The primary goal of promotional emails, sometimes called postcard emails, is to drive sales. These messages are short term in nature, utilizing a single call-to-action to trigger immediate conversion. The announcements within a promotional message tend to have shorter-term implications, so if the user doesn't act quickly, the offer and value of the email are lost.

Perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing of email formats, promotional messages tend to use strong imagery and color to attract user attention. Although promotional messages are pretty in theory, they can turn out to be quite ugly if they don't render correctly. What looks good in other media, such as print or web, doesn't always translate to an optimized email. It is imperative to know that by sending an image-heavy email with non-HTML text, a percentage of your subscriber list will be unable to see the message as intended.

Knowing these risks, it is ultimately your decision to send image-heavy messages and see whether or not you generate the appropriate response.
 
Promotional message best practice tips

• Use HTML text whenever possible and in a darker color in case images are suppressed.
• Have a clear call-to-action that stands out above the fold.
• Keep copy short, clear and concise.

A promotional message for Douglass luggage