How to Write a Discount Offer Email (With Templates)

To write a discount offer email, put the offer in the subject line and the first sentence: what it applies to, how much, and until when. Then add one button, with the code next to it or a link that applies it. Before anyone opens the email, the inbox shows only the sender, the subject line and a line of preview text, so the offer has to fit there.

What should a discount offer message say?

Three things, in this order:

What it applies to. "Everything", "all outerwear", "your next order". If a shopper cannot tell whether it covers what they want, say it plainly.
How much. A number: "20% off", "$10 off orders over $50". "Big savings" tells them nothing.
Until when. A date and time: "until Sunday at midnight". "Soon" is not a deadline.

The reason for the sale, the story and the pictures are optional. Add them only if they help the reader decide.

How do you write a discount email subject line?

Write the email first, then put the offer into the subject line.

Say the number. "20% off all outerwear" says more than "A little something for you".
Add the end date if there is one. "20% off outerwear, ends Sunday".
Keep it short. Litmus advises making the first 35 to 40 characters carry the offer, because that is what most phone inboxes show. Shorter is safer.
Use the preview text. The line shown after the subject in the inbox is a second chance to say what the offer is and when it ends.

The subject must match the email. The US CAN-SPAM Act requires that the subject line accurately reflects the content, and the FTC enforces it.

Where should the discount code go?

Next to the button, in large text, so the shopper can copy it in one tap. A code in the middle of a paragraph is easy to lose when the shopper switches to the store.

Better still, use a link that applies the code. In Discounty, an Advanced discount code campaign shows a Share link in the summary panel, under the code, once the campaign has a code and your store has its own domain. Choose where it lands, such as the homepage, a collection, a product or the cart, and use Copy link for the email button. The shopper arrives with the code already applied. The link works only while the campaign is active, and the shopper still adds the products themselves. Advanced discount code is on the Essential plan and up.

If everyone on the list gets the same offer, you may not need a code at all. An automatic discount or a sale price is already applied when they arrive. Use a code when you want to know which message brought the order, or to limit the offer to one group.

How do you write a discount offer text message?

The same three things, shorter:

Put the offer in the first few words.
Keep it to one message. A standard SMS fits 160 characters; longer texts are split and may cost more to send. Emoji or some accented letters cut one message to 70 characters.
Put the link last, after the deadline.
Send texts only with an offer worth the interruption, and only to people who agreed to receive them.

What should you leave out?

Urgency you will not keep. Say "final hours" only when the sale really ends.
"Exclusive" when the whole list gets it.
A second offer. Two offers in one message make the reader choose between them. Send one offer per message.

Under the US CAN-SPAM Act, every marketing email needs your valid physical postal address and a working way to unsubscribe, and the FTC's compliance guide says opt-out requests must be honored within 10 business days.

What does a discount offer email template look like?

Each sample gives what, how much and until when, then one button. Change the offer, the products and the date.

1. A sale for everyone

Subject: 20% off all outerwear, ends Sunday

Preview: No code needed. The price is already lower.

20% off every coat and jacket until Sunday at midnight. No code needed, the sale price is already in the store.

[Shop outerwear]

2. A code for first-time buyers

Subject: 15% off your next order

Preview: Your code is inside, valid until Sunday the 20th.

Thanks for your first order. Here is 15% off the next one, until Sunday the 20th.

Code: THANKYOU15

[Use my code]

3. Early access for subscribers

Subject: Our sale starts early for you

Preview: 25% off, two days before everyone else.

You get our sale first: the same 25% off everything that everyone gets from Thursday at noon, starting today. The button applies your code.

[Shop early]

4. The last day

Subject: Last day: 20% off outerwear

Preview: The sale ends tonight at midnight.

The outerwear sale ends tonight at midnight. After that, prices go back to normal.

[Shop before midnight]

A text message

20% off all outerwear until Sun midnight. No code needed: store.com/outerwear Reply STOP to opt out

For how long an early-access window should run and how deep it should be, see our guide to pre-sale discounts.

Questions

How do you write a discount offer email?

Put the offer in the subject line and the first sentence: what it applies to, how much, and until when. Then add one button, with the code next to it or a link that applies it.

How do you write a discount offer message?

Lead with the offer in the first few words: what it applies to, how much, and by when. Then the link. Keep a text message to one SMS of 160 characters.

What is a good discount email subject line?

One that states the offer and, if there is one, the end date, such as "20% off all outerwear, ends Sunday". Keep the offer in the first 35 to 40 characters.

Should a discount email include a code?

Use a code when you want to know which message brought the order or to limit the offer to one group. If everyone gets the same offer, an automatic discount or sale price saves the shopper a step.

How often should you send discount messages?

Only when there is a real offer with a real end date. Keep other messages for news, products and help.