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Valentine’s Day Email Marketing Campaign Ideas (+ 50 Attractive Subject Lines)

Published: Jan 23, 2023

In 2022, top-performing email marketers generated more than $800k from Valentine’s Day campaigns. 

These marketers didn’t stand out in crowded inboxes by spamming their customers with generic messaging or relying solely on irresistible discounts.

They sent highly targeted, personalized and immaculately timed emails to their customers, all rubber-stamped with mouth-watering subject lines – the type of email you wouldn’t dare leave to fester in your inbox. 

But what do the nuts and bolts of these emails look like? And how can you maximize revenue from email marketing this Valentine’s Day to earn the respect of your colleagues and that promotion you’ve been chasing? 

In this blog I’ll guide you through four key areas so you can join the elite bracket of email marketers:

If you’d like information on platforms and tools that’ll help you generate more email leads this Valentine’s Day, check out our post on the best B2C lead generation tools. 

But if you’re looking specifically to refine your marketing emails, you’re in exactly the right place. 

How can you benefit from email marketing on Valentine’s Day?

In short, you can increase sales and accelerate your email marketing ROI on Valentine’s Day thanks to two key factors: 

While the number of Americans celebrating Valentine’s Day has decreased by 10% since 2009, those honoring the occasion spent generously in 2022 as average order values reached $67 – an increase of $10 in just two years.

Crucially for email marketers, 41% of customers purchased their Valentine’s Day gifts online, which made it the most popular place to shop ahead of department stores, discount stores and local businesses. 

It’s no wonder top-performing email marketers raked in more than $800k in Valentine’s Day revenue last year.

9 Valentine’s Day email marketing campaigns to stand out

Check out these 9 sales-driving emails from ecommerce brands just like yours to get extra inspiration for your Valentine’s Day campaigns.  

1. Segment by gender

Market segmentation techniques let you divide your email list into smaller groups based on shared characteristics, enabling you to send more relevant and personalized content to your subscribers.

Segmented and targeted email campaigns account for 58% of all email ROI, which is why global brands like House of Fraser segment their Valentine’s Day email campaigns. 

Check the email from House of Fraser below, which is a great example of segmentation in action. House of Fraser segmented their email list by gender to help customers find the perfect gift for their romantic partner.

House of Fraser's gender segmented email

2. Personalize your content, always

It’s no secret that personalization is fundamental to any successful marketing strategy.

Your customers want to be seen as individuals, which is why email marketers increase revenue by 20% with personalized campaigns. 

Still not convinced? 

Personalization is non-negotiable if you want your customers to open your emails and click through to your site. 

Below is an example of how Ritual Co, a global food ordering app, sent a data-driven, hyper-personalized email that was completely unique to the recipient.

In the spirit of the day, Ritual reminisced on key milestones they’d reached with their customer, including when the relationship began and the number of meals they’d shared together. 

Ritual's personalized Valentine's Day email

3. Display cut-off dates for delivery 

While 46% of shoppers look for gifts in early February, some of your customers simply love the white-knuckle thrill of leaving everything until the eleventh hour.

Keep these customers in the know by including cut-off dates for delivery in subject lines, copy and images where possible. It might also give your more punctual customers the sense of urgency they need to finally purchase the gift that’s been sitting in their basket. 

For example, luxury American fashion brand Coach included a cut off date just above the footer in this email below. 

Coach's Valentine's Day delivery cutoff email

4. Send your loved one a hint

You’re having your weekly (admit it, we know it’s daily) online browse of your favorite brand when something catches your eye. It’s something you’d love for Valentine’s Day, but what are the chances your partner will buy you that exact product?

Using Yieldify’s technology, beauty brand Elemis created a solution which benefits the gift buyer and receiver. They gave shoppers an option to send an email hint to their partner with a personalized message, making it clear exactly what they’d like for Valentine’s Day. 

It’s a strategy where everyone wins: 

Check out Elemis’ solution below. 

Elemis' Valentine's Day hint email

5. Generate leads with website opt-in forms 

Traffic to ecommerce sites increased 33% year-on-year in the build up to Valentine’s Day 2022. 

For email marketers, this influx in potential customers gives you an opportunity to drive more subscribers into your database to remarket for Valentine’s Day and beyond. 

If you’re looking for a lead generation tool to create customizable, on-brand opt-in forms that adapt to customer journeys, Yieldify’s layered lead generation technology can help you increase your email leads by up to 580%.

6. Let customers know about gift cards

More than 1 in 5 Valentine’s Day shoppers purchased gift cards in 2022.

Gift cards are popular because they’re a convenient, low-risk option for shoppers, but many of your subscribers won’t know that you sell gift cards – so make them aware through your email marketing campaigns. 

Check out this example from American lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret, who used vibrant V-Day imagery to promote their digital gift card and told their customers where they can redeem them.

Victoria's Secret's gift card email

7. Appeal to non-romantic relationships 

It’s no secret that consumers want to buy gifts for pets, friends and family members as well as their romantic partners:

Love should still be the central theme of your Valentine’s Day newsletters, but you could miss out on sales by focusing too heavily on your romance-fueled customers.  

For example, see how Mouth, an artisan jerky company, targeted email subscribers looking to buy gifts for their friends – albeit with a heartbreak-themed twist.

Mouth's Valentine's Day email

8. Get creative

Valentine’s Day is a perfect opportunity to let your creativity shine through.

Grab your customers’ attention with cupid-inspired puns, reworked poems and striking imagery that captures the mood of the occasion.

For example, LA-based shoes company TOMS arranged items into love heart symbols in this email campaign. 

Toms' love heart-themed email campaign

9. Give last-minute shoppers a get-out-of-jail-free card

There’s always one who ends up scrambling around for a last-minute gift, no matter what the occasion is.  

If you have a brick-and-mortar store, let your customers know they can still grab items in-store after the delivery deadline has passed. 

Check out this email from Kiss my Keto, which includes a classy sign-off from their founder to give it a personalized touch. 

Kiss my Keto's last minute gift email

50 Valentine’s Day email subject lines to spread the love

According to OptinMonster, 47% of email recipients decide to open emails based on the subject line alone.

You need to convince your subscribers to open your email within just 50 characters, so use them wisely – very wisely. 

Here are 50 killer subject lines from Sender to help you increase open rates this Valentine’s Day.

Discount-focused subject lines:

Romantic subject lines: 

Last-minute gift subject lines:

Sale subject lines:

Personalized subject lines:

7 Valentine’s Day email marketing best practices

1. Time your delivery

Timing is everything – both in love and Valentine’s Day email marketing. 

Leave it too late and you’ll miss out on valuable sales. Start too early and you’ll alienate your customers. 

In 2021, 20% of February’s sales were made in the first three days of the month, while 84% of email orders were placed by February 13th. 

To maximize ROI from email marketing, send your first Valentine’s Day campaign towards the end of January, and drip another 4-5 emails – including a Valentine’s Day gift guide – through to your customers as the big day approaches. 

2. Personalize your content 

As I mentioned earlier, personalization is integral to email marketing. 

Let me remind you of the stats:

The numbers speak for themselves, so make your customers feel valued by always addressing them by name with hyper-targeted emails.

3. Send cart abandonment reminders

Cart abandonment emails are one of the most effective ways to engage your customers. 

In collaboration with Yieldify, Nautica, the global lifestyle fashion brand, sent cart abandonment emails to their customers, achieving an open rate of 44% – which is 23% higher than the average email open rate.

Not only are your customers more likely to read cart abandonment emails, they’re also 233% more likely to convert. 

4. Craft open-me-now subject lines

Email subject lines are an art form that make or break your open rates. 

Here are three golden rules to follow: 

5. Optimize for mobile 

In 2022, 66% of all Valentine’s Day purchases were made through mobile, a rise of 8% in just two years. 

Your on-the-go customers are increasingly choosing to shop on their mobiles, so work with your internal teams to ensure all your email campaigns are optimized for mobile. 

6. Attract new email subscribers

As I mentioned earlier, traffic to ecommerce retailers increased by 33% year-on-year ahead of Valentine’s Day 2022. 

A raft of new customers will visit your site in the build up to V-Day, so run highly targeted, on-brand opt-in forms to win new subscribers. 

Make sure you send a welcome email when someone signs up, as your new subscribers are 75% more likely to open a welcome email than any other marketing email. 

If you need support with website opt-in forms, check out our post on B2C lead generation tools. Alternatively, read how Yieldify has helped clients lift up to 580% more leads with our market-leading layered lead generation strategy. 

7. A/B test your content

93% of US-based companies A/B test their email marketing campaigns – and with good reason.

A/B testing lets you measure the impact of small changes to your email content, helping you maximize open rates, click through rates and conversions. 

Here’s what you should be testing: 

The insights you glean from A/B testing your Valentine’s Day emails will also help you develop stronger strategies for future shopping holidays like Black Friday and Christmas.

Conclusion

I hope this blog equips you with the tools you need to craft a love-fueled, winning email marketing strategy. If you personalize your content, time your messages well and write compelling subject lines, then you’re bound to woo your email subscribers and have a happy Valentine’s Day. 

If you’d like a preview of how you can improve your on-site email lead generation with Yieldify’s fully managed, all-in-one personalization platform, feel free to schedule a discovery call here. One of our advisors will be delighted to share more about increasing your conversion rates.

FAQs

How can I use segmentation to make my Valentine’s Day email campaign more effective?

Email marketers use segmentation techniques to send more personalized email campaigns to their subscribers. With a segmented subscriber list, you’ll be able to send hyper-relevant emails that drive higher open and conversion rates, satisfying the 72% of customers who only respond to messages aimed directly at them.

How can I use A/B testing to optimize my Valentine’s Day email campaign?

With A/B testing you can measure how subtle changes to any aspect of your email campaign – including subject lines, imagery and CTAs – impact your open and conversion rates. Use A/B testing and other website optimization tools to ensure you’re driving maximum value from your Valentine’s Day email marketing campaigns.

How can I use personalization in my Valentine’s Day email campaign to make it more effective?

Personalization is crucial to driving sales through email campaigns in the build up to Valentine’s Day. Marketers have increased revenue by 20% with personalized emails, and something as simple as addressing your customer by name can lift email open rates by 26%. If you need a solution to help you personalize your customers’ end-to-end journeys, check out our post outlining 10 of the best personalization tools on the market. 

How can I use Valentine’s Day email marketing to increase sales?

Timing is key when you’re sending email marketing in the build up to Valentine’s Day. Many of the techniques email marketers use to drive sales throughout the year are applicable around V-Day, but don’t leave it too late to email your customers. The majority of shoppers look to buy their gifts in advance of February 14, so send your first Valentine’s promotion email towards the end of January.