How To's
5 Email Templates To Help You Engage Students
Email helps you market your classes and share essential information. You may already be sending marketing emails to students and potential students, but are you taking full advantage of what different types of email can do for your program?
Emails about upcoming classes are just the beginning. You can also let students know when a class is in danger of being canceled or set expectations and help them get oriented. You can reconnect with students who haven’t registered for anything new in a while, or get feedback from students who have.
We’ll walk you through the five types of email you should be sending and offer some templates to help get you started. If you send all five, you may just find that students stay more engaged. That leads to higher satisfaction and more enrollments. You can also download the full package of program communication email templates.
Best Practices for Emailing Students
Feel free to copy, paste, and customize the templates below to best fit your program and your students. We’ve included brackets to show you where to add relevant course or program information.
Double-brackets are a signal that information can (and should!) be customized for each student. Personalizing student information shows students you care about them as individuals and makes them more likely to engage.
All of this customization and personalization doesn’t have to be difficult. You can automate a lot of it using mail merge and email marketing tools.
1. Class Recommendation Emails
When you watch TV on a streaming service like Netflix or Hulu, the service uses that information to pick out more shows you might like. On Amazon, tracking your shopping patterns lets them offer you products you might need. It makes sense. People are likely to buy and engage with things similar to those they already enjoy.
You can put the same logic to work for your programs. If you have CourseStorm, you can simply turn on automated class recommendations and let our software take care of this for you. For programs that aren’t using CourseStorm, class recommendation emails are a little more labor intensive, but they’re probably worth the effort.
Start with a list of upcoming classes you’d like to promote. Then take a look at your email list. Identify students who have taken a class related to the ones you’re promoting. Class rosters can help you here. Finally, send the students you’ve identified a personalized email inviting them to sign up for the related class.
We’ve found that about 10% of students who get class recommendation emails click on the links inside. That could lead to dozens of extra enrollments for your courses.
Class Recommendation Email Template
You can send this email to any student who has taken at least one class with you. Limit recommendation emails to no more than once a week and make sure they’re relevant to that student’s interests as you understand them.
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Suggested Subject Lines:
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Hi [[student first name]],
We have a couple of upcoming classes that we think you might really enjoy. Take a look and register now! [image] [course title] [dates] [Registration button/link] Wondering what else we have planned? Check out our complete catalog.
Best, [program director/admin] |
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2. Reconnection Email
If a student hasn’t enrolled in a while, you might want to reach out. Sometimes all students need is a nudge to bring them back to your program. If a student hasn’t enrolled in three months or more, try sending a reconnection email.
Here’s how to find the students who haven’t enrolled in a while:
- Export your entire student list from your registration software.
- Export a list of students who enrolled in your last session or during the last few months.
- Use a filter or query to identify the students who are on the first list but not the second list.
The result will be students who are good candidates for a reconnection email. Consider offering them an incentive to return. This could be an especially interesting class or a promo code for a discounted registration.
Reconnection Email Template
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Suggested Subject Lines:
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Dear [[first name]],
It’s been a while since we’ve seen you in class. Since you’ve been away, we’ve added some brand new classes including: [class title and image] [2nd class title and image] For even more fun and interesting classes, check out our full course catalog. We hope to see you again soon.
Best, [program director/admin] P.S. Is there something we can do to make classes more convenient, accessible, or interesting for you? We’d love to hear about it. Send us an email and let us know. |
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3. Enrollment Warning Emails
Think of enrollment warning emails as targeted news bulletins. They share a single piece of timely and relevant information. Ideally, learning this news will spur students to take action.
There are two types of enrollment warning emails:
- The class is in danger of being canceled
- This class is almost full!
CourseStorm makes registration, class marketing, and yes, even student communication, impossibly simple. Start your free trial now or contact us for more information.
Enrollment Warning Email Template 1: Cancelation Danger
You can send this email to students who have already signed up for the class that is in danger of being canceled. If you’re a CourseStorm user, your students get automatic enrollment warning emails.
From programs that aren’t using CourseStorm, manually sending these emails can help you fill your class.
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Suggested Subject Lines:
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Dear [[first name]],
We hope you’re looking forward to [class title] on [date]. Unfortunately, unless we find [#] more students like you, we won’t have enough people to run the class. You can help by inviting a friend or family member to attend the class with you. It’s a fun way to spend time together and it helps keep programs like this in our community. [We’re including this promo code so that a friend can register for XX% off] If you can think of a friend (or two!) who might enjoy [class title], please send them an email with our course registration link. You can also share a post on social media to help spread the word even further. Thank you so much! We look forward to seeing you in class soon.
Best, [professor or program manager name] |
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Enrollment Warning Email Template 2: Almost Full
Full classes offer the best return on investment. Since the class is running anyway, adding a few more students doesn’t add much to the overall cost. Sending an “almost full” email can be a quick money maker for your program.
Besides, letting students know when a class is almost full is a nice courtesy gesture. It can encourage prospective students to take action. A course that’s almost full is one that’s popular, and choosing the popular option can make people feel like they’ve made a good decision. You can send this email to any student who has expressed interest in the class subject.
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Suggested Subject Lines:
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Dear [[student name]],
There are just [#] seats left in [course name]. Don’t miss your chance. [course title] [course description or outcomes] If this sounds like a class you’d like, register now!
Best, [professor or program manager name] |
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4. Expectations and Orientation Email
Help students prepare for their first day with a warm but informative expectations and orientation email. It can reiterate some of the information already included in the course catalog and add more details to help students get the best from their first class session.
For example: for a dog obedience class, you might want to let students know that their dog should not attend the first session. For a water safety course, you might ask students to bring their own life jacket.
Keep in mind that students may have registered weeks before the class actually starts. An expectations and orientation email is your opportunity to refresh their memory on the details of the class. It also serves as a handy reminder to the student that they have a class to attend!
Expectations and Orientation email template
This email might be best received if it comes directly from the instructor. This helps students start building a relationship with their instructors even before the first class.
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Suggested Subject Lines:
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Dear [[student name]],
[[class name]] starts in just one week. I hope you’re as excited as I am. Here are a few details to help you prepare for our first class. Your class is at [location] at [time]. Please arrive [ten minutes early/on-time]. For the first class session, you should bring [list of materials/pen and paper/laptop]. Please also review our class policies before you arrive. I will be your instructor. My name is [name] and I [short bio]. If you have any questions or concerns before class starts, please reach out by email.
Looking forward to seeing you, [instructor name] |
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5. Feedback Request Email
Most of these types of emails help you share information with your students. A feedback request email invites communication in the other direction. It’s an opportunity for students to share their thoughts, feelings, and suggestions. You can use feedback to improve your program.
You can collect feedback with open-ended questions, by asking for a review, or by sharing a survey link.
Review Request Email Template
Social proof — testimonials or reviews from real people — can help prospective students feel confident in choosing your program. You can ask students to leave a review on Google, Facebook, Yelp, or anywhere else reviews can be posted.
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Suggested Subject Lines:
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Dear [[student name]],
Thank you for attending [course name] on [date]. We hope you enjoyed your class. Would you be willing to write a review about your experience? Reviews help other students discover our programs. Could you take just a moment to write a review? [review link]
Thank you so much! [program director or admin] |
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Feedback Survey Email Template
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Suggested Subject Lines:
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Dear [[student name]],
Thank you for attending [course name] on [date]. We hope you enjoyed your class. Would you be willing to tell us about your experience? This 5-question survey takes just a few minutes, but it helps us offer classes that meet your needs. [survey button]
Thanks in advance! [program director or admin] |
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The Right Email at the Right Time
Sending the right email at the right time can encourage students to act, strengthen the relationship, and help you gather valuable feedback. Make sure you include all five of these email types in your email marketing plan. Want to have these emails, and more, at your fingertips for when the time is right? Download our email templates package and start saving time while connecting with students.
Automated class recommendation emails are just one way that CourseStorm makes it easy to engage students. Integrated email marketing, attractive course catalogs, and website integration help too! Contact us to learn more or start your free trial today.
Nic Lyons
Nic is skilled in scaling start-up edtech and education organizations to growth-stage success through innovative marketing. A former journalist and copywriter, Nic holds a postgraduate certificate in digital and print publishing from Columbia University School of Journalism's publishing course.