For local businesses gearing up for the busy holiday season, it’s hard to stay on top of all the demands on your time. But email marketing doesn’t have to be something that falls off your radar this holiday season. And it shouldn’t be! Our study found that 80% of people say they look for deals from businesses during the holidays to inform their shopping.
That’s why we put together these holiday email templates, examples, and tips, complete with the three essentials of an effective email: A compelling holiday subject line, interesting email copy, and a call-to-action (CTA). Try customizing these holiday messages to put the power of email marketing to work for your business this season.
Contents
- Holiday promotion and discount email templates and examples
- Holiday shopping email templates and examples
- More business holiday email templates and examples
- Holiday email marketing tips
Holiday promotion and discount email templates (with examples)
Emails that include discount offers or coupons are very popular with customers. As we mentioned, most people say they look for deals from businesses during the holidays to inform their shopping.
Discounts and promotions can help increase holiday foot traffic as well as help off-season businesses build their brand and even increase sales by offering early-bird discounts. Here are a few emails to consider sending your customers and prospects this holiday season.
1. The service discount email
Subject line: Don’t miss out on these special holiday savings…
Email copy:
Enjoy our holiday special at [Business Name]! Schedule your [service] by [date], and you’ll get [amount] off regular pricing. Just be sure to mention this email promotion when you call (or book online here!).
CTA: Call [000-000-0000] or book online today.
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
Offer good through [date]. Learn more at [link to promo landing page with terms and conditions for promotion].
🚀 Free guide: 37 Ways to Promote Your Business (Whatever Your Budget!)
2. The product discount email
Subject line: [Name], we’ve got a little gift for you 🎁
Email copy:
Looking for the perfect gifts for your loved ones this holiday season? We have just what you need—at a special price! Buy before [date] and enjoy [amount] off your purchase.
Think of it as our gift to you 😉
Stop in or check out all we have to offer online.
CTA: Get your discount!
See you soon!
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
3. The coupon email
Subject line: It’s BOGO time!
Email copy:
Just in time for the holidays! Get your coupon for a free [product or service] when you buy one at the regular price. Offer good through [date] [link to promo terms and conditions page on your website]. We look forward to seeing you this holiday season!
CTA: Get the Coupon Now
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
4. The seasonal item(s) email
Does your business offer seasonal items–like rotating menu items, holiday-related goods, or holiday-related services? Then this is the email for you. (Get more holiday promotion ideas here for inspiration!)
Subject line: [Name], it’s here! (But not for long…)
Email copy:
The holidays are here, which means so is our [seasonal item or service]. This was a crowd favorite last year, so we couldn’t miss an opportunity to bring it back! But only for a limited time. [Come in/Book your service] by [date] to get it for yourself!
CTA: Get it now/Book now
See you soon!
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
5. The limited-time holiday offer
Subject line: This hot deal won’t last long 🔥
Email copy:
Did someone say buy 1 get 1 free!?
Shop [Business Name] before [date], and you’ll get a free [product/service] when you buy one at equal value, while supplies last. This won’t last long!
CTA: Grab this offer
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
Terms and conditions apply [link to promo terms and conditions on your website].
6. The early-bird email
Subject line: [Name], you’ve got early access! ✨
Email copy:
The holidays have come early–just for you! We’re giving you early access to our special holiday [prices/sale]. Just stop by and show this email or use the code below to start saving today!
[Any details about your sale or promotion here.]
CTA: Save now
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
Terms and conditions apply [link to details page on website].
Holiday shopping email templates (+examples)
We all know the holidays are prime time for shopping, whether it’s gifts for others, services to make the holidays easier, or seasonal needs like heating repair and doctor’s visits–it’s the perfect time to remind customers about your business when they’re primed to buy. It’s also a great time to make your customers feel good about supporting local businesses.
7. The gift guide email
Subject line: [Name], Get gift ideas for everyone on your list
Email copy:
Are you checking your list (twice) and trying to find gifts that are nice? We’ve got just the ideas for everyone on your list!
[Include images or list of gift items from your business]
CTA: Get gifting [Link to website]
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
Find out how to create a holiday gift guide for your business here.
8. The local business email
Subject line: Support Local Businesses this Holiday Season
Email copy:
You can support your local economy by shopping independent businesses in your neighborhood this year. Looking for a way to shop local? [Business Name] will be open and featuring lots of great [products/services] for your holiday gift list. We hope to see you soon!
CTA: Check out [website URL] for great gift ideas!
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
📫 Get ready-to-customize emails in our free guide >> The Complete Email Marketing Toolkit: Free Email Templates, Subject Lines & Tips
9. The holiday event email
Subject line: [Name], You’re Invited: Shop & Save Holiday Event!
Email copy:
We’re bringing you extra holiday savings when you shop with us in-store this season! Don’t miss our shop-and-save event on [Date]. We’ll have [event details].
Here are the details:
[Include graphic or more information about hours, location, and anything else that would be helpful for recipients to know.]
CTA: Learn more OR RSVP now
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
More business holiday email templates and examples
Depending on your location and business type, the winter months might be your off-peak season—or you just might not have a lot to promote right now. But that doesn’t mean you should stop engaging with customers and leads!
Use this time to keep brand awareness alive with your audience by sharing helpful advice and tips, company news and updates, or industry trends. Then when your busy season revs up, your business will be top of mind with your audience.
Whether you use these ideas or come up with your own, the key is to keep your business in front of your audience with useful information they’ll appreciate year-round.
10. Product care tips email
Subject line: Keep your [pool, lawn, etc.] in tip-top shape this season ❄️
Email copy:
With the winter months [right around the corner/in full swing], you’ll want to keep your [product] in top shape. Here are some helpful tips you can use to ensure your [product] is ready for the spring and summer seasons.
[bulleted list of care tips]
CTA: Have a [product] care question? Call us at 000-000-000. OR Get more [product] care tips here.
We look forward to being of service to you in 2026!
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
11. The educational email
We’ll use a template for a dentist here and have included an example from an animal shelter, but you can edit it to align with your area of expertise.
Subject line: 3 holiday foods to avoid for healthy teeth
Email copy:
Wondering which foods are on the naughty list when it comes to your teeth and gum health this season? Try to avoid these three foods to keep cavities away (they might surprise you!).
[bullets here with the three food]
CTA: Learn more [link to blog]
At [Business Name], we’re here for you—including over the holidays! We have extended office hours in case you can’t resist one of these foods and need to see us ASAP 😉
Happy Holidays!
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
💡 Need email subject lines inspo? We’ve got you covered: Email Subject Lines for Every Month of the Year
12. The happy holidays email
Subject line: Happy Holidays from [Business Name]!
Email copy:
From your friends at [Business Name], we want to wish you a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
[You can include a holiday picture or video from your business here.]
[Include updates about your holiday hours here as well.]
We can’t wait to see you in 2026!
CTA: Stay in touch [link to your website]
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
Related: Get holiday video ideas to incorporate in your emails here.
13. The year-end wrap-up
Subject line: Thanks for a great 2025!
Email copy:
2025 has been a great year here at [Business Name], and we’re looking forward to being of service to you in 2026! [Include any details about how your customers have helped your business, or how you’ve helped customers throughout the year. This is also a great place to include a video wrap-up!]
CTA: Watch our video OR Visit our blog
We appreciate your business and look forward to seeing you soon!
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
Related: Get more New Year’s wishes to use in your year-in-review email here.
14. The review request email
This email template can be used year-round, but the holidays are a great time to follow up with happy customers for a review!
Subject line: Got a minute? We’d love your feedback!
Email copy:
Thank you for being a loyal and valuable customer of [Business Name] this year. We appreciate your support and the opportunity to serve you!
Feedback and reviews from our wonderful customers like you help support our business–during the holidays and beyond. Could we have a minute of your time to let us know how we’re doing?
Leave us a review here:
[Add list of places people can leave reviews, such as Google Business Profile or Yelp.]
CTA: Leave us a review
We appreciate your time!
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
15. The holiday newsletter
This email can be a collection of news about your business or new content you’ve produced, some seasonal promotions, or just interesting information your readers would like to know.
Subject line: Here’s what’s happening at [Business Name]!
Email copy:
We’ve got a lot of exciting updates to share this month! First, don’t miss our [relevant announcement like a sale or promotion–include details here].
Next, we wanted to share some holiday happenings around the area to get you into the seasonal spirit: [include a link or list of events happening in your area].
And lastly, we wanted to highlight what our customers are saying about us: [Include a testimonial callout or highlight here].
Want more from us? Make sure to follow us on [link to social sites here] to keep up with all our latest happenings!
CTA: See what else we have going on!
[Business Name]
[Website URL]
[Business contact information]
Best holiday email marketing tips
Use these tips and best practices that will put your holiday email marketing strategy on the nice list.
1. Write subject lines that reflect the festive mood
When sending your holiday emails, have a little fun and lean into the festive spirit to help your emails stick out.
Here are a few tips for your holiday email subject lines:
- Craft subject lines that instantly let the readers know what to expect in the email.
- Include relevant emojis (like these: 🎉☃️🎄🎁) to add a personal touch and celebratory vibes.
- Keep your subject lines short and sweet. If your subject lines are too long, they’ll be cut off in mobile viewing.
2. Send out targeted messages with effective segmentation
Segment your email subscribers to build personalized email campaigns. This will be more effective for your holiday email marketing than sending generic emails to your full list.
You can create segments based on the following parameters:
- Demographics. Age, gender, and geographical location are the basic segmentation criteria for every business.
- Past purchases. Categorize your customers according to the items they have searched for and their previous purchase categories.
- Frequency of purchases. There are two types of shoppers: year-round shoppers and seasonal shoppers. Segment them based on these criteria and create your holiday email campaigns accordingly. You can share a VIP preview sale or exclusive offers with frequent shoppers. Or you can have a reward points system that would encourage the seasonal shoppers to purchase more frequently and join the VIP customers.
- Discount shoppers. Make a separate list of people who shop during a sale or only with discount codes. By creating this segment, you can make sure that you do not offer discounts to users who are open to paying full price.
3. Create unique email designs that stand out
The holiday season is the time when all businesses are reaching out to their customers and prospects with offer emails. So, your emails must stand out and leave a lasting impression on the reader’s mind, thereby persuading them to convert.
Send out visually rich emails in sync with the holiday they are sent for. For example, incorporate spooky imagery in Halloween emails and Christmassy visuals with red and white color combinations for Christmas emails.
Go the extra mile and think of new ideas for holiday emails. You can experiment with different types of animations to enhance subscriber engagement and make them purchase from you.
Take a look at this email by Stop Aging Now. All the visual elements match the theme of Halloween. The clever copy and CTA draw the subscriber’s attention and encourage them to click through.
Once they click on the call to action, they get redirected to the landing page where they can reveal the offer by carving the pumpkin.
Isn’t it a great idea?
4. Tap into FOMO
One of the most important objectives of your holiday campaigns (or any other email campaigns) should be to stop the customers from moving on to your competitors. Create a sense of urgency by highlighting limited-time offers and interactive countdown timers.
Skydio has created a sense of urgency through their holiday email by emphasizing the phrase “Last chance.” This plays into the fear of missing out and urges customers to complete their purchases.
5. Set up automated workflows to reach the right person at the right time
Holiday email marketing works best with automation workflows. Here are some automated emails that you should include in your holiday marketing strategy.
Seasonal welcome emails
Do away with that welcome email created long ago. Instead, design a brand new welcome email for the holiday season. Incentivize users with an exclusive offer they cannot refuse. Add vibrant colors like red, green, and blue to create the holiday mood. You can even add rich media to improve the aesthetic appeal and take the customer experience to the next level.
Cart abandonment emails
Cart abandonment becomes all the more frequent during the holidays as people are on a shopping spree. There are too many distractions that can lead to abandoned carts. Cart recovery emails can go a long way to bring these customers back and improve conversions. You can send a series of cart abandonment emails over a period of 72 hours. Additionally, you can include a discount coupon code to make the cart abandoners complete the purchase.
Promotional emails according to the buying cycle
Even during the holiday season, your prospects are traversing through different stages of their buyer’s journey. Make sure you create holiday-themed emails to prompt them to convert. Furthermore, send a post-purchase email campaign to get their feedback and pave the way for future purchases.
Re-engagement emails
The holiday season is the best time to re-engage inactive customers and urge them to purchase again. It is a good excuse to offer discounts and attract them to your website. Re-engagement emails can help revive dormant leads and make them purchase from you again.
6. Be strategic with your email cadence
Just because everyone else is sending emails frequently during the holidays doesn’t mean that you should. Sending too many emails can get overwhelming for readers and lead to unsubscribes.
Therefore, keep an eye on your holiday email sending frequency. Allow email subscribers to set their preferences so that you can send them emails as per their expectations. Sending too many emails suddenly during the holiday season can trigger spam filters and affect your email deliverability. Plan your emails strategically so that you don’t end up bombarding your customers.
7. Integrate social media and email marketing
The holiday season gives you an opportunity to build your social media presence. Organize social media contests and promote them through your holiday email marketing campaigns. Share links to your social media handles to increase your brand visibility and get more followers.
See how Unique Vintage has invited its readers to follow its Instagram handle. They have also included the relevant social media handles in the email footer.
8. Test and see what works for you
You can test different ideas for your holiday email marketing strategy with A/B testing or multivariate testing. See what works for you and what doesn’t.
Remember that every tip shared online might not work for you. So figure out what resonates the most with your target market. For example, you can start sending Christmas emails in the second week of December if your buying cycle is around two weeks.
9. Optimize email campaigns based on data
Monitor the performance of your holiday email marketing and keep optimizing it according to the results. Also, check out the kind of emails your competitors are sending and take inspiration from them.
Send open-worthy holiday emails with these templates
Inspired to ramp up your holiday email marketing? Whether you use these emails or create your own, remember the essential formula for every email: a compelling subject line, concise body copy, and a strong CTA.
Be sure to include your unsubscribe link in each email you send to be compliant with CAN-SPAM laws in the United States. And, remember to include links to relevant terms and conditions or website landing pages when you send promotional emails.
Want more holiday email marketing resources? We’ve got you covered:
- Best Holiday Email Subject Lines to Try This Season
- Even More Holiday Email Templates
- Christmas Email Templates & Ideas
- November Newsletter Ideas
- December Newsletter Ideas
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