How to Write a Product Value Tips Email
Buying a product is only the beginning of the customer experience. Once customers have completed their first use, they may still have questions about features, shortcuts, better techniques, or ways to get more value from what they purchased. A product value tips email gives them practical guidance without overwhelming them.
The Simple Structure of a Product Value Tips Email
A practical product value tips email can follow this structure:
- Recognize the customer's purchase.
- Explain what the tips will help them accomplish.
- Give three to five useful product-specific tips.
- Explain when each tip is useful.
- Link to a detailed resource when appropriate.
- Offer support if the customer needs help.
- End with one simple next step.
The key is usefulness. A customer should be able to read the email and immediately understand at least one practical way to improve their experience with the product.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Product Value Tips Email?
- Why Product Value Tips Matter
- When Should You Send It?
- What to Include
- How to Choose Useful Tips
- Product Value Tips Email Examples
- Product Value Tips Subject Lines
- Product Value Tips Email Template
- How to Personalize the Email
- How to Automate the Email
- Common Mistakes to Avoid
- What to Measure
- Final Checklist
What Is a Product Value Tips Email?
A product value tips email is a post-purchase educational email that helps customers use a product more effectively, discover useful features, improve their results, or avoid common mistakes.
It is different from a setup email. A setup email helps the customer prepare the product. It is also different from a first-use email, which focuses on helping the customer successfully use the product for the first time.
A value tips email comes later in the journey and asks: “Now that the customer has started using the product, what else can help them get more from it?”
This makes it a natural continuation of a post-purchase sequence. Shopify's current onboarding guidance describes post-purchase emails as a way to teach customers how to use products more effectively and get more value from their purchases. Read Shopify's current onboarding guidance for additional context. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
Why Product Value Tips Matter
Customers do not automatically discover every useful feature or technique after making a purchase. A short educational email can introduce information they may not have encountered during checkout or first use.
Useful product tips can help customers:
- Discover features they have not used.
- Improve how they use the product.
- Avoid common mistakes.
- Build confidence with the product.
- Understand more advanced uses.
- Find helpful resources more easily.
Shopify's recent customer-enablement guidance describes customer education as part of post-purchase support, with the goal of helping customers learn how to use product features effectively. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
If your sequence already includes a product first-use email , the value tips email can build on that first experience rather than repeating the same instructions.
When Should You Send It?
Timing should depend on how quickly customers can become familiar with the product. The email is most useful when the customer has had enough time to complete the basic setup and first use.
After the first successful use
If customers need only a short amount of time to understand the product, a value tips email can follow relatively soon after the first-use message.
After several uses
A more complex product may require several sessions before advanced tips become useful. In that case, give the customer enough time to become familiar with the basics.
Based on customer behavior
If your email platform can track meaningful product actions, consider using those actions to determine when additional education is relevant.
What to Include
A good value tips email does not need to teach everything about a product. It should select a small number of useful ideas that make a noticeable difference.
1. A clear reason for the email
Tell the customer why they are receiving the message.
“You've already got the basics down. Here are three simple ways to get more from your new espresso machine.”
2. A small number of useful tips
Three to five strong tips are often easier to use than a long list of twenty ideas. The exact number should depend on the complexity of the product.
3. The benefit of each tip
Do not simply tell customers what to do. Explain why the action is useful.
Weak: “Clean the filter regularly.”
More useful: “Clean the filter regularly to help maintain consistent performance.”
4. A practical example
When possible, show customers how the tip applies to a real situation.
5. A path to deeper information
If a tip needs more explanation, link to a detailed guide rather than filling the email with a large block of technical information.
How to Choose Useful Tips
The hardest part of writing a value tips email is often deciding which tips deserve space in the customer's inbox.
Start with these questions:
- What do new customers commonly misunderstand?
- What feature is useful but easy to overlook?
- What simple action can improve the customer's experience?
- What mistake can customers easily avoid?
- What technique helps customers get better results?
- What information would reduce unnecessary support questions?
Use customer questions as a source
Support conversations can reveal what customers actually need help with. If the same question appears repeatedly, it may be a good candidate for a value tip or educational resource.
Use product knowledge carefully
Do not invent benefits or performance claims simply to make the email more persuasive. Product tips should be accurate and consistent with the manufacturer's instructions and the actual product.
Product Value Tips Email Examples
Example 1: Coffee equipment
Subject: 3 ways to get more from your coffee grinder
Now that you've tried your new grinder, here are three practical ways to improve your everyday experience.
- Use the appropriate grind setting: Match the grind to the brewing method recommended for your coffee setup.
- Keep the grinding area clean: Regular cleaning helps keep the equipment ready for consistent use.
- Make one adjustment at a time: When experimenting, change one variable so you can understand its effect.
Need more guidance? Visit the complete product guide.
Example 2: Consumer electronics
Subject: Get more from your new headphones
You've completed the basic setup. Here are a few ways to make everyday use easier:
- Save your preferred settings if the product supports them.
- Learn the main controls you use most often.
- Store the headphones safely when not in use.
Check the product documentation for model-specific features and instructions.
Example 3: Software product
Subject: 3 features to try in [Product Name]
You've completed your first task. Now try these features to make your workflow more efficient.
- Create a reusable template.
- Organize your work using the available categories or tags.
- Explore the reporting or progress view.
Start with the feature that solves the problem you face most often.
These examples illustrate the principle: the email should provide useful information connected to the customer's actual purchase rather than generic marketing advice.
Product Value Tips Subject Lines
The subject line should communicate that the customer is receiving useful information about something they already purchased.
- 3 ways to get more from your [Product]
- Get more from your [Product Name]
- Helpful tips for your new [Product]
- Ready to discover more from your [Product]?
- Make the most of your [Product Name]
- 3 useful tips for your [Product]
- Try these [Product Name] tips
- A few ways to use your [Product] better
- Getting more value from your [Product]
Avoid exaggerated subject lines that promise dramatic results unless the email can genuinely support that promise.
Product Value Tips Email Template
Subject: 3 ways to get more from your [Product Name]
Hi [First Name],
Now that you've had some time with your [Product Name], here are a few practical tips that can help you get more from it.
1. [Tip One]
[Explain what to do and why it is useful.]
2. [Tip Two]
[Explain what to do and why it is useful.]
3. [Tip Three]
[Explain what to do and why it is useful.]
Want more detailed guidance? [View the complete guide]
If you need help with your product, [Contact support].
Enjoy your [Product Name]!
[Brand Name]
# links.
How to Personalize the Email
Product value tips become more useful when they reflect what the customer actually purchased and how they are likely to use it.
You can personalize based on:
- Product purchased
- Product category
- Product model
- Customer experience level
- Purchase history
- Usage behavior
- Previously viewed educational content
Example of product-based personalization
A customer who purchased a beginner camera may receive basic composition tips, while a customer who purchased an advanced camera could receive information about features relevant to more experienced users.
The important point is not simply inserting the customer's name. Personalization should make the information more relevant.
How to Automate the Email
A product value tips email can be one stage in a broader post-purchase sequence. Shopify's current guidance recommends thinking about what customers need at different points after purchase and using product education as part of that journey. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
A simple sequence could look like this:
- Purchase: Send the order confirmation.
- Shipping: Provide delivery information.
- Delivery: Confirm or acknowledge delivery.
- Setup: Help the customer prepare the product.
- First use: Help the customer complete the first meaningful use.
- Value tips: Teach useful ways to get more from the product.
- Feedback: Ask for feedback after sufficient product experience.
This sequence separates different customer needs instead of putting setup, troubleshooting, advanced tips, and feedback into one crowded message.
Your product setup email can prepare the customer, while the product first-use email can help with the first practical experience. This article can then introduce useful techniques that go beyond the basic first use.
Use behavioral conditions when possible
If your marketing platform supports behavioral triggers, avoid sending advanced tips before the customer has completed the basic stages.
For example, customers who have not completed a basic setup action may need setup help rather than an advanced product tip.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Giving generic advice
A value tips email should be connected to the customer's actual product. Generic statements provide little reason to keep reading.
2. Including too many tips
A long list can make the email difficult to act on. Prioritize the tips that are genuinely useful.
3. Repeating the setup email
If the customer has already received setup instructions, the value tips email should add something new.
4. Making unsupported claims
Do not claim that a tip will guarantee better performance, save a specific amount of money, or produce a particular result unless you have reliable evidence for that claim.
5. Turning the message into an upsell
Related-product recommendations may be appropriate later, but the main purpose of a value tips email should remain customer education.
6. Sending advanced information too early
Customers should receive information that matches their experience level and stage.
7. Forgetting the support path
If a customer has difficulty applying a tip, they should have an obvious place to get help.
What to Measure
Measure whether the email is helping customers engage with useful product education, rather than assuming that a purchase must immediately follow every educational email.
- Open rate: Indicates whether customers are opening the message.
- Click-through rate: Shows whether customers are using linked resources.
- Guide clicks: Identifies interest in deeper product education.
- Feature or resource usage: Useful when customer actions can be tracked.
- Support contacts: Can reveal whether the tips are clear or confusing.
- Unsubscribe rate: Helps identify potentially irrelevant or excessive messaging.
- Repeat purchase behavior: Can be observed as a longer-term outcome, but should not automatically be attributed to one email.
Compare the email with other messages in the same customer journey rather than relying on one metric in isolation.
Product Value Tips Email Checklist
- ☐ The email is clearly connected to the purchased product.
- ☐ The purpose of the email is obvious.
- ☐ The tips provide practical value.
- ☐ The tips are appropriate for the customer's experience level.
- ☐ Each tip explains why it is useful.
- ☐ The content adds something beyond the setup email.
- ☐ The number of tips is manageable.
- ☐ Product-specific information is used where possible.
- ☐ Claims are accurate and supportable.
- ☐ A detailed resource is available when needed.
- ☐ A real support option is provided.
- ☐ The email is easy to scan on mobile.
- ☐ The primary action is clear.
- ☐ The email does not become an unnecessary sales pitch.
- ☐ Placeholder links have been replaced with real URLs.
Final Thoughts
A product value tips email is an opportunity to continue helping customers after the basic setup and first-use stages are complete. Instead of sending another promotional message, give customers information that makes their existing purchase more useful.
Start with a small number of practical tips. Explain why each one matters, make the instructions easy to follow, and provide a clear path to more detailed information when necessary.
Product education works best when it follows the customer's actual journey. Setup, first use, advanced tips, support, and feedback can each have their own purpose rather than being combined into one overloaded email.
The goal is simple: help the customer get more value from something they already chose to buy.