Two beige dogs adorned with hearts look for Valentine's Day email examples.

8 Valentine’s Day Email Examples to Boost Clicks

Valentine’s day is just around the corner and you are finalizing the last details of your email campaign? Jeremy Moser of PR & SEO firm uSERP shares eight actionable tips to boost clicks of your campaign for the most romantic day of the year. Love is in the air, and it’s time to take advantage of it to boost your email open rates. Read on to learn and apply to your campaigns.

From romantic dinners for two to treat bags handed out for classroom parties, Valentine’s Day presents heaps of opportunities to connect people with your brand.

But with countless competitors fighting for your audience’s attention on this national day of love , it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle.

Enter: Valentine’s Day email marketing campaigns. 

Valentine’s Day email examples that you can use

As one of the most personalized avenues to connect with your audience, you can leverage your email list to stand out in a sea of brands promoting Vday-themed offers.

Try the ZeroBounce free email verifier

Read on to see examples and ideas that’ll make your readers fall in love with your organization’s Valentine’s Day offerings.

1. Design a template that stands out

Use recognizable holiday shapes, colors and symbols to  ramp up excitement with Valentine’s Day design templates

Your readers will have the chance to build excitement and motivation to start shopping when they see hearts, cupids, and other traditional images of love. 

Or think outside the box and create a non-traditional template that captures the message and tone that fits your brand. For example, use free vector images to add a pop of color and personality to your Valentine’s message, or hire a graphic designer to create custom templates for you.

Screenshot from Freepik shows free Valentine's Day images.
(Image Source)

2. Segmented email marketing 

Valentine’s Day affects each person differently. Many popular email marketing platforms (such as HubSpot, MailChimp or Constant Contact) offer the ability to segment subscription list members by demographic. 

You can use this feature to send emails to recipients by pain point, demographic, purchasing behavior, etc.

When segmenting your emails, go the extra mile by personalizing your message and offers for each audience group. GPT 3 tools can come in handy when looking to send personalized email campaigns. 

For example, in the email marketing campaign below, Highlights caters to its parent and caregiver audience segment with messaging like “your little sweetheart” and “gifts they’ll love to get.” 

It also displays Valentine’s offerings tailored to kids, like heart puzzles, activity books, and gift sets.

Screenshot of Highlights Valentine email showing pink and yellow hearts as well as puzzles.

This can help parents who may be preoccupied with their own V-Day plans remember to make it special for their little ones as well.

But there’s a caveat here. 

Segmenting campaigns means crafting unique content for each audience group. If you don’t have an in-house content team to take on this level of work, consider hiring a content production agency to craft impactful messages for each segment. 

3. Send an early alert

Some folks may be ready to shop for Valentine’s Day weeks in advance due to personal preferences or budgeting needs. So get out in front of them by teasing your V-Day campaign as early as January.

An eye-catching subject line can make a big impact here. If snappy writing isn’t your strong suit, opt for AI-enabled tools like an AI writer, which can help you craft email subjects that maximize open rates.

4. Include discounts, special offers

Coupons, discounts and special offers are a great way to draw people in through your Valentine’s Day email campaign. Offer a buy-one-get-one deal, a holiday-themed promo code, or free delivery to motivate people to fill their carts.

Even if your business doesn’t offer traditional Valentine’s gifts and treats, find ways to get in on the fun. For example, if you own a takeout restaurant, offer special menu bundles for a stay-in date night. If you own a courier service, promote a discount code or flash sale to ensure holiday goodies arrive on time. 

Identify items from your existing inventory that fit with a Valentine’s theme and promote them, with a mark-down if possible. Ubuntu provides a great example of this by highlighting the “Love” bracelet from their jewelry collection. They also offer multiples in a bundle option. 

Email advertising a 50% off sale shows love wrist bands and a red heart.

5. Target send times

Your email marketing campaign should be ready to serve all kinds of shoppers.

As we just mentioned, some audience members could be ready to make their Valentine’s Day purchases in advance. But you’re sure to have others who’ll wait until the last minute — and every type of shopper in between.

The gist? Plan to send multiple messages near the beginning, middle, and end of the Valentine’s Day shopping season. Then, adjust the language for each message so it speaks directly to those who might be shopping at that time.

Early messages could promote discounts and promotions that are only available for a limited time. Later messages could include a countdown feature and a holiday shopping guide. 

6. Valentine’s Day email examples that include singles

You’re missing an opportunity if you’re not tailoring some of your messaging to folks without a significant other on Valentine’s Day. 

Many people who receive your email will have other types of people in their life to celebrate, and your marketing campaign should be ready to help. For example, suggest gifts and treats for co-workers, friends, pets, and family members. (Or, as Insomnia Cookies puts it: “Fave people.”)

Also, remember that people love to treat themselves! Think about how you might promote your offer to help someone cope with or even celebrate the fact that they’re unattached. 

A marketing email from Insomnia Cookies offers.

Notice how the promotional email from this boutique cookie bakery highlights options for shipped cookie gift boxes?

It doesn’t refer to who, specifically, may be receiving them. Its message focuses on the product and not on whether the buyer has romance, friendship or a little self-indulgence in mind. 

7. Grow your audience

Even the most successful Valentine’s Day email marketing campaign won’t sustain your business all year long. So while you draw attention to your special holiday promotions, look for ways to capitalize on this time to grow your audience.

You can accomplish this using referral campaigns, email newsletter sign-ups, and navigation toward your social media channels. 

Be intentional about where you place these promotions and track their progress. Then, use what you learn to build on your success for the next big holiday campaign. 

8. Add interactive features 

Think beyond clever copy and color schemes to get your point across. Instead, make your Valentine’s marketing email an experience by including interactive content. 

Add date night idea surveys, romantic movie trivia quizzes, or holiday video content to your emails to make them highly shareable and fun.

Adding gamification elements to your email campaigns can be a great way to improve your lead scoring and keep leads engaged and incentivize them to keep clicking. 

How can you pass up on a quiz that tells you the perfect date night for Valentine’s Day? Or what a particular type of chocolate says about your personality?

Never underestimate the power of a quiz. That’s how Buzzfeed established a foothold in its niche, so follow their lead. You can even use ChatGPT to help you make an interactive quiz in seconds. 

Share the love

Love is in the air, and it’s time to take advantage of it to boost your email open rates. 

Incorporate one, some, or all of these ideas into your Valentine’s email marketing campaign. 

Whatever you choose, remember that communicating with your audience in ways that make them feel valued is the key to sweeping them off their feet.

So don’t be shy. Spread the love to your email list – it’ll pay off in the end. 

That’s it for today.

To your success!

Author: Jeremy Moser is co-founder & CEO at uSERP, a digital PR and SEO agency working with brands like Monday, ActiveCampaign, Hotjar, and more. He also buys and builds SaaS companies like Wordable.io and writes for publications like Entrepreneur and Search Engine Journal.