Baking email templates since 2008

The MailBakery Blog
18 Wonderful Survey Invitation Email Examples & Why They Work

18 Wonderful Survey Invitation Email Examples & Why They Work

Reading Time: 6 minutes

This article was last updated on January 27, 2022

Every business, big or small, is lost without their clients’ feedback and opinion. Today we’ve prepared for you a good portion of survey invitation email examples. Before we continue, let’s clear up why this type of email is so important.

Simple. Guessing just doesn’t work. Very often, you’ll be surprised with your clients’ actual thoughts and needs. Surveys allow you to get to know your audience better than anything else. And you must agree, this is key for growing your business.

Survey it is then! Cool but here comes the challenge. People don’t really like putting aside time to answer a bunch of questions asked by a bunch of brands. The average user’s attention span these days is just several seconds long. So, how to make your precious clients answer your a-few-minute survey if they can’t hold their attention longer than a few seconds? You may find the answer as well as ideas and inspiration from the following survey invitation email examples we’ve prepared for you.

 

1. Be polite. An example by Kate Spade Saturday

People love it when you are being polite. This is a clear sign that you respect them and their time. Words like “quick”, “hurry” and “% off” certainly work in your favor and raise your chances of catching the attention of more users. Overall, a great example by Kate Spade Saturday boosted with some cute emojis.

 

Kate Spade survey invitation email examples

 

FREE HIGH-QUALITY HTML Email Template by MailBakery Store

 

2. Be a good listener. An example by Macy’s

When you take up the role of “the listener”, people would no longer feel like they are being interviewed but being heard instead. The survey email example by Macy’s uses this tactic very successfully.

Macy's survey invitation email examples

 

3. Give a sense of exclusivity. An example by Piperlime

Piperlime sets a great example in their survey invitation email by conveying a sense of exclusivity with the opening line “You are among a selected group of customers”. People like the feeling of being special, so such a strategy works very well. In addition, the words “Thank you in advance” also prompt the person to take action.

Piperlime survey invitation email examples

 

 

4. Offer a big prize. An example by Vince

Of all the strategies available, the one that gives the biggest result is offering a prize. Vince here offers a big prize of $1000 to 3 of all of the recipients who take the survey. If this ain’t an incentive, we don’t know what is.

 

Vince survey invitation email examples

 

5. Offer a gift card. An example by Helzberg Diamonds

There are plenty of survey invitation email examples offering prizes because this strategy simply works. Similarly to the previous one, Helzberg Diamonds prompts their recipients to take the survey. In return, they enter a competition for a $200 gift card.

 

Helzberg Diamonds survey invitation email examples

 

6. Give a guaranteed discount. An example by Kate Spade New York

Even more alluring would be to provide a prize for everyone. In the following example, Kate Spade New York gives a discount to literally everyone who takes their survey. What a great way to thank your clients, right?

 

Kate Spade New York survey invitation email examples

 

7. Or give a guaranteed voucher. An example by Artifact Uprising

An alternative to giving a discount is giving a voucher with a fixed value that can be used for your products or services. Here is an example by Artifact Uprising who gave away $10 vouchers to everyone who took their survey. It’s a great idea to include this incentive in the call-to-action button, as well.

 

Artifact Uprising survey invitation email examples

 

8. Use a punchline. An example by City Farmers

“Don’t be a Chicken” is a famous punchline and a great motivation line, as it challenges the recipient to take action. Plus, the relation with the brand name,City Farmers, and the visuals, a chicken, is hilarious and awesome at the same time!

 

City Farmers survey invitation email examples

 

9. Or use a famous saying. An example by Anthropologie

Famous sayings always nail the attention. So why not take advantage of this? Anthropologie used the famous line “Time flies” to nail the attention and make the connection with what they want to say next. The strategy, in this case, is combined with a discount incentive.

 

anthropologie survey invitation email examples

 

10. Straight to the point. An example by Headspace

 

Ok, you know what your recipients are thinking. Why not say it right from the beginning? After all, nobody loves to answer boring questions. When you say this survey is not another boring survey, your clients may decide to give it a shot… you know, just out of curiosity.

Headspace survey invitation email examples

 

11. Show respect. An example by Nordstrom rack

Words like “value” and “appreciate” always make a good impression. Include them in your copy to let the recipients know that you respect them and their opinion truly matters.

 

 

12. Make it short. An example by Dollar Shave Club

You don’t have to take several minutes of your client’s time in order to understand their problems and needs. Here is a great example by Dollar Shave Club proving that informative surveys can be just a few seconds short.

 

Dollar Shave Club survey invitation email examples

 

13. Be honest about how much time it would take. An example by Anthropologie

People would appreciate it if you tell them how much time the survey would take. It’s better to be honest than having half of your clients abandon the survey after the first minute.

 

anthropologie survey invitation email examples

 

14. Personalize it. An example by YPlan

Using the recipient’s name is a good strategy not just for survey invitation email examples but for all kinds of email campaigns. Here is how YPlan made theirs.

 

YPlan survey invitation email examples

 

15. Support the message with visuals. An example by Purina

Not all survey invitation email examples have photos or images but if they do, they surely must support and boost your message. Here is a great one by Purina. Do you see the relation? “All Ears”… exactly!

 

Purina survey invitation email examples

 

16. Focus on mutual benefits. An example by Diamond Candles

Survey invitation email examples should always remind that their purpose is to help brands understand their clients better, so that clients can receive a better experience with the brand. Why not simply say it like Diamond Candles did?

 

Diamond Candles survey invitation email examples

 

17. Crack a joke. An example by MailChimp

A joke is always a good idea when you want to break the ice and put your recipients in a good mood. People who are in a good more are more inclined to do what you what from them. Here is an example by MailChimp.

 

MailChimp survey invitation email examples

 

18. Simply ask them to be honest. An example by Withings

If you simply ask people to be honest, they will most likely indeed share their honest opinion, whether positive or negative.

 

Withings survey email

 

MailBakery


Email surveys should be among the arsenal of the email marketer. Not only they provide valuable information about the brand’s target audience but they help improve the clients’ experience with the brand.

Our team at MailBakery can help you design and develop survey invitation emails that are stunning, brand-specific, and sure to convert.