15 best ideas for St Valentine's email newsletters

Searching for fresh Valentine’s Day newsletter ideas to win new customers? Search no more! See how the world’s top brands nail holiday campaigns. 

Get inspired by the ideas listed below and implement them in our holiday email templates in no time.

Valentine’s Day email marketing ideas

Don’t focus on design only. These ideas implemented by famous brands will spice up your Valentine's Day email campaigns.

1. Cut prices big 

This is what customers expect from us during the holidays. While they search for the perfect Valentine's Day gift, companies should provide such.

Value proposition and discounts are the core of any marketing campaign. And St Valentine’s Day emails are not an exception. "Wrap" your offer in a way so that it doesn't go unnoticed.

(Source: Email from M&M's)

May your emails be filled with anticipation of the holiday. Spread the love on Valentine's Day.

2. Exchange your discount for a love story

If you lack customers’ comments on your website or if you feel like giving a coupon in exchange for a favor, here’s an idea for your Valentine's Day email marketing campaign:

Announce that you will give $10/20/30 back if people share their love stories on your website. The mandatory condition is sharing a photo of them together. Or you may ask for a love confession published on your website, with a photo attached, as well.

During this holiday period when love is in the air, we all feel like shouting out about love and our deepest feelings. Thus, subscribers are more likely to express love and enjoy such Valentine's Day campaigns.

(Source: Email from Prezzo)

Not only will this enliven your newsletters, but it will drive more traffic to your website.

3. Suggest ideas for a perfect Valentine's Day gift

You will significantly ease people’s lives if you suggest a list of Valentine's Day gifts to give to their beloved ones.

(Source: Email from Victoria's Secret)

Most Valentine's Day emails are filled with ideas on how to congratulate women. So, please, please, do not forget about men on this day!

(Source: Email from Tiffany & Co)

Who said we could only congratulate our significant others on this special day? We can also give presents to kids, parents, and even grandparents. Suggest a list of Valentine's Day gifts for the partners, and also share ideas on what to buy for all the family members. Besides, this is a great opportunity to engage a wider audience.

Take a look at this St Valentine’s Day newsletter sample. It's marvelous.

(Source: Email from Brighton)

4. Provide the celebration plan

It will be very thoughtful, caring, and nice of you not only to offer gift ideas for this day but also to suggest a plan in your Valentine's Day email campaign. Yes! Plan for the whole day.

Share your ideas along with some world-famous traditions. Both young and mature couples will appreciate it.

5. Help with last-minute Valentine's Day gifts

Remember that your email sent on February 11th will be of great use to those unsure about what to buy. Remind them this is their last chance for on-time delivery to save a happy Valentine's Day.

(Source: Email-Competitors)

And certainly, there will be those who’ll realize just on Valentine’s Day that they were quite busy and forgot to buy presents. Your St Valentine’s email reminders sent in the morning on February 14th will greatly help.

(Source: Email from Victoria's Secret)

6. Help with a proposal

Did you know that February 14th is one of the most popular days of the year to get engaged? If you run a restaurant or a jewelry shop, notify clients via Valentine's email campaign that you can help them to propose like in Hollywood movies :).

If you own a jewelry store, tell subscribers which rings are trendy this year. Oh, what a beautiful Valentine's Day gift!

(Source: Email from Tiffany & Co.)

7. Help clients get what they really want

Seriously, how often do we get gifts that we really like? And most importantly, how tired do we get when looking for presents for our beloved ones?

I'm not sure about you, but I never know what and where to get for my close people. It drives me nuts. So I would really appreciate a little hint with Valentine's Day gifts.

(Source: Email from Monica Vinader)

8. Offer anonymous delivery

Not everyone is ready to confess their love to someone on this day. Some prefer to stay confidential. Help your customers to be a Secret Valentine for their beloved ones. Such Valentine's treat will bring you more loyal customers.

9. Cheer up single hearts

While getting ready for your Valentine's Day campaign, think about those people who are not going to celebrate it this year. Cheer them up, as they might feel lonely on this day. Create a supportive Valentine's day email. Be their sweetheart.

As we do not know if certain subscribers are single, you can recommend everyone treat themselves on this holiday. I doubt anyone will refuse to get a small free gift or buy a present for themselves with a discount you offer.

Once I received an email with a subject line like, “Celebrating love to yourself this year? Get exactly what you want.” I loved it. And even though I was not single back then, I took their advice and purchased a new pair of earrings.

(Source: Email from Monica Vinader)

10. Utilize gamification to celebrate Valentine's Day

Entertain your customers on Valentine's Day!

Ask them tricky questions about your company. How many promo emails a month do you send? When was your company founded? How do you pronounce your brand's name?

You can offer winners to get a digital gift card, a personal discount, or free shipping. It's up to you! Generous coupons, gift guides, etc. might be the best decision for B2C Valentine's Day emails. 

However, SaaS products and B2B companies would benefit from email gamification. They do not normally sell products that would be a good fit as a present on this romantic holiday.

So, quizzes and contests might be a good way for them to congratulate clients with this Valentine's Day email.

For details on how to build a quiz in under an hour, please refer to the blog post given below.

11. Unite caring hearts

St Valentine's Day is a day to celebrate love for our close people, family, and the planet. Let those who care about the planet and all its inhabitants unite to save our common home.

(Source: Email from WWF's Panda Nation)

Yet another good example of how non-eCommerce companies can impress their subscribers with Valentine's Day newsletters.

12. Be a problem solver

Let your users focus on the holidays, shopping, and romantic speeches, while you cover their backs!

(Source: Email from Porsche)

You're running a hotel or a movie theater? Help your clients on this day! Let your guests know they will not have any problem with parking if they reserve a table or buy tickets online.

Or share the most romantic spots to visit on this day. Use your rich imagination, but remember to provide useful content to your clients.

(Source: Email from Forbes Travel Guide)

13. Add videos to emails

Videos in emails would be a good solution for those brands that do not sell apparel or jewelry and for those who do not run an HoReCa business.

With videos, you can either congratulate your customers on this holiday and spread some fun or express your gratitude.

(Source: Email from Charity: Water)

14. Let your customers know you love them

People hear dozens of “I love you”, “I like you” and “I cherish you” from their friends, colleagues, neighbors, and, of course, from their beloved ones on this day. Don’t be an exception. Tell the customers how much you value and cherish them.

15. Start today

If you own a B2C company that sells special gifts for people in love, you should start your Valentine's Day email campaign way before the holiday. People need time to choose what they want and get presents delivered on time.

St Valentine’s Day email subject lines

In regular newsletters, about 25% of recipients make the decision whether to open the message by reading the subject line. While for Valentine’s Day, this number is 30%.

No matter what the goal of your St Valentine’s newsletter is, you need to put it straight in the subject line. Be very specific yet concise.

Some examples of nice subject lines by famous brands:

• This Valentine’s Day, Reach for the Stars — Tiffany & Co.
• Announcing $20 gifts for your valentine — Gap.
• Hanna, Discover New Tiffany Designs for Valentine’s Day — Tiffany & Co.
• Love is in the air — Nike.
• Hanna, Order Now! One More Week for Valentine’s Day Delivery — Tiffany & Co.
• Reserve that special spot this Valentine’s Day — Porsche.
• Sporty Valentines Gifts ❤️— Decathlon.
• Be nature's Valentine: Join WWF's Race for Love — WWF's Panda Nation.
• Roses Are Boring, Chocolates Are Too… — Hipmunk.
• 50% off > having a Valentine 💘— LuckyBrand.
• A Heart for YOU or Your Valentine — Brighton.
• Late on Love? — Nike.
• 5 over-the-top Valentine's Day getaways — Forbes Travel Guide.
• Inside: Valentine's Day Shades — Athleta.
• We wrote a poem for you — Really Good Emails
• My Valentine’s gift guide — M&M’s.
• Start dropping the hints — Prezzo.
• Exclusive: enjoy our special offer and give a watch this Valentine’s Day | FREE SHIPPING — Ferrari.
• *hint* *hint* — Chubbies.
• A heartfelt exclusive — Herschel.
• Valentine’s Makeup Looks You’ll ❤️— Maybelline New York.
• ❤Valentine, It's Not Too Late — Brighton.
• Make your St Valentine’s Campaign Elegant — Stripo.
• Find the perfect gift with our Valentine's gift guide — Monica Vinader.
• 50% Off Valentine's Day Gifts — M&M's.
• A Tiffany Gift for Your Valentine — Tiffany & Co.

Valentine's Day email design ideas

Here you may implement St Valentine’s Day email newsletter ideas and email design tips you like the most or even combine some of them if you like:

• decorate emails with hearts;
• pay attention to small elements of your emails;
• be original;
• benefit from humor;
• use decorative fonts.

Below you will find some examples you can use for your inspiration. 

1. Decorate emails with hearts

A pink or red heart is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about Valentine's day emails. When you are in a rush to prepare your Valentine's Day newsletter, add some hearts to set the romantic vibe.

2. Decorate small elements of your holiday emails

If you are not in the mood to create a brand new Valentine's Day email newsletter and want to use your regular template, you can decorate small pieces of your emails. Of course, placing relevant emojis in a subject line, a footer, or a header will be a nice idea.

(Source: Email from Victoria's Secret)

But you can also do it the way Victoria's Secret did. Just add small hearts to your banner image.

Important to note:

You can add such small elements to banners with Stripo easily. Just upload these decorative elements as additional images. Or use pre-made Valentine's Day email templates and customize everything you need.

3. Be creative 

If you are a little bit tired of the hearts, you could use some other attributes of this romantic holiday.

Be original; add some flowers and balloons to your images.

(Source: Email from Victoria's Secret)

Or add a photo of a wine bottle with 2 (!) glasses.

(Source: Stripo template)

4. Add some fun

We cannot forget about some fun when thinking about the best Valentine's Day email ideas.

When I received this email, I realized I was not the only one confused and concerned about what to buy for my close people this Valentine’s Day. Red is also confused :). Phew...

(Source: Email from M&M's)

5. Use decorative fonts

Given that holiday emails require festive design, why not use a custom festive font for Valentine's Day email?

(Source: Stripo template)

It's easy to add and use custom fonts with Stripo.

Wrapping up

This is the most romantic holiday worldwide. So, our Valentine's Day email marketing requires our close attention.

When should you start sending out your Valentine's email newsletters? A month before the holiday. A week or two before the holiday, send emails to those who may forget about the holiday. On the very holiday, send an email with warm wishes and tell your customers how much you care for them.

Proper St Valentine’s Day email campaigns should:

• meet clients' interests;
• be well-designed;
• include a concise subject line;
• cheer up single hearts;
• offer ideas on how to celebrate the holiday;
• help men and women pick good gifts;
• express your love.

I wish you all the best. Thank you for reading. Be loved!