1.

The Hustle
TOPIC: SUBJECT LINES, A/B TESTING

The Hustle is a daily email newsletter that curates some of the day’s most important
headlines in business, tech, and culture. They send a healthy dose of news that I don’t
necessarily get reading the BBC that keeps me opening every day.

The Hustle constantly tests subject lines, which always tie back to their first story of the day,
and are often creative and funny. Take the example I’m using from March 5th—their first
story was about new technology trying to bring Internet access to remote areas using
satellites.

A: Clear, Relatively Safe

B: Creative, Funny

Why it works:

 Both versions describe (albeit in very different approaches) what’s inside the email in
an intriguing way.
 Both versions provide succinct subject lines of 5 words or less.
  By testing a relatively safe version against a more “out there version,” they were
likely to tell which one resonated the most with their unique readership.
 The Hustle has a complete handle on their brand voice and this allows them to talk
about cat videos and still be taken seriously (and get those opens!).

Their tone is casual, and

their writing is witty
without dumbing down the
content.

Ellie Johnson, Marketing Operations Associate

2. Airbnb
TOPIC: PERSONALIZATION

Airbnb is an online marketplace for short-term lodging and vacation rentals. Airbnb acts as
the broker throughout the transactions and provides this connection between for a fee. Self-
described as " A Community Built on Trust," they have built up a strong reputation which
supports that.

The following email I received from Airbnb stood out to me as a great email example for
various reasons, but right off the bat, what stood out to me was the use of personalization.
Clear promise to provide inspiration
Click the tour points for
additional information!

Simple use of data to provide personalized experience

Why it works:

 The personalization starts with the subject line, and they used not one, but two pieces
of personalization with basic substitution tags (my name and home city).
 By knowing that the email contains personalized information, curiosity naturally
increases and will increase the chance of an open.
 This email campaign leverages and makes the most out of the data that the company
sits on to provide useful insight for me—where other Denverites are booking
vacations.

This email does a great job

of using data in a simple
and logical way to create a
personalized experience.

Austin Whiting, Email Marketing Associate

3. Medium
TOPICS: PERSONALIZATION, COPY & CONTENT
Medium(.com) is an online publishing platform featuring articles ranging from personal
finance, to sports, to humor, and much, much more. It also serves as a blog hosting service,
allowing users to create accounts featuring content of their own. Rather than focusing on
unique visitors to their website, the company optimizes its business around time
spent reading the site; a testament to the quality of the content provided.

Medium’s “Daily Digest” is a top email example because of the excellent personalization

behind their email. (Disclaimer: I don’t work for Medium, so the following contains
assumptions about the inner-workings of their personalization!)

Upon signing up for a free account, your first task is to select subject matter that most
interests you. Those interests are then plugged into their magical personalization engine,
which goes towards generating your “Daily Digest” email.

As your consumption of Medium content continues, the personalization in the digest

sharpens, making it the epitome of my “wanted mail” every morning.
Digest is personalized based on user’s selections
Featured article matches subject line of email
“Read time” sets expectations
Author recognition gives a personal feel
Categorization makes it easy to scan

Why it works:

 Featured article: Each digest features one story at the top, which is also included in
the subject line of the email.
 Read time: Before choosing to click on an article, recipients are given a heads up with
an “X min read” warning (The Full Send also does this!).
 Categorization: If I’m not in the personal finance mood today, I can continue to scroll
down to another category that better aligns with my current mood.

What better way to engage

with recipients than by
giving them all of the
content they explicitly
asked for?

Matt Rushing, Manager of Conversion Marketing

4. Bookit
TOPICS: PERSONALIZATION, SUBJECT LINES, A/B TESTING, DESIGN

I’ve used the travel company Bookit.com to book multiple vacations to Cancun. Since those
trips, I routinely find emails on current deals at resorts throughout Mexico and various
Caribbean destinations in my inbox.

I often find myself perusing their deals and desperately fighting the urge to plan another
impulse vacation. “What? An all-inclusive resort in Cancun for less than $100 per night? Tell
me more.”

Take this recent email’s subject line that provides a time-based incentive, along with a low-
friction commitment:

Once I opened the email I see a beautiful beach photo, but what stands out to me is the
branded search box at the top. Even though you are not able to enter your destination, check
in and check out dates, the email is branded the same as on the website:
Branded search bar creates consistency with site
Beautiful, attention-grabbing image

It becomes apparent that Bookit is also testing various templates and elements in their email
campaigns. In one variation, they are testing the impact that larger pictures have on CTRs
(click-thru-rates). In the other, they are testing the concept of “social proof” through customer
quotes:

A: Large Images
B: Social Proof
Why it works:

 Segmentation: Bookit is using data to provide personalized recommendations and

knows that there is likely still interest in these locations for future trips. Because I’ve
booked Mexico trips in the past, I was likely added to this destination email
segment and this email campaign serves as a retargeting campaign.
 Subject lines: by presenting a time-based offer with some urgency, this email comes
across more timely and one that needs to be opened soon.
 The emails maintain consistent design across multiple experiences, and subtly implies
what the desired CTA (call-to-action) will be on the website.
 A|B testing in your emails, not unlike website pages, is an essential part of
understanding what truly resonates with your customers and can drastically improve
conversion rates.

Now if you’ll excuse me,

there is a tropical resort I
need to look into.

Mike Pace, Director of Demand Generation

5. Yelp
TOPIC: DESIGN, COPY, PERSONALIZATION

There are two things that almost always catch my attention: creative, witty alliteration and
savory, delectable desserts. Yelp, a leading customer review site, managed to incorporate
both in one of the many themed newsletters they recently sent me.
Yelp’s weekly newsletter titled, “Bangin’ Beignets!” tempted, and ultimately, persuaded me
to try the powdered sugar delights at a few of my local restaurants.
Strong image to grab attention
Witty alliteration in headline
Helpful content with social proof
Appropriate text-to-image ratio

Why it works:

 Personalized content that is based on location provides a tempting offer.

 Well-balanced image to text ratio. The newsletter depicts a delicious assortment of
beignets to catch the reader's attention followed by concise and creative copy that is
straight to the point.
 Creative, witty, and effective copy to introduce the featured restaurants.

Don’t get too carried away

with images, because it
may raise a red flag to
spam filters if you haven’t
provided enough text.

Dustin Hovey, Sr. SEM Manager

6. Birchbox
TOPICS: BRANDING & DESIGN, COPY & CONTENT, PERSONALIZATION
This example of stellar email design comes from one of my guilty pleasures, Birchbox, a
service that sends personalized beauty product samples to your door every month. This email
is telling me about options to customize my April box by choosing some specific samples—
and giving me a little shopping break in the middle of my day!
Valuable account info
Bold, limited text
Bright colors and relevant, beautiful imagery
Content broken up into clear sections

Why it works:

 Bright colors and bold font: the yellow is very eye-catching, and the limited use of
text makes the email very skimmable.
 Hierarchy and readability: They broke up the content into 3 main sections that clearly
show what the email is trying to accomplish (getting me to choose the way I want to
customize the box). Despite needing to scroll a little, I can interpret the goal of the
email instantly.
 Valuable content: There is also a ton of valuable intel given right in the email, from
photos of the actual samples to my loyalty program level, and my point balance.
 Personalization: By using substitution tags in the header and subject line, as well as
providing a customized call to action, they’ve personalized my experience and made
it simple for me to take action.

Everything about this email

is eye-catching and
engaging. Plus, I got to
shop!

Jill Guest, Sr. Marketing Manager - Customer Growth

7. Mint
TOPICS: COPY & CONTENT, BRANDING & DESIGN

Mint is a leading personal finance app from Intuit. Offering easy budgeting, bill tracking and
payments, free credit scores, and personalized advice for money management, Mint makes it
simple to stay on top of your finances.
Headline that catches your eye
Clean, simple design
Useful educational content

Why it works:

 A headline that catches your eye. Let’s face it: credit can be a scary topic. The
headline of this email gives a reader pause (“Am I being fooled by credit myths? How
much do I really know about my credit?”), encouraging them to continue to the
content below.
 A clean, simple design that doesn’t overwhelm you. Pops of colors and high-quality
images are on-brand and reflect the simplicity of the Mint platform. And by
using SendGrid Marketing Campaigns, the Mint team can quickly add and fine-tune
pictures, buttons, and more to achieve their email vision.
 A place to provide feedback on the content of the email (not pictured). Including
a preference center where recipients can update their information or unsubscribe from
emails is critical for ensuring you’re only sending wanted mail. Mint takes this a step
farther with a link to a simple, anonymous form for readers to explain why or why not
they found this email useful—what a great way to source feedback and learn from
your recipient base!

I love this email because it

unselfishly delivers value
and reminds the reader of
why they created a Mint
account in the first place.
 Jessy Sweet, Associate Product Marketing Manager

8. Autopilot
TOPICS: SUBJECT LINES, COPY & CONTENT

Time is a precious commodity. But what’s an email marketer to do about recipients who say
they want their communication (by expressly opting in) but then go dark?

Hit them with a re-engagement email! Autopilot produces killer content, and I initially signed
up for their email anticipating that I would devour every asset they sent my way...but,
apparently, it’s been a while since I opened or clicked. (My bad, Autopilot! Hope we’re still
cool.)
Mysterious subject line
Personalization in “from” name, body of email, and signature
Clear list of what content to expect

Why it works:

 Mysterious subject line: Using a cliffhanger subject line that leaves the recipient
wondering/wanting something more is a great way to encourage and increase opens.
But it’s a tactic that needs to be used sparingly—I’d recommend saving it for
an important 10% of your messages. You don’t want to earn a reputation for using
clickbait!
 Personal approach: This email technically is HTML (note the big blue button with the
CTA), but it has an overall plain text look and feel. Because it addresses me by name,
is a similar font to what I would see from a friend that’s writing me an email, and
closes with the sender’s name and title (that also matched the from address), it makes
the overall recipient experience feel more like a 1:1 conversation.
 What’s in it for me? This re-engagement email outlines what people will continue to
receive by re-opting in to receive their mail—new articles, industry leading reports,
and Oscar-worthy webinars. Seems like a no-brainer, but it’s often overlooked
content! Remind those subscribers what hooked them in the first place and get them
excited to start engaging again.

They put thought into the

recipients’ experience and
crafted the message with
the end goal in mind—to
get their sleepy subscribers
to wake up or get off their
list.

Kate Schmeisser, Creative Content Manager

9. Artifact Uprising
TOPICS: BRANDING & DESIGN, COPY & CONTENT

Artifact Uprising is a premium quality, custom photo print company that is very intentional
about every aspect of their business, from the initial photo capture to the materials they use
for printing. Their marketing emails don’t falter in intention either, as their style is a
condensed replication of their site.
Design consistent with the brand and website
Clear CTA for those ready to convert
Second CTA directs the reader’s eye downward
Concise, digestible copy
Final CTA for those hooked by the first four tips

Why it works:

 Consistent branding: Artifact Uprising’s design style is so tranquil that it screams

their name. Ironic, huh? Successful branding doesn’t always require a big, bold logo.
The fonts and imagery in the body of the email are pulled directly from the guide
they’re promoting, which creates a seamless experience for the user as they click
through. I find this important because there is absolutely no deception about what
you’re getting once you arrive at the actual guide.
 Descriptive copy that acts as a hook: I appreciate descriptive copy that accentuates
design and style, without overshadowing it, and since Artifact Uprising is a
photography-focused company, it makes total sense that they’d design this way. Each
section of copy complements each photo with concise, digestible tips. The clever part
here is that the promoted guide is titled “6 Tips to Photograph Spring,” yet the email
only provides two tips, leaving the reader hungry for the final four.
 Well-placed CTAs: Three very different, yet obvious clear calls-to-action are
sprinkled throughout the email copy. The most obvious, “Get The Guide,” is at the
top (likely for those who don’t need any additional coaxing to their site). The
following, “Start Here,” is a great way to keep eyes navigating down the email. The
final is at the end of the content, as a final closer. All three CTAs are positioned as
actionable buttons, but they’re subtle; not pushy or repetitive.
Successful branding
doesn’t always require a
big, bold logo.

Lauren Parsell, Associate Media Buyer

Email best practice takeaways

Many elements go into creating a knockout email marketing campaign. But don’t let that
overwhelm you. Focus on providing simple and friction-free experiences for your recipients
and tailor your ideas, experiments, and optimizations around this single notion.

If you’re starting out with email marketing, consider focusing on one element such as design,
testing, or copy and add a focus area with each campaign.

And if you’re already creating emails, but are looking for ways to improve, start trying to get
more in depth with additional testing strategies or enhanced branding and design.

When in doubt, take another look through the examples above for new ideas to try in your
email campaigns.