Article
9 minutes
How to Write a Promotion Announcement Email: Best Practices, Examples and Template
Global HR
Author
Lorelei Trisca
Published
July 31, 2024
Last Update
August 12, 2024
Table of Contents
Tips for a successful promotion announcement email
3 Promotion announcement examples to inspire you
Promotion announcement email templates
Drive a high-performance workplace with Deel Engage
Key takeaways
- Promotion announcements promote transparency and inclusiveness, keeping everyone informed and engaged with the company’s growth and internal opportunities.
- This type of internal communication helps build a supportive and motivated workforce, essential for sustained organizational success.
- Adapt your emails to your organization's style and the audience.
A well-crafted promotion announcement email fosters a positive company culture and boosts employee morale. It publicly acknowledges the hard work and achievements of the promoted employee, reinforcing a culture of recognition and appreciation. This motivates the individual receiving the promotion and inspires other employees to strive for excellence, knowing their efforts will be valued and rewarded.
This guide covers essential tips for crafting a professional promotion announcement email, from the subject line to closing remarks. Additionally, you will find multiple examples and templates you can customize to your needs.
Tips for a successful promotion announcement email
Note: You can easily adapt our tips, examples, and templates for newsletters or internal messaging apps.
Introduce promoted employees
The introduction is an opportunity to help staff put a name to the face should they meet in person. Key details you should include in this section include:
- The full name of the employee
- Their previous role
- The new position
For example:
“Dear staff,
I am elated to announce the promotion of Jane Baker from Marketing Manager to Marketing Director.”
Do: Use positive words like “excited,” “pleased,” and “honored.” They set a formal yet cordial tone.
Don’t: Use phrases like “super stoked.” They exaggerate the situation and might come off as unprofessional.
Also, avoid emojis and slang that can affect the seriousness of the email. If you must use emojis or GIFs, be mindful of the frequency.
Discuss the career evolution of promoted employees
This part of your email should focus on the promotee’s employment period. Outline how the promotee has grown in the company.
Fellow employees also learn more about them and understand how much time they should allocate to training and self-improvement for a promotion.
For example: "Jane has spent three years with [the company name]. She began her journey as our SEO intern and moved up to SEO Manager within that time. Her data-driven mindset and critical thinking skills have led to her promotion as of March 7, 2024.”
Here are some tips to help you draft this section:
- Double-check facts: Review the timeline with the promotee to avoid mistakes
- Keep it short: Two to four sentences are enough to cover this section; otherwise, it shifts the focus from other elements
- Don’t get personal: Birthdays and home addresses are irrelevant information, so keep the focus on career-related moments leading to the promotion
State achievements of promoted employees
Mention the promotee’s major accomplishments since the start of their journey. Name one or two major projects or achievements that made the employee stand out.
It helps staff see why they deserve the promotion, especially if other candidates were running for the role.
Introduce new positions and responsibilities
When an employee advances to a new position, it affects the organizational structure.
Teammates must adjust, especially if the promotee held a Managerial or higher level position. Someone else will have to replace them and lead the team.
To communicate these changes effectively, you need to:
- Mention the promotee’s new responsibilities
- Tell former teammates whom they report to (and who replaces them, if any)
- Specify the promotion start date
For example:“Starting on June 5, 2024, Jane will manage the Marketing department and all its initiatives moving forward. She will report to John Doe, the Chief Marketing Manager. In her place, Anna Wilson will lead the [former team / department]".
Invite team members to congratulate newly promoted employees
Your promotion announcement should include a call to action that motivates employees to congratulate promotees.
However, it shouldn’t sound like you’re forcing them to do it, or it’s a requirement.
For example:
- “Please join me in congratulating Jane on her promotion.”
- “I encourage everyone to celebrate Jane as she transitions into her new role.”
One way to go about congratulations is to plan an event or use an upcoming one to complement the announcement. However, bear in mind that not everyone likes the spotlight.
Even though your intentions are pure, knowing employees’ personalities can save you from embarrassing them instead.
Introverted promotees may not want to smile, shake hands, and hear “congratulations” repeatedly.
In this case, you should:
- Discuss the announcement with promotees: This helps you know whether to announce them quietly or go big
- Inform: If you do have an event planned, don’t blindside promotees and other employees. Instead, tell them beforehand so that they can prepare a few words
- Be flexible: Encourage employees to flood well wishes in alternate ways. E.g., a Slack channel, emails, or a compliment board
Encourage employees to ask questions
If anyone has any questions, they need a go-to person to address them. Make sure it’s clear who that person is.
For example: “If you have any questions concerning Jane’s new role and how it affects the workflow, please contact Ron Doe, the Human Resources.”
To encourage employees to ask questions, take the following steps:
- Consider timing: Choose a convenient time to send the email between the announcement and promotion—this way, employees don’t feel rushed into giving feedback
- Make them comfortable: Provide alternative solutions to in-person meetings—for example, suggest that employees discuss questions among themselves and appoint a spokesperson to represent them
3 Promotion announcement examples to inspire you
Here are three promotion announcement email samples to inspire you when drafting yours:
Sample #1: Casual promotion announcement email
Subject: Exciting announcement: Trevor Wilson is moving up!
Good day everyone,
Say hello to our new Sales Manager, Trevor Wilson. He joined [company name] in 2019 as our Sales Representative and has grown significantly ever since.
In 2020, Trevor contributed greatly to our success. He showed attentiveness to customer needs and drove up satisfaction to 90%. In 2022, sales increased by 40%, thanks to his ingenious inbound strategy.
Now, he will share his magic with the Sales department, coaching and monitoring representatives to maximize their potential. Starting Monday, March 4, 2024, Trevor will assume his new position and report to the Chief Sales Director, Ron Doe.
If you have any questions about Trevor’s new role and how it affects you moving forward, please contact me or drop a message on Slack.
In the meantime, please join us in congratulating and welcoming him to his new role! You are a valuable asset to the company, Trevor, and I wish you all the best.
Cheers,
[Your name & position]
Sample #2: Formal promotion announcement email
Subject: Promotion Announcement for New Manager of Sales.
To the staff of [company name],
I am honored to announce the promotion of Trevor Wilson from Sales Representative to Sales Manager. Trevor has spent eight years with the company and has demonstrated exemplary operational skills within that time.
His problem-solving, time management, and strategic sales schemes have earned him the promotion, starting January 1, 2024.
Trevor is a Bachelor of Business Administration degree holder from Arizona State University. He is an avid reader who loves his time alone and dedicates his time to his work.
Moving forward, Trevor will spearhead all department activities. She will also lead our training and mentoring programs to develop the sales team.
Please join me in congratulating Trevor on a well-deserved promotion.
Best regards,
[Your name & Position]
[Company name]
Sample #3: Email announcing the promotion of multiple employees
Subject: Announcing Our Recent Promotions
Dear Staff,
I am happy to share that five employees are receiving promotions within the marketing department. Please join me in congratulating them.
Trevor Wilson, Robert Sulley, and Grace Stevens have been promoted from Sales representatives to Sales managers.
Each of them began their journey working for [Company name] on [respective dates of employment]. Since then, they have worked their way up through resilience and loyalty to our company’s values. More impressively, the promotees have contributed tremendously to our success through innovation.
In the past year, Trevor identified significant bottlenecks in our Sales funnel. He expertly used A/B content testing to increase lead generation and conversion rates by 70%.
Robert is the genius behind our marketing automation software and the reason why processes are streamlined now.
We can’t forget Grace’s extensive research spirit and how it helped reduce our sales cycle.
I am proud and confident that they will excel in their new positions. Effective on June 3, 2024, they will report to Ron Doe, the Chief Sales Director.
I encourage everyone to congratulate them on their promotions. Also, if you have any questions about their new roles or responsibilities, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me or Ron.
Best regards,
[Your name & Position]
[Company name]
Promotion announcement email templates
We formulated three templates targeting three types of organizations: enterprises, mid-market organizations, and start-ups.
Email template for enterprise: Formal and professional
Subject: A Warm Congratulations to [Employee name] on Their Promotion
Hello everyone,
I am pleased to announce the promotion of [Employee’s full name] from [Old position] to [New position]. [Employee’s first name] has been with [Company name] for [employment period]. They joined us in [employment date] as a [Title of their first position] and have consistently provided exceptional value to the company.
Before joining [Company name], [Employee’s first name] completed their [Degree/Certification] from [University or Organization name] and began their career in [previous industry/Company] on [start date].
Their [mention one to three skills or achievements] have significantly impacted our company by [how it impacted the present company], leading to their effective promotion [promotion start date]. In their new role as [New position], [Employee’s first name] will be responsible for [new responsibilities] while continuing to [old responsibilities, if relevant].
If you have any questions regarding [Employee’s first name], please contact me or [another staff member]. Please join me in congratulating [Employee’s first name] on their well-deserved promotion. We are excited to see their continued contributions to our team.
Best regards,
[Full name]
[Position and Department]
Email template for mid-market: Balanced and approachable
Subject: Congratulations to [Employee name] on Their Promotion!
Hi Team,
I’m thrilled to announce the promotion of [Employee’s full name] from [Old position] to [New position]. [Employee’s first name] has been a valuable member of [Company name] for [employment period]. Starting with us in [employment date] as a [Title of their first position], they have continually provided exceptional contributions to our company.
Before joining our team, [Employee’s first name] earned their [Degree/Certification] from [University or Organization name] and began their career in [previous industry/Company] on [start date].
Their [mention one to three skills or achievements] have greatly benefited us by [how it impacted the present company], resulting in this well-earned promotion effective [promotion start date]. As [New position], [Employee’s first name] will take on [new responsibilities] and continue with [old responsibilities, if relevant].
Feel free to contact me or [another staff member] if you have any questions about [Employee’s first name]. Join me in congratulating [Employee’s first name] on this exciting promotion!
Best regards,
[Full name]
[Position and Department]
Email template for a start-up: Conversational and enthusiastic
Subject: Big News! [Employee name] Is Promoted!
Hey Team,
I’m super excited to announce that [Employee’s full name] is moving up from [Old position] to [New position]! [Employee’s first name] has been with [Company name] for [employment period] and joined us back in [employment date] as a [Title of their first position]. They’ve been a rockstar ever since.
Their [mention one to three skills or achievements] have really helped us by [how it impacted the present company], which is why they’re getting this awesome promotion starting [promotion start date]. In their new role as [New position], [Employee’s first name] will take on [new responsibilities] and still handle [old responsibilities, if relevant].
If you want to know more about [Employee’s first name] ’s new role, just ask me or [another staff member]. Let’s all give [Employee’s first name] a huge congrats on their promotion! We’re stoked to see what they’ll do next.
Cheers,
[Full name]
[Position and Department]
Drive a high-performance workplace with Deel Engage
Ready to give your employees the growth and recognition they deserve? Take the guesswork out of promotions and performance reviews with Deel Engage’s cutting-edge software solutions:
- Performance reviews and 360 feedback: Automate your performance review process and infuse it with rich, full-circle feedback—find out who’s making waves and who’s ready for the next big step in their career
- Career progression frameworks: Remove ambiguity around promotions or job levels—the clear, accessible frameworks visualize the road to success, giving your team a clear view of their career trajectory within the company
- Employee growth tools: From upskilling to personal development, give your employees the resources to grow and excel—foster a culture of continuous learning and watch your team blossom
- Deel HR, our truly global HRIS solution, is always included for free
Book a demo to see how our solutions will help you build a high-performance workforce.
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About the author
Lorelei Trisca is a content marketing manager passionate about everything AI and the future of work. She is always on the hunt for the latest HR trends, fresh statistics, and academic and real-life best practices. She aims to spread the word about creating better employee experiences and helping others grow in their careers.
