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Being an email marketing expert, I’ve come to see just how pivotal email is in the success of my launch campaigns.

In fact, I sometimes employ what I call “sneaky launches”, which aren't even seen publicly - it's done entirely through launch emails.

It’s a strategy that might seem unconventional at first glance, but the results speak volumes - most of my sales in these types of launches end up coming from emails themselves!

I find this amazing and super reassuring - that what I'm doing is definitely the right path.

It underscores the immense power of email, proving that launches don’t always have to be high-pressure, public spectacles.

Through my experiences and successes in selling via email, I’ve gained valuable insights into the art of effective launching, which I’m excited to share with you today…

Read on to discover the five different types of launch emails that you want to be sending before and during your launch period.

You’ll explore my launch messaging along with my launch email templates that will make the process smoother, more engaging and ultimately more successful.

Email Type 1 – Engagement and Connection

These are launch emails that you want to be sending before you launch or before you go through a sales period.

Simply jumping into sales without building a relationship misses a significant opportunity because sales often stem from the groundwork laid during the launch runway.

People need to trust you before they buy from you!

They need to be in that position before you even try offering something.

So that when the time comes, they’re like, “I need help with this and you're the right person to help me with it.”

However, there's also a more strategic aspect to this as well.

When it comes to things like deliverability, we want to make sure we have the highest chance of our emails being seen.

And to do that, we want to increase engagement with our emails – and set a few goals first.

First, we want to get people to open as many launch emails as possible, which starts with creating intriguing, impactful subject lines.

Click-through rates are equally as vital, as they great signals to Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail that you are sending stuff people really want to read.

This increases the chances of those emails hitting the inbox of interested subscribers.

The bottom line is… we want to get clicks!

Instead of directly pushing sales, we focus on encouraging easy actions like clicking links to articles you've written or posts you've done on Instagram that have got some great engagement.

You could even curate a roundup of top-performing content or invite them to vote on something, which not only engages but boosts email deliverability.

Give them a choice of A, B, or C and have a little hyperlink that says, “Cast your vote by clicking the link below”. And it's just a quick action.

Encouraging replies is another valuable strategy.

By asking lots of thought-provoking questions, you can gather responses and feedback while at the same time strengthening deliverability.

If you want to know more about boosting email engagement, check out my podcast episode titled 10 creative ways to quickly boost your email engagement at yaelkeon.com/podcast.

Otherwise, dive deeper into crafting engaging emails with my Engaging Emails course, available in my Email Marketing Superstore.

Remember, the key is to start nurturing warm leads well before your launch, typically two months in advance. Send a weekly email with value-packed content that gets them thinking, connecting and aware of what you offer. You can also subtly hint at upcoming offers and include a call to action to get on the waitlist, laying a solid foundation for a successful launch.

Email Type 2 – Invitation

This type of email is essential if you're going to have some sort of launch event like a webinar, a series of Facebook lives, or a challenge.

Whatever it is, you obviously want to invite your list to join, while also leveraging social media posts and other promotional avenues.

You’ll want to create multiple opportunities for your audience to register, typically spanning over two weeks with approximately five emails.

Here is a suggested sequence:

1. Initial Invitation: Announce your upcoming masterclass/event, enticing them to join.
2. Value-Packed Emails: Follow up with three value packed emails that provide insights or information that your audience would want to know. In these emails, subtly guide them towards your event registration, mentioning that they’ll learn more about this topic during the event.
3. Final Call: Give your audience a last chance email, creating urgency that the registration ends soon.

By spacing out these launch emails and offering valuable content in between sales, you’re not only increasing registration rates but keeping your audience engaged and excited about your upcoming event.

For more specific guidance on running on event, check out my List Building Boost course available in my Email Marketing Superstore.

Email Type 3 – Reminder

When someone signs up for your masterclass or your challenge, you want to make sure to remind them to show up live.

Obviously depending on the type of event, the approach for reminders can be slightly different.

For a webinar, consider sending several reminder emails.

Start with a simple confirmation email, thanking them for registering and outlining the event details. Then, send a friendly reminder 24 hours before the event, highlighting the value and benefits they’ll gain from attending live. Follow up with another reminder an hour before the event and send a 10-minute reminder for those who forget easily!

In all these reminders, make sure to stress the benefits of attending live, or even offer an incentive such as an extra freebie or the opportunity for live coaching and Q&A.

Otherwise, simply take away the option for a replay!

For events like challenges spanning a few days, send daily emails throughout, recapping previous activities and encouraging them to show up in the current day’s events.

Additionally, offering some sort of incentive for daily participation, such as access to extra resources, can further motivate attendees to stay engaged.

The key is to keep your reminders friendly, enthusiastic, and value-packed, making sure your audience feels excited and motivated to join you live.

Email Type 4 – Sales

Of course we need those sales emails!

Notice that I’m only now, in the fourth type of email, addressing sales directly. This delay is intentional because much of the heavy lifting is done during the pre-launch phase.

The majority of your sales emails will target those who have shown interest by signing up for your launch event, joining your waitlist, or engaging in other ways. However, it’s also essential to send a few sales emails to your entire list, giving everyone the opportunity to purchase.

The number of sales emails you send depends on so many factors, a major one being how long your cart is open for.

If your cart is only open for four days, you’ll likely need to send more than one email per day to share all necessary information.

But if the cart is open for two weeks, you might send emails every other day, possibly skipping weekends, depending on your audience.

During critical moments, like if there’s a deadline or the cart is closing, then you may send two emails in a single day.

It’s crucial to send more emails than you might be comfortable with!

If you’re concerned about people unsubscribing due to the high frequency of sales emails, offer them an option to unsubscribe from sales communication. This way, they’ll continue to receive your regular updates once your campaign is over.

When creating these sales emails, avoid making them solely about the product features and bonuses.

While these elements are important, your emails should also delve deeper and talk about perhaps the audience’s biggest challenges.

What are they challenged with right now and how does your offer help them overcome it?

You might also want to challenge their beliefs.

For instance, if my subscribers think email marketing is too hard, I explain how my program simplifies it, and how it’s simpler than they believe.

Another tip is to focus on your audiences’ biggest desires.

Why would they want your product or service?

What is the outcome or the transformation that your offer provides?

Focus on their desires and paint a vivid picture of how you can help them in real life, tangible terms.

In summary, you've got these different types of emails that you'd be sending during your main sale period.

They all still have a call to action, but the ultimate focus is on forming a connection and utilising it to make a sale.

Email Type 5 – Retargeting

During a launch, you’ll be driving a lot of traffic to your sales page or service page, and it’s important to identify those who show interest.

You can create segments or add tags to track people who are clicking to those links or use site tracking to determine who’s looking at your sales page.

Once identified, follow up with these individuals to nurture their interest.

This process could even be automated.

For example, one day after someone has checked out your sales page, see if they made a purchase. If not, send them a follow up email saying, “Hey, I noticed you checked out our page. Did you have any questions? I'm happy to help. We can also have a chat on a call or message me on Instagram.”

Or you could do this manually as well.

If you have a small list, you can send personalised emails directly from your email provider, addressing specific details about their business or interests.

For example, if you know their website or Instagram handle, mention something relevant and offer to discuss how your services can benefit them.

Engaging through a different platform like Facebook or Instagram can also enhance your relatability and connection, increasing the likelihood of conversion.

As you can see, there are a lot of emails when it comes to launching!

In one of my own launches, I had about 36 different emails, each tailored to different segments based on factors such as if they signed up for a masterclass, which time slot they signed up for, or if they showed any interest or not.

While this requires a lot of background work, many of these procedures can be scheduled and automated, or reused for future launches.

By investing time in doing this once, you can continually tweak and repurpose for each new launch, ensuring ongoing conversions, which is what this is all about!

In the world of email marketing…

The power of a well-crafted launch email cannot be overstated. Launch emails have proven time and again to be the backbone of my most successful campaigns, allowing for personal, direct, and highly effective communication with my audience.

So, take these insights and apply them to your own campaigns.

Whether you’re sending engagement emails, invitations, reminders, sales emails, or retargeting efforts, remember that each type plays a critical role in your overall strategy.

With careful planning and a focus on your audience's needs, your launch emails will drive the success you're aiming for.

If you need further guidance on launching, make sure to check out my EMAIL LAUNCH KIT course. Get your email launch setup in a day with this complete email launch action plan with swipes and plug & play automations.