A new product announcement email is one of those emails that's easy to get wrong. The company wants to say everything at once: the development story, every feature, technical details, pricing. The subscriber gets a wall of text and closes it.
The job of an announcement isn't to explain the product — it's to create the desire to try it. Those are two different tasks.
The structure of an announcement email
Subject line
The subject line of an announcement should spark curiosity or promise a specific benefit. Not "We're excited to introduce new product X" — that's a corporate cliché that won't hook anyone.
What works better:
- A specific result: "Now you can build emails twice as fast"
- Intrigue: "Something new you've been asking for"
- The product's name, if it's self-explanatory: "Introducing Letteros Sender"
The first screen
The first screen of the email needs to answer one question: what is this, and why do I need it. Three elements handle that:
- A headline with the main benefit, not the product's name
- A visual — a screenshot of the interface, a product photo, or an illustration that conveys the idea
- A "try it" or "learn more" button — right away, no scrolling needed
Miro announces a platform update through an invitation to a presentation — intrigue without details, a date, and one button
The body of the email
After the first screen, list three to five specific benefits or use cases. Not technical specs — the problems the product solves.
The "before and after" format works well for updates to an existing product:
- Before, it took three steps. Now — one
- Before, you waited on a developer. Now you build it yourself in 20 minutes
For a new product, a scenario format works better: "You're preparing a campaign and want to check how the email looks in Outlook — now that takes 30 seconds, right inside the editor."
Social proof
If the product went through beta testing, include one or two quotes from beta users. If not, feel free to skip this block — empty social proof is worse than none at all.
The final CTA
One button with a specific action. For SaaS — "Try it free." For a physical product — "Buy." For a preorder announcement — "Reserve at the early price."
Types of announcements and how they differ
Announcing a brand-new product
The audience doesn't know what to expect. Focus on the main benefit and what problem the product removes. Less about technical details, more about the change it brings to the user's life.
Shake Shack adds social proof right into the email — three testimonials before the button. For a new product, this removes skepticism
Announcing an update to an existing product
The audience already knows the product — there's no need to explain what it is. Focus on exactly what changed and why it matters. The "you asked, we built it" format works well.
Loom breaks the update into four separate blocks — each feature gets a name, description, and screenshot. The reader immediately sees exactly what changed
Preorder announcement
The product isn't ready yet, but it can be reserved. You need a specific incentive to reserve now: an early price, limited quantity, or exclusive features for early adopters.
Without an incentive, preorders don't work — people put it off and forget.
MasterClass gives a specific incentive to preorder — a 30% discount available only right now. Without that incentive, the preorder doesn't work
Mistakes when writing an announcement
- The development story instead of the customer's benefit. "We spent six months building this" is your story, not the customer's
- Cramming every feature into one email. Pick one or two main ones. The rest belongs in an onboarding sequence after sign-up
- An announcement with no next step. The email needs to lead somewhere: to a landing page, a preorder form, or the app
- One email for the entire list. New users and loyal customers need different context — for one group it's an introduction to the product, for the other it's an expansion of something they already have
A sequence built around the announcement
A single email performs worse than a small sequence:
When | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
"Something's coming" teaser | 3–5 days before | Build anticipation |
The main announcement email | Launch day | Introduce the product and get the first sign-ups |
Testimonials email | 3–5 days later | Social proof for people who haven't decided yet |
Email for people who didn't open it | 5–7 days later | A second attempt with a new subject line |
More on split testing email subject lines: letteros.com/blog/marketing/split-testing-email/
More on emails for different segments: letteros.com/blog/marketing/kak-segmentirovat-bazu-podpischikov-bez-crm/