Thoughtfully building community
Psychological persuasion in the subject line: Targeted at postgraduate applicants, this subject line uses the future simple tense in “you’ll receive,” which encourages prospective students to visualize themselves as integral members of the university community even before acceptance. This feeling of certainty—that joining the University of Edinburgh is inevitable—helps nudge the reader towards a desired outcome: enrollment.
Seamless branding: The email is consistent with the University of Edinburgh’s overall brand identity (colors, fonts, tone, etc.). It appears that the purple color used in the header, headings, and line breaks is associated with this specific campaign and/or the postgraduate applicant audience, while other colors have been assigned to different campaigns and/or audiences. This helps reinforce brand recognition and offers a seamless user experience.
Authentic representation: Showing real people studying in Edinburgh helps the online division of the University of Edinburgh capitalize on the established brand reputation. Featuring real students emphasizes the university's credibility, and reassures recipients that they are not just studying remotely but are part of a real-world academic community.
Video: The video takes a complex idea—how the online learning actually happens—and explains it in an easy-to-digest, dynamic way. This adds value to the email by addressing specific pain points about the logistics involved in online learning.
Thoughtful wording: The body copy strikes a balance between being college-level and easily understandable, allowing for accessible, inviting communication that doesn’t patronize the reader. Notably, the inclusion of terms like “support” and “got you covered” demonstrates a willingness to embrace potentially loaded language that I’ve seen other writers avoid because of the financial connotations (and an irrational fear that students will go all Jerry Maguire on you if you say the word, “support”). It’s great to see copy that doesn’t treat readers like idiots.
Upselling during mofu stage: Tailored to prospective applicants, the email not only addresses immediate concerns but also presents opportunities for future academic and professional development, like PhD studies and LinkedIn Learning courses. By highlighting career support services and pathways to further postgraduate studies, the University of Edinburgh lays the groundwork for continued engagement and upselling opportunities, even at the middle-of-funnel stage.