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%.
![Image shows a St. Patrick’s Day email from Turned Yellow, a brand that creates digital cartoon portraits. At the top of an email is a cartoon depicting 3 drunk men following a leprechaun down a street littered with green and white confetti, under a banner that reads, “Happy St. Patrick’s Day.” Underneath the image is a line of text that reads, “Sale ends TONIGHT at midnight PST.” The copy of the email then reads like a personal letter: it greets the subscriber by name, shares a few fun facts (like that St. Patrick was born in Britain, and that your odds of finding a four leaf clover are 1 in 10K), and encourages the reader to use the discount code “PATRICK17” at check-out to get 17% off. After a yellow CTA button that reads, “Get 17% off,” the email closes out with a signature from “Alex from Turned Yellow.”](https://www.klaviyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/turned-yellow-st-patricks-day-email-marketing-campaign.webp)
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.
![Image shows a St. Patrick’s Day email from headwear brand Neff, with the headline, “Our St. Patrick’s Day No Pinching Kit” in green followed by product shots of several green and grey beanies, items of clothing, and watches.](https://www.klaviyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/neff-st.-patricks-day-deals-holiday-email.webp)
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.
![Image shows a St. Patrick’s Day email from jewelry brand Moon Magic, which reads, “Feeling lucky? Get $15 off any purchase of $50 or more” in mint font on a rose background, above a close-up product shot of two rings and a bracelet, arranged near some sparkly four-leaf clovers. The background color of the email switches from rose to mint halfway down, and the copy under the image reads, “We see some sparkle in your future! Shop now for $15 off any purchase of $50 or more using code: LUCKY15” in black. At the bottom of the email is a rose-colored CTA button that reads “SHOP NOW” in mint font, followed by a subtle deadline in black: “Sale Ends 3/18.”](https://www.klaviyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/moon-magic-happy-st-patricks-day-email-design.webp)
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.
![Image shows a St. Patrick’s Day email from West Coast Shaving, which reads, “You’ve got the luck of the Irish! Take 15% off all Kent products this St. Paddy’s Day only!” followed by a blue CTA button that reads, “SHOP KENT.” The email then shows 8 illustrations of heads wearing different St. Patrick’s Day hats and different styles of beards, followed by a paragraph of copy detailing the history of the Kent sub-brand. At the very bottom of the email is another CTA followed by details about the offer: “15% off will be applied automatically to any Kent Brand items made by clicking through this email. Offer expires 3/19.”](https://www.klaviyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/west-coast-shaving-celebrate-st.-patricks-digital-marketing.webp)
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.
![Image shows a St. Patrick](https://www.klaviyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/blue-layne-boutique-st.-paddys-day-flash-sale.webp)