February 14 is a joyful date, both for lovers and marketers. While couples celebrate Valentine’s Day with gifts and intimate dinners, companies double their email volume and rake in billions in sales.
But, when your competitors jump on the occasion and push sales, how can you stay afloat amid inbox clutter and set new records for email marketing revenue?
Here are some quick-win strategies for transforming your newsletter into a Valentine’s Day conversion machine!
Best of all? You can now incorporate all these Valentine’s Day marketing ideas into your newsletters with the GetResponse email creator.
If you want to create beautiful newsletters and send high-impact campaigns, just like the ones in this article, GetResponse offers hundreds of professionally designed email templates and an AI email generator for you to use for free! Win your audiences’ hearts with ease, and sign up for a free account today!
All the following lovely examples are sourced from Really Good Emails and our own inboxes ❤️.
1. Help make this day special
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has finished, many still don’t feel confident about going into crowded areas and celebrating Valentine’s Day like they used to. Having said this, the holiday’s main theme stays the same. So, don’t be afraid to acknowledge the change and embrace it through email. Advertise any way your product or service can be used to create a special evening at home.
For example: Hulu, a streaming platform, sent a great email that lets their customers relax about not having any fancy plans – with Hulu’s help, they can spend the night with the TV they love.
In the email showcased are popular TV couples along with the clever line “Love comes in all genres.”
What’s also amazing about the email below is how they mix their own unique branding, voice, and colors with the Valentine’s Day visuals and language.
Pro tip: In the GetResponse Email Creator, you can quickly and easily check if your emails look good in dark mode and preview how they show up on all devices.
Taco Bell did something similar – used the fact that people are spending time at home as an opportunity to remind customers that they can deliver a delicious meal to celebrate love. Love for Tacos, of course.
Taco Bell sent a very cute Valentine’s Day email with many references to the reader loving their food. Once again, the brand’s visuals merged with V-day imagery, creating an amazing-looking email!
(Also, how cool is their “Unsubscribe” line 😎?)
If you’d like to learn more about the types of email campaigns that work best for driving sales in online stores, consider reading our guide to email marketing for ecommerce.
2. Cherish the unique relationship you’ve built
A relationship with a loyal customer is priceless. So, who said you can’t celebrate it on the Lovers Day?
With a little help from personalization in an email, you can show each and every one of your subscribers and customers they mean a lot to you.
Here is an excellent example of an email from Ritual Co. They reminisce about the time they’ve had together with the recipient, using data they’ve collected.
This email surely makes the recipient feel special!
Related read: How to Personalize Your Emails with Dynamic Content.
3. Use subtle charm
If you don’t want to stray too far away from your usual newsletter in design or copy, sprinkle a few flirtatious elements into your email.
If a dedicated campaign doesn’t fit your schedule or brand, don’t force it. Tweak an existing template and treat the holiday more like a theme in your email than a festive extravaganza.
You can apply this to your email campaign even if you do launch a love-themed product line or a special deal for this day.
That being said, don’t be afraid to add a few flirtatious lines to your copy to make the reader blush.
This beautiful email from UrbanStems, even though promotes a Valentine’s collection, is clean and not overwhelmingly sugary in its design. Its subject line (Just launched: New bouquets) and preheader (New week, new styles) don’t mention the holiday. But, the header boldly says “Hello, Gorgeous” so you instantly feel the romance.
Similarly, this email from Stocksy doesn’t mention Valentine’s Day in their subject line (Coolest Photos of the Week), but keeps it themed with the header section – “You’ve been on our mind so we made you this gallery”, “Love Stocksy XOXO” and a couple of great pink and heart-filled photos. In later parts, the email goes straight to a “casual newsletter” style.
Watch our Webinar: Winning Valentine’s Day Email Campaigns, for even more practical tips and tricks for designing lovely and high-converting V-Day newsletters. For more information on the visual aspects of email marketing, follow our email design best practices guide.
4. Make a promise and DELIVER
Do you know one of the main reasons your customers don’t shop online close to Valentine’s Day?
It’s not because they don’t love your offers, or because they feel your inventory is overpriced. They fear being LATE with a perfect gift for their significant other! Can you imagine running home with a box of chocolates on February 15?
Make sure your Valentine’s Day newsletter makes a promise of timely delivery in:
- The subject line,
- An image in your email that reassures them you’ll be on time,
- A footer that repeats the promise.
- Once the sale is made, it’s all up to FedEx!
5. Use wish lists and gift guides
Here’s a quick fact: your potential customers will visit only 1-3 retail sites before they purchase a Valentine’s Day gift.
Takeaway? Remove shopping obstacles and drop a hint in your Valentine’s email about the ideal gift for their partner. Your newsletter will prevent visitors from wandering around on your website and perhaps sailing away to a competitor’s e-store.
Promote “wish list” ideas in your pre-holiday emails, so subscribers can point their significant other to the right gift. You’ll reduce the number of returned items and become a trusted V-Day shopping advisor!
Take a look at these Valentine’s emails sent before V-day:
6. Create irresistible subject lines
Like the holiday itself, your newsletter should be filled with love. Starting with your subject line, make it clear that your email is a special Valentine’s Day promo.
Here’s what to include in the subject line:
- Use words like “perfect”, “ideal” and “gift” to accentuate the useful side of your newsletter. (You’ve got awesome gifts for their Valentine.)
- Boost open rates by creating a sense of urgency, using expressions like “expires”, “ends soon”, “only” and “left.”
- Use emojis (hearts, etc.) to make the subject line stand out from inbox clutter. (See: Emojis in Subject Lines – Best Practices)
- Try something unique that matches both the Valentine’s Day theme and your industry.
Looking for inspiration? Check out these 6 great valentine’s day email subject lines from major brands:
«Last-Minute Luxuries For Your Valentine» Coach
«What you adore. At your door. 💕🚗🚪» Taco Bell
«Last day for free shipping on select Valentine’s Day gifts.» Harry & David
«❤️2/14❤️ is coming! Last day for free standard shipping» JC Penney
«V❤️lentine’s Day Gifts For Her & Him» Saks Fifth Avenue Feb 6
«Be a matchmaker! 💡❤️💡» LIFX
Pro tip: If you’re using GetResponse and you’re unsure which subject lines perform better, you can A/B test them and optimize them based on open rates. And if you get stuck with writer’s block, our AI subject line generator will give you a hand!
7. Appeal to the right people
Can you guess how much time subscribers devote to reading your email? Only 2-5 seconds. And if you don’t appeal to them with a relevant offer, your newsletter may get deleted, marked as spam, or simply abandoned.
So use all the data you’ve gathered about your subscribers – and on February 14, the gender custom field is important.
Segment your email marketing list (by male and female, for the basics) and create offers that appeal to each. Don’t waste their time by forcing them to browse irrelevant promos. They’re already busy enough with Valentine’s Day preparations. They need gifts – not for themselves, but for their significant other.
But what if you don’t have this information?
No worries! This is a perfect opportunity for a tactic called “behavioral targeting”. It suggests a hypothetical gender of subscribers based on offers and elements they click on in the newsletter.
How to run the test?
Design an email with call-to-action buttons:
- Gifts for her
- Gifts for him
Send an email to your entire mailing list. Then, use the Search Contacts feature to check the history of clicks and find out who’s interested in each category. This is a fairly easy way to profile your subscribers and create segments for use in future campaigns.
Remember that this may be a sensitive topic, and you have to be really careful not to alienate some segments of your target audience.
Pro tip: With GetResponse, you can enjoy the benefits of automated list segmentation and turn anonymous signups into well-developed personas to create highly converting personalized emails.
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8. Tell a story and sell a dream
Marketers often underestimate the power of email copywriting. Sure, fancy graphics and design highlight and sell your products. But the story is what can put your products in the right context and sell your subscribers the dream you offer.
A few sentences with a magical description of your Valentine’s Day promotion can have a bigger impact on sales than a big discount or free shipping.
Want to get people talking? Make up a hashtag and encourage people to share their special stories.
See how Twitter did it? You don’t have to be selling anything with your email campaign, you can also build brand awareness and social media engagement in a sweet way.
9. Find love everywhere
Valentine’s Day is not only about shopping for exclusive gifts for your SO. All the jewelry, watches, lingerie, and funny/cheesy gadgets… When your industry is not really “romantic”, you’ve got to get creative. As I mentioned before – the email’s copy is everything.
First, you need to find out how your product or offer can be connected to the theme of love, couples, relationships, feelings, and dating. Then, use a fun play on words to give your subscribers a Valentine’s-y, warm, and fuzzy feeling.
Here are Valentine’s Day newsletters with great copy. See how you can translate your regular copy into the language of love 😉 :
The emails above also show how good copy can be used to gently nudge people to buy products in bundles. “The power couple”, “the major duo”, “the perfect pair”, “the perfect match”, “true lover pack” – how could someone buy just one of them and separate such perfect product lovebirds?
10. Remind readers about gift cards
A dinner with candles, flowers, jewelry, or a new dress? Men have the same dilemma each year when given the mission of finding a perfect Valentine’s Day gift.
Traditional gift cards, vouchers, and e-gift cards can be a lifesaver for those who can’t figure out their partner’s preferences.
According to NRF, gift cards are the second most popular gift (after clothing) category chosen by holiday shoppers. So why not promote them in your newsletters? This could be a perfect way to reach subscribers who prefer a “safe option” to a romantic Valentine’s Day surprise.
Promote your (e)gift cards in the newsletter footer. This way, subscribers who scroll through the entire email and don’t find anything relevant will stumble upon a Valentine’s Day “lifesaver” that could save the day on February 14!
And if gift cards are particularly popular among your audience or it’s too late to ship your products for customers to receive them before Vday, you could feature the gift card as the main offer, like in this example from Winc:
11. It’s all about giving
Valentine’s Day is a unique time for giving gifts to those we care about and with whom we want to maintain great relationships. Doesn’t this sound like an ideal opportunity for customer-company connections?
Use Valentine’s Day to show your customers you really CARE about them and want to make them feel special.
There are many ways to achieve that with newsletters:
- Promote free gift-wrapping.
- Offer to add a personal message enclosed in an envelope.
- Promote free shipping.
- Give them the option to return gifts with no additional costs.
- Promote a unique discount code.
If you jump on the occasion and use one of these ideas, your subscribers will appreciate the Valentine’s Day aura your newsletter creates and may be more inclined to buy gifts from you.
12. Design a one-of-a-kind email template
Not many holidays have such a well-defined visual identity as Valentine’s Day… well… except Christmas. The color schemes (red, shades of pink, white) and special symbols (roses, hearts, etc.) make Valentine’s Day newsletters stand out from your usual emails.
Use a unique email template to leave no doubt that you’ve created a special Valentine’s Day promotion, and that your newsletter includes perfect gifts for their significant other.
Pro tip: You don’t have to design the template yourself – check out the hundreds of predesigned templates from GetResponse!
13. Think of different ways to celebrate
Just because it’s February 14, not everyone has to be in a romantic relationship. And that means many people celebrate Valentine’s Day without shopping for gifts and looking for a perfect candle-lit dinner recipe.
Look at this email from Mouth that caters to people who had their heart broken right before Valentine’s Day. It uses a fun copy and puns to make the hard times a bit sweeter.
Below, the email from the House of Fraser suggests that whether you love this day or hate it, it’s just an occasion to buy something for yourself. If you know your audience will enjoy it, you can target people who celebrate Galentine’s Day or Anti-Valentine’s Day with closest friends or all by themselves.
14. Show some unconditional love
Among all these Valentine’s Day email tips and tricks you can use to spoil and convert your subscribers, there is one that can make your audience feel truly loved. It’s giving them something to enjoy, for free. And here, I don’t mean offering free shipping if they buy from you (like I advised you to do in tip #8). I mean something a bit more personal, with no conditions and money involved. It can be an ebook, a recipe, DIY project instructions, or a special playlist. Make your copy sound like a love letter, and make your customers fall for you.
Sometimes, simplicity can be the key. That’s why an unpretentious and cute V-day card can be the best email to send. Showing love and appreciation this way will be great for all industries, especially for NGOs and nonprofits.
So, consider sending a Valentine’s Day postcard-like email with no sales pitch to read and no loud and demanding calls to action. Pop up into the recipient’s inbox on February 14 to say, “Thanks for your support! With love, XYZ” – it will make them smile and think of your brand fondly.
Here’s a fantastic example of a Valentine’s Day email from Charity: Water:
15. Make gifting even easier
From my experience, the best kinds of kinds are the ones you’d like to receive yourself. So, while your customers are busy looking for the perfect way to express their affection for their loved ones, why not let them grab a gift for themselves, too?
The easiest way to do this is to offer them an extra deal for adding another item to their basket or by exceeding a particular order value. Here’s how Oura did this for their Valentine’s Day promo campaign by offering $50 off their second order.
I found their pitch pretty smooth, particularly thanks to the phrasing “because, after all, two healthy hearts are better than one”.
This technique can be very powerful, as it can significantly increase your average order value. If you’d like to make your message even more compelling, you could amplify it by featuring AI-generated product recommendations that would highlight products your customers are most likely interested in.
Do you feel the love?
I hope we’ve inspired you to create a one-of-a-kind campaign with these Valentine’s day newsletter ideas. If so, share your email design ideas in the comment section and let us know how they performed! Are they similar to these best email campaigns picked by the experts?
And, if you want to try out your design ideas in a super-easy email newsletter creator, click the button below and start crafting your emails with GetResponse!