Optimizing customer communication: creating better informational emails
Miguel Nicolás
13/05/2025
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By creating informational emails, we optimize customer communication and sell more. We explain how (with examples).
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Within our series on how to optimize customer communication through email marketing, we have reached the less transactional emails: informational emails. But, although they’re not focused on conversion, you would be wrong to think they do not sell in the medium and long term.Before getting into it, I would recommend that you take a look at the previous posts, where we already analyzed promotional emails, newsletters, reactivation emails, and feedback emails. Just remind that you can read them in the order you prefer, because they are not directly related.Now then, let’s get into those informational emails.
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What are informational emails?
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We could define them as any communication, not directly promotional, that is made with the intention of offering context or generating brand awareness and authority.Although we will now look at concrete examples, I think a fictional use case will help me explain what I mean.Imagine you have an online store that sells pet food. You could limit your emails to offers, promotions, and so on, but if in your email flow, from time to time, you include an email in which you offer a series of articles about dog nutrition, care, supplements that improve their quality of life… you are addressing your customer from a completely different perspective.Suddenly, you go from being a seller to being an expert who simply gives you advice in an apparently disinterested way.
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Why are they important?
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In case you are still wondering whether it is worth incorporating this type of email into your marketing strategy, let me quickly summarize the main advantages.
- They educate the customer: they are a good tool to qualify purchasing decisions or, in many cases, shape solutions for needs they have but haven’t yet been able to define.
- They generate engagement and community: this type of content that provides value is also more attractive when it comes to fostering interaction (clicks on links, forwarding articles, posting on their social media…).
- They reinforce our authority: as we mentioned, they help customers see us as a reference in the sector. This is always positive, but in the case of niche eCommerce, it can make a real difference.
- They drive indirect sales: that authority, combined with being present in their daily life, reinforces what is usually called “top of mind” or spontaneous recall ability. When they need a product we sell, their brain will always consider us as a standout option.
- Personalization and segmentation: they allow us to adapt the content to specific interests, increasing relevance and interaction. Based on their interests, we can include them in more precise mailing lists and better adapt to what they’re looking for or are more likely to buy.
- More value, less feeling of spam: when all our emails are promotions and sales attempts, the user starts to lose interest. In the worst case, they will see us as a nuisance, so they will go from not opening the emails we send them, to even unsubscribing from the mailing list.
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Examples of informational emails for eCommerce
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With all this context, we will go straight to the examples. Real emails, the ones that land in the inboxes of real buyers.We’re going to see how they havve been adapting their strategy, what they’ve stood out for, and which elements you can incorporate into your own future email marketing campaigns.
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#1 – The one who informs, sells
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And, to begin, this email from the cat food brand, Untamed (and thus we continue with the example we mentioned earlier).Until you have pets, you have no idea how much you overthink every decision related to them. That’s why information is always welcome, and the extra authority… even more so.
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We like this informational email because:
- Well-thought-out structure: although in this case there is a clear intent to convert, they prioritized the informational or educational content to such an extent that they placed the product well below the scroll line.
- Red flags: red flags, alerts… this grabs our attention immediately. It is a perfect hook to keep reading. Good use of the copy.
- Scientific data: four well-supported points, scientifically but accessibly presented. Thanks to this text, we can understand what the market offers and why it is not healthy for the cat.
- Call to action: the call to action is very subtle, but very well thought out. They use the verb “try” and not “buy.” Why? Simply because this way, the service tone is not abruptly lost and, also, trying is less of a commitment than buying.
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#2 – Do not sell products, point out benefits
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From cat food, we jump to a much less common product: sauna accessories. This is the niche that Sauna House is dedicated to, with very good results.Their online business model consists of selling these products and gift cards for attending their physical locations. This shows that, even something so retail-oriented, can be sold online.
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We like this informational email because:
- Pure information: unlike the previous one, here there is no room for oils or gift cards, the priority is the information. They do not hold back when developing the main points of the post and, by the way, they link directly to the article. Conversion may be lower, but the user experience is brilliant (and we will always have remarketing to get something from those visits).
- Authority: data without sources is not worth much. That is why we see that special relevance is given to the author, even linking to her bio.
- Niche information: it is safe to assume not all Sauna House customers received this informational email, since it is very specifically aimed at athletes and sports enthusiasts. Therefore, we can guess that segmentation work was done, dividing into lists.
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#3 – Explaining how to get more out of the product
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We go from relaxation to something more exciting. For that, we see how Methodical Coffee has an exceptional recipe in their email, which you might want to copy in your own eCommerce.Let’s make it clear: this example is a bit more commercial than usual, but since it is presented in a more or less subtle way, we are going to include it in this category.
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We like this informational email because:
- Recurring question resolved: coffee lovers always find pleasure in having the perfect cup. Well, with this simple email, we have the solution right in our inbox.
- Boosts online purchase: actually, I should say; online purchase motivation. As we have just mentioned above, many users prefer to enjoy coffee in a shop with an espresso machine and a barista, but thanks to this information (and the right product), we can become our own barista.
- Retention: they close with a very interesting message, thanking for receiving and reading the emails, emphasizing that they aim to provide usefulness. It is something very simple, but surely helps reduce the churn rate.
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#4 – Appealing to environmental awareness
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We continue with “unconventional” businesses, and we do it this way to show you that practically any business model can benefit from informational emails.Brondell manufactures and distributes several sanitary devices, but in the case at hand, we are going to see how they sell us a wonderful toilet seat with built-in bidet, in pure Japanese style.
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We like this informational email because:
- Environmental focus: out of the many advantages, they preferred to choose ethics. They could focus on technical aspects or even medium-term savings, but they want to work on positioning. For that, they provide some interesting data from an environmental perspective.
- Surprising image: without being the most groundbreaking thing in the world, admit it—you do not get many emails where the main image is a roll of toilet paper. At the very least, it will spark the recipient’s curiosity.
- Calls to action: we see two different buttons, the first is purely informational and takes us to a blog post. However, the second is labeled “buy now” and is purely transactional. The key is that hierarchically it is placed after the “scientific” data and the product benefits.
We have taken an interesting tour through different examples of informational emails from various segments and niches. -
But… do you want to keep learning how to optimize customer communication with informational emails? If you are interested in going deeper into the topic, just ask us and we will find a few more examples.