Holiday campaigns work best when they help people find something genuinely useful—not when they manufacture urgency or assume every customer celebrates the same way. Keep the offer clear, the timing relevant, the representation accurate, and the choice to opt out easy.
Start with a real offer and a claim you can support
Before writing seasonal copy, check that the promise matches what customers will actually receive. The Federal Trade Commission says advertising claims must be truthful, not deceptive or unfair, and evidence-based. Its Advertising and Marketing Basics guidance explains that an ad’s overall impression can come from its words, images, express or implied claims, and material omissions—not just the fine print.
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State the actual benefit and any meaningful limits where customers can see them. If a discount applies only to selected products, say so. If an offer ends on a particular date, use that date. Avoid countdowns, “last chance” language, or scarcity claims unless the deadline or stock limitation is genuine and relevant to the customer.
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A deadline can help customers decide when it reflects a real end to an offer or a practical shipping cutoff. It becomes untrustworthy when the message suggests an offer is about to disappear but the same terms remain available. Likewise, do not imply a product is nearly sold out without a sound basis for that claim.
#1 Best Overall
Give each message a reason to arrive now
There is no universal number of holiday emails that is right for every brand or audience. Optimove Insights’ 2025 Consumer Holiday Retail Shopping Survey reports that 35% of respondents preferred fewer marketing messages; the survey also identifies relevance as a leading engagement driver. Those findings are directional, not proof of a fixed best send frequency or a result that applies to all consumers.
Use a simple test before each send: what new, useful information does this message provide? A genuine change in an offer, a relevant reminder about a real deadline, or information a recipient opted to receive may justify another message. Repeating the same promotion with a new subject line usually gives people little reason to welcome it.
Rank #2
- Segment only when it makes the message materially more relevant—for example, by using stated preferences or a recipient’s relationship to the product category.
- Do not treat personalization as automatically useful; irrelevant personal details can feel intrusive rather than helpful.
- Offer clear ways to manage preferences or stop marketing messages.
For commercial email in the United States, the FTC’s CAN-SPAM compliance guide requires accurate subject lines and an easy, clear opt-out method. This is U.S. guidance, not a complete account of email rules in every jurisdiction.
Acknowledge holidays without assuming who celebrates
Seasonal representation should reflect the audience and the brand’s actual practice, not serve as decoration detached from either. Basis Technologies’ 2025 Holiday Shopping & Advertising Trends Report says 54% of respondents appreciated brands changing their branding to represent different winter holidays, while 44% said brands should recognize more holidays from a variety of cultures. These are survey responses, not a mandate for every company to name every holiday or evidence about all consumers.
Learn which holidays and traditions matter to the customers you serve, then represent them accurately. Avoid “everyone celebrates” language and imagery that treats one tradition as universal. If the brand cannot explain why a specific reference belongs in the campaign—or depict it accurately—use inclusive seasonal language rather than opportunistic symbolism.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Keep creator endorsements candid
If a creator promotes a product, disclose any material relationship in plain language where the endorsement appears. The FTC’s Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers says the disclosure should be placed with the endorsement message itself, where people can see and understand it. Do not hide it among hashtags or rely on a separate page, and do not suggest the creator personally used a product if they did not.
Quick Recap
Run a short preflight before launch
- Offer: Is the benefit specific, and are important restrictions or eligibility terms clear?
- Evidence: Can you substantiate each express or implied claim, including scarcity and deadline language?
- Audience: Is there a clear reason these recipients would find the message useful now?
- Representation: Are the holidays, people, and traditions depicted accurately and relevantly?
- Cadence: Does this send add new value instead of repeating a message already delivered?
- Choice: Can recipients readily manage preferences or opt out, and are subject lines accurate?
- Endorsements: Are creator relationships disclosed beside the endorsement, without implying untrue personal experience?
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