My SaaS team just sent an email, will my users read it? 

Maybe if they happen to run into it when checking their inbox.

Yes, if your subject line intrigued them. 

100% if they’ve been waiting for your email.

But most of the time, nope, they’ll probably miss it.

Because in reality, people only open an email that they care about at that time.

For example, if I just signed up for your SaaS, would I read a sale-sy upgrade email the next day? When I haven’t even explored your tool yet? 

Of course not. 

I know you prepared lots of emails to send but not knowing when to send them is difficult. It is just hard to “PLAN and WRITE” emails. 

That is why you should know what SaaS emails to send and when to send them. 

But how do you know what types of emails are most likely to convert? What types can help build your relationship with potential customers? What should you talk about when the users haven’t even played around with your app? Hence…

Why should I use email marketing?

Email marketing increases your activation rate. That means a spike in your number of visitors converting to a trial user and ultimately to a paid subscriber. Another thing, email is an affordable medium to get your message out there. 

According to Adestra, "Email marketing has the highest annual ROI of any online activity for B2B companies." It's also highly effective. By creating value, you can build a relationship with potential customers over time.

With that said, why don’t you get yourself familiar with their types?

What are the 5 types of SaaS Emails?

1. Onboarding Emails

Somebody signed up to your SaaS — these are your first string of emails to send then. Your onboarding emails are your messages welcoming them and should also provide actionable ideas for how they can use your app.

• Account verification email

This email asks the user to confirm their account information, sent after a user signs up for SaaS.

• Welcome Email  

This is the email that you should send immediately after they verified their account. It should introduce the product/service and highlight how it can transform them into a better version of themselves — doing what they can’t before your SaaS.

• User engagement email  

Usually sent a few days after the welcome email, this email is an opportunity to show the value of your product if they regularly use it. Otherwise, you can send another friendly "nudge" reminder about how you help on open tasks.

• Milestone/Congratulatory email

This email is sent after they completed an important task within your app. The task is usually one of the core features of your SaaS. So you congratulate them as an important milestone is unlocked. And yes, this is trigger-based. 

• A trial ending reminder email

A trial ending reminder email is pretty much what it sounds like, a reminder that the trial is ending - and to either upgrade or choose not to continue using your product/service. This email is for people who signed up but still have time left on their trial. 

• Trial expired notification emails

If you remind them that their trial is expiring, much more notify them when their trial expires. Send it on the day the trial expires. Include all the benefits they lost but provide an upgrade link (or a link to request a trial extension).

2. Nurture Emails

These are series of emails that are meant to lead a prospective customer to a sale. Or this campaign can sustain communication with your expired trial users.

• Top-of-the-funnel emails

This type of email is for those who downloaded your lead magnet. It aims to build trust and create awareness in the name of your business. 

• Demo emails

The emails are for those who scheduled a call with you. You can then send them an email where they get the chance to use your platform (on a temporary basis). That way they can try your SaaS before purchasing.

• Reactivation emails

Reactivation emails are for those whose trial expired but have not unsubscribed from your email list. They may last for months so you ensure that your product isn’t forgotten.

3. Transactional emails

Transactional Emails are emails that are sent in order to confirm some activity or process that is going on with the user or customer. They notify users of specific events related to their account including:

• When they schedule something via the application (such as setting up recurring payments) ·          
• When they create accounts ·        
• When they subscribe/ unsubscribe to certain types of updates from your site ·     
• The expiration of an account access

• Renewal email

A renewal email is an automated email sent to your customers to remind them that their contract, membership, or subscription with your company is ending. They can also be used to offer a discount if they choose to renew before their current contract expires.

• Anniversary email

This is a way of thanking a customer for being a long-term subscriber or member of your SaaS application.

• Successful payment email

A successful payment email is sent after they paid your application. This is an email thanking them for the purchase and letting them know they can start using your app.

• Reply to customer email

This is one of the types of SaaS emails that may not be as important as others, but it's still good to let customers know you have received their inquiry and will respond back once you get a chance.

• Password Recovery/Update Email 

Password Recovery/Update Email is sent when your user requested to recover a lost password or update their existing one.  Make sure to include a link that takes the user to the Update Password page for convenience.

• Force Upgrade Email  

This email is sent when a user will reach the max number of users in his email list, or is currently over quota. This is also an opportunity to ask him if he wants to continue receiving your email updates.

4. Marketing emails
   

Raise your brand awareness. Like everyone else, promote your business’s products or services.  Marketing emails are usually sent to prospects and customers. 

• Product update emails

Product update emails are sent to your customers and prospects to share any changes in your product, service, or company. They are sent when you make a significant change to the products (new features or enhancements).

• Campaign emails 

These are special emails that you send on occasions like an annual promo or other seasonal emails. This also includes temporary offers like seasonal sales and special occasion emails (anniversary, birthday).

• Newsletter emails

These types of emails help us build a relationship with our customers and provide them updates on the latest news, product or service information. 

5. Customer outreach emails

These emails aim at communicating to prospects that you hope to become new customers. Their main objective is to help out salespeople with their tasks of outreach and generating leads for them.

• Cold Emails 

Cold emails are used to contact people who are not your customers yet. It's a good way to get referrals, build stronger relationships with partners or prospects. It may include invitations for events, introductions by partner companies, relevant content for your contacts, or invites to join a detailed conversation about your products.

• Event promotion emails 

Event promotion emails are sent to inform your subscribers about your upcoming events, news, and updates.

• Link building emails

Link building emails are usually sent as an automated outreach with a link to your website. The email is sent in the list of contacts that you have extracted from the partners, customers, and prospects list. It can be done by sending emails to people who posted something interesting on LinkedIn, Twitter, and other channels. 

How to Write the types of SaaS Emails?

Let’s keep this at a minimum. You should:

1. Keep it 1 topic per email.
2. Create content based on subscriber journeys.
3. Make sure people know what's in it for them.
4. Write your email in a concise, clear manner.
5. Keep 1 call to action (CTA).
   

Conclusion

There are lots of SaaS emails. And planning everything on how to use them — timing included — is a challenge. If you want your business to be successful in sending effective emails, use these free templates as the starting point — but feel free to customize them further if needed. 

If you need help in crafting the email copy, contact CaaSocio. Our team will work with you so you can send that email at the right time.

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Main image source: Vecteezy.com