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What if you could grow your list by hundreds of quality subscribers in just a few days?
Email giveaways are a convenient way to do just that.
And with a thoughtful giveaway email campaign, you can turn all those new leads into dedicated customers and brand fans.
Why you should unite the power of giveaways and email marketing
A giveaway is a promotional activity where a brand encourages its audience to enter a contest to win exciting gifts.
And when paired with email marketing, giveaways are an intuitive way to grow your list.
But giveaways aren’t just for attracting new leads—your current subscribers will enjoy your giveaway, too. Giveaway emails convert 3.73% higher compared to other types of emails. Meaning a giveaway can be the perfect way to attract and delight your audience.
Aside from making your subscribers happy, here are a few other benefits of email giveaways:
- Increase brand awareness: Email giveaways are an opportunity to create buzz around your brand and spread awareness. Whether you’re just starting your business or have an established presence, you’ll benefit from the increased awareness that giveaways bring.
- Turn bonds into connection: 53% of people say they feel connected to a brand that shares their values. You can build a stronger connection with your audience simply by selecting prizes that align with their values.
- Cross-platform promotion: A giveaway email campaign redirects people to your various social profiles, like Instagram or TikTok, along with your website and email list. This allows you to cross-promote your brand and share different platforms with your audience.
Now that you know why giveaways are so powerful, let’s explore some giveaway email examples to inspire your own campaign.
4 examples of giveaway emails from top creators
1. Lawyer Rosezena Pierce
Giveaway email subject line: The Biz Lawyer’s 5-Day Giveaway: 30-minute legal strategy session w/ The Biz Lawyer
Why Rosezena’s giveaway email works
- Rosezena offers a highly sought-after prize—a free 30-minute session with her. This prize is something every person in her audience of business owners would want.
- She requires people to register for a virtual party, which helps her foster a relationship with her audience, even those who don’t win the big prize.
- She asks people to tag five entrepreneurs, which helps her extend her reach beyond those already subscribed to her list.
2. YouTuber Ali Abdaal
Giveaway email subject line: Selfish Goals vs Service Goals
Why Ali’s giveaway email works
- Ali’s email newsletter has over 350,000 readers on the list, all interested in productivity tips. The gift packages are relevant to these readers’ interests and ensure a high participation rate.
- The email provides an easy-to-spot link to enter the giveaway.
- Ali details when the giveaway ends so readers don’t miss out.
3. Copywriting Coaching Alex Cattoni
Giveaway email subject line: My biggest giveaway of the year…🎁
Why Alex’s giveaway email works
- Alex’s course is a steep investment for beginner writers, so the chance to get free access to it will surely lure many readers to apply.
- The email’s subject line, “My biggest giveaway of the year” piques the recipient’s interest to drive up open rates.
- To be considered, the reader has to upload a simple one-minute video explaining why they want the course. This step is free and eliminates any uninterested participants immediately.
- The email covers all the bases for the giveaway and ensures the readers know exactly what they’re getting into, so communication is never vague.
4. Coach Emee Estacio
Giveaway email subject line: Don’t miss this giveaway ($1k+ worth of tools, training, and resources for authors)
Why Emee’s giveaway email works
- Emee’s email has good readability, so readers can spot important info like what’s up for grabs and how to enter.
- She lists all giveaway prizes so readers can see the value in the giveaway (and be compelled to enter).
- Once the giveaway is over, Emee replaces the entry opt-in form with a waitlist (pictured below). This way, people can sign up and get notified of the next giveaway, and Emee can continue to grow her list even after her giveaway ends.
How to set up your giveaway email strategy in 6 steps (+email templates)
Step #1: Select a giveaway that attracts your ideal client
Every niche has the potential to attract a large audience. Your giveaway campaign should ideally invite your existing and potential new customers to your brand.
For example, finance influencer Ellie Diop runs an email list of over 62,000 dedicated followers. One of the key things she has practiced since launching her list is hosting regular giveaways with gifts like free webinars, workbooks, and coaching sessions.
The topics she covers are inspired by her readers’ needs, and they reciprocate her attention to detail with millions of dollars in sales.
The gift you give away is powerful, carrying your value-first approach as a symbol of your brand. If you have or can create your own gift, host a giveaway for a product/service branded with your logo/name.
The key here is to choose a gift that you know your audience will appreciate but also ensure that it carries a symbol of your brand to help them remember, share, and recall your value in the long run.
Some creators also collaborate with others to make their gifts more meaningful and relevant.
Remember: The goal of the giveaway is to take that one-time attention you generate as part of the giveaway hype and turn it into a long-term relationship, which becomes way easier if you’re closing every loop with your brand.
Here are some giveaway ideas to help you perfect this first step before moving on:
- Giveaway ideas for authors: Books, signed books, reading divides (like Kindles), and book bundles.
- Giveaway ideas for artists: Artwork, custom art, and art tools.
- Giveaway ideas for bloggers: Gift cards and favorite products.
- Giveaway ideas for service providers, coaches, and consultants: Consulting/coaching sessions, service packages, strategy sessions, and industry-relevant resources like books or guides.
- Giveaway ideas for course creators: Partial or full access to a course, course-related resources (like templates or worksheets), and 30-minute Q&A calls.
Step #2: Create a dedicated giveaway landing page
While your landing page doesn’t have to be fancy, having a dedicated space for your giveaway gives your audience a space to learn about your giveaway (and by extension, you!).
Plus, your landing page gives your giveaway credibility for people who think it’s a scam or feel it’s unsafe to enter.
An effective landing page has the following elements that make it an effective marketing tool:
- Headline: Your headline tells your readers what your giveaway is about
- Description: Use your description to share rules, winning criteria, the selection process, and the platform where you’ll announce the winners.
- CTA: Your call-to-action encourages readers to participate in the giveaway, with a page link to enter their details and take the next steps
- Visuals: Visuals can showcase your prize so entrants get a good idea of what they’re entering to win.
- Other: Add elements like a link to your terms and conditions page, social proof, and when the giveaway ends to boost your giveaway’s credibility.
Audrey Hughey’s landing page checks all the above boxes:
She’s used Kit for her landing page. Using Kit, you can build a landing page without a website and get your giveaway up and running in no time.
Step #3: Use our templates to write your giveaway sequence
Now that you’ve decided what gifts you want to share with your loyal fans and you’re all set to start your first giveaway email campaign, the real work can begin.
Knowing the voice your readers expect from you, it’s important that your email sequence for the giveaway drums up excitement and makes sure you get the best ROI possible.
Not to fret. Here are five email templates you can steal and customize for your next giveaway.
These email templates will give you direction on how to format your giveaway email campaign. Feel free to use them as inspiration and customize them to fit your brand.
Giveaway email template 1: Sent a week before the giveaway
Subject: Giveaway alert: Sending something special your way soon! 🥳
Hi there, <Subscriber’s first name>!
I have some exciting news, and I just can’t wait to share it with you! Mark your calendar because one week from today, I’m launching a giveaway you don’t want to miss.
<Giveaway’s name> is my chance to give back, and the winners can win [briefly mention the prizes].
Keep an eye on your inbox, and make sure to follow me on my social media for the latest news!
Sending love,
<Your name>
<Your brand’s name>
Giveaway email template 2: Sent at the launch of giveaway
Subject: The giveaway is now live! 🥳
Hi there, <Subscriber’s first name>!
I hope you’re as excited as I am because today is the day I’m finally launching , and I’m inviting you to participate.
The rules are simple:
- [Mention the steps to participate clearly]
- [Link to the landing page for detailed information]
Here’s what you can win, <Subscriber’s name>:
[Mention the prizes in detail and why the readers will appreciate them]
Don’t miss this chance because the giveaway ends on [giveaway end date].
Thank you for being a part of this beautiful journey, I’m so happy to be able to give back to you in my small way.
Sending love,
<Your name>
<Your brand’s name>
Giveaway email template 3: Sent to participants after signing up for giveaway
Subject: Thanks for participating! (Secret bonuses to increase your chances of winning) 🥳
Hi there, <Subscriber’s first name>!
I’m so glad you’ve decided to participate in for a chance to win [list all prizes].
I want to give you first dibs on securing extra chances of winning these incredible gifts, so here’s what you can do for bonus entries:
[List all bonus actions, like following your social media accounts and referring friends]
[Highlight the benefits of these bonuses to encourage participants]
I’m rooting for you, <Subscriber’s name>. Stay tuned for more exciting updates here soon!
Sending love,
<Your name>
<Your brand’s name>
Giveaway email template 4: Sent 24 hours before the Giveaway ends
Subject: Last chance! 24 hours left to win giveaway 🥳
Hi there, <Subscriber’s first name>!
On [giveaway launch date], I shared with you the details of [giveaway name], and the response has been incredible!
But before I close the doors on one of my biggest giveaways ever, I wanted to give you one last chance to win [list prizes].
Don’t miss out, act now! [link to landing page for giveaway]
The excitement is unreal, and I can’t wait to announce the lucky winners.
That can be you! So, stay tuned for the big reveal.
Sending love,
<Your name>
<Your brand’s name>
Giveaway email template 5: Sent as winner announcement
Subject: [Giveaway name] has ended! Finding out the winners🥳
Hi there, <Subscriber’s first name>!
The moment we’ve all been waiting for!
[Giveaway name] has ended, and I’m so thankful to everyone who participated. You all made this giveaway so successful, my heart is full!
It would be impossible for me to choose the winners from all the entries I received. Sit tight as I verify all the entries and choose the winners with a randomizer before sharing the details with you!
Thank you for being a part of this, and I’ll come back on [announcement date] with the exciting news.
Sending love,
<Your name>
<Your brand’s name>
Step #4: Set your giveaway sequence on autopilot
Now that your giveaway is live, you can take all the hard work away from the process by setting up your email communications on autopilot.
(We know you’ll attract thousands of excited participants, but we don’t expect you to email everyone personally!)
Kit offers a whole host of features for creators, but email automation is your best friend for this purpose.
Here’s how you can use our automation workflow templates to streamline your giveaway step-by-step:
- Login to your Kit account
- Navigate to Automate > Visual Automations > + New automation
- Choose from our pre-built automation templates. When you find a template you want to use, click Use this template.
From there, all you need to do is edit the steps in the automation (to include your emails and content) and toggle it to Live.
Even better, you only have to do this once, and then you can sit back while the automation does the hard work for you.
To help, we’ve created a giveaway automation for you to start using today. All you need to do is input your giveaway email sequence and change the date to the day you plan to announce your winner.
Click here to get the giveaway automation
Step #5: Promote your giveaway
One of the main goals of a giveaway is to generate buzz for your brand, so marketing it is crucial. Here are a few pointers to help you nail your promotions:
- Leverage social media: Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok can all be great jumping-off points to help your giveaway attract more eyes. Share posts talking about the giveaway with eye-catching visuals of the prizes to draw more people in.
- Create bonus entries for participants: Having your loyal readers share the giveaway on their social media pages is free marketing for you, so offer them bonus entries in exchange for this.
- Use relevant hashtags: Adding a relevant hashtag to all your posts and your followers’ posts improves your discoverability and builds recall value for the brand, too.
- Collaborate with other creators: Partnering with creators in a similar or complementary niche can help you expand your reach further.
- Run paid ads: Targeted social media ads or newsletter advertising can generate a ton of buzz when done well, so you can reach a wider audience quickly.
Effective promotion can severely impact your giveaway’s success, so going the extra mile ensures you grow your email list and achieve the goals you’ve set.
Step #6: Choose and announce the giveaway winner
That’s it, you’ve done everything you can, and now it’s time to conclude this giveaway email campaign.
Choosing a winner does not have to be complicated, and there are plenty of randomizer tools available for free that you can use to ensure fairness.
Once the randomizer chooses an entrant, make sure you verify that they met all the participation criteria before sending out the announcement email.
Here’s an easy template for the final email:
Subject: [Giveaway name] Winner announcement🥳
Hi there, <Subscriber’s first name>!
I’m super excited to announce the winners of my latest giveaway, [giveaway name]!
Drumroll, please…
- Congratulations, <winner of first prize>, you’ve won <mention the first prize>!
- Do the same for all prizes
Please reply to this email to get in touch with me and claim your prizes!
I want to thank each and every one who took the time to participate in this giveaway! Your support is the reason I’m able to do this.
I’ll be back soon for another exciting giveaway! Till then, keep reading.
Sending love,
<Your name>
<Your brand’s name>
Once the winners contact you, you can verify their information and deliver the prizes. In case you don’t hear from one of the winners, you can go back to the randomizer to choose an alternate winner.
Start your first giveaway campaign today!
Once you’ve brainstormed the idea for your first giveaway email campaign, creating a landing page and an email sequence takes less than 20 minutes.
Ready to try it yourself? Sign up for Kit for free, and start growing your list with email giveaways!
