It’s February and love is in the air! Email love, that is. As an email marketer, you’ve realized holiday emails equate to peak times when you’re competing for inbox attention. So as the clock winds down on your Valentine’s Day email marketing campaign you’re probably wondering how you can stand out in the inbox. Check out these inspirational tips from the experts at PostUp on what you can still do to get your lovely emails signed, sealed, and delivered as beautifully as a bouquet of roses or edible fruit basket.
Paper Source
Subject line: Because We 
You!
Industry: Paper goods, e-commerce
“This email is awesome because it’s built around a contest campaign for making homemade valentines and ties into the Valentine’s holiday with the “show the love” theme. It comes complete with a hashtag, contest incentive, and shopping CTAs. They even include a link to find a store where you can make a handmade valentine. Plus, note the heart symbol in the subject line.” -Kelly Ford, Manager of Strategic Services
Mashable
Subject line: Velocity Alert: Forget flowers, send your Valentine a Star Wars bouquet
Industry: News & Media/Publishing
“This email is awesome because it’s built around a contest campaign for making homemade valentines and ties into the Valentine’s holiday with the “show the love” theme. It comes complete with a hashtag, contest incentive, and shopping CTAs. They even include a link to find a store where you can make a handmade valentine. Plus, note the heart symbol in the subject line.” -Kelly Ford, Manager of Strategic Services
Mashable
Subject line: Velocity Alert: Forget flowers, send your Valentine a Star Wars bouquet
Industry: News & Media/Publishing
LittleThings
Subject line: How to make heart-shaped cherry pies + more
Industry: Digital Publishing
As an email marketer, it’s tough to stand out in the inbox around holidays and big events because every other email marketer is going to be sending similar emails. I like this one from LittleThings.com because of its subtlety. It starts off with a Valentine’s-themed recipe (which looks delicious, by the way), but then has a collection of the usual content I love from them. They didn’t try to shoehorn the impending holiday into all of the content; they touched on it and then moved on with business as usual. For someone who is alarmed when Valentine’s Day candy goes on the shelves the day after Christmas, I liked that they didn’t beat me over the head with red and pink hearts. -Andrea Bridges-Smith, Product Marketing Manager
Rare
Subject line: These rainbow heart cookies are perfect for Valentine’s Day
Industry: News & Media
These rainbow heart cookies are perfect for the person who can figure out how to follow the step-by-step recipe fearlessly. This is why I’m glad there is play button linking to the descriptive video! Without this video link, this recipe could easily become another one of my #PinterestFails. While adding a large-sized video to your email could become a recipe for disaster across many email clients and mobile devices, you can still use video. Simply, create a hero image with a play button, as seen in this Rare email, or insert a hyperlink to the video’s location on your site. Viola! You are now equipped to wow your subscribers by making the impossible seem possible with an explainer video. -Jasmine Kyles, Marketing Operations
DogVacay
Subject line: 3 holidays in 1 weekend? Whaaat?
Industry: Pet Care/Animal Boarding
This subject line offers nothing but mystery, causing me to open the email, and when I did, the animated GIF at the top of the email perfectly illustrated all three holidays. Animation in the form of GIFs and cinemagraphs are all the rage this year! I love this email because it moved me to think beyond just February 14th and towards three important upcoming holidays when I might need a dog sitter. It also features a “Book Now” call-to-action for busy subscribers as a convenience, which opens the app or website depending on where it’s opened. -Jasmine Kyles, Marketing Operations
As email marketers, we’re in the business of building lasting and meaningful relationships. Valentine’s Day offers a terrific opportunity to build on a time centered around sharing gifts with those we love. Use this as an opportunity to remind your customers and subscribers how much they mean to you!