Your email campaigns take on some sort of superpower when you add layers of social proof. Moreso, when you send dedicated social proof emails.
In marketing, social proof influences consumer behavior.
The author and business psychology expert Robert Cialdini explains social proof best. In his popular book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, he wrote:
“Whether the question is what to do with an empty popcorn box in a movie theater, how fast to drive on a certain stretch of highway, or how to eat the chicken at a dinner party, the actions of those around us will be important in defining the answer.”
Marketers use social proof as a powerful force that affects their target audience’s buying decisions and makes them more likely to purchase.
There are several ways to use social proof in your e-commerce emails. We’ve divided them into three categories: social proof from customers, other brands, and your brand.
What is social proof?
Marketers are aware of how people are inclined to follow the wisdom of the crowd. Social proof taps into this tendency by supporting your brand’s claims with what others say about you.
Social proof is a phenomenon where people take cues from others on how to act.
We’re persuaded by what the majority of people do or believe. The more people endorse or buy from a brand, the more likely we are to perceive the brand positively.
Why is it important in ecommerce email marketing?
Social proof is essential for ecommerce brands and has several benefits.
First, it helps you build trust and credibility with your market. Since people copy what others do, they’ll feel safer buying from you if they see other people doing the same.
Secondly, social proof is an excellent way to leverage FOMO (fear of missing out) in potential customers. When they see how a product or service works for others, they’re likely to want to experience that firsthand and receive the benefits, too.
Lastly, social proof removes the friction that holds customers back from purchasing. The friction can involve doubts about the product or even misconceptions or objections about what the product can or cannot do.
Hearing from others who’ve bought from you will alleviate their doubts and concerns, increasing the likelihood of a sale.
How to Leverage Social Proof to Enhance Email Marketing: 17 Creative Ways
There are several ways to use social proof in your ecommerce emails. We’ve divided them into three categories: social proof from customers, other renowned figures, and your brand.
Let’s take a look at each category.
Social Proof from Customers
1. Promote your bestsellers
One of the easiest ways to use social proof in emails is to notify your subscribers about your bestselling products.
This can trigger FOMO in readers and pique their curiosity. Bestsellers sell well for a reason, right? Your target audience will be more interested in buying to figure out what the buzz is about.
Take inspiration from Lululemon’s emails.
They use the subject line “Bestsellers for a better practice”. In the email itself, they feature models wearing their bestsellers in high-quality photos and keep the text minimal to help highlight the products.
The copy mentions the benefits of their yoga pants and bras and CTA buttons are distributed throughout the email. This is a simple but great example of a bestseller promotion email.
2. Show customer favorites
In the same vein as the previous tip, consider researching which products your customers like best and showcasing them in a collection tagged as customer favorites. It’s an excellent form of social proof that enriches trust because it comes from the experiences of real customers.
How do you execute this?
Look no further than this email by lifestyle brand Italic. Here, they show two items customers love and include a short quote from the customer about why they love the product.
The heading also says “Scent-sational favorites” which introduces the items as customer picks.
Even though only two products are highlighted, the email works because they are backed by what the customers are saying about the product, plus the photos showcase the product and what it will look like in the home.
3. Use numbers to show popularity
Numbers can’t be argued with. It’s a concrete form of social proof that demonstrates through figures how popular a product is or how many customers you have.
This approach shows people’s trust in your brand, which is better than just telling them that you’re a trustworthy business that they can feel at ease buying from.
Take this email from Boll & Branch as an example.
The subject line says: “11,000 customers agree these sheets are worth it”. To support this, in the email, they say that they have more than 11,000 five-star reviews.
They show three reviews from verified customers and end with a CTA button to lead the reader to their website. The email demonstrates their credibility as a brand in just a few words.
4. Feature customer reviews
Persuade your prospective customers by featuring reviews from happy customers.
Reviews are used by almost all brands in their emails because it works. It reassures the potential buyer and puts your brand in a good light.
Use this type of social proof strategically by picking reviews that will quell hesitations a prospect might have with your product. The reviews have to be relevant and address your ideal customer's issues and pain points.
Paravel does this to perfection in an email titled “Customer-approved travel essentials”.
The reviews in the email are brief but target a variety of personas. They feature one product per review and attach the review and the customer’s name.
One review is aimed at people who are looking for thoughtful gifts for their loved ones. Another review shows a use case for their packing cubes (fitting lots of things in a tiny weekender bag). The last one proclaims that the customer has found the perfect beach bag and mentions that sand doesn’t stick to it.
Do the same in your emails and your readers will be more willing to try out your products.
5. Include user-generated content
Show how your customers are using your products through user-generated content.
UGC is a major influence on people’s shopping decisions so an email newsletter without it is leaving a lot on the table. This content is more powerful than reviews because images and videos speak louder than words and can’t be faked easily.
Scour social media for mentions of your brand and see if any video or photo posts come up. You can also ask for submissions and perhaps add an incentive for the best post.
The hot sauce brand Truff uses UGC from a Tiktok user who used their sauce for a pasta night to mark the end of her college career. They include a screenshot and a link that leads to the video so readers can view it.
6. Tell success stories
One: We humans love stories.
Two: Stories are compelling
Three: Success stories are incredibly effective for social proof.
Numan, uses it to their advantage. Some of their email campaigns focus on success stories alone with real users pitching in with their own weight loss stories after using Numan products and weight-loss programs.
7. Use video testimonials
Pepper, a specialist undergarments and Lingerie brand for women, uses one of the most powerful social proof methods there is: video testimonials.
Notice how brief the email campaign itself is - two lines stating what the video is about and let the video do all the talking.
Featuring an “ambassador”, the campaign lets out a brief word by one of their prolific customers on their latest style.
Social Proof from Renowned Figures
8. Spotlight celebrity endorsements
Another classic form of social proof is having endorsements from notable figures such as celebrities, athletes, thought leaders, critics, and experts.
These people’s opinions are respected and have a wider reach and impact than that of the average person.
A great example of how to pull this off naturally is collaborating with the celebrity and featuring their product picks from your collection.
Take a look at how Glossier executes this with their campaign with the model and creative director Sofia Richie Grainge.
They highlight an “edit” comprising Sofia’s favorite products and insert a quote from Sofia and descriptions for each product she recommends. A photo of the celebrity accompanies the edit and shows her wearing the products.
9. Feature expert's advice
“Clinically proven”, “trusted by experts”-- these phrases used for social proof aren’t new. Pepsodent has always used it, claiming that it’s the default toothpaste dentists recommend.
Jolie Skin Company has this email campaign that uses the “press” angle. Quoting how Byrdie found experts talking about Jolie Skin’s products was as compelling as it gets as far as social proof goes.
This on top of compelling offers such as “Try Jolie risk-free for 60 days”.
10. Try influencer marketing
In these times, influencers often have more sway over people’s buying decisions than celebrities. Influencers present a great avenue for social proof thanks to their engaged and often huge follower base.
Even a snapshot of an influencer trying or wearing your product will have people’s attention and convince them to try out your brand.
Rebecca Minkoff sends out an email titled “Just Spotted on Your Favorite Influencers” and includes pictures of the bag worn by different influencers, followed by Shop Now buttons.
The email is also collaged with photos of the bags they offer with the heading “Shop the bags that are blowing up on social,” which taps into FOMO that spurs readers to buy.
11. Partner with reputable brands and organizations
Brands and influencers love collaborations for a reason. It’s a great way to tap into each other’s audiences and expand each brand’s reach.
Associating with organizations and brands with good reputations is a plus for your business, too. It will allow you to borrow authority from that brand or organization.
Here, the makeup brand Saie teamed up with rePurpose Global, a leading plastic action platform, on World Oceans Day. They even use numbers to demonstrate the impact they both made (collected 15 million kilograms of plastic waste).
It’s a wise move on Saie’s part to include this in its email marketing. Customers will be attracted to their sustainability efforts and their products will be more marketable as a result.
12. Emphasize press mentions
Press or media mentions hold a lot of weight for consumers because these publications are trusted and credible sources of information. They are also more likely to be unbiased because it has no direct association with consumer brands.
These mentions can be from articles, interviews, podcasts, popular blogs, social media, television, magazines, and newspapers. If possible, try to get your brand featured in the press and highlight the shoutout in your emails.
The skincare brand FaceTory has been recognized by Vogue, Forbes, The Cut, and Today and it strategically leverages these press mentions in this email.
They lead with the copy “As seen in…” and then list what experts from these publications think about FaceTory’s bestsellers.
13. Flaunt your awards and nominations
Aside from press mentions, make sure to highlight any awards or nominations your brand has received.
It’s good to toot your own horn sometimes and you deserve it because you put in the efforts that secured you that recognition. Add logos or badges to your email campaigns and it’s sure to impress potential customers and pique their interest.
Burrow, the furniture brand, crafts a tongue-in-cheek email to show off their award.
It leads with “We don’t mean to brag, but…” and then goes on to mention that they were awarded by Time Magazine for Best Invention, among other recognitions.
They don’t stop there, though. They treat their subscribers to a 20 percent discount and outline the benefits of their award-winning product.
Charlotte Tilbury, a global makeup and skincare brand, has a series of emails focusing on social proof alone. How do they show it?
The awards they won are shown front and center. The “best moisturiser for acne-prone skin” isn’t too much of a boisterous claim given that they can back it up with the coveted Marie Claire™ Skin Awards Winner 2024 claim.
14. Use the power of association
What happens when you use the power of a trusted global brand with the “power of association”?
Short answer: More power.
Dyson is popular enough; no questions about that. The brand is known for its line of dependable, tech-driven innovation when it comes to home appliances, vacuum cleaners, air care equipment, air treatment appliances, lighting, floor care, and more.
For one, this is an email with an outright offer to save $250 on a pair of noise-canceling headphones. Plus, there’s that association with Grammy Awards®
Even if you disregard the beautiful design structured with intent, being an official partner with Grammy Awards® goes a long way to make for compelling social proof.
Social Proof from Your Brand
15. Publish case studies
For B2C brands, case studies can come in the form of before-and-after pictures showing the remarkable results your customers have enjoyed through your products.
Like numbers, case studies are an undeniable way to show that your products are worth a look.
This is an example from Gleamin, a skincare brand. In this email, they feature before-and-after photos of real customer results and entice the reader by asking “Will you be next?”
16. Share company milestones
Don’t forget to celebrate important events in your company’s history. Your milestones shouldn’t be taken lightly so why not include them in your emails? Your products will seem more desirable because of these achievements.
Of course, always be grateful to the people who’ve made those milestones happen: your customers.
Cowboy is an electric bike company that has celebrated their company milestone of 100 million kilometers by announcing it in their newsletter.
Their subject line says “Celebrate our biggest ride milestone yet”. They keep the email engaging through impressive figures, a minimalist layout, and creative illustrations.
17. Slap on social proof in your email signature
An underrated way to incorporate social proof is by attaching it to your email signatures.
Make sure to always end your email with content that lets your readers know your brand is trusted and credible. This could be a small logo or text. It doesn’t have to be fancy.
Take notes from the jewelry brand Aurate, which includes a “Featured in” section at the bottom of their emails. They show publications that have recognized the brand but they do it subtly.
The signature is an underutilized part of an email so get creative and make the most out of it!
Social Proof: The Secret Sauce of Effective Email Campaigns
We’ve covered the different ways your brand can integrate social proof in your emails. This social proof can come from customers, from reputable figures, and from your brand.
When done well, social proof can motivate your audience to buy and instill trust in your business.
Which of these social proof emails do you love? What kind of social proof email campaigns do you think make the most impact?
We hope this list gave you actionable ideas that you can get started with on your next email campaign. You can also find email inspiration from your competitors.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is social proof considered a powerful tool in marketing?
In marketing, social proof is used to influence the customers' buying behavior the same way human psychology is wired to follow the wisdom of the crowd.
2. Is social proof an effective email marketing strategy to use?
When done right, social proof can be effective in building trust and credibility in your brand, and removes friction that holds the customers back from purchasing your products.
3. What are the ways to showcase social proof in emails?
Social proof can be used in emails in several ways such as testimonials (text or video), customer reviews, awards granted, association with larger known entities, celebrity endorsements, influencer mentions, and others.
