How to Send an Email Blast (With Examples)

What is an email blast?

An email blast — also known as a broadcast email, bulk email or mass email — is a stand-alone message sent to all or a significant portion of a contact list. The goal is to reach as broad an audience as possible with minimal investment. 

Email blasts are typically promotional, sharing enticing news about a sale or special offer. They aim to drive a specific action, such as registering for an event or making a purchase. They may also include important news or unexpected updates a business must communicate quickly.

Ross Soodoosingh, CEO of HuddleFifty, emphasized that email blasts are usually urgent and independent of targeted email marketing campaigns. “Unlike traditional personalized emails that are tailored for their intended reader, email blasts are seldom personalized to the extent in which it would directly be speaking to you as an individual,” Soodoosingh explained. “Email blasts are also different from emails in an email sequence/email journey as they are single-instance rather than a group of emails sent over a period of time or conditions that are sent to a user.”

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Thomas Hassett, founder of TH Results, cautioned that using email blasts sparingly is wise, as they can seem spammy when executed poorly. “Save them for your big announcements, your can’t-miss sales and your truly newsworthy updates,” Hassett advised. “If you abuse the privilege, you’ll quickly become the digital equivalent of the boy who cried wolf and your emails will start going straight to the trash.” 

How to send an effective email blast

Take the following six steps to plan and send effective email blasts. 

1. Select a good email marketing service.

A powerful, intuitive email marketing service is essential for delivering effective and successful email blasts. The best email marketing services make creating and segmenting email contact lists, designing emails, building campaigns and scheduling delivery easy. Many of these platforms also incorporate marketing automation, making them beneficial for other purposes, such as drip email campaigns, personalized customer journeys and transactional emails like order confirmations or appointment reminders.

2. Build your email list.

An email list is a direct line to potential and returning customers, making it one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal. When building an email marketing list, you gather email addresses from people who want to receive your communications. Creating an opt-in email marketing strategy is a great way to strengthen customer relationships and relay messages to engaged prospects and customers effectively. 

3. Segment your email list.

Email list segmentation divides your contacts into smaller groups (segments) based on related characteristics, such as the following: 

• Demographics, such as age, location, gender and income
• Previous purchasing behavior 
• Customer journey stage
• Email engagement levels, such as email open rates and click-through rates (CTRs)
• Interests and preferences

Segmenting your list helps you understand your audience better and personalize emails to boost engagement. While email blasts are often broad-reaching, segmentation may still be useful for some blasts, such as those targeting specific customer groups with relevant announcements or promotions. This ensures your message resonates with the right audience while maintaining the efficiency of a mass email.

4. Select your targets.

While email blasts are often sent to all or most of your list, strategic targeting can still enhance their effectiveness. Depending on the size and diversity of your list, consider tailoring your e-blasts to specific groups. For example, adjust the messaging and delivery time to fit different regions where your subscribers reside or personalize content to appeal to particular segments, such as first-time buyers versus returning customers.

Even minor targeting adjustments can make your email blasts feel more relevant to your audience without losing their broad appeal. 

5. Create your email blast message.

Next, it’s time to create your email blast’s content. Your email marketing service may influence your design choices as many platforms offer industry-specific templates and tools to help tailor your content to your customers’ needs. For example, Omnisend is focused on devising email marketing content specific to e-commerce businesses. Your service may offer various email templates, which can be helpful. However, the messaging is what counts: 

• Use a compelling subject line that is engaging and invites immediate action. 
• Keep the body copy simple and punchy, using bold text or bullet points to stand out to those skimming your message. 
• Impactful calls to action at the bottom should tell the reader what you want them to do, such as “shop now” or “sign up today,” and provide a link for easy conversion. 

Rebecca Parson, a public relations professional in investing and insurance, notes that other messaging elements may make sense, depending on your goals. “Some things I’ve seen work well are including interactive elements like polls or surveys to engage recipients and get their feedback, incorporating user-generated content like customer photos or testimonials to boost credibility and relatability and offering a time-limited deal to encourage immediate action.”

When your campaign is complete, schedule it for delivery at an optimal time to maximize engagement.

6. Analyze the email’s performance.

Sending the email blast and noting the number of conversions is not the end of your mission. Examining how recipients interacted with the email’s content and links is equally important to better understand your team’s efforts. Key email analytics such as open rate, CTR and deliverability provide insights into your campaign’s success and highlight areas for improvement.

Regularly reviewing this data is crucial to refining your strategy and optimizing the results of future email marketing campaigns. By identifying patterns and addressing weaknesses, you can create more engaging and impactful email blasts over time.

Email blast best practices

When crafting an email blast, the following strategies can make the difference between conversion and spam designation:

• Be thoughtful with your messaging: While an email blast might be a simple message, it should still resonate with your subscribers. Every email is an opportunity to speak directly to your customers and appeal to their perspectives. Craft copy that connects with your audience on their level — for example, an email to Generation Xers will likely differ slightly from one you send to your Gen Z customers.
• Avoid sounding like a spammer: Email blasts get a bad rap due to their tendency to feel like junk mail, so make an effort to sound polished and professional. For example, lots of dollar signs or the word “free” may set off spam filters, reducing delivery rates and putting you at risk of a low sender score.
• Lead with your value-add: Remember that most people will glance at your subject line and decide quickly whether to open your email blast or trash it. Let recipients know what you offer while creating urgency to compel them to read more. Keep the subject line short and consider adding the recipient’s first name at the beginning to make the message feel more personal.
• Stick to one call to action (CTA): Email blasts should have clear, concise and on-point CTAs. Don’t convolute the copy with mixed messages or multiple requests from your audience — focus on the “why” and point the recipient exactly where you want them to be.
• Consider accepting replies: This may sound overwhelming, but inviting two-way communication with your subscribers may work well over time. While sifting through replies can be a lot of work and many replies may not be relevant, doing so could provide additional insights you won’t get through other marketing avenues.
• Don’t overdo it: Too many e-blasts will almost certainly lead to higher unsubscribe rates and more spam designations. Be discerning about the frequency and timing of your marketing emails to maximize results and keep subscribers engaged.

How often should you send out email blasts?

Email marketing requires a delicate balance. Too many messages can frustrate recipients, while too few can send your business into obscurity. The ideal frequency depends on your type of business and your audience’s preferences.

Most companies should send an email blast at least once per month but no more than once per week. This schedule ensures you remain relevant to your audience without being invasive. To fine-tune your strategy, test different frequencies and analyze historical email data to understand how often your contact list wants to hear from you.

Statistically, Omnisend found that the best days of the month to send marketing emails are the fifth, seventh and 12th days, especially if they land on a Tuesday or Thursday. Regarding timing, emails sent around 8 a.m. often yield the best results.

Email blast purposes

An e-blast is best for communicating important information across segments. As a result, they perform most effectively when used for specific purposes rather than as a general marketing tool. Being deliberate and strategic in your blasts will significantly increase their success.

Here are some examples of ideal occasions for e-blasts.

Flash sale

A message letting your entire contact list know about a limited-time offer or flash sale is one of the best uses of the e-blast technique. Including compelling visuals and bold imagery in the email body can encourage clicks and boost engagement.

Here are a couple of sample subject lines that are perfect for a bulk email push advertising a flash sale:

• Final day — 50-75 percent off ends tonight!
• (First name), it’s your last chance to save …
• Flash sale! Coats 50-75 percent off

New products or services

Announcing a new addition to your product line or adding a new service to your agency is another great way to use an email blast. In this case, consider segmenting between prospective customers and existing ones to ensure your messaging resonates with each audience.

Try one of these sample subject lines for your next launch:

• Introducing your new favorite (insert product type)
• You won’t believe what we have for you …
• (First name), are you ready for (company name)’s next big thing? 

Events or webinars

If your company offers online training or in-person events, an e-blast is an excellent way to encourage people to save the date or register. You can also follow up with a reminder email blast closer to the event date, including details on how attendees can share their participation on social media. This could help boost engagement and conversions.

Consider these sample subject lines when crafting an e-blast for your next webinar or event:

• Don’t miss out! (Insert event name) is (insert date)
• (First name), won’t you join us for (event name)?
• Last chance! Register now for (event name) 

Newsletters

Email newsletters are a bit different from typical email blasts because they tend to be more structured and aligned with longer-term campaigns. However, they’re technically still e-blasts because they’re usually sent to most contacts on the sender’s list. They typically contain company updates, blog snippets, promotional information or fun content, such as quizzes.

Subject lines should align with the newsletter’s content while encouraging engagement. Asking questions or highlighting a unique value-add can significantly increase open rates and reader interaction.

Pros and cons of email blasts

Email blasts have upsides and downsides. Consider the following before creating and sending an email blast. 

Pros 

• You can reach many people quickly and easily. 
• Depending on the content, e-blasts can provide almost instant engagement boosts, especially when they contain a strong call to action with a sense of urgency (think “act now”).
• E-blasts are a low-cost marketing strategy.

Cons

• In some cases, the lack of personalization can make recipients feel spammed, especially if the messages are unsegmented and untargeted, making them irrelevant to certain subscribers.
• Subscribers might feel they’ve been sent emails randomly and the unexpected timing could confuse or even annoy your valuable contacts. 
• If too many recipients on your list mark your email as spam, it could affect your future email deliverability rates negatively.

Jennifer Dublino contributed to this article.