Do Last Chance Emails Actually Work? [2025 Edition]

Our inboxes are overflowing with urgency. Urgency has become an inseparable part of how brands talk to us. And that’s… exactly the problem. When everything is urgent, nothing really is. Most people don’t even notice the difference between good urgency and plain old stress marketing. A last chance email that is not paired with real value creates only additional anxiety. 

📌 But when brands pay attention—I mean really pay attention—urgency can be powerful. I remember eyeing a yoga outfit from one of my favorite brands for months. Loved it, but it was too pricey for my budget. But apparently, I visited their product page enough times to trigger a timed, personalized last day offer, which felt like it was made for me: 50% off, final size, last pair. I grabbed it right away, and it didn’t feel like pressure at all but rather like the “Oh my God! Finally!” reaction.

That’s what this article is about—last chance email campaigns that create urgency without pressure and bring value without stress. We’ll explore the psychology behind urgency, look at real-life last chance email examples when urgency actually works, and explore the reasons why many offers often don’t.

What Is a Last Chance Email: The Psychology Behind Urgency

A last chance email is a message sent to indicate that a particular offer, sale, or opportunity is about to expire. It seems very straightforward. Nonetheless, there’s a much deeper emotional aspect at play: fear of missing out.

The scarcity principle shows that people assign more value to things that are perceived as limited. And so, for marketers, time-limited deals become not just announcements—they turn into psychological nudges that can make people act faster. In fact, one study found that creating a sense of urgency can increase conversion rates by as much as 332% in e-commerce settings.

And when a user receives a last chance email from a brand they’ve been loyal to for a while, and the subject line says “last day offer” or “offer ending tonight,” this acts as a certain trigger in the brain. Because who wouldn’t want to grab their favorite products for 30% off? In the case of last chance email subject lines, even a few words can turn into behavioral cues—and we click because our brains are wired to not miss out.

When Last Chance Emails Do More Harm Than Good

While last chance emails can drive conversions, this is not the channel you want to overuse. Otherwise, it can start working against you. What does that mean? 

When overused, urgency stops feeling real; instead it starts feeling like a trick. If every week your audience sees “last day offer,” “sale ends soon,” or “offer expiring at midnight,” the urgency loses its credibility. In the end, you can’t stretch the final deal for weeks without your customers sensing manipulation.

There’s also the issue of emotional fatigue from messages (also referred to as “ping fatigue”). These emails are designed to tap into stress-based triggers, such as scarcity or decision pressure, and while that might work in isolated moments, constant pressure can exhaust your subscribers. Instead of creating excitement, the result is more of a subtle form of burnout. When that happens, people may start ignoring your emails altogether or even unsubscribe. 

Finally, there’s trust—the most underrated casualty of misused urgency. When people feel tricked into acting quickly—only to see the same deal extended the next day or discover the exclusive offer was never really exclusive—it ruins your credibility. And if that happens, no last chance email subject line, no matter how well-written, can repair the lost trust. 

Best Practices for Crafting Effective Last Chance Emails

✨ Use them sparingly—seriously

If you’re going to send a last chance email, you should mean it. You can’t turn urgency into a never-ending show, because the more you use it, the less it works. So, use this tactic only occasionally and only when the deal really demands it. Otherwise, instead of urgency, you risk building skepticism.

✨ Make the subject line match the moment

If your last chance email subject line says “sale ends tonight,” it really needs to end tonight. Don’t try to prolong it by creating fake countdowns or sending “extended due to high demand” messages the next morning. Your subscribers will notice the trick, and you will notice the loss of credibility.

✨ Urgency is stressful—be kind

Scarcity works, but it is also a pressure tactic. And too much pressure can push people away. So, try to sound urgent while remaining human. A line like “Just a quick note—this offer ends at midnight tonight.” Still urgent, but far more respectful. 

✨ Offer something real

If you want people to care about your last day offer, make it worth their attention. Regardless of what your offer will be, remember that urgency works only when it is paired with value.

✨ Present it in the most direct way possible

Your layout should guide people to act. So, design your offer in a way that clicking “Buy it now” feels like a logical next step. One of the best solutions here is to use last chance email templates that already have fonts, imagery, and design—all working together towards one goal.

Last Chance Email Examples

This last-chance email from Cometeer represents everything we usually associate with the holidays: rich red and green colors and golden ribbons. But at the same time, it avoids the usual holiday marketing rush and chaos.  The message is very clear, presented with bold fonts: “24 hours left.” Yet, it doesn’t scream into your face. Instead, it draws you into the offer with beautiful imagery and a clear statement.  This is the kind of email that gives you enough time to act without putting additional holiday stress on you. Here, copy and design work together to create pressure without panic. In other words, this is what a last chance email looks like when it respects its users.

The Uber Eats approach is very different. Here, it presents urgency as playfulness. It has a literal countdown—3 to 1—snaking down through a bowl of spicy noodles, and the line “Your $25 off offer is going…going…almost gone” creates an urgent message with a strong personality.  It’s a very clever blend of humor and timing that turns a basic “offer ending soon” reminder into something vibrant and full of character.  Urgency in this case is fun. And it’s perfectly in line with the decisions Uber Eats is asking you to make: quick, low-commitment—but at the same time, deliciously impulsive.

Source: ReallyGoodEmails

Last Chance Email Subject Lines That Create Real Urgency

Last chance email subject lines should reflect everything about your offer—just in a few words. If that sounds like an impossible task, think how you can make these few words sound special and irresistible. Think about adding five more exclamation marks? Wrong. Rather think about humor, mystery, or a story to tell. Here are some examples of how to do it right:

🔹 Midnight isn’t waiting. Neither should you.

🔹 Your cart’s still full. Your discount? Not for long.

🔹 This is your sign to stop hesitating.

🔹 Let’s pretend it’s not the last day. Just for a second.

🔹 You’ve got 6 hours. We checked.

🔹 If we could extend it, we would. But we can’t.

🔹 Ends at midnight. Regret kicks in tomorrow.

🔹 You + this deal = a missed connection?

🔹 Your future self wants you to open this.

🔹 Almost gone. Almost doesn’t count.

To Sum Up

Like most things in life, whether urgency is good or bad… it depends. If you create your last chance email offer with the idea of putting additional stress on your customer—hoping that, disoriented, they’ll finally buy something—that’s a very unsustainable strategy. Rethink it.

But urgency can also be powerful if you respect it. If you approach last chance emails as an opportunity that allows your customers to have something they’ve wanted for a while on better terms, then you’re doing something smart. Something your customers will appreciate. First, by buying it. And later, by staying loyal to your brand long after.