In 2022 alone, phishing attacks cost Americans over $52 million, and that does not include BEC (business email compromise) cases that approach $3 billion in losses for companies in 2023 alone. Email scams are a universal menace—most of us have encountered at least one. While some are easily spotted, others are remarkably sophisticated and convincing. So, if you’ve ever fallen victim to an email scam, you’re not alone.

In this article, we will look at some of the most notorious email scam examples that targeted major corporations. These stories reveal how creative and skillful some cybercriminals are and how significant the financial impacts on their victims can be. As scammers become more advanced with technological developments, understanding these past incidents can help us learn from mistakes and strengthen our security measures to better protect against future threats.

Notable Email Scams in History

1. The Nigerian prince scam

Story: “Greetings, a substantial inheritance is reserved for you…but it’s currently secured in an international bank…” Sounds familiar? This is an example of scam email, many of which started to appear in the beginning of 90s and are still very active in the email realm. 

The essence of the Nigerian prince scam is that it exploits people’s trust and greed by promising them a large sum of money in exchange for their assistance with transferring funds. Scammers pose as wealthy individuals or royalty who need help to move their fortune out of their country due to legal or political issues. Victims are usually asked to provide personal information and pay various upfront fees for legal costs, taxes, or bribes. In return, they are promised a fair share of the fortune. Once the victim is hooked, these fees keep escalating for various reasons, while the promised fortune never materializes. By the time a victim realizes that he or she was scammed, they are left with financial losses, significant at times.

Nowadays, scammers do not limit themselves to only Nigerian royalty and often pose as wealthy individuals from the United States, Ukraine, the Ivory Coast, Switzerland, or the Central African Republic. In spite of greater location diversity, most of these phishing scam examples still exploit the classics, often involving stories of deceased relatives with large inheritances.

Cost: It is hard to estimate actual losses from this type of scam since it’s been around for decades and affected people of different walks of life. Nonetheless, with individual victims losing anywhere from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars, collective losses from the Nigerian prince can be estimated in billions of dollars. 

2. The IRS tax refund scam

Story: The IRS tax refund scam represents a fraudulent scheme where scammers impersonate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The goal is to lure individuals into providing personal and financial information. In the example of these phishing emails, scammers contact victims via phone, email, or text, claiming to be IRS representatives.

They inform the victims that they are eligible for a tax refund or that there is an issue with their tax return that needs immediate attention. Threats of legal action, fines, or arrest if the victim does not comply coming from the alleged IRS serve as an effective strategy that makes many lose their rational mind. These messages always play with a sense of urgency and a feeling of fear and confusion, turning them into a powerful impersonating tool. 

Victims are then asked to provide sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, bank account details, or credit card numbers required for verifying their identity or processing the refund. In case of emails, victims are directed to click on malicious links or open attachments containing malware. The next step—victims are left dealing with the consequences of having their personal information compromised.

In order to prevent people from falling victims of tax refund scams, the actual IRS provided users with crucial information on how to recognize scam messages on their official website: 

Cost: The collective losses of Americans from the IRS scam accounted for some $2.3 billion in 2021, with the median individual losses of around $1,000. While a substantial 17.16% of US citizens reported losing money to IRS scams, the actual numbers are much higher, as many prefer to keep it secret due to feelings of fear, shame, and embarrassment. 

3. The Target 

The Target CEO fraud that happened in 2016 is a classic BEC email scam example. 

In their impersonating attempt, cybercriminals crafted a convincing email that appeared to come from Brian Cornell, the CEO of Target. The email was sent to a finance employee within the company and contained instructions to urgently transfer $40 million to a specified bank account.

The email mimicked Target’s CEO communication style in details, including language and formatting of the legitimate CEO’s emails. Believing the request to be genuine and urgent, the finance employee initiated the transfer of the substantial sum to the fraudulent account provided by the scammers. It was only after the transaction was completed and the money had been transferred that the company realized they had fallen victim to a sophisticated scam.

The email successfully played on the sense of urgency and the employee’s willingness to follow directives from the company’s top manager.

While there is no publicly available copy of the infamous 2016 BEC scam email, Target allocates on its official website different email fraud examples. Such as this fake order scam: 

Cost: While the amount lost by Target in 2016 seems insanely big, it looks like a drop in the ocean in comparison to the $50 billion that has been lost in both American and international BEC cases in the period between 2013 and 2022. And these are only the reported numbers!

4. The Facebook and Google scam (2013–2015)

Story: The story of the Facebook and Google email scam is one of the biggest phishing scam examples in the history of cybercrimes. From 2013 to 2015, Lithuanian citizen Evaldas Rimasauskas executed an ambitious phishing scam targeting two of the largest tech companies in the world, Facebook and Google. Posing as Quanta Computer, a well-known Asian hardware manufacturer and one of the suppliers for both companies, Rimasauskas set up fake email accounts and company stamps with the same name as Quanta Computer.

After that, Rimasauskas started to send fraudulent invoices to Facebook and Google, requesting payment for goods and services that had never been provided. These invoices looked authentic and included details that matched legitimate transactions that both companies were accustomed to. The finance departments at Facebook and Google processed these invoices and transferred the requested funds to mentioned bank accounts The payments were sent to bank accounts in various countries, including Latvia, Cyprus, Slovakia, Lithuania, Hungary, and Hong Kong. 

The scam was eventually uncovered, leading to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. In 2017, Rimasauskas was arrested in Lithuania and later extradited to the United States. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and other charges in 2019, admitting to his role in the multi-million-dollar scheme.

Cost: Over the course of the scheme, Rimasauskas managed to fraudulently obtain over $100 million from the two tech giants. 

5. The Ubiquiti Networks scam (2015)

Story: In 2015, Ubiquiti Networks, a U.S.-based technology company specializing in wireless data communication products, became another victim of the BEC scam. 

The attackers posed as high-ranking Ubiquiti executives and sent convincing emails to the company’s finance department. These emails, crafted to appear legitimate and urgent, instructed the finance employees to transfer funds to specific bank accounts for business purposes. Believing the instructions were genuine, the finance team complied and initiated the transfers.

Over a period, the scammers managed to scam the company of approximately $46.7 million. While the company managed to recover parts of the stolen money, the whole amount was challenging to trace since the money were sent to overseas accounts controlled by the fraudsters.

Cost: The company reported a loss of $46.7 million due to the scam. Altogether, in the last nine years, there have been around 300,000 BEC cases reported in 50 states across the US and 177 other countries. Similarly, in the period from 2021 to 2022, the number of reported BEC cases increased by 17%.

The Impact of Email Scams

Five interesting facts about email scams

Psychological and emotional impact on victims

While financial loss might be devastating at times, often it is not the main impact experienced by victims of online scams. In the aftermath of fraud, many struggle with feelings of shame and embarrassment, while 55% of victims suffer from mental health issues such as depression and low self-esteem afterwards. 

Broader implications for cybersecurity and public trust

While digital scams provide a profound personal impact, they also erode public trust in the integrity of otherwise reliable companies as well as in the reliability of digital forms of communication. People become more wary of online interactions, which potentially hinders the adoption of digital services. 

Lessons Learned from Historical Email Scams

Common red flags and how to spot them

In spite of the fact that email scams are getting more advanced from year to year, the common red flags are still there most of the time. These include urgent and pressuring language, requests for sensitive information, mismatched or suspicious email addresses, spelling and grammar errors, generic greetings, and unsolicited attachments or links. 

How to protect yourself and your organization

While on the personal level it might be enough to follow some basic security rules, like setting up spam filters, keeping software and systems updated, and watching out for red flags, protecting on the organizational level requires a more advanced approach. Organizational measures might include using multi-factor authentication (MFA), establishing strict verification protocols for financial transactions, utilizing secure email gateways, and encrypting sensitive data. Multiple layers of defense and authentication are crucial to prevent sophisticated email scams. 

Role of education and awareness in prevention

Self-education about scams and how they evolve, as well as regular training programs, help individuals and employees alike to better recognize and respond to threats. Clear reporting mechanisms and ongoing awareness campaigns also help to put cybersecurity at the center of attention. Strong leadership can support promotion of these practices in companies and foster a culture of overall vigilance and proactive defense.

The Future of Email Scams

Emerging trends and potential threats

Fake email examples are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with scammers using advanced social engineering tactics and artificial intelligence to produce highly convincing messages. Emerging trends include personalized phishing (spear phishing), business email compromise scams, and the use of deepfake technology to impersonate voices and videos. 

How technology can help fight against email scams

Technological development in general and machine learning in particular might play a crucial role in combating email scams through advanced security solutions. Machine learning algorithms can analyze email patterns and detect anomalies indicative of phishing attempts. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security, making unauthorized access more difficult. Additionally, secure email gateways and anti-phishing software can filter and block malicious emails before they reach users’ inboxes, significantly reducing the risk of scams.

Predictions for the evolution of email scams

The evolution of email scams is likely to see an increase in the use of AI and machine learning by both attackers and defenders. Scammers will continue to refine their tactics, using more personalized and context-aware phishing attacks. We may also see a rise in hybrid scams that combine elements of phishing with other forms of cybercrime, such as ransomware. As cybersecurity measures improve, cybercriminals will likely shift their focus to exploiting human vulnerabilities, emphasizing the need for ongoing education and awareness efforts.

You may also like: 15+ Surprising Facts About Email: From History to Cybersecurity

To Sum Up

Email phishing poses a significant and real threat to both personal and organizational security, as we showcased on these notorious email scam examples. That is why staying updated on the latest tactics used by cybercriminals is so crucial for protection. It is important to remember that while financial losses from these scams can be devastating, the impact on victims’ mental health is often an even greater price to pay.

This reality underscores the importance of familiarizing ourselves with these threats and taking proactive measures to protect against them. By learning from past incidents and continuously enhancing our security practices, we can mitigate the risks and secure our well-being against the persistent threat of email scams.

The post Epic Email Scam Examples Throughout History appeared first on Email Marketing Blog | Sendigram.

In this article, we’ll explore some surprising facts about email — from its historic first messages and royal senders to modern usage trends, marketing insights, and even cybersecurity mishaps. Whether you’re an everyday user, a marketer, or simply curious about how email became indispensable, these insights reveal why this decades-old tool continues to shape how we communicate today.

5 Historic Email Facts That Changed Communication

Fact #1: From QWERTYUIOP to conquering the world

The first email ever sent was delivered in 1971 by Ray Tomlinson, a computer programmer working on ARPANET, an ancestor of the modern Internet. Tomlinson’s original test message was just a sequence of letters from the upper line of the keyboard, “QWERTYUIOP,” and was exchanged between two computers next to each other. This historical breakthrough laid the foundation for the email system as we know it today. It also showcases that even some of the most outstanding technologies sometimes have very humble beginnings (Contentsnare).

Fact #2: The Queen goes digital or the first royal email

A few years later, in 1976, Queen Elizabeth II became the first head of state to send an email, using ARPANET to communicate with a colleague. This history fact about email is another milestone that showcases email penetration in life that goes beyond technical circles and its adaptation to broader public life (National Geographic).

Fact #3: Hello, Earth! The first email sent from space

Fast forward to 1991 and the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis. It is when the first email was sent from space! The playful message was “Hello Earth! Greetings from the STS-43 Crew. This is the first AppleLink from space. Having a GREAT time, wish you were here,…” (Porch Group Media).

Fact #4: The evolution of modern email giants

Just a few years after that, in 1996, Microsoft introduced Internet Mail and News 1.0, which later became Outlook, one of the most widely used email clients in the world. The integration of email into Microsoft’s Office Suite made it a dominant player in business communications. Google entered the email arena in 2004 with the launch of Gmail and revolutionized the email landscape by offering unprecedented storage and threaded email conversations. By 2007, Gmail had overtaken its competitors and secured its place as a leading email service provider (Contentsnare).

Fact #5: Bill Clinton’s shouting email diplomacy

Concluding the list of historical email milestones, former U.S. President Bill Clinton famously claimed he sent only two emails during his presidency. One of them was to Carl Bildt, then the prime minister of Sweden, written in ALL CAPS as if he were shouting. However, despite this claim made in 2011, the Atlantic later reported that he had sent more than two emails. This peculiar fact only added some spice to the Clinton family’s saga of disappearing emails (Atmail).

Global Email Statistics 2025: Who Sends the Most Emails?

Fact #6: From the U.S. to Europe: Countries sending billions of emails per day

As of 2024, the United States is the leading country in email traffic, with nearly 10 billion emails sent daily. Germany and Ireland follow closely, each sending 8.5 billion emails daily. Other European countries such as the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and France each send 8.3 billion emails per day. These figures are truly impressive and are a good indicator of how deeply email communication has penetrated our daily routines all over (Statista).

Fact #7: Driven by the Internet or growing email popularity

On a global scale, the number of email users is equally impressive. Currently, there are approximately 4 billion daily email users, and that number is expected to rise to 4.6 billion by 2025. This steady growth is largely driven by the increasing accessibility of the Internet in developing countries and the continued importance of email in business operations (Porch Group Media).

Fact #8: Growing email importance in our life in figures

👉 One particularly interesting fact about email usage is the sheer volume of emails exchanged globally. In 2022, it was estimated that 333 billion emails were sent and received every day. This figure is expected to increase to 392.5 billion by 2026, driven by the growing reliance on email for everything from personal communication to digital marketing campaigns (Statista). 

👉 Email popularity remains high across various demographics. For example, in 2021, 95% of Americans aged 25–44 years old used email, and even among those aged 65 and older, email penetration was over 85%. Interestingly, younger users, aged 15–24, had a slightly lower usage rate, indicating the generational shift towards other forms of digital communication such as social media and instant messaging apps (Market.us).

👉 Another impressive fact about email is that in 2023, the volume of daily email traffic was 3.268 million emails sent per second, and by 2025, this number is projected to rise further, reaching 376.4 billion daily emails (Market.us).

How We Use Email Every Day (And Why We Can’t Stop Checking It)

Fact #9: Bed, bath, and email: The inevitable role of email in our daily routines

As email penetrates our daily activities deeper and deeper, it inevitably blends with our routines. For example, 26% of people check their emails before even getting out of bed. Additionally, 69% of users check their emails while watching TV, 57% in bed, and an astonishing 79% of people continue to check their emails while on vacation. This behavior underscores the constant presence of email in our lives, making it almost a reflexive activity (Atmail).

Fact #10: Constant email checking can cause stress and productivity hits 

However, this constant engagement comes with consequences. Email checking has been shown to cause stress, particularly when done excessively. The average person checks their email 15 times a day, which can disrupt productivity and increase anxiety. A study from the University of British Columbia found that limiting email checks to just three times per day significantly reduces stress and increases focus. This is one of the more interesting facts about email usage, as it highlights the impact of digital communication on our psyche (Science Direct).

On the other hand, this growing obsession for checking our inboxes is not just a behavioral pattern. Turns out that emails lose their relevance very quickly. After 24 hours, the likelihood of an email being opened drops to just 1%. This astonishing fact about email is something to bear in mind for businesses, as in this case, the rule better late than never is unfortunately not the case (Atmail).

Fact #11: Spammed by Pentagon: About the importance of checking email spelling

Finally, another fun fact about email, which proves that some of the most drastic mistakes are made with a serious face, comes from the world of government. In 2000, the Pentagon accidentally included a British schoolgirl named Claire McDonald on a top-secret email list. It took them four years (!) to realize the mistake, revealing some of the highly secured information to the world and even more surprising oversights in email confidentiality (BBC).

Email Marketing Facts That Prove It’s Still King

Fact #12: The power of email personalization

Email marketing continues to be one of the most effective digital marketing strategies. Personalization, such as including the recipient’s name in the subject line or body of the email, is a common tactic used to increase engagement. Personalized emails can create a sense of connection between brands and consumers, making them more likely to be opened and acted upon (International Journal of Management & Entrepreneurship Research).

Fact #13: Mastering the perfect email timing for maximum engagement

One of the interesting facts about email marketing is the importance of timing. The best times to send marketing emails are between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM EST, with Tuesdays promising the highest engagement rates. On the other hand, sending emails late at night or early on Sundays tends to result in poor performance, as people are less likely to engage during these less active times (HubSpot).

Fact #14: Email frequency formula for B2B and B2C success

Conversion rates are also influenced by email frequency. For B2C campaigns, sending emails every two weeks tends to be promising in terms of the highest conversion rates, while B2B campaigns perform better when emails are sent once a month. This useful insight into email marketing frequency is a useful reminder that more is not always better and that overcommunication can, in fact, lead to less satisfactory results (First Page Sage).

Scams, Spam & Phishing: The Dark Side of Email

Fact #15: Emails blocked by Google

By bringing convenience and efficiency to communication, email did so also for cybercriminals. Every day Google blocks approximately 100 million phishing emails that attempt to deceive users into sharing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links (AAG IT).

Fact #16: Email phishing impact on business

This trend of brand impersonation in phishing attacks is a growing concern for businesses and individuals alike, with some big names being particularly targeted. Thus, in 2022, LinkedIn was the most imitated brand in phishing attempts, followed by DHL, Google, Microsoft, and FedEx. Additionally, 96% of organizations reported experiencing at least one phishing attack in 2021, with 52% of these attacks noted for being increasingly sophisticated (AAG IT).

Fact #17: How junk emails find their way to inboxes and dictionaries

Spam is another significant issue when it comes to emails. As of 2023, nearly 45.6% of all emails sent globally were classified as spam. While this represents a decline from 49% in 2022, spam continues to clog inboxes (Statista). And that in spite of the constantly improving anti-spam filters and adoption of the CAN-SPAM Act as a law in 2004. In fact, spam became such an inseparable and even normal part of our everyday lives that it was included in the Oxford dictionary in 1998 (Zerobounce). 

Fact #18: The most spammed man in the world

Spam emails are annoying and even malicious without a doubt, and we hate getting them. Nonetheless, when you complain next time about your inbox being clogged with spammy content, think about Bill Gates. The Microsoft co-founder is reported to receive around 4 million spam emails every day, which makes him perhaps the most spam-targeted person in the world (Porch Group Media).

To Sum Up

From its humble beginnings as a “QWERTYUIOP” message in 1971, email has evolved into one of the most dominant communication mediums as well as a leading tool for modern marketing. Its wide demographic coverage, popularity among both B2B and B2C businesses, and even never fading interest of cybercriminals towards email as a source of potential gain—are all signs of email growing popularity among people and businesses of all kinds.  

The fun facts about email we’ve explored in this article also highlight its vast impact—from space missions to politics. As email usage continues to grow, understanding its behavioral patterns, marketing potential, and security risks becomes similarly important. Whether for personal use, business communication, or digital marketing, email still remains one of the most effective tools that is to stay with us for a long, long time.  

The post 15+ Surprising Facts About Email: From History to Cybersecurity appeared first on Email Marketing Blog | Sendigram.

Through newsletters, companies can inform their customers on various tips and share sustainability insights and best practices—everything that makes the connection between business and a client more solid and meaningful. And that is why monthly newsletters hold a special place here—they are ideal for delivering a well-rounded overview of what’s happening in your business or industry, providing value without demanding too much attention from subscribers.

Sent once a month, they serve as a reliable touchpoint between your brand products and values and your subscribers. 

Why people read newsletters

Monthly Newsletters vs. Weekly & Quarterly Newsletters

Weekly newsletters allow for more frequent communication and real-time updates. While focusing on continuous auditorium engagement, they can sometimes overwhelm subscribers or be too demanding on content creation for marketers.

Quarterly newsletters, on the other hand, provide more in-depth updates, like the company’s future plans or educational content. Their main drawback is the lack of consistency needed to maintain strong engagement. 

Monthly newsletters provide a good balance by offering subscribers enough frequency to stay relevant without overwhelming them at the same time. They provide a steady rhythm of communication that keeps your brand present without becoming intrusive.

How to Make a Monthly Newsletter: Best Practices and Strategies 

If you wonder what to include in a monthly newsletter to make your subscribers look forward to your email updates, it is important to keep a good balance between engaging content and regularity. Here are some important steps to follow: 

1. Define clear goals: It is important to decide what you want to achieve with your monthly newsletters: driving traffic, increasing sales, or building brand awareness. Either way, knowing your objective will make your monthly communication more efficient in comparison to a random email blast. 
2. Provide high-quality content: First, focus on providing content that aligns with your goals and resonates with your audience. Try to figure out what the questions and interests of your ideal clients are and address them in your newsletter. Finally, be concise but not boring: mix educational, entertaining, and promotional elements to keep your newsletter engaging. 
3. Maintain consistency: Send your newsletter at the same time each month to build anticipation and reliability among your subscribers.
4. Don’t forget about the design: Create newsletters that are not only telling an engaging story but are also visually appealing and easy to navigate.
5. Personalize the experience: Use data to your advantage and craft your content in alignment with the interests of your subscribers to achieve better connection and engagement.
6. Include a strong call to action: Always conclude with a clear, compelling call to action that encourages readers to take the next step, whether it’s visiting your website, making a purchase, or engaging further with your brand.

Monthly Newsletter Calendar

January newsletter

January is a month that crowns the beginning of the New Year, which for many of us also means new beginnings, fresh resolutions, and renewed energy. During this time, people often reflect on the past year and set ambitious goals for the months ahead. It’s a time for dreaming big and planning for success. Companies can dive into this hopeful mindset by offering content that inspires and motivates their audience to embrace change, improve their lives, and achieve their goals.

Chinese Lunar New Year from UGG

Why is it good?

This January newsletter from UGG uses the dominant red color that symbolizes good fortune and joy and creates a festive atmosphere in a bold manner. Accents of blooming Sakura branches align with the Lunar New Year and infuse the design with a sense of renewal and fresh beginnings, which are key themes for January. The overall vibe in this newsletter is both elegant and eye-catching.

February newsletter

February is the month when many people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day, so it is often associated with love and connection. Soon after Christmas and New Year celebrations, people are focused on relationships, both with others and with themselves. This is a great time for companies to focus on content that nurtures relationships. It can be provided in the form of advice, special deals for loved ones, or self-care tips.

Subject line examples from industries:

💎 Retail: “Celebrate Love: Unusual Valentine’s Day Ideas for You and Your Loved Ones.”

💎 Health & wellness: “Prioritize Your Well-Being with These Simple Habits.”

👉 Design tip: Designs that utilize warm and inviting colors like reds, pinks, and soft purples will bring up feelings of love and comfort. Heart-shaped icons or soft, rounded elements can add a touch of romance to your February newsletter.

March newsletter

March marks the transition from winter to spring, which is often associated with a time of renewal. As nature begins to awaken, so do people’s desires to refresh their surroundings and routines. This is a month when we start filling our hearts with hope, so this month is ideal for companies to focus on themes of new beginnings, spring cleaning, and personal growth in their monthly newsletters.

The 8^th of March newsletter from a real estate company

Why is it good?

This March newsletter celebrates International Women’s Day with soft and tender design. Soft beige and pastel tones and the flower theme highlight the gentle atmosphere, making it a classic. The design, minimalistic yet impactful, paired with the elegant typography, makes the newsletter look and feel warm, personal, and respectful at the same time.

Need more ideas? Don’t miss Spring Newsletter Ideas [+ Free HTML Templates]

April newsletter

In April we celebrate Easter. It is also the time when nature comes to full bloom and the days get longer and brighter. It’s a time of optimism and joy: the warmth is already there, and the whole summer is still ahead of us. Companies can capitalize on this positive energy and vibe by creating content that encourages celebration, outdoor activities, and eco-friendly practices.

Subject line examples from industries:

💎 Outdoor retail: “Get Outside: Elegant Gear for Your Spring Adventures.”

💎 Sustainable living: “Simple Steps to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly.”

👉 Design tip: Incorporate light, airy designs with pastel colors that reflect the gentle beauty of spring. You can use imagery of flowers, bunnies, or eggs to add a playful, celebratory feel to your April newsletter.

Need more ideas? Don’t miss April Newsletter Ideas That Go Beyond Pranks [+ Free HTML Templates]

May newsletter

There’s only one month left until summer and no heat yet! This is May, a month when people increasingly focus on outdoor activities and enjoy nature to the fullest. Many take vacations before crowded summer breaks begin. So, if you wonder how to make a great monthly newsletter, May is a great time to remind your customers about going out, traveling, and using your products along the way. 

The tasty spring newsletter from Plated

Why is it good?

This May newsletter is a perfect example of how minimalistic design can be bold and efficient at the same time. Bright greens, crisp whites, and rich pinks and oranges get accentuated by a neutral background and immediately draw attention to the natural spring ingredients. The color palette and imagery of fresh vegetables perfectly capture the essence of May and invite readers to embrace the fresh flavors that come with the season.

Need more ideas? Don’t miss May Newsletter Ideas [+ Free HTML Templates]

June newsletter

June brings the start of summer, and with it, a sense of freedom, adventure, and relaxation. People are looking to enjoy the sunshine, take vacations, and make the most of the long days. Companies can tap into this mood by offering content related to travel, summer activities, or simply enjoying life.

Subject line examples from industries:

💎 Fashion: “Stay Cool and Chic This Summer with Our New Linen Collection.”

💎 Tech: “Upgrade Your Summer: Must-Have Gadgets for Your Next Adventure.”

👉 Design tip: Infuse your design with bold, sun-soaked colors like yellows, oranges, and blues to capture the essence of summer’s vibrancy. Highlight the carefree spirit of June by incorporating images of sandy beaches, sun-drenched sunglasses, or lively outdoor scenes, making your June newsletter a refreshing burst of seasonal energy.

Need more ideas? Don’t miss

Summer Newsletter Ideas [+ Free HTML Templates]

Beat the Heat: Summer Marketing Ideas to Keep Your Customers Hooked

Travel Email Timing: Why Ski Trips Don’t Sell in August

July newsletter

July, the midsummer month that is full of summer swing, with people fully engaged in outdoor activities and celebrations like the 4th of July. It’s a time of patriotism, fun, and family gatherings. But also of heat waves and a need to cool down. Companies can leverage these themes by creating newsletters that suggest ways to make the most of summer without exposing yourself to heat too much.

The classic midsummer newsletter from Bubble

Why is it good?

Summer. BBQ. Heat. This July newsletter managed to capture the spirit of the month in its most traditional way. Family gatherings and celebrations are showcased here through the warm, inviting design and color scheme. The central image of a barbecue spread, complete with sauces, grilled meats, and classic sides, immediately evokes the communal spirit of summer get-togethers. With events like Independence Day and summer weekends, this theme is central to July, which is skillfully highlighted by the BBQ essentials from Bubble.

Need more ideas? Don’t miss

July Newsletter Ideas [+ Free HTML Templates]

4th of July Content and Promotion Ideas

August newsletter

August is often seen as the last hurrah of summer, a time to enjoy the final days of warmth before the routine of fall begins. It is time when nostalgia about the summer sets in as we see the first falling leaves. People are looking to squeeze in as much fun and relaxation as possible. This time can be used for offering end-of-summer sales, back-to-school tips, or content that helps people transition from summer to fall. 

Subject line examples from industries:

💎 Retail: “Catch the Last Sunrays with Us: 25% Discount on All Summer Collection.”

💎 Education: “Back-to-School Checklist: 5 Things for a Successful and Fun Year Ahead.”

👉 Design tip: Use a blend of summer brights with early autumn tones like deep oranges and golds to create a smooth transition. Incorporate visuals of sunsets, autumn leaves, or school supplies to reflect the themes of August in your monthly newsletter email.

September newsletter

September marks the beginning of fall and the return to routine, whether that’s school, work, or simply preparing for the cooler months ahead. In a way, it is a time of change and transitioning from a more relaxed summertime to a time for new beginnings, learning, and planning. September is the time when newsletters that focus on productivity and learning opportunities can fit just right in your customers’ mailboxes. 

Returning to cozy routines with the Google newsletter

Why is it good?

This September newsletter from Google effectively captures the back-to-school and work time with its use of traditional Google colors and warm, cartoony illustrations. The family-focused theme, featuring relatable daily activities, highlights Google’s tools as helpful solutions for managing the busy season. The clean design and relatable visuals make the content easy to engage with and position Google as a supportive companion during this time.

October newsletter

October is all about fully embracing the fall season, with its cooler weather, Halloween, and a sense of preparation for the winter months. It’s a time of beautiful autumn colors, spooky fun, and catching the sunrays during shortening days. October is the month full of Halloween spirit but also of the love for cozy, seasonal activities—use both to communicate to your customers in autumn newsletters.

Subject line examples from industries:

1. Retail: “Spooky Halloween Decor and Costume Ideas for a Frightful Night.”
2. Beauty: “Make Your Skin Glow This Fall with Our October Skincare Tips.”

Design tip: Utilize dark, rich colors like deep purples, blacks, and oranges to evoke the mystery and fun of Halloween and the fall season. Incorporate spooky or autumn elements like classic pumpkins, bats, or falling leaves in your October newsletter design.

November newsletter

November is a month of gratitude and preparation for the upcoming holiday season. With Thanksgiving at its heart, it’s a time to reflect on what we’re thankful for and to prepare for the holidays ahead. This is the perfect time for companies to focus on themes of gratitude, family, and holiday preparations in their monthly newsletter emails.

Along the memory line with the Turtletalk newsletter

Why is it good? What sets this November monthly newsletter apart is that it draws its subscribers’ attention to the heritage of Native American people—unlike many other newsletters focusing mainly on Thanksgiving day during this time of the year. Its simple design with traditional fall colors and elements evokes nostalgic and warm feelings—similar to the feelings we have thinking of the people and cultures long gone.

Also check the Black Friday marketing ideas: Black Friday Email Marketing in 2024: Fresh Takes

December newsletter

December crowns the end of the year—the time when we reflect upon the 12 months we went through. With holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s Eve, it’s a time for joy, giving, and looking back on the year. During this time of the year, newsletters that reflect with us or provide tips for ending the year on a high note will go well along with your customers’ mood. Tips on winter shopping are always welcome too!

Subject line examples from industries:

1. Retail: “Holiday Cheer: Last-Minute Gift Ideas to Spread Joy This Season.”
2. Finance: “Year-End Financial Checklist: Prepare for a Prosperous 2025.”

Design tip: Use festive, cheerful colors like red, green, and gold to evoke the holiday spirit. Incorporate holiday-themed elements like snowflakes, ornaments, or twinkling lights to create a joyful and celebratory December newsletter design.

To Sum Up

Monthly newsletters play an important role in fostering ongoing relationships between businesses and their customers. In this article, we discussed the importance of these newsletters, how they are different from weekly and quarterly ones, as well as emphasized how they serve as a consistent touchpoint that adds value to companies and subscribers alike. 

Additionally, we provided valuable tips on how to create a monthly newsletter that is both engaging and distinctive in terms of design and content. By applying these strategies, you can ensure your newsletters not only capture attention but also effectively communicate your brand’s message and make each edition something your audience looks forward to.

The post Monthly Newsletter Ideas: From January to December appeared first on Email Marketing Blog | Sendigram.

The holiday touches nearly upon everything! This makes it a great opportunity for engagement, even for non-Halloween-specific products. Halloween offers a chance to play with fun themes and connect with your audience regardless of what you sell. All it takes is a little creativity to tie your products into the holiday atmosphere.

In this article, we’ll explore some creative ways to incorporate Halloween themes into email marketing, from spooky visuals and playful copywriting to contests and special offers. Your products might scream Halloween or need just a little twist to fit the theme—it does not matter. There’s a chance to drive engagement in your Halloween marketing emails for everyone. By the end, you’ll have plenty of Halloween marketing ideas to help your brand make the most of this spooky season!

Set the Mood: Halloween-Themed Visuals and Design

Halloween is a holiday with some of the most iconic themes. Pumpkins, skeletons, bats, and witches decorate houses all over the U.S. (and many places in the world) in the last week of October. So, incorporating all the spooky elements in Halloween email marketing only makes sense. 

Use seasonal templates that capture the mood of Halloween. Bold colors like orange, black, and deep purple, combined with themed ghosts and haunted houses, set the right spirit. Adding animated elements to your Halloween email design will help your templates stand out even more. Pair this with clever Halloween email subject lines, and you’ve got a recipe for engagement.

Finally, your CTA buttons also deserve a Halloween touch. Replace the usual “Shop Now” for something like “Shop if You Dare!” or “Enter the Haunted Sale?” Small adjustments like this reinforce the theme and make email more fun to interact with. In the end, it is the small details that turn your Halloween email marketing into a memorable experience.

Offer Limited-Time “Spooky” Promotions

Combined spendings for costumes, decorations, and candies in the U.S. this year are expected to reach $11.1 billion. It means that people are into the Halloween celebration and do not take dressing up and the trick-or-treat tradition lightly. For marketers, it means increased efforts for attracting customers with their offers. How can they do that?

Run Halloween discounts 

Forget the usual “percentage off” discounts—why not make your Halloween discount feel like part of the celebration itself? For example, try a discount that increases as the night grows darker. Start the day with a modest discount, say 10% off, and as Halloween evening approaches, ramp it up to 20% or even 25%. You could even set the tone with a Halloween email subject line like, “The Witching Hour Is Near… And So Are Bigger Discounts!” Like this, shopping itself turns into a Halloween experience.

Mystery box/Bundle offers 

While mystery boxes are already a hit, you can make them even more appealing with a Halloween theme. Imagine offering a “Trick or Treat” bundle, where customers aren’t entirely sure what they’ll get—a treat could be an amazing deal, and a trick might be something more humorous (yet valuable). A Halloween email that reads, “Trick or Treat: What Will You Unbox?” is a great way to spark curiosity and excitement.

Countdown timer

Try to approach the “offer disappears at midnight” countdown not figuratively but literally. What does it mean? As time runs out, certain items or deals could “disappear” from the email entirely. For instance, one moment there’s a “Shop if You Dare!” button, but an hour later, it’s vanished, leaving only the less valuable offers remaining. This dynamic element will grab attention and make customers feel like they’re witnessing something magical in your Halloween marketing emails.

Share Fun, Halloween-Themed Content

When mastering Halloween campaigns, don’t forget that it is also a perfect time for fun and entertainment. Try to engage your audience by bringing up this spirit. It does not necessarily have to be a promotion—share something just for fun. For example, you could create a spooky Halloween quiz: “Which Classic Halloween Monster Are You?” or share a “DIY Haunted Decor Guide” newsletter.

Another great idea is to get your audience involved with some user-generated content. It’s a fun way to connect with them, and you can sweeten the deal by offering discounts or special prizes for the most creative submissions. After the contest is over, feature the best entries in your Halloween newsletter to add a personal touch to your campaign.

If you want to take the fun even further, think about offering something your subscribers can use during the holiday season. Consider sending out a downloadable “Haunted Playlist” to set the spooky mood or wallpapers with some spooky elements. This is one of those Halloween email ideas that will definitely cheer your subscribers up.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to bring in a bit of nostalgia. Share a “Top 10 Classic Horror Movies” list or some vintage Halloween trivia that your subscribers can enjoy with their families or friends. 

Tie Your Products to Halloween in a Fun Way

Halloween offers the perfect opportunity to get creative with your copywriting and infuse some playful, spooky language into your promotions. Think about how you can add a Halloween twist to your usual messaging—like saying, “Our products are so good, it’s scary!” or “No tricks, just treats—enjoy these frightfully good deals.” Customers appreciate when brands have fun with their messaging, especially when it adds some lighthearted energy to their busy inboxes.

You can also tie your products directly to the Halloween vibes, even if they’re not traditionally spooky. For example, a software company might promote their latest tool with the line, “Be the ghost of productivity with our software,” or a retailer could say, “Trick out your home office with our latest gear.” The key is to connect your products to the season in a way that feels clever and relevant, helping your brand stand out while making the experience enjoyable for your audience.

Hold a Halloween-Themed Contest or Giveaway

The trick-or-treat tradition doesn’t have to happen only out in the streets! Bring it right into people’s inboxes through a fun, Halloween-themed contest or giveaway. Not only does this tap into the holiday spirit, but it also sparks curiosity and builds excitement around the potential to win spooky prizes. You could ask participants to share their best Halloween costumes, creative pumpkin carvings, or even their haunted home decorations. It’s a playful way to encourage engagement and get people talking about your brand.

You can tie the contest into your products or services by offering themed prizes—think exclusive discounts, limited-edition Halloween products, or mystery gift boxes. Promote the contest through Halloween email marketing, using eye-catching visuals and clever Halloween slogans for marketing, like “Trick or Treat Yourself to a Ghastly Giveaway!” Not only will this drive more traffic to your email list, but it will also strengthen the relationship between your brand and your audience, making them feel like part of the fun.

And remember, the more interactive, the better. Encouraging people to share their entries on social media with a branded hashtag adds an extra layer of engagement, broadening your reach while keeping the spooky vibes alive.

Send Engaging, Halloween-Related Subject Lines

Subject lines matter. That is especially true in the world of email marketing. Since 47% of recipients report taking a decision about opening an email based on a subject line alone, it is your primary mission as a marketer to make them engaging and full of Halloween spirit. And don’t forget about appropriate length and mobile optimization of your subject line, since many recipients will be viewing your email on smaller screens.

Here are a few examples of Halloween email subject lines to spark your creativity:

• “Unlock Spooky Savings… If You Dare!”
• “Haunted by Savings: Don’t Miss These Spooktacular Offers!”
• “Time Is Running Out… Snag These Ghostly Deals Before Midnight!”
• “Trick or Treat? Get Both with Our Halloween Mystery Box!”
• “Beware: This Offer Disappears at Midnight… ”
• “Get Ready for a Spooky Surprise—You Won’t Want to Miss This!”

Host a Halloween-Themed Virtual Event

If you are looking to elevate your Halloween marketing, hosting a themed virtual event can be a great way to engage your audience. This could take the form of a Halloween-themed webinar or workshop where you creatively tie your products or services into the spirit of the holiday. Hold a workshop called “Spooky Productivity Hacks” or a webinar “How to Avoid the Monsters of Marketing.” Depending on your niche, the possibilities are endless.

Another idea to boost engagement is a virtual costume party. Invite your subscribers to dress up and join a live virtual event, complete with contests, giveaways, and special offers exclusive to attendees. It’s a great opportunity to not only entertain but also promote your products in a more personal and memorable way. Send out Halloween emails with the event details, encouraging people to participate, and a teasing subject line.

Free Halloween Email Template

Key features of the template:

1. Classic Halloween design

This Halloween email template features classic colors of the holiday—purple, black, and orange. It further sets the tone with its spooky yet playful design elements, including bats, pumpkins, and ghostly characters. All the elements combined create the right tone of the holiday, but in a sweet rather than spooky way.

2. Engaging offer presentation

This Halloween template highlights a 25% discount right at the top. Like this, you can make customers know about the exciting Halloween offer right away. The use of bold typography and a clear call to action at the top engages the recipients right away.

3. Product showcase

The product section in the middle of the template is very straightforward, well-structured, and showcases products and the prices loud and clear. 

4. Benefit highlights

The section “Four benefits of shopping for gadgets with us this Halloween” adds extra value to this template. By explaining why this offer is a real dealbreaker, the seller increases his chances for additional engagement.  

Why this template works:

This free Halloween template combines festive fun and functionality in perfect proportions. While the classic Halloween color scheme (purple, black, and orange) creates a recognizable and inviting holiday vibe, the clean layout makes sure that the offer is clear and easily digestible.

Customization ideas:

1. Personalized offers: Add to this Halloween template personalized recommendations of products based on the recipient’s previous purchases to increase relevance.
2. Countdown timer: Include a countdown to the end of the promotion to create urgency and drive faster conversions.
3. Festive subject line: Use a spooky but fun subject line like “Trick or Treat Yourself with 25% Off!” to grab attention before the email is opened.

🧡 You may also like these articles about Halloween:

Epic Halloween Campaigns That Marketers Can Learn From

Halloween Email Templates, Ideas, and Spooky Sign-Offs for Marketers 2025

To Sum Up

Halloween is a holiday whose spirit, with enough imagination, can be incorporated into every product. With the opportunities provided by email marketing, this has become even easier. Whether your products are directly tied to the holiday or not, Halloween email ideas can add a fun, engaging layer to your campaigns that draw your audience in. Themed emails allow you to stand out during a competitive season while creating a memorable experience for your subscribers.

From playful subject lines to spooky visuals, the key is to embrace the excitement of the holiday while staying true to your brand’s voice. By incorporating Halloween in creative ways, even non-Halloween-specific products can get a seasonal boost. 

The post Get Spooky: Halloween Email Marketing Ideas for Any Business appeared first on Email Marketing Blog | Sendigram.

But some brands go further than that. They don’t just decorate their content for Halloween—they transform it. These are the campaigns that take the holiday spirit and turn it into something experiential, something that lingers in people’s minds long after the jack-o’-lanterns are gone. 

In this article, we will show you the best Halloween marketing campaigns and what you can learn from them for your own business. A strong campaign is more than just a fancy-worded email: it takes the holiday spirit and drafts a strong and positive experience for your clients and readers. Don’t get spooked by how complex that sounds, as we will break down for you the best Halloween ideas for any business.

Campaign #1: Airbnb’s Night in the Paris Catacombs

When it comes to creating an unforgettable Halloween campaign, only a few brands could compete with what Airbnb did in 2015. The company managed to merge storytelling, suspense, and brand identity into a truly immersive experience.

To celebrate Halloween, the platform launched a contest that offered two lucky winners a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend a night in the Paris Catacombs. And while spending a night in a labyrinth filled with the bones of more than six million souls might not sound like everyone’s idea of fun, it perfectly captured the spirit of Halloween—it was creepy, cinematic, and pure genius.

👉 The marketing magic behind the bones

This was one of those Halloween marketing campaigns that didn’t rely on a flashy Halloween ad or a few spooky social media posts. Instead, it offered a fully immersive experience that people wanted to live, talk about, and remember long after the holiday passed.

The campaign used email to pull audiences deeper into the story. Storytelling subject lines created a cinematic tone—like “Dare to spend Halloween underground?”—while the teaser → entry → winner confirmation → non-winner follow-up sequence kept excitement alive for weeks. Each email played with curiosity and exclusivity, turning subscribers into active participants rather than passive readers.

👉 Why it worked

The contest made global headlines and drove enormous organic reach—without relying on traditional Halloween advertising budgets. By framing itself as the ultimate host of unique experiences, Airbnb reminded the world that it sells stories, not just stays. The emotional engagement outlived the campaign itself and earned Airbnb a spot among the best Halloween campaigns of the decade.

👉 What email marketers can learn

The takeaway from this campaign is simple: think outside the box. Visuals and gimmicks can help set the mood, but they will never beat real experiences and powerful storytelling. That’s what can transform your Halloween content into something people genuinely want to share.

It’s what allows your brand to stand out in the crowd of other spooky social media posts and emails. And while not every company can pull off something on the scale of Airbnb, there are plenty of ways to create real-life experiences on a smaller level. If you align them with your brand’s identity, they’ll be remembered far longer than any social media post.

Campaign #2: Heinz “Tomato Blood” Ketchup

Every Halloween season, some brands just get it—and Heinz is one of them. With its “Tomato Blood” campaign, the company managed to turn an everyday product into a Halloween must-have. What was once an ordinary bottle of ketchup suddenly became a symbol of the spooky season, rebranded as “Tomato Blood.”

It was a simple idea yet executed so cleverly that it felt completely fresh. The familiar red condiment was now part of the costume, part of the party, part of the Halloween story. Whether you were decorating cupcakes, designing your vampire look, or pranking your friends, Heinz gave you the perfect prop.

👉 The secret sauce behind the campaign

At first, Heinz simply released its classic ketchup in a new bottle labeled “Tomato Blood.” But soon, the brand leaned into the fun and encouraged fans to use the ketchup not just as food, but as fake blood for their Halloween costumes. The trend caught on quickly, and later on Heinz went even further by launching a special “Heinz Tomato Blood Costume Kit,” which included makeup tools, brushes, vampire teeth, and, of course, a bottle of ketchup to help people create their own looks.

👉 Why it worked

The “Tomato Blood” concept gave Heinz something most Halloween brands can only dream of—a seasonal identity built from a product people already know by heart. The campaign boosted sales, generated a flood of user-generated content under the #TomatoBlood and #HeinzHalloween hashtags, and reminded everyone that creativity doesn’t have to come from new products—sometimes it’s about seeing the old ones in a new light.

👉 What email marketers can learn

If you’re planning your own Halloween campaign, take a page from Heinz’s playbook. Instead of launching all in one piece, think in stages and diversify your spooky products. Do not aim for the loudest campaign, but rather make it memorable. As Heinz proved, with a little imagination, even such a basic product as ketchup can steal the spotlight.

Campaign #3: M&M’s Halloween Rescue Squad

Some Halloween campaigns are built around fear, others around fun. M&M’s decided to go for something entirely different: helpfulness. The brand’s Halloween Rescue Squad, launched in partnership with GoPuff, became the savior of the night for anyone who ran out of candy too soon.

On October 31, starting in the afternoon, people in some U.S. cities could request an emergency refill of Mars candy delivered right to their door in about half an hour. In the chaos of trick-or-treating, when the doorbell won’t stop ringing and your candy bowl suddenly looks suspiciously empty, M&M’s showed up as the brand that gets it. It was a very practical—and surprisingly charming—approach to Halloween.

👉 The marketing magic behind the rescue

This was one of those Halloween marketing campaigns that chose a less traditional angle: it stepped into real life, right where people actually needed help. The campaign was promoted through digital channels and a special microsite where users could check if their area was covered and request their sweet rescue once the service went live.

👉 Why it worked

The Halloween Rescue Squad transformed a small logistical idea into a meaningful brand gesture. It showed that Halloween advertising doesn’t always have to be loud or eerie—sometimes it can simply be kind. By responding to an actual Halloween scenario, M&M’s positioned itself as a brand that’s present, modern, and genuinely in tune with people’s lives.

The campaign sparked social buzz, was covered by major media outlets, and reminded everyone that a smart idea doesn’t have to be complex. All it takes is understanding the moment—and showing up at the right one.

👉 What email marketers can learn

The real lesson here lies in responsiveness. Great Halloween campaigns don’t always have to create new worlds—sometimes they just need to appear at the perfect time. When your brand acts quickly and feels human, you don’t need elaborate storytelling or fear-based hooks. You just need presence, empathy, and timing.

Lessons & Best Practices

✨ Storytelling (Airbnb)

Airbnb showed how a Halloween campaign can go far beyond decoration and proved that it can tell a story. Their cinematic approach made people feel and dream at the same time. They managed to build emotional connection with storytelling and replaced ordinary announcements with experiences readers want to follow.

✨ Seasonal scarcity & reinvention (Heinz)

Heinz showed that a strong Halloween campaign doesn’t always require a new product—sometimes it’s about seeing what you already have through a different lens. Offering a few playful variations instead of a single product kept the excitement alive and gave customers a reason to come back throughout the season. For email marketers, this is a reminder that seasonal reinvention—paired with a limited-time feel—can turn even the most ordinary product into a Halloween favorite.

✨ Real-time urgency (M&M’s)

M&M’s reminded us that the best campaigns sometimes happen in real time. Their Halloween Rescue Squad worked because it solved an immediate need right when it mattered, proving that urgency-driven actions can turn ordinary engagement into real excitement.

💡 Practical tips for email marketers

• Use storytelling subject lines to spark curiosity instead of announcing promotions directly.
• Build a seasonal rhythm: tease early, launch big, and follow up with scarcity-driven reminders.
• Keep a “real-time” mindset by planning for spontaneous sends when trends or moments arise.
• Design emails that invite participation (polls, small challenges, or experiences) rather than just inform. Use pre-designed email templates to make it easier.
• Align your seasonal tone with your brand identity—not every Halloween campaign needs to be spooky; it just needs to be memorable.

To Sum Up

The biggest lesson from all these examples is probably this: a seasonal email campaign—whether for Halloween or any other holiday—is never just a one-shot effort. It’s a strategic endeavor built on a bigger vision. Of course, with ketchup already resembling blood and M&M’s being an essential part of Halloween candy bowls, those two brands had it fairly easy when it came to coming up with fun Halloween advertising ideas.

But that doesn’t mean others can’t do the same. Every skilled email marketer can find a clever way to turn the simple idea of trick or treat into a campaign that captures attention, sparks emotion, and drives engagement. It’s all about creativity—and knowing how to play with the season.

The post Epic Halloween Campaigns That Marketers Can Learn From appeared first on Email Marketing Blog | Sendigram.

In this article, we explain to you what a clickbait subject line is and how to walk the line between interesting and engaging subject lines and clickbait. We will give you examples of clickbait subject lines and show you how to avoid falling into the clickbait trap.

What Is Clickbait?

Clickbait is the use of exaggerated or misleading language that is meant to grab attention and initiate a click. If you look at headlines such as “You won’t believe what happened next” or “This trick will change your life forever,” you’ll see that they exploit curiosity, urgency, and emotional triggers in order to get a reaction (a click).

In email marketing, clickbait email subject lines are often built on overhyped promises or too-good-to-be-true offers. The advantage of this type of subject line is that it can truly earn a short-term spike in open rates. Their long-term, and actually more significant, drawback is that they rarely build the kind of lasting engagement that you need.

The problem is not that they don’t work—it’s that they work once. Maybe twice. After that, your readers already know your game, and once they realize that your subject lines don’t deliver on the promise inside, they disengage or even stop trusting you.

The Hidden Dangers of Clickbait

On the surface, clickbait might feel like a harmless way to grab attention. But underneath that quick win are consequences that can destroy the effectiveness of your clickbait marketing in a more profound way. Here’s why relying on clickbait does more harm than good:

⚠️ Erodes trust: Readers feel tricked when your subject line doesn’t match the content of your email. Once that trust is broken, it’s very hard to repair, and your audience becomes less willing to open future emails.

⚠️ Increases unsubscribes and complaints: Misleading subject lines often push people to hit “Unsubscribe” or mark your emails as spam. This leads to churn and leaves you with a smaller and less engaged audience.

⚠️ Hurts deliverability: Spam filters are built to recognize top clickbait phrases and overly promotional wording. The more you rely on them, the greater the chance your emails land in junk folders instead of inboxes.

⚠️ Damages brand reputation: Once your brand gets associated with gimmicks and overpromises, it becomes very difficult to rebuild your credibility. And reputation, once lost, is rarely regained quickly.

With clickbait subject lines, it is important to remember that the short-term spike in opens is never worth these long-term costs. In the end, clickbait hinders your entire relationship with your audience.

Common Clickbait Techniques to Avoid

There’s a certain kind of language that promises the world in just a few words. This language is usually very colorful and hard to ignore—and yet, it’s also the fastest way to drain the patience of your audience. Here are some clickbait techniques that are very obvious and that shall be avoided by all means:

⚠️ False urgency. Subject lines like “Buy this flight in the next five minutes or…” are built on the idea that panic will push someone to open an email. This kind of exaggerated urgency in travel email subject lines can feel alarming rather than persuasive. Urgency only works when it’s tied to something real—like an actual sale ending tonight or limited seats left. When the pressure is fake and exaggerated, readers feel tricked, and worse, they start to assume all of your future emails will be manipulative too.

⚠️ Misleading claims and overpromises. A subject line that hints at a once-in-a-lifetime offer or a guaranteed outcome can be tempting to write. The thing is: your email content has to deliver what the subject line promises. If that does not happen, you are eroding the trust that keeps people opening your emails in the first place.

⚠️ Fake personalization. Pretending someone has an order waiting, or making it look like a personal message when it isn’t, might get the first click. But it also creates a moment of disappointment when the truth comes out, and that disappointment sticks.

⚠️ Finally, there’s the screaming tone of all caps, endless exclamation marks, and spam-trigger words like “FREE!!!” or “Make $$$ fast.” All these tricks are as attention-grabbing as they are annoying. They might serve you in the short term, or rather, the very short term, but not in a way that you aim for. The same goes for the careless use of emojis in subject lines. While a well-placed emoji can add personality or highlight emotion, overloading subject lines with them makes your message risk being flagged as spam.

Best Practices for Ethical & Effective Subject Lines

If clickbait can be compared to a shortcut, then ethical subject lines are about building lasting relationships. They create a pattern of trust that makes readers return again and again.

✅ Being clear and transparent is one of the simplest ways to achieve that. Your subject line should always match the content inside. Surprises are welcome, but deception—never. Every time people open your email and realize that the content matches the promise in the subject line, they will be more willing to open your next email as well.

✅ Use curiosity responsibly. Curiosity is a great thing, but it needs to be contained within certain boundaries. When you hint at something without fully revealing it through curiosity-driven subject lines, it keeps people’s attention alive—but only if the content is truly worth it. This is where the Zeigarnik effect in subject lines can be very handy—use it to spark interest, but don’t manipulate.

✅ Highlight real value and benefits. Instead of overhyping your product or service in a subject line, point to the benefits readers might actually get from it. Whatever it is—insight or a useful tip—a value-driven subject line that matches the content gives people a reason to click without the sour aftertaste that clickbait often leaves behind.

✅ Personalize authentically. As probably everybody already knows, real personalization goes deeper than just adding a first name. It’s about relevance. It can be behavior-based triggers, past interactions, or timely context—anything that makes the subject line feel really special to somebody.

✅ Test subject lines through A/B testing for optimization. No matter how good a subject line looks on paper, it’s your audience who decides if it works. That’s why subject line A/B testing is so important: it shows you what works and what doesn’t and how to adjust your approach without losing your readers’ trust.

✅ Make use of subject line testers. Subject line testers can give you additional feedback before you send your email. They analyze wording, length, and potential spam triggers, helping you refine your subject lines and avoid mistakes that could hurt open rates or deliverability. This becomes even more relevant for subject lines for cold emails, where the margin for error is much smaller and the risk of landing in spam is higher.

Examples of Clickbait: Bad vs. Good Subject Lines

Misleading subject line

Why is it misleading?

This subject line is misleading because it pretends to be something it’s not. A “receipt” suggests the reader has already made a purchase, which can immediately trigger confusion or even frustration. It plays on false personalization—implying an action the recipient never took. 

While it might grab attention once, the problem is that the promise doesn’t match the content. Instead of confirming a transaction, the email is actually just a sales promotion. That gap between expectation and reality is exactly what erodes trust over time.

Why is it good?

This one is much stronger. The subject line is clear, transparent, and rooted in genuine value. It uses a subtle urgency tactic—mentioning the rewards will expire in 7 days—but it doesn’t exaggerate or mislead.

The content inside matches the promise: the reader does have rewards, here’s the amount, and here’s how to use them. It’s a perfect example of how formal tactics like urgency and specificity can be applied responsibly. Instead of leaving a sour aftertaste, it gives readers both clarity and a reason to act.

To Sum Up

Most of these clickbait subject line tricks aren’t new. In fact, many have been around since the earliest days of mass marketing. Besides, modern inboxes and their filters are smarter than ever, and so are the people reading them. So, even if a misleading subject line slips past the filters, the gain is short-lived, as readers are quick to spot exaggeration. There’s no sustainability in that.

What is sustainable is integrity—building subject lines that are clear, valuable, and respectful of the reader’s attention. Good open practices create a pattern of trust that compounds over time. When people know that opening your emails consistently rewards them, they don’t need to be tricked into it. They choose to come back because they trust you.

The post Clickbait Subject Lines That Kill Your Email Campaign and What to Do Instead appeared first on Email Marketing Blog | Sendigram.

What might seem like abundance at first often produces a very different effect: hesitation, stress, and, ultimately, inaction. Scholars have long noted this paradox of choice: people presented with too many options are significantly less likely to make a choice than those presented with just a few. In psychology this dynamic is described as choice overload; in consumer behavior, it is closely tied to the rise of consumer anxiety.

Implications for marketers? Every email you send adds to a subscriber’s daily toll of micro-decisions. Should they click “Shop All” or “Read More”? Should they compare products now, later, or not at all? Research from Baumeister and colleagues (1998) called this decision fatigue—the gradual erosion of decision-making ability as the day goes on. This is not the same as the engineered urgency of FOMO, where scarcity and time pressure push people toward action. The anxiety here emerges from the opposite condition: too many possibilities, presented without enough structure. If fear of missing out creates adrenaline, choice overload creates paralysis.

In this article, we will examine how email campaigns can unintentionally trigger this paralysis, drawing on cognitive psychology and cognitive load theory in email design. We will also explore practical strategies to counteract it, from designing emails that reduce decision anxiety to adopting the best email layouts for reducing cognitive strain. 

The Science of Decision Fatigue and Choice Overload

Choice, in theory, should empower. The more options we have, the closer we come to finding something that perfectly matches our preferences. Yet psychology tells a different story: when confronted with too many possibilities, people hesitate, second-guess, or walk away entirely. This is the essence of choice overload in marketing—the phenomenon where an excess of options reduces the likelihood of making any choice.

The most famous demonstration comes from Iyengar and Lepper’s jam study. In their experiment, shoppers were presented with two displays: one featuring 24 different jam flavors, the other just six. While the larger display attracted more passersby, only 3% made an actual purchase. By contrast, nearly 30% of those who saw the smaller display bought jam. In other words, abundance drew attention, but simplicity drove action. This is sometimes called the too-many-choices or overchoice effect, and its lesson for marketers is straightforward: more is not always better.

A related but distinct concept is decision fatigue. Roy Baumeister and colleagues (1998) showed that people have a finite amount of mental energy for making decisions. Each choice—from trivial (Which shirt should I wear?) to significant (Should I buy this car?)—draws from the same limited reservoir of self-control. Over time, this leads to ego depletion: later decisions are more impulsive, of lower quality, or avoided altogether. For email marketing, this has clear implications. If a subscriber has already spent their morning making dozens of work and life choices, encountering a confusing message in the afternoon can tip them into email marketing decision fatigue territory, where the easiest path is to close the email rather than decide.

Science makes clear that our brains are not wired for endless comparisons. The practical question becomes: how can email campaigns respect these cognitive limits instead of exploiting them?

How Email Campaigns Can Accidentally Create Anxiety

⚠️ Too many CTAs, too little clarity

Sending an email campaign with multiple CTAs can seem like a good idea. On the one hand, it’s convenient: you give recipients the ability to compare plans, start a trial, or “shop all” in one place. It’s like a one-stop shop, offering multiple paths for different types of consumers. And sometimes it works. But just as often, it produces hesitation. The recipient has to pause and weigh which action makes the most sense—and often decides on none. Psychologists call this analysis paralysis, the friction that arises when too many equally weighted options compete for attention. In email, that friction often ends with the user closing the message without clicking anything at all.

⚠️ Product grids that feel like mazes

A similar problem comes from complex product grids or option-heavy layouts. Marketers are tempted to stuff an email with rows of thumbnails, each tagged with a discount, a deadline, and a call to action. The idea is simple: if the subscriber doesn’t like one offer, maybe they’ll like another. But instead of nudging them toward a purchase, this visual overload—often squeezed into a five-inch phone screen—has the opposite effect. People get overwhelmed by the sheer diversity of options and withdraw from any decision. Research into how choice overload affects email performance confirms that when consumers must process large assortments quickly, both satisfaction and conversion decline.

⚠️ When content becomes cognitive load

Another misstep is content density. From a cognitive perspective, every additional block of text is another demand on working memory. So, when emails contain long descriptions, multiple subsections, and dense paragraphs, subscribers may skim the first few lines and abandon the rest. Cognitive load theory in email design suggests that once material exceeds working memory capacity, comprehension drops sharply. 

⚠️ Urgency without relief

Finally, there’s the pressure loop created by repetitive campaigns. When every email shouts, “Don’t wait—choose your plan now!” yet each presents the same undifferentiated set of options, it presses down on the reader rather than clarifies. Instead of creating momentum, the repetition amplifies indecision. The tone of urgency—that is so effective in FOMO marketing—when paired with a clear path, backfires when layered on top of unresolved choices. The result isn’t action but avoidance: deletions, disengagement, or unsubscribes.

Recognizing the Signs: When Your Email Causes Friction

👉 Opens without clicks

When your readers open emails but do not engage any further, it is an early warning sign. It means that your subject line might hook them up and spark curiosity, but when they open, something prevents them from engaging. And that something can be multiple CTAs, very long paragraphs, or overly dense text. Many readers are just too tired to engage with so many signals, so they simply close the email without doing anything.

👉 Unsubscribes and drop-offs

Another red flag that you should pay attention to is a spike in unsubscribes and disengagement, especially after multi-offer emails. When readers feel pressured to choose from too many options all at once, the easier choice is sometimes to opt out entirely. In the context of email marketing decision fatigue, unsubscribes often reflect not rejection of the brand itself, but more like saying, “Hey, I see you, but can you please slow down? I don’t have it in me to choose so often.”

👉 Scroll fatigue

Experts also point to scroll fatigue as another factor that prevents people from engaging with emails. If attention plummets halfway through a copy, it suggests the layout demands more cognitive effort than the audience is willing to spend. In other words, people stop scrolling because they’re already mentally done. And that’s another sign to reconsider your copy—maybe make it a little less dense, remove some text, or cut down on CTAs.

👉 Tools to diagnose

To catch these issues early, it helps to use analytics tools that show how people actually interact with your emails. A heat map (often a part of advanced ESP), for example, can reveal which parts of your email people click the most. A scroll map shows how far down readers make it before they stop. CTA tracking highlights which buttons get attention and which ones are ignored. Together, these tools give you a clear picture of where readers lose interest and where problems and, ultimately, consumer anxiety are creeping into your campaigns.

Tactics to Reduce Consumer Anxiety in Email Design

💎 Limit the number of choices

If you want to address consumer anxiety, the simplest way to do it is just to reduce the number of decisions you ask your readers to make. So, try to focus each email on one goal, or one product, or one idea. This way, you already strengthen your customer’s focus. If you include several options, make sure that there is still one CTA that clearly stands out. 

If you follow these simple rules, your readers won’t need to guess or think too much, because the next obvious step will be right in front of them. Research into choice overload in marketing confirms that fewer, more focused options almost always lead to more decisive action.

💎 Use visual hierarchy to guide decision flow

Design plays a very big role in reducing indecisiveness. So, always give your emails a clear visual hierarchy. Include headlines, value, and a CTA. This way, you make the desired action obvious and remove this pressure of searching for meaning and the right button from the reader. Don’t consider whitespace as a waste of space. It’s a sort of breathing room that guides the user’s eyes and lowers the cognitive strain. So, by using bold text, minimal distraction, and a layout that guides users naturally, you help readers act without too much effort.

💎 Provide context or pre-filtered choices

Sometimes choice is necessary, and what helps to make it easier is creating context. So, instead of just adding more generalizations like “Shop All,” try something like “See the three best picks for you.” Guide users with top recommendations or personalized suggestions: they help the reader feel guided rather than dumped into an endless catalog of options. This way, you are designing emails that reduce decision anxiety. 

💎 Use reassuring copy to lower pressure

Language plays a big role in how people experience your emails. If you try to apply pressure in every second line, readers might choose to close the email as the easiest way out. By adding phrases like “No rush,” “You can always change later,” or “We’ll help you decide,” you tell the subscriber that they are in control and that the choice is not final or risky. This kind of copy also helps to counteract analysis paralysis because it gives clear, low-pressure next steps. 

💎 Consider progressive disclosure

If you design your email in the right way (see the points above), your readers will get the information progressively, which is easier to digest and act upon. Presenting everything upfront can overwhelm readers and trigger decision fatigue. Progressive disclosure, on the other hand, is a way to reveal details step by step. It can be done either across several emails or between the email and the landing page. This way, you don’t overwhelm your readers and show them that they control the pace. 

Learn from the Best: Real-Life Cases

✅ Brands that do it well

1. Grammarly

The writing assistant Grammarly sends weekly usage summary emails with a single clear CTA. They might send an email that shows “Your Weekly Writing Stats” with one prominent button saying “See Your Performance.” Upgrade promotion emails similarly hone in on one benefit of going premium and a single “Upgrade Now” CTA. 

📌 Why it works: Grammarly’s emails are minimalist in both layout and purpose. Each message has one goal (it can be sharing insights or offering premium). The design uses plenty of whitespace, a few key metrics or points, and one big button. They do not crowd the email with multiple offers, like secondary ads for other products, or an “also check out” section. They make their email light and breezy, and users feel the same when reading them. With just a few simple tricks, the company manages to deliver their message without overwhelming their recipients. 

2. Apple

Apple’s product launch emails are a gold standard for avoiding choice overload. When Apple announces a new iPhone or Mac, the email typically spotlights one product, with a hero image, a concise tagline, and a single primary CTA (such as “Pre-order now”). The copy is extremely short—often one sentence highlighting a key feature or value—and there may be a secondary link for those who want to “learn more,” but the overall presentation is one big invitation to focus on this product. 

📌 Why it works: Apple’s emails are the epitome of simplicity and visual hierarchy. Apple doesn’t try to sell you five things at once. Even when Apple has an email that mentions multiple devices (say during a holiday campaign), they give each its own section or, more commonly, send separate emails for each product line. The result is an email that feels elegant and easy to engage with—there’s no effort required to figure out what Apple wants you to do. (It’s no surprise their emails have high conversion, as they remove the question “Where should I click?” entirely.)

❌ Brands That Overdo It 

1. Daily deal emails from Groupon

Subscribers to daily deal services often receive emails from different brands that look like a long list of promotions. A single Groupon email might include “Today’s Top Deals” across 10–15 categories—restaurant vouchers, spa discounts, product flash sales, travel packages, etc. Each deal is accompanied by a small image and its own CTA. 

📌 Why it doesn’t work: There’s so much sensory input and so many different options that it’s hard for a recipient to find anything relevant, let alone decide on it. It’s the email equivalent of a chaotic bazaar. Users might engage initially (because who doesn’t want to browse deals?), but scroll fatigue will ultimately set in. Many will skim a few items, feel overwhelmed or uninterested in the rest, and abandon the email. Moreover, emails with dozens of different deals and just as many CTAs can train people to ignore content. 

2. British Airways

Airlines often try to promote their deals accompanied by hotels, car rentals, restaurants, and other activities that people might enjoy doing on vacation. Nonetheless, many of them tend to overstuff their emails so that the main offer seems lost while users remain confused about where exactly they should click. If multiple deals are accompanied by their own CTAs, that makes the whole offer look even more confusing. 

📌 Why it doesn’t work: While there is only one main CTA in this British Airways offer, there are multiple additional categories, such as city breaks and holidays (sounds complex), flights (other flights), theaters, and SPAs. On top of that, it apparently is not very well optimized for different email providers because some of the images appear to be broken, while the subject line looks confusing and might even make users suspect spam. Finally, the copy written in a very fine font is hard to comprehend, which may make the whole deal misleading.

To Sum Up

Consumer anxiety in email campaigns is actually very far from real anxiety—but it still can severely harm your business. And if that’s not a thing to be phobic about, we don’t know what is. We live in the day and age of plenty—there is no shortage of offers and alternatives. While this sounds like a great thing, it’s not necessarily so: the fear of missing out is always present, as well as dozens of micro-decisions we need to make every day. Should I keep reading? What’s on Netflix right now? Did I just get a notification?

Understanding how many things your customers need to deal with on a daily basis might help you improve your email marketing campaigns—by removing excessive load from your emails, you are sparing your customers from an additional portion of consumer anxiety in their inboxes. Because, trust us, they already have enough of it elsewhere.

The post Too Many Options, Too Little Time: Consumer Anxiety in Email Campaigns appeared first on Email Marketing Blog | Sendigram.

Both generations, while closely linked in their digital savviness and preferences for engaging with brands, exhibit distinct characteristics and behaviors that set them apart. Marketing to Millennials involves understanding their unique position as digital transitioners. Gen Zs introduce new dynamics—embodied in things only Gen Z will understand—that demand a fresh marketing perspective. 

This article provides a comprehensive outlook on the preferences of both generations when it comes to brand interactions via email and gives marketing recommendations for turning them into loyal customers.  

Email usage: How often do Gen Z and Millennials use email and why?

The dynamics of email engagement are evolving, and that’s a proven fact! To provide high-quality marketing to different generations, it is crucial to be able to answer questions about their habits and preferences. 

So, does Gen Z use email? Absolutely, and here’s an outlook on their habits compared to Millennials.

58% of Gen Z’s scan their emails multiple times a day, and another 23% check in at least once a week. Millennials, deeply embedded in the workforce, frequently check their emails—a majority do so multiple times a day. A smaller segment, about 15.3%, prefers a weekly dive into their inbox. 

This pattern reveals a significant insight: both Millennials and Gen Z are far from abandoning email, engaging with it regularly. What’s in it for marketers? It’s a clear path forward to understanding the habits of both generations and tailoring strategies to provide effective marketing to Gen Z and Millennials. 

A study from Edison Mail provides a detailed overview of purposes for checking emails both by Millennials and Gen Z’s—and they are quite diverse! So, what do both generations try to find in their inboxes when they open their emails?

Online shopping: A significant 67% of Millennials use email mainly for online shopping, underscoring the importance of Millennial marketing. 60% of Gen Z also prioritize email for shopping, indicating a shared interest in browsing and purchasing products online.

Work correspondence: For both generations, email serves as a crucial channel for work-related communication, with 58% of Millennials and 53% of Gen Z engaging in work correspondence via email. 

Identity verification: Surprisingly, identity verification for online accounts ranks third for both groups, showcasing the integral role of email in maintaining online security and access to various digital platforms.

Customer service and business communication: Nearly half of Millennials (50%) use email to interact with customer service and business representatives. In comparison, 36% of Gen Z representatives utilize email for similar purposes, which is slightly less but still significant for investing in Gen Z marketing focused on customer service.

Newsletters and financial/banking information management: Both generations show lesser interest in using email for newsletters and managing banking information. While email is less preferred for these purposes, there might still be opportunities for marketers to engage audiences with highly relevant and personalized content in these areas.

Email volume: How many emails do Gen Z and Millennials receive daily, and what do they think about it?

Millennials in the U.S. show an impressive openness to daily promotional emails, with 43% welcoming them into their inboxes. This contrasts with Gen Z, where only 35% appreciate daily email blasts. Besides, both generations would rather unsubscribe than be overwhelmed.

It is worth mentioning that Millennials tend to navigate a busier digital environment, with the majority receiving between 6 to 50 emails daily. This creates a competitive atmosphere for marketers, urging the need for creativity in subject lines and truly engaging content to cut through the noise. 

On the other hand, Gen Z’s inboxes are less crowded, with most getting 1 to 20 emails a day, offering a clearer path for marketers to make an impact with more meaningful Gen Z advertising. 

In other words, while with Millennials the challenge lies in standing out in a crowded space, with Gen Z the focus should be on the significance of each message. 

Optimal email frequency: How often to send emails to maximize engagement without causing fatigue?

When it comes to numbers, over 30% of Gen Zers express a preference for receiving brand emails multiple times a week, and almost the same number is open to daily updates. The majority, at 31.8%, favor hearing from brands a couple of times a week, indicating a balanced appetite for engagement. 

Talking about email frequency, both demographics exhibit a low tolerance for feeling spammed. Thus, 70% of Millennials express frustration over irrelevant or redundant content, underscoring the need for tailored and meaningful communication.

For marketers, these insights into marketing to Gen Z and advertising to Millennials offer clear guidance: it’s not so much about the frequency of emails but the quality and relevance of the content.

Influencing factors for opening emails: Effect of subject lines, sender reputation, and personalization. 

Both demographics show a strong inclination towards emails that feature sales or discounts, with 70.2% of Millennials and a closely aligned percentage of Gen Z expressing this preference. The importance of relevant content, personalized subject lines, and visually appealing graphics is also emphasized across both groups, illustrating the core elements of effective email engagement.

Specifically, 35.1% of Gen Z highlight the subject line as a critical factor in their decision to open an email.

Another aspect that will increase your chances for an email to be open—and that is fair for both Millennials and Gen Z’s—is incorporating social proof, such as reviews and testimonials, into emails. Mentioning CSR and sustainability sits particularly well, especially with Millennials.  

Besides, both generations’ preference for mobile accessibility of content (67% for Gen Z and 59% for Millennials) emphasizes the importance of responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes.

Preferred email content: What each generation likes and hates getting in their inbox.

An impressive 82.3% of Gen Zers favor receiving promotions and special discounts via email. They also demonstrate a preference for personalized product suggestions, updates from companies, and links to blogs and other informative content. Newsletters, too, hold value for Gen Zs, but only in case they provide concise, compelling, or uniquely informative material.

Besides, the data point out that more than half of Gen Z and over a third of Millennials like getting brand emails. This goes in alignment with the findings of the University of South Carolina, which tried to find out how to market to Millennials. 

The research points out that the top three categories on which millennials prefer spending money are: socialization, education, and apparel. 

That explains why Millennials value:

• promotional offers and discounts,
• informative newsletters,
• loyalty programs and rewards,
• educational content and how-tos.

Email pet peeves: Complaints or dislikes about emails that can lead to unsubscribing or negative perceptions.

And what about email turn-offs? Well, all the content that is not engaging, not relevant, too long or too pushy, lacks visual and interactive design, and feels inauthentic has a very high chance of ending up in an email Trash folder. That stands true for both Millennials and Gen Zs. 

Besides, research from Retail Touch Points reveals that Millennials find it annoying to get sales reminders from brands about items left in the cart, previously browsed items, or, for example, interest-based products. 

How Gen Z and Millennials like to engage with brands via email and other digital platforms.

When it comes to brand engagement, email stands as the ultimate leader for both Millennials and Generation Z. An impressive 62% of Millennials and an even more striking 65% of Generation Z report that email is their preferred method of brand communication. These impressive numbers by far outshine all other channels.

But what gives email its ultimate appeal among all other channels? The answer is personalization. It makes email the preferred channel for the brand, especially when reaching the younger generations who value authenticity and personal touch in brand interactions. So, if you are evaluating strategies for best email marketing to Gen Z vs. Millennials, personalization will definitely please them both. 

Preferred communication channels: Through which channels do Millennials and Gen Z prefer to engage with brands?

Millennials are the generation that embraces the blend of traditional and online communication channels. 64% favor email as their primary mode of brand communication. Besides email, Millennials are also very much at home with social media, with 47% of them ranking it as their second-choice communication platform. 

Beyond these two, Millennials are also inclined towards messaging platforms, seeing them as a quick and effective way to communicate without the need to make phone calls. Brands crafting Millennial marketing should consider leveraging a mix of channels, including web-based chat services, email, Facebook, and WhatsApp. 

Generation Z: Email, surprisingly, remains relevant even for this generation. However, the digital savviness of this generation goes beyond only this channel. Gen Z expects brands to meet them on mobile apps and through engaging visual content on platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Furthermore, Gen Z values authenticity, favoring genuine interactions over traditional marketing pitches and often turning to influencers for product insights and recommendations.

Expectations from email marketing: What each generation wants from email marketing.

1. Captivating subject lines. Given that Millennials receive up to 50 emails daily and Gen Z spends extensive time on social media, subject lines must grab attention immediately. So, a must-click subject line is crucial to grab attention in a crowded and highly competitive email space.
2. Values and beliefs. Both generations seek more than just transactional relations with brands. Millennials and Gen Zs want to engage with brands that echo their values. Highlighting your brand’s commitment to causes like sustainability can resonate deeply, with 92% of Millennials more inclined to support ethical brands.
3. Customer loyalty programs. Loyalty programs are a key driver of repeat business, with 76% of Millennials and 43% of Gen Z stating that such programs encourage more frequent purchases. Tailored offers sent by email can enhance loyalty and spending from both generations. 
4. Valuable content and content experimentation. Content is everything, and for younger audiences who are fast at filtering irrelevant information, each email must offer value. Overly promotional content is a turn-off, so focus on relevance and engagement. Another tip: try new formats. Interactive emails and multimedia like GIFs, infographics, and videos can significantly increase engagement from both Millennials and Gen Z alike.

Effective email marketing strategies

Millennials and Gen Z are two young generational groups that stand closest to each other, so it’s no surprise that they share some views and preferences for email content. This overlap can provide marketers with insights into marketing to different generations.

So, which strategies work universally well both as marketing to Gen Z and Millennials?

1. Personalization: Utilize data analytics to personalize emails based on user behavior, preferences, and purchase history. Both generations value feeling recognized and understood by brands, making personalized content a universal win.
2. Mobile optimization: Given the high mobile usage rates among both groups, ensure emails are responsive and visually appealing on all devices. With 59% of Millennials and 67% of Gen Z checking emails on their phones, mobile-friendly design is non-negotiable. 
3. Value-driven promotions: Discounts, exclusive offers, and early access promotions cater to both groups’ desire for valuable deals. Highlighting these offers can significantly increase open rates and conversions.
4. Engaging visual content: Incorporate eye-catching visuals, GIFs, and videos to grab attention. Rich media content is more likely to engage and retain the interest of these visually oriented audiences.
5. Social proof and user-generated content: Share reviews, testimonials, and user-generated content to build trust and authenticity. Both Millennials and Gen Z trust peer opinions and real-world experiences.

Nonetheless, both Millennials and Gen Zs have their particularities that should not be missed when trying to maximize the success of your marketing emails. 

So, Millennial marketing should pay attention to:

• Educational content: Millennials value growth and learning opportunities, so provide how-tos, guides, and educational material related to your product or industry.
• Loyalty programs: Millennials, having more purchasing power, appreciate being rewarded for their brand loyalty and are likely to engage more with brands that recognize their value.
• Emails focused on social impact: Millennials look to support brands that reflect their values and contribute positively to the world. So, share your brand’s efforts in sustainability, charity, or social causes.

What about things only Gen Z will understand?

1. Short, snappy content: Gen Z’s attention spans are shorter, so keep emails concise, direct, and easily digestible.
2. Interactive elements: To engage Gen Z’s desire for dynamic and participatory content, use interactive email elements like polls, quizzes, or swipeable galleries. 
3. Trends: Gen Z is highly connected to the digital landscape and appreciates when brands are culturally relevant and up-to-date. So tap into current trends, memes, and pop culture references for effective Gen Z marketing.

To Sum Up

As we tried to showcase in this article, the strategies for engaging Millennials and Gen Z are diverse, yet at the core, they are built on personalization, value-driven content, and mobile optimization. Nonetheless, despite recognizing shared digital savviness and preferences for engaging content, marketing to Gen Z still differs from marketing to Millennials. 

A blend of universal principles of contemporary email marketing with the knowledge about generational differences can provide marketers with a perfect formula for the creation of marketing emails that make a true difference for brands, regardless of whose inbox they land in. 

The post Email Marketing for Millennials and Gen Z appeared first on Email Marketing Blog | Sendigram.

Despite both companies’ obvious differences, email marketing has become a key channel for both platforms to engage travelers and promote accommodations and destinations. The way each brand uses email reflects its overall philosophy: fast and transactional for Booking.com vs. softer and more inspirational for Airbnb. In this article, we conduct a detailed analysis of the email marketing approach of both brands, looking closely at how they personalize messages, design their visuals, craft subject lines, and use automation. We’ll compare their strengths and weaknesses side by side and highlight what smaller travel businesses can learn from each.

Audience Segmentation & Personalization

Booking.com relies on hard data from your browsing and booking behavior. How does Booking.com market to you once you’ve searched for a city? By immediately following up with deals in that exact location, sometimes with a warning that there are “only 2 rooms left” at a specific property. Their personalization is focused on conversion. They do so by reminding you of what you looked at, what you nearly booked, and what you might lose if you hesitate. The entire system is built to keep you invested until your reservation is confirmed. 

Airbnb, however, personalizes in a very different way. Instead of focusing on scarcity, Airbnb accurately nudges you towards making a decision with sentences like “Homes you might love in Paris.” It leans on your wish lists, your browsing patterns, and your style preferences to make emails that feel more like an inspiration. The marketing strategy of Airbnb is about planting seeds of desire. And they do so by showing users cozy cabins and paradise-like villas. The rest is done by your imagination.

In short: Booking.com vs. Airbnb strategies can be described as urgency vs. aspiration. Booking.com wants you to decide now by applying different urgency cues. Airbnb wants you to dream first and decide later. Both strategies work, but in very different ways.

Design & Visual Storytelling

When it comes to design, Booking.com prefers to keep things minimal. Their emails are built in a way that puts a heavy emphasis on the offer itself, which is emphasized by clean layouts and minimal visuals. If they include an image, it’s usually a small banner or a thumbnail of the destination. Email design mirrors the overall marketing strategy of Booking.com: to promise the deal and a path to get there as quickly as possible.

Airbnb, in contrast, takes the scenic route. Their emails are visually rich, often leading with a big, aspirational photo of a unique property or an evocative landscape. What matters is that the copy supports the imagery, not the other way around. Instead of “Book Now,” you might see “Learn More” or “Explore Homes,” which reinforces the brand’s identity as a curator of experiences rather than just a booking platform. The marketing strategy of Airbnb here is to sell the feeling of travel before selling the booking itself.

Impact on user perception: Booking.com is focused on efficiency and the essence of the offer; Airbnb’s emails feel more like postcards, aiming for the emotional side. Depending on where you are in your travel planning mindset, either one can be exactly what you need.

Subject Lines & CTAs

Booking.com goes straight for urgency (again). Subject lines often look like countdown timers: “Only 3 deals left in Rome this weekend” or “Your hotel in Paris is almost gone.” They also like to personalize by adding your name and destination, which can make an email feel personal but also very on point. Once inside, you’ll see that CTAs follow the same logic: they are bold and action-oriented (“Book Now” or “View Deal”). The goal is to push recipients towards a decision ASAP.

Airbnb, however, likes to play with curiosity and emotion. Their subject lines are designed to spark imagination rather than panic. “Sandy beaches or mountain trails?” indeed feels like an invitation for a great time. Once you open the email, you’ll see that the CTAs are aligned with that softer tone: “Learn More,” “See More Homes,” or “Explore.”

Booking.com vs. Airbnb subject lines compared

Email Types 

Booking.com tends to send automated reminders to visitors who started a booking but didn’t finish it, following an industry-standard way to recoup potentially lost reservations. So, if you’ve ever abandoned a booking, you’ll know they won’t let you forget it. Transactional and promotional emails sent by the company include booking confirmations, reservation updates, payment reminders, and personalized deals aligned with a user’s browsing or booking history. The upside of the marketing strategy of Booking.com is that you’re always aware of deals and availability. The downside is overexposure and fatigue that comes with multiple reminders. 

Airbnb takes a more diversified and experience-oriented approach. Beyond transactional messages like confirmations and updates, their emails often include personalized city guides, inspirational content, and post-trip storytelling. According to industry insights, Airbnb sends things like personalized city guides based on search history and preferences to inspire users to explore more destinations. These messages feel more like valuable travel content than sales pitches—in line with the marketing strategy of Airbnb, which focuses on retention and meaningful experiences.

Automation & Triggers

With multiple reminders Booking.com sends, the company relies heavily on automation. Their system is designed to react to even minor changes in users’ behavior. Start a booking but don’t finish? Expect an email within hours. Search for Barcelona hotels and close the tab? Tomorrow you’ll get a “Deals in Barcelona” email. On top of that come price-drop alerts and availability warnings. In other words, the whole Booking.com system is geared towards conversions.

Airbnb also uses automation, but the tone of it is different. If you looked at a listing, Airbnb might send a gentle “Still interested?” email with that property listing again, along with a few alternatives. After a trip, they’ll send a thoughtful follow-up asking for reviews or suggesting similar destinations. Automation for them is much more about extending and improving the experience rather than pushing users towards an action.

Which one is better? When comparing the effectiveness of triggers of both companies, Booking.com clearly uses triggers more effectively for conversions. Every reminder, alert, and availability warning is built to push travelers toward completing a booking right away, which makes their automation system a powerful sales engine. Airbnb, on the other hand, uses triggers more effectively for long-term engagement. Their follow-ups and softer reminders are less about immediate sales and more about building trust and extending the relationship beyond a single trip.

So, neither is better or worse—they’re just aiming for different goals. 

Localization & Global Reach

Booking.com handles localization in a very functional, transactional way. Their emails are available in multiple languages and priced in local currencies. The company also offers region-specific deals. What it means is that if you’re in Tokyo, you’ll see yen and Japanese copy. If you’re in São Paulo, you’ll see Portuguese and Brazilian offers. This approach is aligned with the marketing strategy of Booking.com, which tries to make the booking process as easy as possible to maximize conversions worldwide.

Airbnb adds an additional cultural layer to localization that goes beyond mere translating. What they do is try to weave local flavor into their campaigns. For example, an email in India might mention festive getaways for Diwali. While an email about French vacation might mention Provence and gourmet dinners with local wines. For Airbnb, localization is more about making the reader feel culturally seen. 

Which way to choose? When it comes to localization, there are two ways to go about it for international brands. One is to focus on making everything for your users as convenient as possible by sharing prices in local currency, translating copy to local language, and showing visuals that go in alignment with local cultural expectations. The second way is cultural. This approach is less about convenience and more about the feeling of belonging.

Both approaches have their strengths. The transactional approach might be more efficient with conversions because it keeps everything straightforward. Cultural localization, on the other hand, is more emotional and helps readers recognize the context better and feel less alienated. They both “speak local,” just in very different ways.

Strengths & Weaknesses Side by Side

Key Takeaways for Travel Marketers

What can small/mid-sized travel businesses learn from each approach?

Booking.com shows how effective it can be to stay close to your customer’s intent—if someone searched for Rome, remind them about Rome. It’s simple, but it works. How does Airbnb market? It proves that not every email has to scream “book now.” Sometimes a beautiful image and a story about a unique place can be just as powerful. Together, they remind us that conversion and inspiration are two sides of the same coin.

How to balance urgency-driven conversion tactics with storytelling?

There are moments when people need that little push—like a price alert or a “last room left” message. But there are also moments when they just want to dream, and that’s when storytelling helps. If you only ever push urgency, you risk wearing people out. If you only tell stories, you might never close a sale. The magic happens when the two complement each other. And the good news is that you don’t have to build everything from scratch—free HTML email templates can give you a head start in balancing practical deal-driven layouts with more visual and story-driven campaigns.

Which tactic to adopt?

Honestly, neither approach is better on its own. It comes down to what you want to achieve. If your main goal is to fill seats or rooms fast, Booking.com’s urgency is a masterclass. If you’re building a brand that people want to come back to again and again, Airbnb’s softer touch might feel closer to home. And maybe the real lesson is not choosing one over the other but borrowing a little from both.

To Sum Up: Who Wins?

So, who really does travel email marketing better in the Booking.com vs. Airbnb clash? The answer depends on what you value most. Booking.com is a master of conversions, and if your goal is pure efficiency, they set the standard. Airbnb, however, wins on another front. Its emails feel inspirational and human. They invite you to dream and to see travel as an experience.

Neither approach is inherently superior; they are simply different expressions of brand philosophy. One focuses on speed and volume, the other on emotion and belonging. And that’s the real takeaway for marketers: there is no single right way. Some audiences respond to urgency, others to storytelling. The best results often come from blending both—a reminder when someone is ready to book and an invitation to dream when they are not.

The post Booking.com vs. Airbnb: Who Does Travel Email Marketing Better? appeared first on Email Marketing Blog | Sendigram.

Why does timing matter so much? The answer lies in the way our bodies and minds run on different rhythms. In fact, there’s a bit of science behind this phenomenon: our internal clocks influence when we feel most alert and when we naturally wind down. So, while one person’s brain is sharp and ready at 7 a.m., another’s might not fully wake up until much later in the day.

The good news is that while we can’t eliminate people’s daily cycles, we can work around them by planning our email send times wisely. By understanding whether your target audience is full of early birds or night owls (or a mix of both), you can send emails when recipients are most alert and receptive. This article will break down early bird vs. night owl behaviors and show how to tailor your email marketing schedule to each group’s routine. 

Early Birds vs. Night Owls: What the Research Says About Timing

Human beings have different productivity windows thanks to their biological clocks (often called chronotypes). In simple terms, some folks naturally function best in the morning (the classic early birds, or larks), while others hit their peak productivity later in the day (the night owls). Most people fall somewhere in between, but in any given audience you’re likely to find a segment that skews early and another that skews late. If you recognize these patterns of early birds vs. night owls, you can align the timing of your campaigns with your audience’s daily habits.

Studies back this up. For example, B2B audiences tend to engage with emails more in the morning hours, whereas B2C or lifestyle audiences are often more active in the evenings. 

When it comes to understanding who in your audience is the early bird and who is the night owl, it makes sense to look at user behavior and context. In the morning, many people are at their desks or on their phones preparing for the day. It’s the time when they are in planning and productivity mode, and these are usually B2B audiences. If your message arrives in that early bird time window, it can feel especially relevant for this type of people (given your content fits the context).

By contrast, studies show that by the evening, people usually transition into more relaxed routines—lounging with their phone or tablet. At this point, they might be more receptive to leisurely activities such as browsing online shops. That’s why B2C audiences are often more prone to engaging with messages in the evening hours. 

Early Birds: What Works and When

The best send times to reach an early bird audience are roughly between 6:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. This early bird time window captures people during their morning routine—often starting from the moment they wake up and check their phone, through their commute, or as they settle in at work. Hitting the inbox at this time means your email is near the top when they first look at their messages for the day. Many professionals start checking emails around 7–8 a.m., so consider scheduling your early bird email to land just before or during that period to have better chances at visibility.

💎 And what about an ideal content and tone for early birds? 

People who start their day at 7:00 in the morning are often goal-oriented and treasure time. The content that performs well at this hour shall be practical, informative, and preferably concise. It can include:

• Productivity tips or how-tos—resonate with an early bird audience looking to start their day on a productive note.
• Industry news or reports—many people use the early hours to catch up on news relevant to their job or interests. 
• Announcements and updates that require action—morning is the most alert time for the early birds, so it is perfect for the content that invites action.

💎 Design tips for morning emails

During early bird time your audience’s mindset is in easy-to-skim mode. If you structure your content in a way that respects that tempo, you increase your chances to see stronger engagement. The best way to do it is to use a clean layout with a clear headline and keep important information and your CTA near the top. That way, even if the reader only glances at the top of the email, they get the essence and the action item. 

Minimizing extraneous elements, such as heavy images and long paragraphs, is also wise. The lengthy storytelling goes much better later in the day. 

Night Owls: What Works and When

For the night owls, the prime send times are generally in the evening. Studies of email engagement even point to a late-night peak—around 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. This is the period when those who follow a night owl schedule are most active with personal browsing and email checking. In fact, many consumers have a night owl routine of checking emails or social media in bed — one study found over half of Americans have checked email in bed, and about 70% of Millennials admit to checking from bed regularly. 

💎 Ideal content and approach for night owls

At 9 or 10 p.m., people are typically more relaxed (or a bit mentally drained from the day), and they are mostly seeking entertainment, comfort, or deals rather than hard work. Here’s what tends to work well:

• Emotional or story-driven content: Night is a great time for content that pulls heartstrings or captivates with a story (ex., a nonprofit sharing a beneficiary’s story).
• Lifestyle and entertainment content: Newsletters with recipes, travel inspiration, or articles to read for leisure will fit perfectly for this mood and time of day.
• Promotions and sales for “me time”: These can perform well at night when people are in a browsing and buying mindset, so it is no coincidence that many retail companies send sale announcements or late-night deals in the evening. 

💎 Design considerations and other tips for night emails

Mobile optimization is critical. Most night owls will be viewing your email on a phone or tablet as they lounge. By some measures nearly 60% of emails are opened on mobile devices now, and that skews even higher during evening hours. So, ensure your emails are optimized for mobiles.

Playful, curiosity-driven subject lines. Since the night owls tend not to rush through their inbox, you can be a bit more creative to attract them. The best way to set the premise for curiosity is with a subject line that teases a story (“You won’t believe what our data revealed…”) or promises entertainment (“Late-night reading: 5 travel disasters and how they ended”). Humor and intrigue can go a long way in the evening, when our brains are naturally more relaxed.

Adjust your sending times just a bit. By evening, our inboxes are already stuffed with messages from earlier in the day. So, how can your emails stand out? Using the subscriber’s name in the subject or sending at a slightly off-peak night owl time (say 8:45 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. on the dot) might help it to stand out. 

Account for decision fatigue. While night owls have more browsing time, decision fatigue is still real by day’s end. Keep any required decisions (like choosing options or making big choices) simple even at night, because a tired brain might still avoid effort. 

How to Know Your Audience’s Timing Style

Knowing general best practices is helpful, but how do you determine if your subscribers are more likely to be early birds or night owls? The answer lies in your data. Let’s look into some strategies that can be helpful with your early bird vs. night owl dilemma: 

👉 Use email analytics and tools for open times

Most email service providers (ESPs) offer analytics that show when your emails are opened or clicked. Take a look at a few recent campaigns to see if you notice any patterns. For example, if your newsletter consistently gets a big chunk of opens within an hour of the 6 a.m. send, you’ve likely got a morning-active audience. On the contrary, if a lot of opens are happening late at night, that’s a sign of night owl engagement. 

The good news is that you don’t need to do it manually—many modern marketing platforms have features to help with this analysis. If your platform has a contact segmentation by activity time or an AI that suggests optimal send times, take advantage of it. These kinds of tools can automatically create early bird vs. night owl categories, sparing you a lot of manual work and guessing.

👉 Segment by time zone and region

Another thing to consider is that your early birds and night owls can also live in different time zones, which is especially relevant for brands that are doing business internationally. So, in this case, you might need to separate your audience not only by their natural rhythms but also by their region. Using an ESP that sends at local time might be the best idea here. This way, you can set separate send times for early birds in London and in New York. While both groups are the same in terms of their habits, they will still get their emails at different times according to their location.

👉 Consider different demographics 

If you have some information about subscriber demographics, you can infer tendencies. While individuals vary, younger audiences often skew toward being night owls, whereas older professionals might be up earlier. A survey in the UK found almost a third of 18–34-year-olds were checking work emails from bed late at night. On the other hand, people 50+ might be more likely to be part of the dawn patrol. If your product is aimed at Gen Z or Millennials, don’t be surprised if late-night campaigns perform well. If it’s aimed at CEOs or retirees, morning might be your best time. 

👉 Run A/B tests with different send times

One of the best ways to know your audience’s preference is to test it. Take one part of your list and send them the same email at two different times—half get it in the morning, half in the evening. Keep everything else about the email identical. Then compare the open rates, click-through rates, and, perhaps, conversion rates. If the evening version significantly outperforms, you’ve got evidence your audience leans night owl (at least for that content type or day of week). If morning wins, lean into that early bird schedule. By repeating these tests on different days or with different segments, you will refine your insights with time. 

Best Practices for Timing Personalization

Leverage dynamic send time optimization tools

It’s hard to imagine contemporary email marketing without professional email platforms. Providers such as Mailchimp offer send time optimization tools that use data science to figure out when each contact is most likely to open an email. Other platforms, such as Brevo, HubSpot, or Klaviyo, provide comparable features, often called send time personalization or recipient time optimization. These tools take away the guesswork. By using them, you allow the algorithm to schedule your emails on an individualized basis. So, if you have access to such features, it’s only smart to take advantage of them.

Segment and personalize based on data

By observing how people actually interact with your content—again, through professional tools—you can label them early birds or night owls not on guesses but on facts. Many ESPs allow you to create segments using criteria like “opened the X campaign between Time A and Time B.” It might take a little work to set up at first, but it can pay off with significantly higher open rates later. The principle is simple: let your audience’s actions tell you what they want.

Consider inbox fatigue 

When you’ve figured out which time works best for different groups of recipients, it does not mean you shall send dozens of emails in those few hours. In fact, a big part of timing strategy is knowing when not to send an email. Just because you could send an email at 6 a.m. and another at 8 p.m. to the same person doesn’t mean you should. If you are tempted to do so, remember the cognitive load theory: when people feel overloaded, they start tuning out. 

To Sum Up

The essence of the early bird vs. night owl debate in email marketing is about knowing your audience and acting on real data. By paying attention to when your subscribers are most alert, you make your email send time part of your overall strategy. The science of human rhythms, combined with the tools at your disposal, provides you with an opportunity to embrace all types of users—early birds, night owls, and those in between. 

When you understand the patterns behind the night owl vs. early bird behavior and bring them together with your analytics, you create campaigns that feel almost intuitive to your audience. This blend of marketing knowledge, psychology, and even a touch of biology makes your emails smarter and more human.

The post Email Marketing for an Early Bird vs. Night Owl: How to Time Your Sends appeared first on Email Marketing Blog | Sendigram.