21 December 2022

Email digest: best practices and examples

Build attractive and informative email digests
Table of contents
  1. Why you should consider sending email digests
  2. Types of email digests
  3. Best design practices on email digest marketing strategy
  4. Examples of email marketing campaigns
  5. How to make an effective email subject line
  6. Wrapping up
1.
Why you should consider sending email digests

An email digest is a summary of a few recent newsletters, blog posts, helpful resources, or other activities you don't want your customers to miss.

There's usually a regular schedule to send digest emails to your subscribers. Email frequency depends on the type of your digest. Also, you can send email digests to new subscribers to help them learn some best practices which they can get from using your product or service.

In this article, you will find the top reasons to send email digests, their types, design practices, and examples for your inspiration.

Create amazing email digests with Stripo to provide your subscribers with insightful content
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Why you should consider sending email digests

If you're still not sure whether you need to implement digests into your email marketing campaigns, the answer is "definitely yes". Let's see why.

1. Prevent your subscribers from missing important updates

People receive tons of newsletters, so it's quite easy to miss something important in your inbox. That's why digests can also be some sort of reminder that helps subscribers catch up on the latest posts and news.

Another thing is that collecting a few posts in one enables users to navigate easily, increases your email open rates, and contributes to long-term relationships with customers.

2. Share progress and achievements with recipients

A digest is a good opportunity for any business to provide its subscribers with the latest updates on product development. You can share the most essential and significant news to keep readers informed about everything relevant to your company.

3. Save your subscribers' time

Time is money. But the less time subscribers spend reading your emails, the more satisfied they are with the interaction, and, eventually, the more money they are willing to pay for your products or services.

When users see a summary of a few recent emails, it's much easier for them to check out the most important information. Basically, you let them focus on specific topics or browse through your digest and explore something new.

Types of email digests

You've probably received or even sent various types of email digests. Let's have a closer look at a few of them.

1. Blog summary and tips

This is probably one of the most popular types of digests that is used by various brands. It doesn't matter if you own a bookstore or run a real estate company; the summary of your recent blog articles or some tips and tricks related to the product will always be useful.

Email Digest with Blog Posts to Boost Your Email Revenue

(Source: Stripo template)

Why is it necessary? This is a very good source for lead generation for your website. Such emails allow your customers to choose the content they want to explore right in their inbox, but to learn more, they still need to visit a website.

Content. Apart from blog articles, you can attach links for the items related to the email content or share any recent updates. You can even create some special offers or discounts as well to encourage subscribers to purchase something.

Target audience. Such digests can be sent to everyone; however, you should divide your subscribers into several groups of interest to provide all of them with valuable and relevant content.

When should it be sent? These digests are generally sent on a regular basis — mostly weekly or sometimes monthly.

2. Bunch of news

It's easy to miss a piece of news during a busy week. If you're a media company or share industry news, your subscribers would really appreciate such email digests. That's basically the reason why they follow you.

Email Digest with Industry News

(Source: Stripo template)

Why is it necessary? Online users receive a lot of information on a regular basis, and sometimes things they find important can get lost in their inboxes.

Content. Here you need to prepare some latest news related to your domain. Your subscribers would appreciate such a brief summary of important information.

Target audience. We highly recommend you divide your customers into several groups and prepare different email digests for each of them. So, before launching another email campaign, do some analytics to ensure you send relevant messages to everyone.

When should it be sent? It really depends on what kind of news you're going to share. If it's about what's happening worldwide, you better send an email digest daily in the morning because people usually check their inboxes at that time.

If it's about any announcement in a particular domain (for instance, the EdTech world), it would be nice to send it in the evening as people are willing to explore it and discuss it with friends or colleagues after work.

3. Reports on users' achievements

Such digests are highly personalized, and people usually pay attention to the data that helps them analyze themselves, see their progress, and be proud of their achievements.

Report on Users Achievements _ Example

(Source: Stripo template)

Why is it necessary? People always want to track their progress, but they rarely do. That's why such reports are highly appreciated by customers.

Such mailings allow users to be more involved in interacting with your product, set new goals, and become more loyal to the brand that helps them achieve their objectives.

Content. Analyze and choose the most important indicators for your users to be inspired to go on using the product and provide it to them in a well-structured email.

You can also add some tips on how the customers can have a better experience. For example, if you are a sports app, you can attach some links to the training that will be helpful for users.

Target audience. In this case, you don't need to make any extra moves because every one of your users will be interested in this sort of data. However, you can still add some customized sections according to the various interests of your recipients.

When should it be sent? It depends on the domain a lot. Most businesses prefer to send annual reports, but you can try different options and see what works better for your subscribers.

You may send these emails before an important milestone to encourage users to utilize your product more and achieve better results.

4. Product improvements or bug fixes

Your subscribers can share their thoughts and help you get a fresh vision of how you can improve your product or service.

Email Digest Example _ Product Updates

(Source: Stripo template)

Why is it necessary? People love being involved. If you share some information about recent results and achievements, subscribers will feel like they're an important part of the process.

Such gestures increase loyalty to a brand and increase conversion rates because improvements usually encourage people to try it out (especially when you promise some gifts for their feedback).

Content. Here you should collect all the data regarding improvements that you've made. You can also create customized emails for those who leave feedback on various websites or services like AppStore.

Target audience. We believe every product user should know about major improvements, but email digests are meant to contain lots of details. So feel free to share even the smallest updates that can make your customers' lives easier.

When should it be sent? Bug fixes usually happen regularly, so you can consult your email marketing team and implement such digests into an email marketing strategy beforehand.

5. Financial reports

If you're a charity organization or work with investors and sponsors, you have to send financial reports every once in a while to ensure every stakeholder is on the same page with what you're doing.

Email Digest Example _ Financial Reports

(Source: Stripo template)

Why is it necessary? When people spend money on something, they want to see how it works out. If you receive donations from your subscribers or cooperate with investors, you should definitely prepare such reports.

Content. You need to look at the data you have, analyze what is important for various recipients and prepare an email digest. There you can put some infographics and other visual content to help people perceive numbers better. Also, you can add some plans and goals for the future.

Target audience. Subscribers who donate on a regular basis, sponsors, and investors.

However, as we mentioned before, it's better to send such digests to all of your subscribers if you are an NGO or a charity organization.

When should it be sent? It would be rational to send it at the end of a particular financial period. For instance, you may send this email digest monthly or annually, but we think it's better to send quarterly emails.

6. Discount email digest

Discount is one of the most useful email marketing tools because everyone loves discounts. A digest with plenty of discounts is even better :).

Email Digest with a Discount

(Source: Stripo template)

Why is it necessary? Such emails help customers become aware of all the items you provide. They can also become more loyal if you deliver special offers for the goods from their wishlists. After all, discounts simply make people happier. And happy customers are willing to spend money.

Content. You should definitely add pictures, banners, and animations here to draw the attention of those reading the digest. You can really enjoy the freedom and experiment with various ideas. However, don't overdo it because people can easily get lost in bright colors and crazy fonts.

Target audience. It's important to provide discounts based on the preferences of different customers. That's why you can't just send the same template to everyone. But it will be worth your time to see the click-through rates and the overall results of email campaigns.

When should it be sent? It's best to send such a digest before holidays or other special occasions, such as new items in your store.

7. Recommendations to watch, read, try or visit

People tend to trust recommendations, especially if you suggest valuable and insightful content.

Email Digest Example _ Recommendations

(Source: Stripo template)

Why is it necessary? You could have noticed, that people can be indecisive. And all they need is just a small hint. That's why such digests work best.

Content. It's crucial to recommend only those things which a person really likes. Otherwise, it won't work, and they can simply stop reading your emails or even unsubscribe at some point. If you're unsure, try different categories and analyze the click-through rate.

Target audience. Such digests must be highly personalized to ensure everyone receives the most suitable content. The good news is that these emails can easily be automated.

When should it be sent? You can send it as soon as you've got something new to offer. Also, if you notice that a user is not active lately, remind them of your service. Or you can send recommendations on a regular basis.

8. Digest for welcome emails

Such emails are a perfect chance to communicate with new subscribers. It usually shows high engagement rates and all you need is to provide readers with useful email content.

Welcome Email Digest

(Source: Stripo template)

Why is it necessary? Email communication should be user-friendly from the first message to prevent recipients from clicking on the unsubscribe link. Welcome emails not only impact your brand image but also can come in handy when it comes to generating sales.

Content. You have very little knowledge about a person at this point, so you need to prepare something general yet useful. Try different formats: texts, pictures, videos, etc., to let newcomers choose what they like the most.

Target audience. If there's an option to segment your audience at the registration stage, you should go for it and send different digests according to subscribers' age, gender, hobby, and so on. If you can't do it, adapt your welcome emails for as many people as possible.

When should it be sent? As soon as you get a new subscriber.

Best design practices on email digest marketing strategy

Now that you are aware of the main types of email digests, it's time to have a look at the best design practices to impress your subscribers.

  • Add banners

What is your digest about? Industry news, recent product updates, or a collection of blog posts? Find a matching image for your banner as it will set the tone for the whole email. With Stripo, you can customize banners according to your brand's style.

Pencil Case shows a good example. As long as their blog images are big and bright enough, they selected a restrained picture for the banner and placed the text over it. Perfect combination.

Carefully Crafting Stripo's Templates for Email Marketing

(Source: Pencil Case)

  • Use article preview images

It's essential to add preview images as well as brief text descriptions of articles. It helps readers to get an idea of the content and choose what they would like to dedicate their time to.

It will make your digests more attractive so subscribers will be more likely to read your email and follow the CTA buttons.

Best Practices for Email Marketing

(Source: Email from Thrive Market)

  • Work on CTA buttons

If you don't tell your subscribers what action you want them to take next, they will simply close your email. That's why we insist on implementing CTAs in every message.

It's extremely easy to create CTA buttons with Stripo. Drag the "Button" block to your email template. Then give the button a name. Select any color you like. And certainly, add the link to the button.

Note: the “Full-width buttons” option adjusts the button to the full width for mobile devices. You can find this option in the “Mobile Formatting” tab.

Full-width Buttons _ Stripo Feature to Create Effective Emails

  • Add links to your social media

If you do a great job with email marketing and deliver valuable content, your subscribers will probably want to follow you on social media.

A friendly reminder that you can create your own social media module with Stripo in a few clicks:

In your project settings, you can choose the necessary icons, customize their color scheme and size, and then paste respective links just once — after that all you have to do is drag the “Social” block into your template — and voila! Your email contains your proper social information.

Stripo _ Social Media Links for Your Campaigns

  • Create an accordion

Accordions help you structure emails with lots of content to prevent readers from scrolling for hours to find the information they need. You simply put content in sections. Readers can see only the name of various sections and open the necessary ones.

You can insert photos, buttons, and descriptions into your accordion, so feel free to use this feature. With Stripo, you don't need any coding skills to create such elements.

(Source: Stripo template)

Please watch the video below to learn how to create an accordion for your email digest within minutes:

How to Build AMP-accordion for Your Emails with Stripo

Examples of email marketing campaigns

We have compiled a list of the most attractive and informative email digests for your inspiration.

1. Miro — Ways to visualize your processes

This is a good example of an email digest with tips from Miro — a tool for visualization.

Email Digest Examples for Mobile Devices

(Source: Email from Miro)

Actually, sending a digest with tips and instructions on how to have a better experience with a product is one of the best email marketing practices. And if you set a clear call to action, you will increase a click-through rate, too.

It also makes sense to send such content in a welcome email.

2. Stripo — Announcement

There are situations when you need to send an email digest as there are a few important announcements. It can be either internal, for your team members, or external, for customers.

Template for an Announcement Email Marketing Campaign

(Source: Stripo template)

The template is very simple, but it delivers a clear message. The email starts with an intro from the CEO, then provides the latest news with a brief description. Subscribers can always follow the links to learn more.

3. Pluralsight — Your monthly statistics

Here's a great example of an email digest with users' results and achievements from Pluralsight — an educational platform for software developers and creative professionals.

Example of an Email Digest for High Open Rates

(Source: Really Good Emails)

This is another useful email marketing best practice that increases your subscribers' engagement. They can quickly overview their activity and follow a CTA button to visit a website or a landing page with more details.

4. Email Octopus — The latest from the blog

Guys at EmailOctopus definitely know how to draw subscribers' attention with an eye-catching email design. But they didn't stop there and provided loads of useful information.

Example of Designing Email Digests for Any Business

(Source: Email from Email Octopus)

What we like the most is that this company is really good at storytelling. There are always a few words about an article to let you know what it is about and let you decide if you want to find out more.

Finally, if you like the content or want to get more similar information, you can subscribe to their social media.

5. Stripo — Investor monthly update

Actually, this is a perfect message to deliver to your investors.

Template for Email Digest with Statistics

(Source: Stripo template)

You can see many numbers, but there's also a lot of visualization, so it can easily be understood. Here are also some new features and plans for the future. At the bottom of the email digest, you can find a couple of new team members with a brief description of their backgrounds and current tasks.

6. Reelgood — Wondering what to watch

Recommendation digests work out the best. We don't know anyone who doesn't open emails with suggestions and ideas from the services they regularly use. So this is a very useful email marketing approach.

Email Digest Best Practices for High Email Deliverability

(Source: Email from Reelgood)

Reelgood, a streaming platform, knows how to implement email marketing best practices into their campaigns. There are a few ideas on what to watch next with colorful pictures from movies.

7. Campaign Monitor — July news

In this example, Campaign Monitor sends subscribers a webinar invitation.

Best Practices _ Example of Email Digest

(Source: Email from Campaign Monitor)

After you book a place for yourself, you can also look at a few blog articles. And finally, there's a button that encourages you to click and start creating a new email campaign.

8. Harvard Sweet Boutique — Simplify your holiday shopping

Discount is always a good reason to start an email campaign. In fact, this one is among email marketing best practices to increase click-through rates.

Email Digest _ Best Practice Example

(Source: Harvard Street Boutique)

Harvard Sweet Boutique, a confectionery, provides you with tempting images of sweets in their email digest. You may not notice, but you will be ordering something soon. It's a good idea to classify your products into different categories according to your subscribers' budget.

9. Stripo — Thank you for signing up

Here's a nice example of a welcome email. It contains a brief description of what benefits you will receive as a community member and links to recent blog articles.

Example of Effective Email Communication

(Source: Stripo template)

There is nothing extra, but such an email is still very helpful for a new user. There's also an opportunity to provide your feedback if needed. And, of course, a button that leads to a resource where you can learn more about the service.

How to make an effective email subject line

We will never stop repeating that subject lines are the key. People receive millions of promotional emails, but not many of them end up being opened. You can create the best email design in the world, but no one will see it without an attractive subject line.

Here are a few rules for you to succeed:

  • arrange a brainstorming session with your email marketing team;
  • analyze the pain points of your customers and check their triggers;
  • try the A/B test to see what works best;
  • divide your subscribers into several groups and create various subject lines for each of them;
  • make sure subject lines display correctly on mobile devices.

Wrapping up

With email digests, you can basically send tons of information in one letter, prevent your customers from missing something important, increase their loyalty to your brand, encourage subscribers to buy from you, and keep them aware of all the recent updates and bug fixes that you've done.

At Stripo, we always care about making our users' lives easier. That's why you can try all of our features with absolutely no coding skills. Also, you won't need to spend hours on your digests, because everything can be done in just a few clicks.

Join us and try it yourself!

Join Stripo to design attractive and informative email digests faster and easier
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