What is in this library
Email examples are real-world messages collected from inboxes, not templates or mockups. They show what brands actually send to their customers and subscribers. This collection provides a snapshot of current email design, content, and strategy across various industries.
Every email in the library
Filter by industry, design style, layout or length. Open any one to read the subject line, what it is doing, and the prompt that rebuilds it.
What 12,711 of them actually do
Most emails favour function over flair. A significant 33% of emails use a utilitarian design style, and another 25% are plain text. This means over half the emails we collected prioritise clear communication without heavy visual elements. I believe that personality, restraint, and point of view in email design often outperform generic polished templates.
Simplicity dominates email layouts. A substantial 65% of emails use a single column layout. This preference for linear flow is reinforced by 60% of emails being text heavy, suggesting content is the main focus, not elaborate visual arrangements.
Brands generally keep calls to action focused but often miss personalisation opportunities. The median number of calls to action per email is two, indicating a desire for direct action without overwhelming the recipient. However, only 40% of emails address the recipient by their first name, suggesting many brands are not fully leveraging available data for a more personal touch.
Retention is a key focus, but promotional emails still make up the largest single category. Retention emails account for 38% of all collected messages, showing brands are working to keep existing customers engaged. Despite this, promotional emails are the most common type we see, making up 22% of the corpus. Transactional emails are the most underrated category. The emails with the highest open rates are the ones most companies phone in.
Subject lines are largely functional, reflecting the practical nature of many emails. Transactional plain subject lines are the most common at 33%, closely followed by descriptive ones at 31%. This shows a clear preference for clarity over creative approaches.
The industries sending the most email are SaaS, which accounts for 20% of our collection, and Ecommerce, at 11%. This reflects the high volume of automated communications common in these sectors.
None of this helps if the send never lands, which is a email marketing problem rather than a design one.
What to take from these
- Embrace simplicity: most brands opt for a single column layout, which makes content easy to consume.
- Lead with content. The majority of emails we collected are text heavy, suggesting substance matters more than elaborate graphics.
- Keep your calls to action focused. The median email contains just two, so make each one count.
- Personalise where you can. Only 40% of emails address the recipient by first name, leaving room for a more direct connection.
- Don't overlook transactional emails. I believe these are often the most opened and are an opportunity for strong brand experiences.
- Look at brands like Depop and Australia Post for high-volume examples of what is being sent today.
Once the shape is right, the rest is getting the thing delivered.
What is in this set
By industry
12,711 emails from 3,393 brandsEvery cut of the library
The library is one corpus read several ways. Each group below opens onto the pages that cut it that way, with the number of emails behind each one.
The send type is the thing most people arrive looking for. A welcome email and a shipping notice answer to different rules.
- promotional email examples 2,799 emails
- newsletter email examples 1,532 emails
- account notice email examples 845 emails
- shipping email examples 752 emails
- event invite email examples 514 emails
- product launch email examples 484 emails
- order confirmation email examples 471 emails
- welcome email examples 468 emails
- receipt email examples 465 emails
- discount offer email examples 410 emails
- Re-engagement email examples 396 emails
- sale email examples 392 emails
- survey email examples 352 emails
- delivery email examples 346 emails
- booking confirmation email examples 306 emails
- appointment email examples 221 emails
- webinar email examples 211 emails
- invoice email examples 209 emails
- expiration notice email examples 163 emails
- email verification email examples 149 emails
- seasonal email examples 114 emails
- security alert email examples 99 emails
- OTP email examples 91 emails
- password reset email examples 88 emails
- digest email examples 88 emails
- thank you email examples 88 emails
- reservation email examples 82 emails
- abandoned cart email examples 68 emails
- cancellation email examples 64 emails
- order reminder email examples 64 emails
- job alert email examples 55 emails
- subscription email examples 45 emails
- referral email examples 44 emails
- Double opt-in email examples 42 emails
- tracking email examples 40 emails
- payment confirmation email examples 39 emails
The same send type looks different in ecommerce and in SaaS, because the thing being confirmed is different.
- SaaS email examples 2,541 emails
- Ecommerce email examples 1,448 emails
- professional services email examples 834 emails
- media publishing email examples 816 emails
- health fitness email examples 733 emails
- education email examples 685 emails
- retail fashion email examples 633 emails
- marketplace email examples 564 emails
- travel email examples 505 emails
- entertainment email examples 432 emails
- food beverage email examples 406 emails
- fintech email examples 339 emails
- healthcare email examples 295 emails
- logistics email examples 266 emails
- other email examples 241 emails
- real estate email examples 237 emails
- hospitality email examples 212 emails
- home furniture email examples 208 emails
- government email examples 173 emails
- beauty email examples 164 emails
- events email examples 163 emails
- nonprofit email examples 152 emails
- finance email examples 138 emails
- sports email examples 105 emails
- transport email examples 104 emails
- gaming email examples 101 emails
- telecom email examples 72 emails
- automotive email examples 43 emails
- developer tools email examples 34 emails
Where the email sits in the relationship, from first contact to winning someone back.
- retention email examples 4,853 emails
- fulfilment email examples 3,208 emails
- acquisition email examples 1,932 emails
- activation email examples 785 emails
- onboarding email examples 656 emails
- account admin email examples 534 emails
- security email examples 302 emails
- winback email examples 179 emails
- advocacy email examples 137 emails
- promotional email examples 76 emails
- Re-engagement email examples 46 emails
How the email looks, from plain text through to fully art-directed.
- utilitarian email design examples 4,240 emails
- plain text email design examples 3,140 emails
- minimal email design examples 2,476 emails
- corporate email design examples 1,361 emails
- bold graphic email design examples 768 emails
- editorial email design examples 380 emails
- playful email design examples 321 emails
The structural choice underneath the design.
- single column email layout examples 8,259 emails
- plain text email layout examples 4,027 emails
- two column email layout examples 236 emails
- modular grid email layout examples 159 emails
- multi column email layout examples 30 emails
What changes when the message is going to a work address.
- B2B email examples 2,427 emails
A send type inside one industry, kept where the corpus is deep enough to say something the parent page cannot.
- SaaS promotional email examples 515 emails
- SaaS newsletter email examples 423 emails
- Ecommerce shipping email examples 359 emails
- media publishing newsletter email examples 263 emails
- SaaS product launch email examples 225 emails
- SaaS account notice email examples 211 emails
- Ecommerce order confirmation email examples 211 emails
- health fitness promotional email examples 206 emails
- Ecommerce promotional email examples 198 emails
- entertainment promotional email examples 193 emails
- education promotional email examples 192 emails
- professional services newsletter email examples 178 emails
- media publishing promotional email examples 145 emails
- SaaS webinar email examples 143 emails
- retail fashion promotional email examples 138 emails
- health fitness newsletter email examples 133 emails
- SaaS welcome email examples 131 emails
- travel promotional email examples 128 emails
- education newsletter email examples 123 emails
Next to this one
The same corpus, cut a different way: promotional, newsletter, account notice.
Questions people ask
Promotional emails are the most frequently sent, making up 22% of our collected corpus. Newsletters follow at 12%, and account notices at 7%. This shows a strong emphasis on driving sales and keeping subscribers informed.
Some do, but it is not universal. We found that 40% of emails address the recipient by their first name. This suggests a significant portion of brands are not yet leveraging basic personalisation opportunities.
Most brands favour functional designs. Utilitarian is the most common style at 33%, followed by plain text at 25%. This indicates a preference for clear, direct communication over highly graphic or editorial approaches.