This new monthly series chronicles our favorite emails from the last month that captured our attention and created click-worthly curiosity.

When your email inbox is bombarded by hundreds of emails a month, as an email marketer, it’s important to appreciate the craft of our industry colleagues and get inspired to transform those ideas for our clients.

ONCE EVERY 4 YEARS

While technically, it wasn’t this month, one could argue that had it not been for that one extra day squeezed into the calendar on February 29, it would have been March. 

So, we’re counting it. 

As email marketers, we are always looking for opportunities to deliver fun and engaging content to our subscribers.

Sometimes, we seek an excuse to send a discount to generate a spike in website traffic and revenue.

And what better way to use one extra day this year than to send a Leap Day campaign?

Out of the hundreds of brands we follow, it was surprising to see only a handful of brands use Leap Day in their campaign, specifically in their subject lines. Some of our favorite lines included:

• LEAPING LINTBALLS, Bryan! (Uproot Clean)
• Take the Leap (Super73)
• Leap into Savings (Hoplark)

I also appreciate the incorporation of the extra day:

• Leap Day Sale: $29 Styles until Midnight (Shady Rays)
• Leap into Savings With an Extra 29% Off Today (PEARL iZUMi)

Both of these email subject lines create a high sense of urgency and a feeling of exclusivity that makes you want to check out the specially discounted items.

Lastly… emojis. My favorite 🐸 

WHY DO WE STILL DO THIS?

Daylight savings. Why?

And this time, we all lost an hour. 

It’s the absolute worst, and most people suffer from a lack of sleep when the clocks roll back. 

But if you are a fresh brewed 20x concentrated coffee brand, Jot, you knew exactly how to strike the right chord with us.

Subject Line: So you lost an hour? 

Even blurry-eyed and half awake, this caught our attention in the inbox.

FOR THE LOVE OF THE HUNT

With any religiously oriented holiday, I’m mindful that not all of a brand’s subscribers will celebrate or participate, but as a marketer, I appreciate when a brand finds a neutral way to engage subscribers around the holiday. 

Duex, a DTC cookie-dough brand, created a virtual egg hunt on their website. 

I first saw this strategy used in retail stores to drive foot traffic, but over the last couple of years, I’ve seen eCommerce DTC brands deploying similar virtual experiences to boost website traffic, product discovery, and of course, revenue.

It’s genius. 

Subject Line: Something hidden on our website 🔍

Sometimes, it pays to think beyond your typical discount campaign. You can use email to kick off a new brand experience that your customers will remember and keep your emails click-worthy.