Close out Q1 with a revenue spike: 13 creative St. Patrick’s Day email examples
St. Patrick’s Day saw a massive spike in celebration in 2023.
According to a recent survey of 1,600 US consumers, nearly half (44%) of Americans celebrated the holiday last year—a 30% spike compared to 2022.
For ecommerce brands, this represents a great opportunity to close out Q1 with a pot of gold—or a nice revenue spike. Time to break out the holiday-themed email marketing campaigns.
Green beer. Green pizza. Shamrock earrings. Leprechaun merch. These are some of the typical themes you might see in email campaigns around St. Patrick’s Day. The thing is, we know you can do better with some creativity, segmentation, and a little inspiration.
If you know you can do better, too, but you’re not sure where to start, it’s your lucky day. Check out these 13 St. Patrick’s Day email examples as a jumping-off point.
1. Turned Yellow writes holiday copy that’s fun to read
Turned Yellow, creator of digital cartoon portraits, capitalizes on the holiday’s classic color in their subject line: “Wear Green and Turn Yellow.” This clever, silly move earned the brand a high open rate.
The copywriting here is just as clever, with fun trivia (fun fact: St. Patrick was born in Britain, even though he became the patron saint of Ireland), more wordplay, and a cheeky percentage off—17%.
Pro tip: Note how your brand’s personality can intersect with St. Patrick’s Day, and make this intersection shine with copy that teaches and entertains. If you’re feeling nervous, you can always A/B test a fun version against a more conventional version.
2. Neff curates its product line for a green holiday
Headwear brand Neff sends this short, digestible email featuring a curated selection of all-green products for St. Patrick’s Day. If you want to shop at Neff for your St. Patrick’s Day apparel, there’s no question which items are best suited for the holiday.
The headline—“Our St. Patrick’s Day No Pinching Kit”—nods to St. Patrick’s Day folklore without straying from the brand’s normal tone.
Pro tip: Curate your product line for the holiday while leaning into your brand voice.
3. Moon Magic adds some sparkle to a limited-time discount
Jewelry brand Moon Magic uses an entertaining gif to highlight jewelry subscribers might wear for a night (or day!) out on St. Paddy’s, whether they’re going to a parade or the dive bar next door.
To create a sense of urgency, Moon Magic ends their St. Patrick’s Day sale on March 18, the day after the holiday. Customers can only get that sparkly discount on green accessories during the lead-up to the holiday.
Pro tip: Use the color green (and a gif) to add some holiday pizzazz to your emails, and include discounts or coupon codes for products that align best with the holiday.
4. West Coast Shaving tells a St. Patrick’s Day brand story
Underneath eye-catching St. Patrick’s Day illustrations, West Coast Shaving takes the opportunity to share a sub-brand’s background story with subscribers.
As carriers of one of the oldest brands in Great Britain, WCS can use the holiday to build some brand awareness about legacy, history, and a commitment to quality.
Pro tip: Especially if St. Patrick’s Day hasn’t been a big day for your brand in previous years, use it as an opportunity to build brand awareness. You may want to create a segment of people who interacted with your St. Patrick’s Day emails for a follow-up campaign, or to target next year.
5. Blue Layne Boutique doesn’t play to the holiday too hard
If green shamrocks and the luck o’ the Irish don’t feel authentic to your brand, don’t force it.
Women’s apparel brand Blue Layne Boutique earned a high click rate with this campaign, sent the day before St. Patrick’s Day.
So, how did they do it?
They put their subject line and preview text to work. The subject line reads, “St. Patty’s DAY SALE! starts @ MIDNIGHT 🌈CODE inside —>30% off SITE WIDE”. The preview text follows up with, “No exclusions! CLICK to shop our FAVs! Code VALID 3/17/22 12:00am EST.”
A limited-time, site wide 30% discount? People who are interested in the brand would click regardless of the holiday connection.
The email itself, however, contains very few references to the holiday. Aside from a green sweater and the discount code, the contents of the email could be relevant any time of year.