10 Social Proof Email Examples and Best Practices

Imagine this: You’re shopping online and can’t decide between two products. One has positive reviews and customer photos, while the other is a ghost town. Which one are you more likely to buy? Exactly. Social proof taps into our natural tendency to follow the crowd, and when used correctly, it can pivot your email conversions.

In this article, we’ll explain how to build trust with your audience through customer testimonials, reviews, and other similar email campaign elements. Plus, we’ll share top social proof email examples and best practices to streamline your social proof strategy, from feedback collection to social community building.

But first, let’s explain why enriching your email campaign with social proof is a great idea.

Why is It Important to Use Social Proof in Your Emails

According to psychologist Robert Cialdini, social proof is a psychological phenomenon that interferes with influence and persuasion.

As social creatures, people tend to instinctively copy the actions of others. This impact is stronger when we feel uncertain about a decision, or when we’re surrounded by people with similar interests and values. In our heads, if they enjoy something, we’ll usually enjoy it, too. And when we don’t get it, the well-known FOMO (Fear of missing out) may be triggered, which is a strong motivator for our behavior.

The power of this phenomenon is evident in social media and platforms like Quora and Yelp. People spend lots of time in threads and hashtags to discover others’ opinions on products, services, or even daily struggles they face.

Marketers have relied on this social principle for years to attract new customers and retain existing ones. By adding customer reviews and similar forms of social proof to their campaigns, they aim for higher engagement and conversions.

10 Different Types of Social Proof with Examples

Explore how to share the wisdom of the crowd to enhance your email marketing strategy with different forms of social proof:

1. Customer testimonials

There’s no better advocate than a happy customer. Add customer testimonials to your emails to motivate recipients to complete a call-to-action, especially when they’re in the consideration stage. Choose reviews that address different pain points and customer needs or tailor them based on the industries you target.

Place the testimonials strategically in your campaigns to help interested consumers find them on the spot. You can create a dedicated review section or put them close to your product visuals.

For instance, PRESS demonstrated two user reviews under the title “What people say”:

Subject line: Healthy Meals, Ready in Minutes

Looking for a similar email design but lacking the time or resources to make it? Grab this Moosend template and customize it based on your needs.

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Another brand called Surreal turned a positive review into a unique campaign. They added a few extra reviews with a funny twist, staying loyal to their authentic brand tone. Check out this unique social proof email example:

2. Industry expert reviews

Who can share their trustworthy opinion about your products and services apart from your customers? That would be experts. This tactic is even more valuable in certain industries, such as health and wellness, where authority matters more than random online reviews.

For instance, Swehl, an eCommerce shop for women in postpartum, has added an “Expert corner” with breastfeeding practices shared by a certified doula.

Subject line: 3 Hot Tips for Postpartum Week 3

Additionally, if you’ve earned certain certifications and badges that add credibility to your products or services, place them above the email footer to earn more trust points.

3. Review sites

Many consumers resort to review sites like Amazon Reviews and Capterra to discover what customers believe about products on their radar. To save them time and hustle, assemble some of the top reviews into an email marketing campaign to nurture leads who are close to the decision stage.

At Moosend, we happily share our G2 badges and reviews with prospects and customers to bring the first on board or reassure the latter they’re in good hands.

You can also add a call-to-action button to invite existing customers to share their valuable feedback to help you improve your products and services. Check out the social proof email example below:

Subject line: Cozy up with our warm G2 Fall Badges

4. Influencer/celebrity endorsements

It’s hard to doubt the power of influencer marketing in the digital times we live in. Learning about a product from someone you look up to is one of the strongest forms of social proof. Partner with big names with access to your target audience and invite them to promote your products by offering them freebies or monetary rewards.

Plus, add one of their quotes on social media or share a quick tutorial they shot promoting your products or services.

Check out how MacPaw onboarded a world-class tennis player to increase engagement.

Subject line: 🥇 A veeery clean sweep for your Mac

5. User-generated content

Show potential customers what your brand supporters mean to you by portraying your social feeds on your email campaigns. This way, they’ll witness how others use your products or services in real time and how they helped them.

However, keep an eye on negative reviews, especially the harsh ones that have little to do with reality. Address them quickly and sufficiently before they start hurting your brand reputation. If you’re afraid of similar consequences, instead of real-time content, share a collective of posts you believe present your brand the way it is.

Here’s an amazing social proof email example by SUAVS:

Subject line: The best adventure and style inspiration

6. Media mentions

If you’re looking for more ways to add authority to your email campaigns, share what big publishers have said about your brand. Add each company logo so that readers instantly recognize them. Include media mentions in the form of quotes or whichever other way makes sense to you.

Check out how Bite did it by adding notable media like Cosmopolitan and Healthline in their list:

Subject line: We can’t stop smiling 🙌

7. Case studies

B2B customers usually need various information before making purchasing decisions. They want to use their budget wisely and make informed choices that will improve their day-to-day duties. Sharing case studies with potential clients is usually paramount on the road to conversion.

You can share those resources in different forms, such as reports, infographics, or even podcasts. Focus on the benefits and usability of your products or services and how you outpace competitors, without sounding too salesy.

Here’s a stellar email example with a report shared by Stripe:

Subject line: [New report] Is your billing system holding you back?

8. Customer data

If you don’t have enough customer reviews to share or would like to test out alternative social proof pathways, start by simply sharing your bestsellers with your customers. Tell them how many people have purchased those products or services recently with an infographic or through your copy.

You can also add product ratings or create interactive emails to let recipients vote in real-time. However, this requires specific coding expertise, but it’s highly recommended if you have the resources to support it.

In this example by Everlane you’ll find a social proof combo. They added their top 5 best-selling items and a short customer review next to each one:

Subject line: Our Top Five Best-Sellers

9. Partnerships

Another way to demonstrate how much you’re trusted in your industry is by showing who you partner with, explaining why this camaraderie makes you and your products or services unique.

For instance, Peloton partnered with NBA to improve customers’ fitness experience. With a brand name like NBA by their side, conversion rates are likely to reach a new peak.

Subject line: Tipping off our NBA partnership

10. Awards

Informing your target audience about your accomplishments isn’t bragging. If you were recently nominated for a prestigious award, or even better, won it, let people know.

Plus, thank your customers for their support to signal to prospects that if they join you, they’ll be part of a reciprocal community.

Here’s how Touchland informed their email recipients that they’re award winners, once again:

Subject line: Allure Best of Beauty Award Winner, AGAIN 🏆

5 Best Practices to Leverage Social Proof in Emails

Here are some tips to streamline this digital marketing strategy efficiently and build trustworthy relationships with customers and prospects:

1. Set up consistent feedback loops

To share social proof, you first need to have it. Invite your customers–especially loyal ones–using some of the tactics below:

• Send follow-up emails a few days after a product delivery, inviting customers to rate your products and services.
• Share quick surveys and questionnaires with customers to collect their feedback.
• Add a form on your website homepage or app to gather feedback on the spot.
• Scroll through your social media channels to spot messages and comments.
• Conduct personal interviews with valuable customers to get more in-depth insights.
• Invite customers to leave a review on popular websites such as Trustpilot and G2.

Gathering constant feedback will not only help you share social proof, but also improve your brand and products going forward.

2. Revisit your email copywriting

How can you enhance your email copy with social proof elements to meet your email marketing goals? Begin by crafting social proof subject lines to set the right expectations and attract recipients interested in learning more about your brand:

Here are some subject line examples to get inspired:

• Who ranked us #1? See the list!
• Don’t just take our word for it.
• 95% of people said yes!
• We’ve partnered with [Brand name] for something special!

Include testimonials that reflect those subject lines to motivate hesitant recipients to click through. Plus, ensure they hint at the benefits of using your product/services to tackle common pain points customers face.

You can also use AI-powered tools to refine your email copy as needed. At Moosend, for example, you can ask the built-in AI Writer to create email subject lines and copy from scratch based on your requirements or improve your existing content based on your goals. Sign up for an account or request a free trial to try it for yourself.

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3. Enhance campaigns with high potential

Certain email types, such as abandoned cart, welcome messages, product recommendations, and holiday emails are more crucial to convert than others. They’re sent at critical times, linked with higher revenue.

Hence, adding social proof to those campaigns can help you convince email recipients to click on your CTA button, driven by other people’s experiences. Of course, feel free to use it on other email types if you see fit, requiring direct response, such as a webinar invitation.

You can also use tools like email list segmentation and automation workflows to send more personalized reviews and case studies to different buyer personas. The more targeted your social proof is, the higher the conversions you’ll yield.

4. Refine your referral program

Referral marketing programs are set on the power of social proof at its core. You don’t get to learn about a brand from random people, but from friends and peers–your ultimate trusted bubble.

Create a referral program with powerful incentives for both sides to put new customers in your pipeline. Start nurturing them from day one and fuel your engine with satisfied customers, likely to bring new members on board, too.

Share your referral program on email campaigns, through your website or dedicated social media posts. You can also create a landing page with different examples of social targeting referees who need more proof to convert into customers.

5. Strengthen your social communities

Finally, establish a solid presence on social platforms such as X, LinkedIn and TikTok to encourage customers to engage. Reply to comments, run polls, and keep the conversations around your brand going.

To go the extra mile, use social listening tools to keep track of what people discuss about you. Once you spot a comment you feel proud for, ask for permission to share it with your audience, too.

Finally, if you run user-generated content initiatives, share clear guidelines when inviting people to share your products and services online. And of course, place social media links on the email footer to invite email subscribers to additional channels and nurture them to the maximum.

Create Social Proof-Rich Emails That Convert

They say that “Rumor has it,” but is that enough? Address those rumors and convert your email subscribers to customers. Thankfully, there are many ways to do it. as shown in the social proof email examples above. From customer reviews to case studies to media mentions, think of what prospective customers would like to see the most and serve it to them.

You can streamline those processes using an email marketing service with premade templates and AI-writing tools to strengthen your copy. Sign up for a Moosend account or request one month for free to test out its features