Running a successful email marketing campaign takes a lot of time and practice. It won’t happen the first time you try; it takes learning what entices your customers to open emails. You have to learn more about your clients and build a relationship with them to increase your open rates.

Image Credits marcelrmlsp, CC0 1.0

Sometimes, you need inspiration to create an awesome email campaign. These are some of the best email marketing campaigns. Let’s see what there is to learn from them.

1. Warby Parker: They had a brilliant subject line: “Uh-oh, your prescription is expiring.” Almost anyone is going to click that link! They also include information on finding a local optometrist. They made shopping for new glasses a breeze.
2. Orbitz: Everyone recognizes Orbitz and their traveling website. Orbitz gets a lot of their repeat customers through their email campaigns. Their subject lines are very clear as to what the readers will find inside for email.

They select images that are interesting and may inspire the reader to travel even more. The text is clear and to the point.

An example of one of their headlines is: “Save an Extra 20% – Hello Promo Code!”

BuzzFeed: The folks at BuzzFeed are awesome. They create some of the best articles; it isn’t hard to guess that their emails are great as well. Their subject lines are always on point; they are short and eye-catching.

One of their newest stated to “Get up! Get Up Now!” and the preview text said “It’s time to get up out of bed, people.” Their new article was on ways to get out of bed in the morning.

ModCloth: Companies have to evolve and change to keep up with the demand and evolution of their business. Most customers don’t expect to be told about these changes. ModCloth decided to let their customers know when they may changes.

Placed at the top of the email in a brightly colored box is all the changes. This can even include policy changes! This also gives the customers time to decide if the changes are ok.

BirchBox: They had an ingenious idea for one of their recent email campaigns. Their subject line claimed that they forgot to include something in your latest box. Naturally, subscribers are going to open the email.

They didn’t forget anything; inside the email, they gave clients a discount code for their next purchase. Using a subject line that would catch the eye of readers can make or break an email campaign.

RunKeeper: Most companies try to reengage users with friendly emails. RunKeeper chooses to let their clients know about new changes to their apps. The goal is to get them to give the app a try again. Fun big word additions, such as “you rock”, can make the email more exciting.

Luxury Garage Sale: You can find so much inspiration in the emails sent from Luxury Garage Sale. They are a high-end consignment shop. Here are some things you can learn from their experts.

• Because of their clients and their desires, the emails contain mostly images and only 1-2 sentences of text.
• They link to each article of clothing and accessory so the readers can easily find them and similar items. The goal is to make a few extra sales. 

Cotopaxi: Most customers don’t want to just receive emails with multiple sales. They like to receive emails with some content as well. One company has learned how to achieve a healthy balance between sales pitchy and fun content.

They include a link to one of their top products: a water bottle called a Kili. Then, they include a link to 6 different s’more recipes that are yummy. The company focuses on outdoor living, so a link to different s’mores fits the lifestyle of those who love to spend time outside.

Uncommon Goods: A sense of urgency is good; it’s one of the key elements that make an email marketing campaign successful. A great call to action can convince a customer to make a spur of the moment purchase, which leads to more revenue for the business.

For Mother’s Day, instead of doing the common ship fast to arrive by Mother’s Day technique, Uncommon Goods went a different route. Their email asked, “Don’t you think Mom would’ve liked a faster delivery?” The question probably gave you a slight chuckle and then, if the client is a procrastinator, led them to look for a great Mother’s Day present.

Rip Curl: Once again, a catchy call to action can change the course of the email marketing campaign.

“Join the Revolution.”

It is simple, but it is likely to stick in your mind. Rip Curl is an Australian surfing company, and they mastered creating a catchy call to action. It combines a sense of urgency as well as the desire to be part of a group with something in common.

While there may not be a serious revolution, the customer is being led to purchase a watch. This watch is owned by other people, therefore, they need to “join a revolution.”

Also, there is a catchy play on words because typical watches make revolutions each hour. While this watch is digital, it still is a good play on the item itself.

These were 10 successful email marketing campaigns based on the information gathered from their software. What is there to learn from these examples? They all have things in common that led to them being successful.

1. They use bright and eye-catching images. Good images convince the reader to stay on the page.
2. Each one had a great, clever, enticing subject lines. Subject lines will make or break the success of a campaign. They need to convince the reader that the email is worth opening.
3. Every email has a strong call to action somewhere. In a short phrase, they let their readers know what they want them to do.
4. They are fun! No one wants to open and read a boring email. These emails are eye-catching, witty, and comical and worth the time it spent to read.