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45 Valentine’s Email Subject Lines Your Subscribers Will Love
A clever, well-planned valentines day email campaign can yield some seriously positive results. To help you play cupid with your subscribers this year, here are 45 of our favorite Valentine’s Day subject lines to inspire your own.
According to the National Retail Federation, the average American planned to spend $165 on Valentine’s Day gifts and celebrations in 2021. With so much money trading hands on Valentine’s Day, there’s no reason your customers shouldn’t receive Valentine’s Day emails from you.
Don’t let the florists and jewelers reap all the rewards: Your business can cash in on this holiday too. By sending the right Valentine’s Day emails, with the right subject lines, you too can sweeten your bottom line this February.
We’ve put together a list of 45 Valentine’s email subject lines your subscribers will love. Plus, you’ll find subject line tips and some examples of great Valentine’s Day email marketing that got our hearts beating a little faster.
45 of the best Valentine’s Day email subject lines
B2C subject lines
Here are some of our favorite subject lines from the worlds of retail, ecommerce, and other B2C industries. You’ll notice teases for a lot of special offers like gift cards, free gifts, or even free delivery that entice readers to open.
- Society6: Valen-time’s Almost Up to Get 30% Off Everything
- Edible Arrangements: Red roses are so last year
- Starbucks: No flowers, but alllll of the chocolate
- Paper Source: Will you be our Galentine?
- Gordon Ramsay Restaurants: Make Valentine’s Day one to Remember
- Hulu: Spend Valentine’s Day with Our Favorite Couples
- Shutterfly: Personalize your Valentine’s Day gift
- Moovly: Create a Valentine’s Day video in a snap
- Sephora: Looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for him?
- Birchbox: Valentine’s Day treats for you and yours
- Saxx: Hurry! Last Chance For Valentine’s Day with Express Shipping
- Ink Cards: 6 HOURS LEFT to send cards in time for Valentine’s Day delivery
- La Mer: Happy Valentine’s Day: enjoy a free sample
- Birchbox: Last chance to gift Birchbox this Valentine’s Day
- Nordstrom: Valentine’s Day gifts for her and him
- Steve Madden: It’s love
- Birchbox: This Valentine’s Day, think inside the box
- Target: Sweet deal on Valentine’s Day gifts + in-store pickup
- Nordstrom: Valentine’s Day gifts for the loves in your life
- La Mer: A last-minute miracle for Valentine’s Day
- Guess: Let us set you up this Valentine’s Day
- La Mer: Seal it with a kiss: The lip balm for Valentine’s Day
- Orbitz: Deliver your Valentine’s Day gift in person
- Anthropologie: Show your love with these great gifts
- J. Crew: Ditch the chocolates and check out these gift ideas
- Orbitz: See the ones you love, hot fares for Vday
- Bass Pro Shop: Unique gifts for a unique Valentine
- LuLu: Be mine! Our Valentine’s shop is open!
- Touch of Modern: A Valentine’s Day gift guide you want to open
- Williams-Sonoma: XOXO Valentine’s Day favorites are here
- FabKids: What will you wear this Valentine’s Day?
- Stoneberry: Heat up this Valentine’s Day with a sale on heaters
- Uncommon designs: Bright designs for your bright love
- The Watchery: Time for love. Get these deals before time runs out
- One Kings Lane: Silky sheets and sweet dreams for Valentine’s Day
B2B subject lines
A Valentine’s Day email campaign isn’t just for business-to-consumer brands. More and more, business-to-business (B2B) brands are getting in on the holiday email fun as well.
- Movable Ink: Roses are red, violets are blue, this floral retailer lifted conversions – and so can you!
- WordPress: Aren’t in love with your website? Make a change
- Leo’s Tax Service: Get your taxes filed by Valentine’s Day
- Commercial Cleaners: Book before Valentine’s Day and Get $50 off
- Buffalo Web Creators: Nothing says romance like website design
Nonprofit subject lines
A Valentine’s Day campaign is also a great time for nonprofit organizations to drive donations, as some on your email list might want to give back this time of year.
- Petco Foundation: Join The World’s Largest #ShelterValentine ❤️
- SOS Children’s Villages: Share your love this Valentine’s Day
- The Trust for Public Land: 7 Places to steal a kiss this Valentine’s Day
- Austin Humane Society: Your furry Valentine
- United Way: Send a Valentine that sends a message
Tips to create the perfect Valentine’s email subject lines
Optimize your subject line for your subscribers
A subject line should compel a subscriber to open the email. You have to choose your words wisely, especially since space is limited.
Most subject lines are about 50 characters, so your word selection is crucial. Get familiar with the email clients and devices your subscribers are using so you can optimize your subject line length for them. You can see this information in Campaign Monitor in the Campaign Reports section under Email Client Usage.
Here’s an example from our own Newsletter subscribers:
Since many of our subscribers view newsletters in Gmail and on iPhones, we optimize our subject line length for those devices. An ideal length is between 41 characters (portrait view on an iPhone) and 70 characters for Gmail.
Read more about how to determine the best length for your subject line in this post.
Show the love in your Valentine’s email
It might seem obvious, but you should mention the holiday in your subject line, or use words that are associated with it. You’ll notice most of the subject lines above use the phrase Valentines Day or words that coincide with the holiday, like love, sweet, or romance.
Or, for those last-minute planners, phrases like last day, not too late, last-minute valentine’s gifts, or there’s still time will compel readers to open.
Add an incentive to your Valentine subject line
If you can work an incentive into the subject line, do so. For example, if you’re running an offer for free shipping or a Valentine’s Day sale, be sure to let readers know about it in the subject line. Alluding to your offer ahead of time will increase the likelihood that your subscribers open your email.
Use an emoji to increase the 💜
Do you want to set your email apart from others? Consider adding an emoji. Brands using emojis in their subject lines saw a 45% increase in their unique open rates.
The ❤️ is one of the most popular emojis, and it can generate 6% more opens. What better occasion to break it out than Valentine’s Day? Several of the subject lines listed above contain a variation of the heart emoji, which means this symbol can be used for a number of email types.
If you’re planning to use emojis, be sure it makes sense for your brand. It should fit with your brand’s overall tone. As always, it’s a great idea to a/b test subject lines to see if emojis resonate with your audience.
To learn more about emojis and how to use them in your emails, check out our guide!
Valentine’s Day email examples
To go with Valentine’s Day subject lines, you’ll need a beautiful Valentine’s Day email design. Here are some of our top examples.
Modcloth
Notice how Modcloth focuses on the aesthetic of Valentine’s Day, rather than romance. The red background is bold and exciting.
Society6
Society6 uses artistic design to match their brand and style, and they even feature artist-made work in the email.
Prezi
Prezi uses a clean, subtle Valentine’s Day design in their email, which encourages users to send a valentine with their service.
Stocksy
Similar to Society6, Stocksy uses content from their site to create a beautiful, festive design.
American Red Cross
Notice how American Red Cross uses the holiday and authenticity to show their mission. The sweet story they share in the email above is bound to attract readers.
Plan International
Plan International uses images and Valentine’s Day colors to tug at readers’ heartstrings.
Share the love this Valentine’s Day
Are you prepared to embrace Valentine’s Day? With the tips and email subject lines in this post, you’ll be ready to create and send the sweetest, revenue-making Valentine’s emails, and that’s something everyone will love.
Use Campaign Monitor to make your own Valentine’s Day emails. And don’t forget to check out our library of email templates that make building your campaigns a breeze.
