A pre-sale email campaign can create excitement and drive advance sales for your upcoming sales events. But what does a successful pre-sale email look like?
The most effective pre-sale emails build anticipation with exclusive previews and compelling offers. You can do the same with early-bird discounts, countdown timers, sneak-peek images, and behind-the-scenes content.
Omnisend’s email templates give you a foundation for design, and it’s also worth checking out examples from successful brands to inspire your strategy.
Let’s explore seven pre-sale email examples that build excitement.
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A pre-sale email is a marketing message sent to subscribers to announce upcoming sales, promotions, and product availability. It typically offers early access, exclusive discounts, or special incentives before general release.
These emails are opportunities to build anticipation, drive immediate revenue, and strengthen customer relationships before a major promotional event.
Pre-sale emails can also form part of a launch campaign to gauge demand and prime your target audience for new product releases.
For instance, sending your top 50 most active customers a 20% off pre-sale email with a landing page to customize their order would allow you to analyze selections to forecast demand for different product variants before finalizing production.
7 pre-sale email examples to learn from
A high-converting pre-sale email starts with a compelling subject line and a professional template. Take inspiration from the examples below, and start designing your email with Omnisend’s free newsletter templates.
1. Vinyl Me Please
Subject line: ?Starting NOW! The Story of Ghostly International presale is here.
Record of the month club Vinyl Me Please uses its pre-sale emails to drive early access sales for upcoming vinyl collections. The email above builds excitement with the subject line “?Starting NOW! The Story of Ghostly International presale is here.”
The email template uses gallery-style imagery of its records alongside gold elements, including the headings “THE PRESALE IS HERE” and “EARLY ACCESS PRICE,” to instill exclusivity.
A single CTA button, “Get Yours Now,” with discounted pricing figures above, indicates savings and incentivizes clicks.
What you can learn from it
Your pre-sale emails can encourage click-throughs with premium design touches like gold accents and gallery layouts paired with clear “early access” messaging.
2. Article
Subject line: Let the Black Friday savings begin ⏰
Image via Really Good Emails
Furniture retailer Article builds anticipation for Black Friday with pre-sale emails. The email above uses the subject line “Let the Black Friday savings begin ⏰” to drive immediate clicks by announcing the early sale is live.
Opening the email reveals a “BLACK FRIDAY PRE-SALE” header image and a description of the sale covering its products. The email template guides subscribers from the announcement to category selection to encourage shopping sessions.
Subscribers can click on categories for sofas, chairs, tables, rugs, bedroom, and decor or click a “SHOP ALL” CTA to visit the site’s main catalog.
What you can learn from it
You can lead subscribers through a clear path from announcement to category and product selection to make shopping decisions faster and easier.
3. eve
Subject line: Something big is coming…
Image via Really Good Emails
Mattress retailer eve uses the subject line “Something big is coming…” in its pre-sale email before Black Friday. The subject line teases big savings, which is particularly effective for high-ticket items like mattresses where customers are actively looking for significant discounts.
The email template is as simple as it gets, with a dark grey background, yellow heading text and CTA buttons, and white text — the onus is on the offer, “£150 off an eve mattress.”
There’s a clear time limitation: “Valid from today until Midnight on Monday.” This creates urgency and FOMO (fear of missing out) to encourage spending.
What you can learn from it
You can make your offer the hero with a simple design emphasizing savings, especially for high-value products where discounts drive decisions.
4. Bellroy
Subject line: Your early access starts now!
Image via Really Good Emails
Travel accessories brand Bellroy uses exclusive discounts in its pre-sale emails to encourage spending before Black Friday. Its subject line, “Your early access starts now!” implies exclusivity and clarifies that there’s immediate access.
The email template uses a dark background image, white headings and text, and orange for CTAs. The heading “Your deal is waiting” and an image of a card with the words “up to $70 AUD” place a value on the VIP discount.
One last FOMO sentence, “But hurry, before the crowds get in!” encourages subscribers to click the “SHOP NOW” CTA.
What you can learn from it
You can reward your most engaged customers with exclusive pre-sale access to build loyalty and show the potential savings upfront to help justify early purchase decisions.
5. OLIPOP
Subject line: Early access to our BIGGEST sale
Image via Really Good Emails
Beverage brand OLIPOP takes a unique approach to pre-sale emails, using SMS opt-in to drive early access. The email above uses the subject line “Early access to our BIGGEST sale” to tease its Black Friday promotion.
The email template plays on the Black Friday concept with clever wordplay about its colorful brand, using the message “Ding. Ding. Ding. You got early access to our Colorful (errr black) Friday sale” set into a smartphone.
Rather than including the offer directly in the email, OLIPOP asks subscribers to text a specific code to gain exclusive access, creating an additional engagement touchpoint. Its CTA, “TEXT TO SIGN UP,” is a top example of using crystal clear instructions.
What you can learn from it
You can use pre-sale emails to drive SMS signups by making special offers accessible only through text messaging, building a stronger multi-channel relationship with customers.
6. Blenders
Subject line: Get Ready. It’s All Coming Together … ? //
Image via Really Good Emails
Eyewear retailer Blenders uses pre-sale emails to build anticipation and drive early signups for upcoming collection launches. The subject line “Get Ready: It’s All Coming Together…?” teases with an eye emoji, creating a sense of mystery and urgency.
The email copy invites subscribers to “Score early access a day before this all-new collection goes live,” creating a clear value proposition and FOMO to encourage prompt action.
The clean pre-sale email template focuses on the collection launch details, with a prominent “GET FIRST ACCESS” call to action button.
What you can learn
Your pre-sale emails can generate excitement through intriguing subject lines and content emphasizing first access’s exclusivity.
7. Misc. Goods Co.
Subject line: Pumpkin Is Coming ?⏳
Image via Really Good Emails
This pre-sale email from Misc. Goods Co. creates a sense of excitement and urgency around the upcoming launch of its new playing card design on Kickstarter. The subject line “New Kickstarter Launching in 48 Hours!” immediately grabs the reader’s attention.
The email layout uses a minimalist, countdown-style design to highlight the impending launch. The large, bold numbers “48” emphasize the short time remaining, while the clean background and simple card graphics keep the focus on the key details.
The copy reinforces the exclusivity, inviting readers to “Set A Reminder” for the date and time.
What you can learn from it
Combining countdown urgency and clean design can boost your email marketing impact and turn product launches into compelling stories.
Pre-sale email subject lines you can steal
You can create fantastic subject lines with Omnisend’s subject line generator. Or, steal these subject lines to encourage open rates in your pre-sale campaigns:
Psst… Your exclusive pre-launch window is open
? Members-only: Get it before launch day
Save your spot: Limited early-bird access
Ready to preview our newest collection? ✨
Your VIP shopping window starts now
Skip the queue: Early access granted
? Subscribers get first pick today
Breaking news: Your pre-launch invite inside
Time to shop before everyone else
? Your exclusive preview begins now
Members: Claim your pre-launch perks
Want to be first? Step inside ⭐
Preview our latest drop before it launches
? Your private shopping window is open
The wait is over: Early access granted
Don’t miss out: Pre-launch access live ?
Sneak peek: Our newest collection awaits
⚡ Your VIP shopping pass is here
Wrap up
A strong pre-sale email strategy depends on timing, personalization, and compelling content that resonates with your target audience.
Testing different approaches helps you understand what drives your subscribers to act early. Start with a clean, professional design using Omnisend’s templates, then test variations of images, countdown timers, and written content to see what resonates with your subscribers.
Once you identify what works, use that formula in future pre-sale campaigns and track results to refine your strategy and optimize performance over time.
Automate your pre-sale emails and drive more sales with Omnisend
Milda is a Senior Content Marketing Manager at Omnisend, with extensive experience in communication, helping brands establish a unique and authentic online presence.
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