:Marketing / Email marketing

Phenomenal sales email examples and how to replicate them for your business

person working at home person working at home

Online course creators have to wear a lot of hats to make sure their businesses runs smoothly. From videography and photo editing to social media management and email marketing, the list of skills goes on and on. On top of all that, online entrepreneurs also have to master the art of writing effective sales emails. 

If you’re looking to hone your email writing skills, read on for six sales email examples that you can easily replicate in your business.

Example 1: The one that makes you smile

Humor is always a good way to lighten things up and make a boring sales email more exciting. And if you manage to make people smile with your email, chances are they’ll remember you for it, even if they don’t buy straight away.

A great sales email example using humor when selling comes from marketing expert Jenna Kutcher. She uses her own personality alongside GIFs that makes you feel like you are reading an email from a friend:

the funny one the funny one

When looking to incorporate humor into your sales emails, this is what you want to do:

  • Use GIFs: Not only are GIFs great to make it more fun and exciting, but it’s also a great way to convey emotions to your audience. Also, it helps break down the text, which improves readability.
  • Get in on a joke: If something big happened in pop culture or the social media world, don’t be afraid to jump in on a joke and incorporate it in your emails.
  • Share your personal fails: If you have a funny story that relates to what you’re selling—share it! Laugh from your failures and misfortunes while inspiring people along the way.

Example 2: The one with all the answers

Another great way to entice others to enroll in your course is by addressing any concerns they might have. Even before prospective students know what those concerns are or that they have them at all. The best way to do this is by sending out a Q&A email as part of your sale sequence.

Online entrepreneur Pat Flynn’s Q&A email that was part of his sales email sequence for his podcasting course is a great Q&A sales email example:

one that has all the answers one that has all the answers

Because Flynn has experience with podcasting, he knows exactly what pain points people might have when they’re deciding whether his course is worth the investment. So he jumps ahead, addressing all those concerns, leaving no space for doubt. 

Here is how you can borrow this strategy from him and incorporate it in your sales emails: 

  • Make a list of frequently asked questions: Go over all of your emails, social media comments, and DMs. Then, make a list of all questions your audience asks. Group and answer them in one of your emails.
  • Research your competitors: If you’re launching a course for the first time and don’t have a large audience with questions, don’t worry. Research your competitors and see what questions their audience is asking. Make a list that relates to your business and provide answers.
  • Get past students to answer questions: If you want to go above and beyond, get a few of your past and current students to answer some of the burning questions students might have. It addresses people’s concerns ahead of time and provides social proof. 

Example 3: The one that evokes FOMO

Fear of missing out is one of the most potent sales strategies. And it works wonders when it’s time to write effective sales emails that convert into actual sales. So, if you have a limited offer or the enrollment of your online course opens only for a short period of time, utilize this angle when writing sales emails.

A wonderful sales email example that uses this strategy once again comes from Jenna Kutcher. Whenever she has a special offer, she makes sure to let her email list know:

the one that offers fomo the one that offers fomo

If you have a limited time offer, this is what you want to consider including in your sales emails:

  • Let them know in the headline: Your email subject line is the first thing people will see, so you want to make sure they know that your offer has an expiration date from the very start.
  • Include a countdown: Most email builders offer the countdown feature. So, when you’re crafting your sale email, consider including it somewhere to let people see visually how much time it’s left until the offer expires.
  • Be clear about the urgency: Make sure that you’re making it clear to people reading the email why they should act now and how long they have until the offer ends. 

Be honest: Only use urgency strategy in your sales emails if it’s truly a limited-time offer. Trust is crucial when building a successful online business. And you want to keep it strong with your audience for the longevity of your business.

Only seven steps to get there

It only takes seven steps to find your next profitable course idea. Get our free course idea worksheet today and start growing your online business.

It all starts with an idea

Share what you know with like-minded others today. We have a course idea worksheet to help you discover your next big idea—for free.

Thanks for signing up.
It all starts with an idea

Example 4: The one that warms them up

The best sales emails are those that give people enough value for free before pitching a sale. And a lot of online entrepreneurs use this strategy to get people to sign up for their courses and buy their products. A great sales email example that shows a soft sales pitch is by a business coach Vanessa Lau:

Instead of going straight for the sale of her online course, Lau chooses to invite people to free training, during which she will be providing tons of valuable information and sharing her knowledge. At the end of it, she’ll pitch her online course, urging people to enroll and learn even more about the subject. 

If you have free training or a webinar as part of your sales strategy, make sure your email list knows about it: 

  • Include the date and time: Even if your webinar is pre-recorded, include the date and time when people can sign up to create exclusivity and make it an urgent matter.
  • Let people know what they’ll be getting out of it: In short, give people a compelling reason why they should be signing up for your webinar and what value they’re going to receive.
  • Give them a hint: Mention that there will be a special surprise waiting for them at the end of the webinar to pique their curiosity and encourage sign-ups.

Example 5: The short one

Your online course is wonderful. You’re excited to tell people all about it. Naturally, you want to write long sales emails that give all the details about your course to your email list. However, it’s better to opt for a concise email that entices people to click on the link to get them to your online course sales page

Blogging expert Jon Morrow is a master of writing short yet persuasive sales emails. His email inviting people to a free training is a perfect short sales email example:

the one that warms them up the one that warms them up

It takes less than a minute to read the email. It gives you everything you want to know about what you’re getting. And, it gives you a clear call to action if you’re interested in the next step. 

When writing a short sales email, always include these three things:

  • Hook them in: Right off the bat, let people know why they should care about what you have to offer them. 
  • Tell them what you offer: Make it very clear what you’re giving them or what you want them to do once they finish reading the email.
  • Include a CTA: Call to action should be short and clear and lead people to a page where they can either buy your offer or learn more about it. 

Example 6: The one with a preview

If you’re writing a whole email sequence for your new course launch, then you might want to dedicate one email to showing people what they can get inside your course. This will save people time having to read your extensive sales landing page, so those who are short on time will appreciate it.

A sales email example that shows how to do this the right way is an email from marketing expert Ryan Rob:

the short one the short one

Rob sent out a series of emails that introduced people to his new product for his new blogging course launch. In this particular email, Rob provides a summary of what you will get when buying his course. But, you still get a link to the full landing page that’s more detailed.

When you’re giving people a sneak peek of your curriculum, here are a few tips that will help you do just that:

  • Utilize formatting tools: Use bullet points, paragraph breaks, and more advanced email design tools.
  • Stick with one sentence per point: Even when writing a summary of your course curriculum, keep it short. Try to fit explanations of different modules into one sentence each.
  • Make it clear where people can learn more: Only providing a summary and a link to purchase might not be enough. You want to give people a link to your course landing page where they can find more information if they’re interested. 
  • Show your personality: Your sales emails should reflect your personality and business. So, to make a summary of your course less dry, include humor and personality where appropriate.


Author: Karolina Wilde, Karolina Wilde is a freelance writer. Her work has been published on Better Marketing, The Ascent, and Sexography reaching over 25,000+ readers. In her free time, you can find her podcasting, reading, or creating TikTok videos.