Subject Line: "Something huge is brewing..."
Email Copy: "I've been working behind the scenes on a revolutionary new [product/service] that's going to change everything for [your audience]. I can't give away all the juicy details yet, but let's just say if you struggle with [core pain point]...your dreams are about to come true.
Over the next few weeks, I'll give you sneak peeks and private insider updates before anyone else. But you'll need to act fast. As they say, the early bird gets the worm. First adopters are getting something very special.
Stay tuned— this is going to be explosive!"
The idea here is to arouse curiosity by dangling the carrot of a potential solution to a big burning problem.
By offering limited information, curiosity is heightened, leaving them eager for more. Restricted access boosts the perceived value.
Email 2 (2 weeks out): "Sneak Peek: [Product Name]"
Subject Line: "Sneak Peek: [Product Name]"
Email Copy: "Hey [First Name],
Remember that exciting something I mentioned last week? Well, here's your first sneak peek!
[Include a short teaser video, GIF, or image showcasing a key feature or benefit of your product]
This is just a tiny glimpse of what's to come. [Product Name] is going to solve [core problem/pain point] in a whole new way.
Get ready to have your mind blown when it launches in [X days/weeks]!
[Your Name]"
Email 3 (1 week out): "Exclusive Pre-Launch Discount - Act Now!"
Subject Line: "Exclusive Pre-Launch Offer: [Product Name]"
Email Copy: "Hey [First Name],
As a valued [customer/subscriber/fan], you're getting first dibs on [Product Name] before anyone else!
[Describe your product and its key benefits/features]
But that's not all — for the next 48 hours ONLY, you can get [Product Name] at [X%] off the regular price as an exclusive pre-launch discount.
[Include buy button/link]
This special pre-launch pricing won't last long, so grab your spot now before it's gone!
[Your Name]"
Launch Day Emails
Launch day is the pinnacle moment you've been building toward, so these emails need to be showstoppers!
They should provide crystal clear product overviews, emphasize major benefits/outcomes, and create low-friction buying opportunities through simple calls to action.
Key components:
Celebratory, high-energy language
Product videos/visuals to showcase it in action
Bullet-point features/benefits and transformational outcomes
Risk-reversal elements like guarantees or bonuses
Extremely clear, unmissable buy buttons and calls-to-action
Example Email #1
Subject: "It's HERE! [ProductName] has officially launched!"
Email Copy: "[First Name], the day you've been waiting for is finally here! After months of blood, sweat, and tears, I'm thrilled to officially reveal [ProductName] to you and the world.
[Include video overview and key visual]
As you can see, [ProductName] is like [analogies/metaphors] that allows you to accomplish [core desired outcomes] in a fraction of the time while eliminating [major pain points].
Just look at what it can do for you:
[Benefit 1]
[Benefit 2]
[Benefit 3]
[Unexpected bonus/pleasant surprise benefit]
And I'm just getting warmed up! [ProductName] is jam-packed with other awesome features like...
[Additional features/benefits listing]
But that's not all! To celebrate the epic launch of [ProductName], I've put together an insanely valuable bundle of bonuses worth over [$$$$].
When you claim [ProductName] today, you'll also get:
[List bonuses - could be extras, membership access, VIP support, etc.]
This is a limited-time launch package, though, so you need to order now:
[BUY BUTTON]
Don't miss out on [ProductName] and these exclusive bonuses - they won't be around forever!
[CTA]
The goal with launch emails is to be hard-hitting while removing all friction. Sell the dream and make saying "yes" a no-brainer.
Example Email #2:
Subject Line: "Final Hours: [Launch Offer] Ends Tonight!"
Email Copy: "Hey [First Name],
Just a quick reminder that the [Product Name] launch day [promotion/discount/bonus] is ending in just a few hours at midnight tonight!
[Reiterate offer details]
Don't miss out on these amazing savings and bonuses - get [Product Name] now before this deal is gone for good.
[Include buy button/link]
[Call-to-action]
[Your Name]"
Post-Launch Emails
The launch may be over, but your momentum shouldn't be! Post-launch, your objectives shift toward maximizing conversions from any holdouts and expanding your relationship with new buyers.
You'll need a mix of last-chance scarcity emails, objection-handling, social proof, and cross-sell/upsell opportunities.
Prepare the following emails:
Email 1: Last Chance Reminder (1-2 days after launch)
Email 2: Overcome Objections (1 week after launch)
Email 3: Social Proof (2 weeks after launch)
Email 4: Cross-sell/Upsell (3-4 weeks after launch)
Key components:
Addressing common doubts, concerns, and objections
Including customer stories/reviews/testimonials
Reminding of time-sensitive discounts/bonuses ending soon
Offering valuable bonuses/upsells for existing buyers
Emphasizing risk-reversal policies like guarantees
Email 1: Last Chance Reminder (1-2 days after launch)
Subject: "The [ProductName] Door is closing..."
Email Copy: "[First Name], I don't want you to miss out on [ProductName] and all the amazing bonuses that have come with this launch, so I'm giving you one final opportunity before the doors close at midnight tonight:
[Share brief recap of core offer]
[Share recent glowing testimonial]
As you can see, [ProductName] is changing lives and delivering massive transformations already! But don't take my word for it...
Here's what a few other leaders in the [niche] are saying:
[Share 2-3 more testimonials]
We're down to the wire now though. After tonight, the launch bonuses will be gone for good and [ProductName] will return to full price. If you've been on the fence, now is the time to make your move.
[BUY BUTTON]
Don't get left behind! Join the [ProductName] revolution and finally [achieve the desired transformation] with the rest of us. All you have to do is get started now:
[BUY BUTTON]
[CTA] [Risk-reversal reminder]."
Email 2: Overcome Objections (1 week after launch)
Subject Line: "You're missing out on [Product Name]"
Email Copy: "[First Name],
I've noticed [Product Name] hasn't quite hit home for you yet, but I truly believe it could be a game-changer for [core desired outcome].
[Include testimonial(s) or success story]
Don't let another day go by struggling with [pain point] when the solution is right here:
[Include buy button/link]
Give [Product Name] a try today - it's 100% risk-free with my [money-back guarantee].
[Call-to-action]
[Your Name]"
Subject Line: "You're Missing Out on [Product Name]"
Email Copy: "[First Name],
I've noticed [Product Name] hasn't quite hit home for you yet, but I truly believe it could be a game-changer for [core desired outcome].
[Include testimonial(s) or success story]
As you can see, [ProductName] is changing lives and delivering massive transformations already! Don't let another day go by struggling with [pain point] when the solution is right here:
[Include buy button/link]
Give [Product Name] a try today - it's 100% risk-free with my [money-back guarantee].
[Call-to-action]
[Your Name]"
Cross-Sell/Upsell Email (3-4 weeks after launch)
Subject Line: "The secret to 10X your results with [Product Name]"
Email Copy: "Hey [First Name],
Thanks for being an early adopter of [Product Name]! I hope it's already been a game-changer for you.
Now that you've gotten your feet wet, I've got something special that can take your results to the stratosphere:
[Describe cross-sell or upsell product details and benefits]
When you combine [Original Product] with [New Offer], you'll be able to [core transformation/outcome].
[Include buy button/link]
Grab this today and unlock your [desired outcome] on overdrive!
[Your Name]"
Best Practices for Product Launch Email Sequences
Personalize for Maximum Conversions
For your launch to truly hit home, you must personalize each email as much as possible.
Use your subscriber's name, company details, purchase history, and more where possible. This personal relevance grabs attention from the very first line.
Beyond inserting merge tags, study your audience segments closely. What are their key desires, pain points, objections, and motivations around your launch offering?
Speak directly to these subjective realities throughout your copy, creative, and subscriber journey.
The more you can make someone feel like you're speaking directly to them as an individual, the more irresistible your launch messaging becomes.
Some good ways to get feedback or interaction from your audience is to use dynamic content like polls and survey forms while encouraging both positive and constructive feedback.
Make Your CTAs Unmissable
Whether you want sales, sign-ups, webinar registrations, or something else from your launch - make the path of least resistance painfully obvious.
Your emails should build curiosity and desire, yes. But they ultimately need to convert subscribers to take action.
Use bold, high-contrast Call-to-Action buttons that quite literally can't be missed. Reinforce these CTAs with benefit-driven copy that compels clicks by highlighting the value and urgency behind taking action now.
Optimize With A/B Split Testing
Even seemingly small factors like A/B testing subject lines, send times, and creative assets can drastically impact your results. That's why it's crucial to continuously test different variations against each other.
Not convinced? I recently A/B tested the following subject lines from one of my email campaigns and changed just one word.
Subject Line 1: Avoid these 3 rookie P&L mistakes
Subject Line 2: Avoid these 3 common P&L mistakes
The winner was subject line 2. The result was an increase of 7% in open rates.
Segment for Relevance
Remember that subscribers have different levels of knowledge and interest about your launch, so don't assume they all understand it in the same way.
Segmenting plays a huge role in marketing. It’s always best practice to segment or group your audience into meaningful subgroups based on demographics, behaviors, purchase histories, etc.
From there, deliver customized, hyper-relevant launch flows, messaging, offers, and creatives tailored to each critical segment.
For instance, new prospects might need more education, while existing customers could receive exclusive upsell opportunities and VIP bonuses.
The more granular your segmentation and personalization strategies, the stronger the connection you'll forge.
Follow Up Purposefully & Persistently
As the late great Jim Rohn said, “The fortune is in the follow-up.”
Most sales and conversion opportunities are lost when people give up too early in the process. Not buying on Day 1 doesn't mean they'll never buy—it might just take more nurturing over time.
By setting up thoughtful email sequences, you’ll be able to purposefully and persistently follow up with your audience.
These can restate your key value propositions, overcome common objections, share social proof, and provide new incentives or opportunities for your offering.
The key is finding that perfect balance between being gently persistent without becoming annoying or fatiguing your relationship.
OnePlus Case Study
On October 29th, 2018, OnePlus, an Android-based smartphone company, announced it would release its much-anticipated OnePlus 6T phone on October 30, 2018—yes, just one day prior!
However, Apple was releasing one of its much-anticipated products on the same day, so OnePlus quickly pivoted and announced that it would launch on November 6th.
This is a great example of why researching your competitors before any announcement is so important. Of course, you can’t always predict what your competitor will do, so remaining flexible is a good idea.
OnePlus got everyone excited for their OnePlus 6T launch using mostly X now Twitter.
They streamed the NYC event worldwide and ran a clever campaign across seven handles, covering the US and Europe.
With teasers, ticket sales, and a custom emoji, OnePlus ensured fans were hyped and engaged.
On launch day, they curated the conversation with a Live Event page, making it easy for fans to join in on the fun and stay connected.
For those not on X, you would have registered your interest via email. From that moment on, you were bombarded (in a good way) with beautifully designed emails that perfectly highlighted the phone's new features and sold the benefits.
From memory, I received around 9 emails in total. There was the confirmation email for registering my interest, the product build-up, the benefits, and some sneak peeks of the phone.
Brilliant marketing!
Using beehiiv For Your Product Launch
When it comes to launching your product, getting the word out is key. However, not everyone has the time to market the launch effectively, which is why having a solid product launch email sequence is so crucial.
Thankfully, beehiiv makes setting this up simple. With Beehiiv, you can create your email sequences and automation without the headaches.
You’ll also be able to apply the best practices mentioned in this article with beehiiv’s tools, allowing you to segment, personalize, and schedule those emails.
Plus, beehiiv's analytics help you understand how your emails are performing so you can fine-tune your strategy as you go.
And if you're looking to make some extra cash, beehiiv has options to monetize your newsletters, too.
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