When writing emails, our main goal is:

Each individual email has an individual goal that we aim to accomplish.

At Surfshark, we have the following types of emails:

Product Update Newsletter MIX Security Highlights Blog newsletters Surveys Promotions Transactional Affiliates Social media
Primary Goal Inform on any product / feature update To drive more website traffic Inform, brand advocacy, loyalty, website traffic Inform on the latest security advancements Inform on the newest blog posts Get feedback Money Provide pertinent account information Inform about new products / company info Educate, Inform
Secondary Goal Increase product / feature usage Youtube channel subscriptions Youtube channel subscriptions, increase product/feature usage To be seen as a trustworthy brand Traffic to website Ensure a good customer engagement / experience Increase product / feature usage Ensure a good customer experience Make partners update their content To have audience interact with the content
Format video + product news video + blog posts video + blog posts + product news audits, server upgrades, certifications, major bugs resolved Image-based template (PR surveys, research-based content) Plain-text Plain-text, image-based Plain-text Plain-text Captions
Frequency 3 x Quarter Ad-hoc 1 x Month Ad-hoc Ad-hoc Ad-hoc Ad-hoc Weekly / 20-30 captions
In-app messages Yes Yes Yes Yes - - Yes - - -
Push notifications - - - - - - Yes Yes - -

General guidelines for emails

Use clickable subject lines

The job of the subject line is to make the reader want to open it. Make sure it does this job well while competing with all those other emails in the inbox. It should strike interest and be informative but not be misleading. Think about if you would click on the email if it were in your inbox.

Examples:

Are antivirus programs able to detect all viruses?

Does your phone really need antivirus protection?

Would you exchange your privacy for convenience?

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Write informative pre-header texts

The pre-header needs to tell the person receiving this email that there is a reason they should open it. Whether it’s a deal, topics inside the email, or something more catchy/mysterious, make it short and easy to skim.

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