BADREP / GUIDES / ESP INTEL

Mailgun Email Examples — which brands actually use Mailgun

By Xenia from BadRep·Updated August 13, 2026

Every Mailgun-sent campaign we track. Subject lines, hooks, offer patterns — on the record.

Mailgun is primarily a transactional ESP (developer-focused) but also handles lifecycle and marketing sends for brands that prefer API-first infrastructure. Owned by Sinch since 2021. Often paired with a separate marketing tool, with Mailgun handling deliverability infrastructure.

200 emails analyzed49 brandsLatest: 2026-08-13
● THE PATTERNS

What brands actually do.

200
emails analyzed
from 49 brands
22%
personalized
merge tags + dynamic content
28%
emoji subjects 📨
avg subject: 35 chars
29%
with GIFs
motion in the inbox

Most-used hook types

  1. 01Bold Claim37%
  2. 02Direct Offer25%
  3. 03Question9%
  4. 04Curiosity8%
  5. 05Problem7%

Most-used copy frameworks

  1. 01Feature-led34%
  2. 02Story-led19%
  3. 03FAB14%
  4. 04PAS10%
  5. 05AIDA9%
● FEATURED EXAMPLE

A real email from Time Out.

Time Out email: This Greek hotel is the perfect choice for a grown-up girls' holidayOpen in the Vault →
August 13, 2026Newsletter

This Greek hotel is the perfect choice for a grown-up girls' holiday

Update your preference |

HookDirect Offer
FrameworkFeature-led
FunnelTOFU
AwarenessProduct-aware
ESPMailgun
Takeaway

Time Out's monthly hotel roundup curates editor-tested stays across budget and luxury segments, leading with a Greek wellness resort for a girls' getaway.

● BEST PRACTICES

2 rules for email emails that convert.

What actually works — pulled from analyzing real send data, not from generic copywriting blog posts.

01

Best for transactional + developer use cases

Mailgun's strength is API-first transactional delivery — signup confirmations, password resets, receipts. Most marketing teams pair it with a separate marketing ESP for campaigns.

02

Strong deliverability infrastructure

Mailgun's deliverability tooling (validations, IP warming, suppression management) is mature. Brands often use Mailgun as the SMTP backbone behind a more user-facing marketing tool.

● 12 RECENT SENDS

The latest emails from across the catalog.

Real sends, recent dates, real subject lines. Click any thumbnail to see the full email inside the vault.

Aug 13·REAL Success
CORRECTION EMAIL - User Name , Invitation: EXPIRING
Aug 13·REAL Success
User Name , Invitation: EXPIRING
Aug 13·REISS
The Art of Draping
Aug 13·Boot Barn
250 Years Strong
Aug 12·REAL Success
Golden Ticket Not Claimed
Aug 12·Lovepop
NEW Wildflowers Mini Bouquet Card 🌼
Aug 12·Nate Rosen and Jenna Movsowitz
Ulta's sexual wellness bet
Aug 12·Hallensteins
20% OFF Select New Arrivals!
Aug 12·Hallensteins
20% OFF Select New Arrivals!
Aug 12·Speak Portuguese Fast
User Name You were this close.
Aug 12·1-800 Contacts
Your exact brand 🤝 our best 30% discount
Aug 12·Tasty
The ultimate Cheddar Bay Biscuit showdown
Unlock 187+ more — $19/mo →
● TOP BRANDS IN THIS SAMPLE

Most-tracked brands.

REAL Success
29 emails →
Hallensteins
26 emails →
PrettyLittleThing
12 emails →
Peak Flow Academy
10 emails →
REISS
9 emails →
JD Sports
6 emails →
Lenny's Newsletter
6 emails →
Velocity
6 emails →
● SUBJECT LINE PATTERNS

Subject lines we noticed, verbatim.

Six standout subject lines from six different brands in this sample. Real subject lines — these landed in inboxes.

  • 01This Greek hotel is the perfect choice for a grown-up girls' holiday
  • 02CORRECTION EMAIL - User Name , Invitation: EXPIRING
  • 03The Art of Draping
  • 04250 Years Strong
  • 05NEW Wildflowers Mini Bouquet Card 🌼
  • 06Ulta's sexual wellness bet
● COMMONLY ASKED

Questions marketers ask.

What makes a good email email?
A good email email is on-brand, fast to comprehend, and points to a single next action. The collection above shows what brands across our index actually send. BadRep classifies each one across 20+ dimensions so you can filter by hook type, copy framework, ESP, funnel stage, awareness level, and offer type.
What hook types do brands use for email emails?
The dominant hook types across this sample: Bold Claim (37%), Direct Offer (25%), Question (9%), Curiosity (8%), Problem (7%). These are surfaced live from real sends — not from copywriting blog posts.
Which ESPs do brands use to send email emails?
Top ESPs in this sample: Mailgun (100%). ESP detection comes from infrastructure signals (return path, DKIM, List-Unsubscribe), not self-reporting.
What's the average subject line length for email emails?
Across this sample, 35 characters. 28% include at least one emoji. 22% show personalization signals (merge tags, dynamic content, or first-person framing).
Where can I see more email email examples?
BadRep indexes every email from every brand we track and classifies it across 20+ dimensions. The collection on this page is the public-facing slice; subscribers see the full vault with filterable search, raw HTML, and brand-level aggregations. $19/month, cancel anytime.

950+ brands. 25,500+ classified emails.
Inside the vault.

Filter by hook, framework, ESP, funnel stage — search every send. $19/mo. Cancel anytime.

Browse the vault — free
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