What is a Free Trial Email? A Comprehensive Guide
By Emil Kristensen CMO
@ Sleeknote

Email marketing campaigns are an integral part of any business’s marketing strategy. One of the most effective and popular ways to reach out to potential customers is to offer free trial emails. Simply put, a free trial email is an email that offers recipients a free trial of a product or service. This could be anything from a free sample of a new product to a free trial of a software program.

Free trial emails can help businesses build trust with potential customers, demonstrate their value proposition, and increase their chances of making a sale. However, creating a successful free trial email campaign is not easy. You need to craft a compelling subject line, design a visually appealing email template, create a sense of urgency, and track the success of your campaign. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about creating a successful free trial email campaign.

The Benefits of Offering a Free Trial via Email

Free trial emails offer several benefits to both businesses and potential customers. For businesses, free trial emails can:

  • Increase brand awareness
  • Build trust with potential customers
  • Allow businesses to demonstrate the value of their product or service
  • Generate leads and increase conversions

On the other hand, free trial emails can also benefit potential customers in the following ways:

  • Allow them to try a product or service before making a purchase
  • Reduce the risk of making a purchase

Overall, free trial emails offer a compelling incentive for potential customers to try a product or service.

Additionally, free trial emails can also provide valuable feedback for businesses. By tracking which users sign up for the free trial and how they interact with the product or service, businesses can gain insights into their target audience and make improvements to their offering. This feedback can also help businesses tailor their marketing and sales strategies to better meet the needs of their potential customers.

How to Craft a Compelling Subject Line for Your Free Trial Email

The subject line is the first thing that recipients see when they receive your email. Thus, crafting a compelling subject line is crucial to the success of your free trial email campaign. Here are some tips on creating a subject line that will grab your recipient’s attention:

  • Keep it short and simple
  • Use action words to create a sense of urgency
  • Personalize the subject line with the recipient’s name
  • Avoid using spam trigger words

Following these tips will help you craft a subject line that will compel your recipients to open your email.

Key Elements of an Effective Free Trial Email

Creating an effective free trial email requires careful attention to detail. Here are some key elements that every successful free trial email should include:

  • A clear and concise explanation of the offer
  • Compelling and visually appealing images
  • A strong call-to-action (CTA)
  • A sense of urgency
  • Social proof, such as customer reviews or testimonials

By including all of these elements in your free trial email, you can increase your chances of success.

Best Practices for Designing Your Free Trial Email Template

The design of your free trial email is just as important as the message it contains. Here are some best practices to keep in mind when designing your email template:

  • Use a clean and easily readable font
  • Include plenty of white space to make the email easy to read
  • Use compelling images that showcase your product or service
  • Ensure that the email is mobile-friendly
  • Use a consistent color scheme and branding

By following these best practices, you can create a visually appealing email that will stand out in your recipient’s inbox.

Creating a Sense of Urgency in Your Free Trial Email CTA

The call-to-action in your free trial email is arguably the most important element of the email. A strong CTA can encourage potential customers to take action and sign up for your free trial. Here are some tips for creating a compelling CTA:

  • Use action words to create a sense of urgency
  • Make the CTA prominent and easy to find
  • Offer a clear and concise explanation of what the recipient will get by signing up

By creating a sense of urgency in your CTA, you can increase the chances of the recipient taking action.

The Importance of Personalization in Your Free Trial Email Campaigns

Personalization is another important element to consider when creating a free trial email campaign. By personalizing your emails, you can make your recipients feel more valued and increase your chances of success. Here are some ways to personalize your free trial emails:

  • Include the recipient’s name in the subject line or body of the email
  • Offer personalized recommendations based on the recipient’s preferences
  • Send follow-up emails based on the recipient’s interests

By personalizing your free trial emails, you can make your recipients feel valued and more likely to take action.

Tracking and Analyzing the Success of Your Free Trial Emails

Tracking and analyzing the success of your free trial emails is important to determine whether your email campaign was successful or not. Here are some metrics to keep track of:

  • Open rate
  • Click-through rate
  • Conversion rate

By tracking these metrics, you can analyze the success of your email campaign and make improvements for the future.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Free Trial Emails

Despite the many benefits of free trial emails, there are also some common mistakes to avoid. Here are some to keep in mind:

  • Sending too many emails
  • Not personalizing the emails
  • Not tracking the success of the email campaign
  • Using a weak call-to-action

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can increase the chances of success of your free trial email campaign.

Case Studies: Companies that Nailed Their Free Trial Email Campaigns

Looking at successful free trial email campaigns from other companies can help inspire your own campaign. Here are some companies that have successfully used free trial emails to generate leads and increase conversions:

  • Spotify – offered a free trial of their premium service
  • Headspace – offered a free trial of their meditation app
  • Squarespace – offered a free trial of their website builder

By studying these successful free trial email campaigns, you can gain insight into what works and what doesn’t.

Conclusion

Creating a successful free trial email campaign requires careful attention to detail and a deep understanding of your target audience. By following the tips and best practices outlined in this comprehensive guide, you can increase your chances of success and generate more leads and conversions for your business.