Valentine’s Day Email Campaign Ideas To Fall in Love With

Why send out Valentine’s Day emails

Valentine’s Day is one of the most fruitful periods for marketers. Your customers are obsessed with the idea of finding a perfect gift for their loved ones, and where to celebrate the holiday –– and it’s your turn to make them the most attractive offer. Moreover, it’s a great occasion to show your love to the most loyal customers and strengthen your relationships.

In terms of spending, as with any holiday, Valentine’s Day was greatly affected by Covid-19 and the following period of quarantine, as you can see from this Statista chart:

Still, the great news is that starting in 2021, the metrics are returning to normal with a steadily increasing dynamic.

This data seems to be backed by the National Retail Federation:

And here’s other highlights from last year:

Looks like 80% of consumers are ready to celebrate or at least mark the occasion, way to go!

Best practices for Valentine’s Day emails

So, we’ve prepared some quick-win strategies to level up your holiday email marketing content strategy, avoid email mistakes and transform your newsletter into a Valentine’s Day conversion machine, be it regular marketing or transactional emails.

Send the first campaign before Valentine’s Day

Send your subscribers a sneak peek of your upcoming sales before February 14th.

It’ll make them realize that the holiday is just around the corner –– it’s time to start shopping! They’ll be grateful for this reminder and information on the upcoming deals.

Make your email content simple and let the readers anticipate the excitement of Valentine’s Day. If the first message is memorable, the subscribers might remember it and show more interest in your sales campaign as the day approaches.

Usually, e-commerce companies send about 3-4 emails between February 1st and February 12th. On these days, your subscribers’ inboxes will be overloaded with commercial emails, so to stand out from the crowd, you can send your campaign before these dates – then your emails are more likely to be noticed.

Segment your list

In 2021, men were expected to spend $6.2 billion more than women on Valentine’s Day –– that’s what Finder stats say. According to Statista, Valentine’s Day shopping habits depend not only on gender but also on the country of origin. For example, male consumers in the United Kingdom were planning to spend over 50% more than female consumers. Why not use that fact and many others when planning your holiday email campaign?

You can write separate emails for men and women, according to their needs, or group subscribers by country, age or interests. Another way is to segment the customers by their behavior. Choose the way that helps you target your audience in the smartest way possible.

Create irresistible Valentine’s Day email subject lines

Sure, there are no magic words that’ll make your readers open an email and take the desired action. But following these 5 simple recommendations will definitely improve your chances:

1. Make your subject lines personal.
2. Check if they’re relevant (can you send Valentine’s Day email to customers who are single? You can!).
3. Make sure they solve customers’ problems.
4. Create a sense of urgency.
5. Try to awaken the readers’ interest.

For couples:

• One for you, one for your Valentine
• Not just roses. Valentine’s Sale is coming ❤️
• Our not-so-secret CRUSH and Valentine’s dinner 💞
• Chocolates for Valentine’s Day? 👀 You can do better…
• Did You Forget It’s Valentine’s Day 😬

For singles:

• This year be your own Valentine
• Treat yourself to these Valentine’s Day favorites
• All about (Self) Love
• Hey, did you know Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples?
• Valentine’s Day – Make your own Gift this Year!

For everyone: 

• Share the love. Gift inside.
• Not your Typical Valentine’s Day Letter
• ❤️ Valentines Day Promo – 10% Off Everything ❤️
• Coffee for Valentine’s day? ❤️ ☕
• Do You Celebrate Valentine’s Day???

Offer special V-Day discounts

On Valentine’s Day, lots of e-commerce sites offer their products to customers. Your subscribers need some motivation to pick your store over competitors. An incredible way to encourage them is to offer time-limited discounts, free shipping, etc.

Cherish your relationship with the customers

Valentine’s Day is not just a holiday for couples –– it’s a perfect opportunity to spread your love to your loyal customers. Add a little personalization to your campaign and show every one of your subscribers and customers they mean a lot to you.

It’s also a nice idea to send your most loyal customers a small discount just for them which can be used on Valentine’s Day only. Or send them a coupon for your products or services to remind them how much you appreciate them and their loyalty.

Below is a great example of a personalized email by RitualsCo with unique statistics on each subscriber’s activity. It will definitely make your customers feel unique and special!

Use wish lists and gift guides

Save your customers’ time and give them ready-made lists with ideal gifts for their partners. This email will remove the shopping obstacles and prevent visitors from wandering around your website looking for suitable variants.

Promote the idea of a wish list in your pre-Valentine’s campaign –– it will help your readers make the right choice and give you the reputation of a trusted shopping advisor.

Think of different ways to celebrate

Be creative.

As we already said, single people shouldn’t feel excluded from this feast of life. Not everyone should be in romantic relationships just because it’s February 14th. Many people celebrate Valentine’s Day without looking for a perfect gift for their partners.

Express gratitude

Sometimes it’s enough to simply say “thank you” without trying to sell anything, and your customers are likely to appreciate that. V-Day is a nice occasion to demonstrate gratitude to your loyal subscribers and customers –– as Rebecca Taylor did below.

Ideas to design your Valentine’s Day email campaign

Get inspired with our ideas on the minimalist email design (and not only that) of your holiday email marketing campaign!

Use festive colors

Every holiday has its own colors –– for example, when preparing Halloween emails, marketers often use orange and black. Red is considered to be the color of love and passion, so it is traditionally associated with Valentine’s Day. You can use it as a dominating one, or just add several bright accents in your design.

Send love letters

Love letters are so V-Day style! Send one to your subscribers, or follow Frank Body’s example and let the customers write the letters for their loved ones.

Display products in a romantic way

There is no need to cover the email with hearts and roses to make the customers feel your love and support, though. Look at the BOSE’s email –– it has no traditional festive attributes, but still looks romantic and represents the occasion.

Use GIFs

Valentine’s Day GIFs capture attention and excite curiosity –– that’s exactly what we need when creating a holiday email marketing campaign.

Make your emails interactive

Give your readers an exciting experience, making your emails more vivid and interactive. Add some elements like a love quiz, a small game, or a video –– anything that makes subscribers interact with the email.

Design a Valentine’s email in the style of your online store

Represent your product or service in a lovely and romantic way while staying consistent. Look how neatly Tiffany&Co implemented it in their email marketing campaign. Love is literally in the air!

Wrapping things up

Valentine’s Day is a perfect time to start a festive email campaign. When planning your email marketing campaign, use the following techniques to make creative templates and stand out in your subscribers’ inboxes:

• Send the first campaign before Valentine’s Day. 
• Segment your list to make the offer more personalized.
• Create irresistible V-Day subject lines to inspire subscribers to open your email and see what you offer.
• Make your emails interactive –– add elements like a quiz, a small game, or a video. It will make your emails more catchy and vivid.
• Cherish your relationship with the customers, and show how much they mean to you.
• Create wish lists and guides to make choosing Valentine’s Day gifts easier.

• When designing your Valentine’s Day email marketing campaign, consider using festive colors, designing your email as a love letter, displaying your products in a romantic way, using GIFs, thinking of different ways to celebrate, and expressing gratitude.

Follow these rules to create outstanding V-Day email campaigns. Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️