Promotional email is usually get towards selling or promoting a specific product/service with a call to action to engage with the sender of the email. There is a wide array of promotional email and may comprise of monthly newsletters, new product offers, and sales or discount announcements.
Transactional email is usually a notification email, or communication that is post an interaction with the organization. A great example of a transactional email is the sales receipt that is being sent to the user after purchasing a specific item on the website, or in a physical store.
There are different emails guidelines and rules to address different types of emails, specifically for European Union with the GDPR that was introduced in May 2018 and United States with the CAN SPAM Act.
| Differences | Promotional email | Transactional email |
| Promotes a product/service | Yes | No, or limited |
| Immediately after interactions | Seldom | Always, and often automated |
| Opt out link | Required | Not usually required |