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Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day, and you can help improve brand love – and conversions and sales – by increasing your email open rates. Learn how to take advantage of open hearts this Love Day and increase your open rates.

“Love is in the air.” A bit cheesy? Maybe. But people really do respond to these kinds of lines around Valentine's Day. Some swoon with delight. Others cringe with bitterness. 

Either way, you can play into the emotions of the season. It’s a welcomed opportunity for email marketers to let loose, have fun, and even be a bit sexy in their approach to capturing the eyes – or opens – of email subscribers.

Read on for some subject line inspiration that will lead to winning campaigns your boss or clients will love. Okay; we’ll stop. 

Why Valentine’s Day email marketing matters

From chocolates to roses, jewelry, expensive steak dinners, and even romantic getaways, Valentine’s Day is a huge spending holiday. In fact, in 2022, the National Retail Federation says that Americans spent nearly $24 billion on gifts for their lovers, friends, pets, and more.

As a result, competition is red hot to win over the love-stricken (and heartbroken) Valentine’s Day consumer. This is where having a standout email marketing campaign – and subject lines that entice subscribers to open – come into play. 

Nearly every organization can find a way to tie into Valentine’s Day, but here are some of the industries that have the most to gain this time of year: 

• Jewelers: Americans spend about $6.2B on jewelry for their Valentines.
• Travel: Gen-Z and younger millennials are nearly 50% more likely than older generations to buy experiential gifts, including travel.
• Florists: $2.3B is spent on Valentine’s flowers each year.
• Candymakers and chocolatiers: $2.2B of the sweet stuff – candy hearts, heart-shaped chocolates, chocolate roses, and other candy and chocolates – are sold each year.
• Greeting cards: Hallmark says that 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year.
• Restaurants: Americans spent $4.3B dining out on Valentine’s Day 2022.
• Wine and spirits: 23% of consumers give alcohol to their Valentines.
• Online dating: Activity on dating apps increases during the week leading up to Valentine’s Day.
• Pet supplies: In 2022, consumers spent $1.89B on their furry valentines.
• Couples therapy: An unconventional but practical Valentine’s Day gift.

No matter the industry, email marketing stands to reach and persuade engaged subscribers. According to Sinch Mailjet, eight out of ten people check their email at least once a day. 

The key to success, however, is getting your messages opened. How do you do this? With an amazing subject line! 

Get strategic with Valentine’s Day subject lines

While our cupids will provide you with some examples of Valentine’s Day subject lines that hit the mark, this article aims to help you develop your own unique ideas that will work in your industry and resonate with your specific email subscribers.

Did you know that 33% of email recipients open emails because of catchy subject lines, while 69% report emails as spam after simply reading the subject line?

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Strike the right tone 

Finding the right approach for your brand voice likely won’t happen overnight, and you may need to experiment a little to find the one that resonates best with your audience. Remember the themes around Valentine’s Day and start by experimenting with the following tones and our provided examples:

• Cutesy: P.S. I Love You.
• Heartfelt: A Special Promo Code for You, Valentine  
• Slightly sexy: Get Your Love On with Our V-Day Sale 
• Sarcastic or clever: Celebrate Our Anti-Valentine’s Day Sale | V-Day sucks – 5 deals you’ll hate to love
• Inspirational/encouraging: Be Your Own Valentine This Year and #TreatYoSelf

Getting sappy might work for some brands and audiences but not others. Consider what you’re selling and who’s reading before you start writing Valentine’s Day subject lines. 

Find your love language

There are so many cliches you can draw upon for Valentine’s Day subject lines. Like with any brainstorming session, start writing them down as they come to you. Silly, serious, or downright ridiculous, keep a list and filter out the duds later. Here are some Valentine’s Day subject line ideas to get you started:

• Cupid Approved Daily Deals
• Cupid’s Calling: 40% Off
• Use The Key to Our Heart to Unlock 25% Off This Valentine’s Day
• Here’s How to Make Them Fall in Love All Over Again
• 🎷At Last 🎵, We’re Slashing Prices for Valentine’s Day!
• Spoil Your Sweetheart with a Valentine’s Day Treat
• Sweep Your Sweetheart Off Their Feet with Discounts on Romantic Gifts
• Love is in the Air – and So Are Valentine’s Day Discounts
• Fall in Love with Our New Arrivals Just in Time for V-Day
• For Your Eyes Only, Valentine: 40% Off Today
• Falling in Love... With Deep Discounts
• Be Mine! Our V-Day Gift Guide is Out Now
• Still Looking for the Perfect V-Day Gift? Peek Inside
• Rekindle Love with a Special Gift for Him/Her
• Nothing Spells L-o-v-e Like Our February Sale
• Running Out of Valentime to Cash in On Savings
• “L” is For the Way You’ll Look at These Sale Prices
• This Valentine’s Day Sale is Sure to Make You Blush
• Just in Valen-time – 40% off Valentine’s Gifts
• Need a Last Minute V-Day Gift? Our Cupids Have You Covered
• You’ll Have Heart Eyes For Our Valentine’s Day Sale
• 24 hrs Left. Let’s Fall in Love with 40% Off
• A Galentine’s Treat
• Hey you 😍 – sneak a peek at our deals 👀
• Will You Be Our Valentine?
• Wine and Dine Your Valentine with 40% Off
• An Early Valentine’s Day Treat: 20% Off
• Love at First Bite
• Hey, Valentine. Take 40% Off Today
• Our V-Day Sale: Better Than Chocolates, Lasts Longer Than Roses
• How Much Do We Love Our Customers? 40% Off! That’s How Much
• There’s Nothing Not to L-O-V-E in This Sale

Emojis for Valentine’s Day subject lines 

When done right, emojis can be a super important addition to your Valentine’s Day subject lines to help reinforce the tone you’re going for, whether it’s cutesy (heart eyes emoji), slightly sexy (kissing emoji), sarcastic (black heart emoji), or anything else.

Emojis are also a great way to draw attention to your subject lines and help you stand out in a crowded inbox. 

It’s important to strategically use and place your emojis, though – don’t go overboard. Too many emojis can take you from an interesting and cute subject line to one that looks like a preschool project or, worse, a scam.

You know your audience best, so consider their preferences when deciding whether to use emojis. If you’re uncertain about how they’ll react, split-test your subject line with and without emojis to see which one performs best.

Pro tip: Make sure you know any hidden meanings behind certain emojis. If you’re not sure, start by staying away from any fruits or vegetables (you're welcome). 

Valentine’s Day subject lines for him and her 

According to Digital Commerce 360, women shop for Valentine’s Day early, and men shop last minute. This is an important fact that you can use to your advantage in your subject line to compel the reader to take action. If possible, segment your list by gender to take advantage of that fact.

Emails targeting male customers could be sent in the final days before Valentine's and either gently remind them or urgently warn them that the bid day is coming soon.

Other ways to segment your email list include by purchase history and customer preferences. After all, 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions, and 76% get frustrated when it doesn’t happen. Using a headline with some personalization is an excellent strategy to show the customer you’re listening to their needs.

Anti-Valentine’s Day email subject lines 

Not everyone feels the love on Valentine’s Day – in fact, some consumers hate it. Zig when your competition zags by tapping into the audience segment that hates V-Day. You can do this by taking a more skeptical, hard-hearted, and sarcastic approach in your Valentine’s Day subject lines.

Examples of anti-Valentine’s Day email subject lines include:

• 40% off for Valentine’s Day Haters!
• Hate V-Day? So Do We. Open for a Promo Code
• Misery Loves Company. 💔Shop with Us for 50% off
• The Anti-Valentine’s Day List Is Here
• 40% Off in Celebration of All the Singles Ladies

Show your preview text some love 

The subject line isn’t the only thing subscribers will see when your message hits their inbox. Preview or preheader text – the non-bold copy that appears in the subscriber’s inbox right after the subject line – presents your next-best opportunity to impact open rates. 

Never, ever just let email clients pull in their own, random copy from your email body. What a waste! Use it to boost the impact of your Valentine’s Day email subject lines – finish thoughts, build curiosity, or even soften your super-direct subject line with a more welcoming tone.

Email on Acid has a proven tool to optimize your email’s inbox display – which includes the subject line and preview text – for your best open rates ever. 

Here are some tips for using the preview text: 

• Provide key details, like how much of a discount you’re offering or how much time is left for your sale.
• Elaborate or expand on your subject line.
• Tease an incentive. Double down on your incentive offerings by including one in the subject line and another in the email’s preview text. This can pique the subscriber’s curiosity even more while also increasing their urge to open the email.
• Personalize the preview text. 
• Ask a question.
• Add a sense of urgency by adding phrases like “this weekend only,” “today only,” “24 hours left,” “limited Valentine’s Day flavors,” etc.
• Include a call-to-action, like “try all three flavors now.”

Again, you don’t want to leave things to chance. Email on Acid’s Inbox Display feature checks how subject lines, From names, and preview text look together in different situations. If you’re serious about maximizing Valentine’s Day email open rates, you need to give it a try. 

An (email) test of true love 

If you truly love your Valentine’s Day email campaigns, you’ll test them before you hit send. Email on Acid loves its customers so much that it gives everyone unlimited testing, no matter their plan. 

What’s the best way to run through your pre-send checklist? With Email on Acid’s Campaign Precheck. We’ve simplified the process and set everything up for you. Use it to double-check your content, test for deliverability, ensure accessibility, and preview how campaigns look on the most popular clients and devices. Start a free trial today to start delivering email perfection.