Excitement and nervousness/anxiety are almost physiologically identical.
Your heart beats faster. Your breathing speeds up. Butterflies form in your stomach. You bite your nails. You might sweat a little bit.
Some say the only difference is your disposition toward the cause of such a reaction…
And that must be why you feel both excited and nervous during new product launches.
You’re excited about the launch… but anxious it’ll flop.
Today, I want to show you an email that can inspire more of the former in yourself by inspiring it in your customers.
I’m talking about a prelaunch email. Not just any prelaunch email…
But one that makes money before the new product arrives.
Let’s take a look…
About Noa Lux
Noa Lux is, per its About page, “a luxury home fragrance and self-care brand with fragrances inspired by travel.”
Tissanie Sayles, the founder, is an avid traveler. The reason she launched the company is that she had traveled to over 25 countries and wanted to capture each destination’s memories in scent form.
I like that — certain scents trigger memories in your mind. For example, I know when I smell the air during the fall, it reminds me of my high school Cross Country endeavors.
Oh, Noa Lux also donates 5% of their sales revenue to children’s charities. So buying from Noa Lux supports a good cause, too.
Now, Noa Lux is branching out to other “self-care” products — hand soaps and lotions. That’s exactly what the email we’re about to dissect is about.
The Email: A Quick Prelaunch… and a Product Goodbye
This email aims to prelaunch a new product while offering customers a last chance to buy products that Noa Lux will discontinue:
At first glance, you see a small chunk of copy alongside some product images and blocks.
As you’ll see, this approach allows Noa Lux to accomplish both goals I mentioned without creating too many different themes in the copy.
Keep reading to see what I mean.
The Subject Line: “Coming Soon… Hand Soaps and Lotions”
Noa Lux doesn’t waste words with their subject line:
It’s clear what the customer can expect — new products. The products themselves are named, which will get the right readers excited.
The emojis add a bit of charm while drawing the reader’s eye within a crowded inbox.
The Body Copy
Like many eCommerce emails, Noa Lux starts with their logo and a pic of (what I assume) is lotion:
Visual elements work well for eCommerce when done right — this is a good example. Just enough to add some color… but not so much that it looks spammy.
Into the copy we go, starting with a big announcement mentioned in the subject line:
This is a nice overview of the new products to come — a big “introducing” message, then explaining what types of product there will be.
Smart for Noa Lux to mention that their best-selling products inspire these. Subtle bit of social proof there.
Next, Noa Lux dives deeper into the details… particularly, why their soaps are worth buying (besides the delicious scents):
I would add more benefit-driven copy and dimensionalization to make this section even better. Noa Lux got started on that with the “without being greasy” and the “16 oz reusable glass bottle,” but they could have gone even further on every point.
What are the benefits of not having those chemicals, and how does it make the customer’s life better?
What is it like to have non-greasy soap?
What’s so good about the glass bottle being reusable?
Yeah, some customers might know these things. Especially the last one. But it never hurts to over explain stuff like this in sales. The more you get your customers to imagine themselves enjoying the product, the better.
Either way, Noa Lux reveals when the new products launch so customers can look forward to it:
If you’re taking the “revealing the release date” approach (vs. building hype by avoiding a release date reveal), then adding the time (like Noa Lux did) is a nice touch.
It preps customers to be at their computers at that time, ready to buy the new products. That plus a launch email = good money at launch.
Of course: Just because these new products aren’t available yet (at the time of send)…
Doesn’t mean Noa Lux has to avoid selling.
They include a product block, but it’s not your typical recommended product block:
It includes some products they’re discontinuing, and Noa Lux discounts those products.
That’s smart for a few reasons:
- Matches the “new products” theme — Out with the old (but beloved), in with the new
- Urgency — Limited amount of time before you can never buy these again
- Lower price — Duh, it’s easier to buy if they cost less
Altogether, it implies a “hey, we have to make room in the warehouse, and you can help us by buying at a discount” type of vibe.
One last little bit:
The divider indicates the article has ended. However, I’d personally prefer a signoff, even if it’s just:
“Thanks!
-The Noa Lux team”
Takeaways
Here are some big takeaways:
1. The Copy Mechanics
The biggest mechanical takeaway on the prelaunch side, in my opinion, is how Noa Lux describes their new products — what inspired them and what’s in them.
I also like how they gave a specific date and time. Customers know when to expect an email or, at the very least, go to the site to buy.
On the discontinuation side, the biggest takeaway would be the bit of personal flair added to the copy. They don’t say “these products that we are discontinuing” only. They say, “These products we are saying goodbye to” and “before they make our grand exit from our lineup.”
Another interesting phrase they used is “so you can stock up.” Candles are consumable products, so customers might want to buy more. Noa Lux mentions the discount alongside “stock up” to encourage larger orders.
2. The Email Structure
The email is split into three chunks:
- Title/header image
- Pre-launch copy
- Discontinued products sale
Interestingly (and perhaps unintentionally), each section also has its own “style” that helps Noa Lux tackle two different things in one email.
The title/header image is, well, mostly visual. Even the text is there as a visual (since Noa Lux is just the brand name).
The prelaunch copy covers when and what the launch is with minimal images (just the two products).
The discontinued products sale is a product block mixing visuals and copy about evenly.
See what I mean? The email is split neatly into separate sections, yet still feels like a cohesive piece.
3. The Overall Strategy
Four great strategy takeaways.
The first and most obvious: Prelaunching.
Noa Lux is getting customers excited for the new offer. It stays at the front of the customer’s mind. They’re primed to watch for the launch campaign and check back in on the website. Website visits = SEO and potentially some other sales.
Speaking of sales…
The second and narrowest: Tons of easy sales.
A prelaunch email can be a great way to ask your customers to help you “clear out warehouse space” for your new products… by buying soon-to-be-discontinued products.
The urgency alone can drive some nice sales figures. Tossing a discount on top makes it more compelling.
And, like I said, customers might visit the website separately and buy something else.
The third: Offer creation.
Noa Lux applied what they already know (candles) to other scented products that complement candles well.
This creates a compelling reason for existing customers to come back and buy from Noa Lux — securing some easy revenue without driving up acquisition costs.
Meanwhile, they can target a new market of customers. They can now pull in people looking for delicious-smelling soaps and lotions.
They could even find ways to bundle certain candles, soaps, and lotions together into “XYZ bundles.”
Lots of cross-selling opportunities here.
The fourth, piggybacking on the third: Branding.
Noa Lux now sells more than just candles. This gives them room to expand beyond being a “candle” brand. They can brand themselves based on the type of customer they want to attract and what kind of “tribe” they want to build.
This can help guide future offer creation. Noa Lux can identify what other products their “tribe” wants to feel more like they are part of the “tribe” and do more prelaunches/launches in the future.
What to Do Next
- Get on my email list using the signup form below for more Email Breakdowns and other helpful marketing content.
- Reach out to me if you want help writing emails like this one.
- Share this post with someone who would find it helpful or insightful.
- Check out Noa Lux for deliciously-smelling candles, room sprays, soaps, and lotions. Plenty to make you and your home smell fantastic!