30 January 2024
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18 min
5.00
4 Steps to Create Valentine's Day Emails Your Readers Will Love
February 14th is not just about celebrating Valentine's Day. Many look forward to pleasant offers from companies on the eve of this day. And this is a great opportunity to increase your profit and customer loyalty.
According to statistics, for Valentine's Day:
- 55% of customers want discounts;
- 34% wish to use expedited delivery;
- 30% hope for a better return policy;
- 26% want to receive free product samples with their purchase.
However, simply launching promotions or special offers is not enough. It's important to tell your audience about them, for example, through email. We'll explain further how to create a festive email campaign and what to write in it.
To-Do List for Your Valentine’s Day Marketing Strategy
Sometimes festive email campaigns become a stumbling block in the relationships between companies and their customers. People are flooded with dozens of emails, leading them to hit the “Spam” or “Unsubscribe” buttons. Your task is to prepare emails that make the reader fall in love with you and not become a victim of the holiday frenzy.
Some companies start their VDay campaigns from the end of January and end this marketing activity around February 16-17. This gives clients time to choose a worthy gift.
Don’t think about what you want to say in the letters; think about what concerns your clients. Better yet, research and apply ideas in practice.
So, where to start with creating an email campaign?
1. Segment your audience
The way you segment your audience to receive Valentine’s Day emails will depend on the data you have, and the way you use this data. Just as an example, you can segment your contact base by:
- Sex/Gender: if feasible, target your male and female customers with different emails.
- Engagement: try to wake up inactive subscribers during the festive campaign. Reactivation will be especially successful if you are preparing pleasant discounts.
- Preferences: in your emails, use different calls to action to lead your customers to the categories they will be interested in. Monitor what links are clicked more often. This will help you segment customers by their preferences and drive results.
- Age: a couple of 50-year-olds will most probably celebrate this particular day differently from barely-of-age teenagers. Hence, the emails to both groups need to be different too.
In our platform, you can also send extra messages based on the results of a particular campaign that you’ve already scheduled. You don't have to wait for the campaign results and build new segments based on them. At the moment of the launch of the extra campaign, the system automatically creates a segment based on the conditions you’ve pre-selected.
This option is useful to reach contacts who ignored the initial message. It also generates deeper engagement for people who showed interest in a particular product, letting you show them the corresponding product recommendations. For instance, you can select contacts who open your email but don’t click and send them a different message. In this case, you can send the same message but with a different subject line.
If you select contacts who open the first email but don’t click, then it’s better to come up with a new campaign, another offer or edit a design. Sending the same message that failed to generate a response isn’t effective.
What’s more, extra messages are available for all channels - Email, SMS, Mob Push, Web Push, and Viber. If people ignore your emails, give it a try with SMS or mobile pushes that are technically hard to go unnoticed.
All tools for email marketing automation and segmentation
Useful Tip
Not all of your subscribers celebrate V-Day due to various reasons: resistance to stereotypes, a bad experience of the relationships, a current status of a single. For them, seeing too many "love emails" may be annoying. Before launching the holiday campaign, offer your customers to opt out of it without unsubscribing completely. Add an option of not receiving your Valentine's emails. This way, you’ll be able to remove uninterested people from your holiday mailing list but not lose them as your subscribers.
2. Schedule Your Valentine's Day Emails
Love is in the air, as spotted by John Paul Young. Holiday campaign ideas need to be light and delicate, just like air. To remind your subscribers about the most romantic day of the year, empower your campaign with ideas on how to surprise their partners, find a perfect present. After the big day, don’t forget to ask how it all went.
Remind your customers about Valentine’s Day around the beginning of February.
Send an email to all your subscribers, and remind them that the 14th is close. In your first VDay email, throw in a couple of ideas for gifts and activities for February 14. Add about 3 call-to-action buttons, each describing a certain idea. Don’t forget to track clicks on each CTA button — this will help you plan your future emails based on each recipient’s CTA clicks in your email. Alternatively, run a survey to find out how users are planning to spend the day, this will help you understand them better.
If you’re preparing a lot of emails for this season, chances are your creative juices will run dry. This happens to the best of us, but it shouldn’t affect your campaigns. Luckily, Yespo CDP features a powerful AI-assisted editor that can solve a lot of your troubles. In just a few clicks, you can fix grammar, expand or shorten your copy, translate, add emojis and even change the tone of voice!
Send emails based on the CTA clicks.
For your next emails, segment your customers based on their clicks in the first email. Add a description and a suggestion on how to give the gift. Keep in mind that the 14th of February is not just about lovers. Single people also like to celebrate it — with family or friends, for example. Make customer loyalty your first priority and try to make your email campaigns as personal as possible.
February 5–6, launch your campaigns all out.
The longer one puts off buying a Valentine’s Day present from an online store, the more difficult it will be to find, order, and receive a good gift on time. Give users an incentive to buy from you with discounts, coupons, and bonuses of all sorts. Such as, free holiday wrapping when they order from your store.
February 11–12, keep encouraging.
Only send emails to subscribers who have opened at least one email in the last 3 months. If feasible, remind them that the time to buy presents is quickly running out. February 13, the day before It’s probably too late to try and sell anything, let alone deliver the purchase on time. For the subscribers who open your emails but do not buy, offer ideas on how to celebrate the day with their significant other.
For those who buy — ideas for how to surprise their partner on the Lovers’ Day. Such content will help you make sure your customers remember you and recommend you to their friends.
February 14, here it is.
On this day, no one expects your emails. Everybody’s celebrating. Well, there’s a chance to catch a sad single someone... or encounter a troll the likes of Sheldon Cooper who doesn’t recognize this day as a holiday. However, in these cases, you can still be creative and, say, suggest watching “I Hate Valentine’s Day.” You may even decide to not bother your subscribers at all.
Alternatively, send your readers a love letter. This is a good day to tell your customers how much you value them. Send them a Valentine’s Day greeting card or a simple message to show your appreciation. A nice virtual equivalent of a flower bouquet and a bubble bath. Create an original greeting message without any lovey-dovey references.
You know your subscribers best so the choice is yours.
February 15–17, the afterparty.
On these days, ask your customers to tell you their love stories or how they’ve spent the day, what presents they’ve given to their partners, and whether your offers were useful to them.
You can create a survey in a Google Form and add a link to it in one of your emails. Or you can use an AMP form and let people share their ideas straight in the email. In the editor, an AMP form is a ready block that you can add to your template without code knowledge. Since it doesn’t require an upload of a new window, you have more chances to get feedback.
Further, you can use these answers to analyze your audience and maybe reconsider your email marketing strategies. Plus, they are a good source of user-generated content, and you can build a post-holiday campaign based entirely on it.
3. Find an idea and create a vivid design for your letter
Add hearts to the background and on the button, write "Valentine's Day discount", and that's it — you can send out your email campaign. It doesn't matter what your business is, the size of your base, or your budget. The main thing is not to stay on the sidelines and to greet your subscribers. But now, STOP!
Be unique on Valentine's Day
Each year, the number of websites and stores greeting people for the holiday increases. On February 14th, no one is surprised anymore by discounts, promotions, and gifts. Try to find a unique angle for your letter that will definitely make you stand out from the crowd and make your email memorable.
If you want to surprise your readers with something special, you need to think about it in advance, find out what others are doing, and look for ideas on how to do it better.
Share love with those around you
Love isn't just for couples. Love for close ones and those around us is equally important, as a jewelry store explains in a series of letters. Of course, it required creating not just one video, but the result was interesting and unusual – making one eager to find out what will be in the next email.
The company Free People partnered with three nonprofit organizations focused on environmental protection, animal welfare, and women's rights. On Valentine's Day, Free People directed a portion of its sales to these charities, sharing love with those in need.
Don't just focus on romantic relationships. For example, a children's goods store can offer mothers the chance to greet their little Valentines.
Don't forget about the owners of four-legged friends. They too can delight their pets with gifts for February 14th.
Help to celebrate unforgettably
Tell in your letter how your subscribers can spend the 14th of February interestingly. Make a selection of options, integrating your services or products into them.
Reject the holiday
An unexpected letter for Valentine's Day. Minimal design and copywriting expenses. And even the promo code in this letter creates an atmosphere of rebellion. If you have a boyfriend, still treat yourself to something new.
Use other holidays
Don't forget that February 14th is also celebrated as Computer Day, YouTube's Birthday, and Book Giving Day – you won't be left without interesting info occasions this month. For those in love with hardware and video content, it's appropriate to prepare a letter with their interests, not hearts and cupids.
Mock Valentine's Day
If your audience enjoys humorous communication, why not? Joke about the day, playfully handle it, tell the funniest facts, or offer a discount with a funny promo code.
Tell the love stories of your customers
Love is something that is hard to describe in one word or even a sentence. Everyone's experience is different and can evoke absolutely opposite feelings. Ask your clients what love means to them, and share it with your subscribers. People love people and their stories too.
For instance, Myntra didn't just tell the love story of clients but also added CTA buttons with their favorite products in the letter.
Remember those who are single
Help your subscribers take a step towards their love – share dating secrets, recommend thematic literature. Just warn that sometimes it takes more effort to maintain a relationship than to find one.
Encourage singles by suggesting they do not worry about Valentine's Day. The most important thing a person has is themselves, and they definitely deserve to be pampered with gifts.
Offer help to forgetful clients
Take care of clients who buy gifts at the last minute. This is especially relevant for local businesses or chain companies with many retail outlets in the country, as the main condition for emergency Valentine's Day assistance is fast delivery. In your message, show gift options and explain the delivery conditions in detail.
This approach is also practiced by Apple. The tech giant is ready to lend a hand at the last minute by offering and promptly sending the desired gift.
If you have electronic gift certificates, remind your subscribers about this option. Explain how convenient this gift choice can be and why it's worth ordering. Perhaps such a present will save one of your clients.
Engage your subscribers
To entertain and better engage subscribers, use gamification. Create a festive game where there's a chance to get a good discount or a gift with a purchase. You could also create an entertaining test that helps the customer choose the right gift.
Such email campaigns attract the audience and ignite excitement in buyers.
Сonfess your love to customers
You prepare the best offers and letters all year round for a reason. On this day, tell your customers about your feelings through discounts, beautiful words, and pictures.
For example, the brand Ritual conducted personal summaries of the relationship with the customer and offered to involve their Valentine in shopping with the company, for which both people would receive pleasant bonuses. They confessed their love and showed the benefit.
In addition to the mentioned examples, you can simply prepare a campaign with gifts or limit it to a beautiful declaration of love from the heart.
Selling isn't always necessary
Hard selling doesn't always look organic, especially when it comes to a greeting campaign. What else you can write about:
- romantic movies for shared leisure;
- how to express love on this day;
- how to originally decorate a gift;
- best love quotes;
- a playlist for a romantic celebration, and so on.
Different businesses can use the opportunity of February 14th. For example, a company providing kitchen knife sharpening services thanked clients in a letter for sharing reviews on social networks. The main message of the letter: "Thank you for spreading love for our brand!"
Another example of an unconventional approach to a festive email was a campaign by BBQGuys. Electric grills aren't the typical gift exchanged between lovers. To tie their business to Valentine's Day, the company suggested sharing on social media photos of grill dishes that clients prepared for their romantic partners.
Valentine's Day emails can also be used to introduce clients to your team or the company owners. Show that you are also people and you also love holidays.
Use AI to write irresistible emails
4. Add a good Valentine’s Day email subject line.
One of the biggest challenges you can face is making your subscribers want to open your email. Email subject lines are often deal breakers when it comes to email open rates. Here are some examples for Valentine’s Day email subject lines to inspire your campaigns:
- Cupid’s Countdown Is On! Only 7 days left to Valentine’s. It’s high time to think about presents.
- Baby’s 1st Valentine’s Day;
- ❤Get Ahead on Your Valentine's Day Shopping!❤
- A Valentine's Day to remember
- Show yourself some love this Valentine's Day... ❤️
- Sending You LOVE ???✨
- 3 Days till Valentine’s. Find your presents today, it might be your last chance to get them in time.
- Love Comes In All Shapes And Sizes;
- ❤️Open Hearts Reveal Your Love!❤️
- Gifts or emotions? What will your significant other like better?
- ❤️ day gift ideas: anything red + you’ve been missed around here;
- 10 Ways to Say “I Love You”: Valentine’s Day greeting cards’ ideas;
- 514 Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day;
- V is for Valentine + VERY secret savings❤️
- P.S: I love you…💘🥰
- Happy Valentine’s Week! Shop away with 45% Off Sitewide.
- Surprise your Valentine with a gift from our special Valentine’s Day Gift Guide
- Pamper her with multiple presents 🎁with Exclusive Valentine’s Discounts!
- 🎁 [Name], Your Valentine Awaits!
- 💝 Exclusive for You, [Name]!
- Fallin’ in Love — Now Cheaper by 30%
- Special 30% Off Only to Singles
For more examples, read our special article 130+ Best Valentine’s Day Email Subject Lines. And if even after checking all these lines you're stuck with the right wording, consider using subject line generators for help. Yes, most variants they offer would be too usual, but gems happen as well.
Final Word
You can come up with much better topic ideas if you just devote some time to it.
Talk about your feelings to your subscribers, partners, family, and friends, as on such a romantic day, you want to share love with everyone
And if you need to create a beautiful letter for this purpose — use our holiday templates.
We also confess our love to you from the entire Yespo team! We wish that your feelings are always mutual, and your letters find a response in the hearts of your clients.
