A well timed email lands in the one place your users actually manage every day which is their inbox. You have permission to show up, remind them why they signed up, and invite them to take the next step. In a SaaS business, that power translates into lower churn, more upgrades and a better funnel.
Why email always wins
Email is a direct line to people who already raised their hand. When someone opens your message, there’s no algorithm fighting for attention, just you and the reader. That intimacy lets you pull a free-trial user back into the app, showcase a feature a paying customer hasn’t tried, or turn a subscriber into a paying user. If done consistently, this keeps your brand top-of-mind.
Tackling churn as soon as possible
Most cancellations don’t happen in a blaze of angry tweets, they happen quietly. A user signs up, pokes around, then life gets busy and they forget about the app. A simple email sequence, one quick reminder of unfinished setup, a short video showing a feature, or celebrating a small milestone can remind the user of the app’s existence. The key is rhythm, appear often enough to be helpful, never so often you become noise.
Speak to One Person, Not a Crowd
Because email is private, you can write like you’re talking to a single reader. Trade yapping for plain talk. Focus every message on a single promise and a single next action, whether that’s “connect your data source” or “try this new integration.” A friendly P.S. can answer a common question or add personality that would feel forced in a public post.
Marketing Messages Are Only Half the Story
Some of your highest open-rates will come from transactional and support emails: the “You left something in your cart,” the “We replied, did you see this?” and the “Your free trial ends tomorrow” alerts. Because they’re triggered by user behavior, these messages feel timely rather than promotional. Automate every obvious trigger and you’ll never miss the moment when a tiny nudge could save a sale.
Make the Inbox Gatekeepers Your Allies
Great copy is worthless if it lands in spam. Three technical tweaks protect your reputation with providers like Gmail:
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) lists the servers allowed to send mail from your domain.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) cryptographically signs each message so no one can tamper with it.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) tells inboxes what to do if the first two checks fail and lets you monitor suspicious activity.
Set them once in your DNS panel and you’ll clear the first hurdle: getting into the inbox.
From Delivered to Read
A curious subject line earns the click; congruence between subject and body earns trust. Keep headlines short and specific, expand the thought in the preview text, and dive straight into the one thing the reader will gain by sticking around. Emotional trigger words (“free,” “exclusive,” “last chance”) still work, just sparingly—spam filters notice desperate overuse long before humans do.
Grow a List That Actually Cares
Big lists impress no one if most addresses are dormant. Instead, attract subscribers with something genuinely helpful like a cheat sheet, a micro-course, or early access to a feature. Whether the entry point is your blog, social feed, or in-app banner, make the value obvious. Five hundred engaged subscribers who regularly click and reply are worth more than five thousand who can’t remember why you’re writing.
How Often Should You Hit Send?
For many SaaS audiences, two to three emails a week is balanced between presence and fatigue. Treat that as a starting point, not gospel. Rising open rates and flat unsubscribes mean you can safely keep the pace, a spike in opt-outs signals it’s time to slow down or tighten relevance. Let data and honest feedback guide you.
Segment First, Then Sequence
A brand-new trial user, a power subscriber, and a lapsed customer need different stories. Segment by behavior or lifecycle stage, then map a short sequence to each group. A newcomer might receive a four-part “getting started” series, while veterans get advanced tips and invitations to beta features. Inactive accounts can receive a gentle “We miss you—here’s what’s new” re-engagement note. Personalization isn’t a gimmick, it’s how you stay relevant without writing a novel to every individual.
Choosing the correct tools
For marketing broadcasts and automated drips, Bento offers strong deliverability and a visual flow-builder that scales as you grow. For high-volume transactional alerts—password resets, receipts, in-app notifications—services like Mailgun or SendGrid excel at speed and reliability. Pick the combo that fits your budget now and won’t punish you when your list doubles.
Conclusion
Email is and will always be the quiet powerhouse of SaaS growth. Set up your technical foundations, write like you’re helping one busy person, and deliver enough value that subscribers feel your absence when you skip an email. Do that, and your metrics will tell the story.
Questions or success stories? Drop them in the comments.
