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5 Halloween Email Design Tricks for the Most Spooktacular Campaign

Beefree team
Beefree team
Oct 19, 2018
5 Halloween Email Design Tricks for the Most Spooktacular Campaign
5 Halloween Email Design Tricks for the Most Spooktacular Campaign

Calling all email geeks, goblins and ghouls: Are you ready for Halloween? The spooky holiday is almost here, and our inbox is full of frighteningly fantastic examples of Halloween email design. There's still plenty of time to assemble a spooktacular Halloween email campaign, so let's take a look and get inspired!

#1. Try a call-to-BOO! button.

This is a simple design move anyone can do—and should do! And that's to customize your call-to-action buttons to align with the holiday. Have fun with it! CTA buttons should be direct and clear, so that readers know exactly why they're clicking. However, that doesn't mean there isn't room to get creative and show your festive spirit.Look how the Noun Project sets up its first module with stunning design simplicity, plus a bit of playfulness via its button:

Halloween email design

We love how each module includes a big, clear header followed by only a line of supportive text and then a CTA button that pops. No fuss or frills here—just great design. And a bulletproof CTA button that says "BOO!" is an easy way to include a little bit of mobile-friendly flair.This Halloween email from Bark Box has a totally different vibe—it's all image-based—but like Noun Project, the dog-friendly brand has a bit of fun by customized its buttons.

Halloween email design

"Get it before it disappears" is a little more explanatory than just "Boo," but it's still festive and playful. Pick a short message that makes sense for your audience and email and have fun getting spooky with your CTA!

#2. Select spooky stock images.

Need to assemble a Halloween email in a hot second? Here's another tip that takes little to no time. Get your content and call to action ready, and then search for a witchy stock image that fits. Then you're ready to roll!Here's a simple example from Peet's Coffee:

Halloween email design

Not only does Peet's snag an appropriately creepy stock photo for its Halloween email, but the brand found a way to serve up coffee-relevant content about dark roasts to fit the holiday. It's clever and interesting—and a nice departure from the common approach of simply offering a discount and asking readers to shop.Need a source for free stock images? Remember that the BEE editor has a built-in search tool for finding free photos at your fingertips from Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixaboy. You can even customize them as needed, including layering live text on top! If you haven't checked out this feature yet, now's the time.

#3. Don't be afraid to commit to color.

You might be afraid of ghosts (no judgment), but don't be afraid of color! We spotted a few Halloween emails with gorgeous edge-to-edge color.Check out this one from Postable:

Halloween email design

And another from Tattly:

Halloween email design

Want to know how to douse your email in beautiful, vibrant HTML color? It's easy:

  1. Choose the same content background color and row background color, giving your email a "full-bleed" look 
  2. If you want to match the background color of your email to the background color of an image, choose the same HTML code color for a seamless transition (see our tips for how to use HTML background colors alongside images)

That's pretty much it! It's simple, and the effect is a big splash of color in your readers' inboxes. It's a nice trick to try for a special occasion like a holiday, especially if you typically stick to white backgrounds.PS: Check out the GIF from Tattly's email:

Halloween email design

#4. It's alive... text.

By now we email geeks all know the magic and importance of live text. Still, all-image emails do abound in our inboxes, even though we know live text helps emails render smoothly across devices and stay out of spam folders. But there are easy solutions that involve no complications or coding.Instead of building your content/text into your image, you can either (1) simply position well-styled plain text above and/or below your image (like a traditional inverse pyramid layout: image, text, button) or (2) position your well-styled plain text ON TOP of your image. Yes, that can be done! Here are the easy steps.If you go the plain text-atop-background-image approach, your emails can be optimized across devices and email providers and look lovely, like this one from King Arthur Flour:

Halloween email design

And you can even put an animated GIF behind your live text, achieving a look like this Paperless Post email:

Halloween email design

#5. Bewitch readers with GIFs.

Call us easy to please, but we're always delighted by a little inbox animation. Building an animated GIF for your email takes a little more time than these other Halloween email design tricks, but – if you have the resources – we always recommend it! Once your GIF is ready, including it in email couldn't be easier: it's the same as plugging in a still image.Here are some bewitching in-email animations that caught our eye recently:Chobani:

Halloween email design

Urban Outfitters:

Halloween email design

And one more from Tattly:

Halloween email design

Have you spotted spooktacular Halloween email designs in your inbox? Let us know what's inspiring you! And if you're still in the process of putting together your own Halloween campaign, implement these 5 tricks with a free trial of BEE Pro. The drag and drop tool is easy to use and all emails are mobile responsive – no coding needed. So get in the spooky spirit and start designing!

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Now, let's be honest—you’ve likely heard about all of these rotating for the last few years. While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 

Let’s get into it.  

#1. Unique, tailored experiences 

Damian Grabarczyk, the co-founder and growth marketer of PetLab Co., says, “We faced the challenge of connecting meaningfully with an audience that expects more than one-size-fits-all communication.” 

When we speak about crafting tailored emails we mean going beyond the recipient's first name in the subject line. We’re talking about optimizing your entire email strategy to design multi-stage touchpoints to nurture leads across the customer lifecycle. As well as, leveraging data to send hyper-personalized, relevant, and engaging emails that feel less like a broadcast message and more like a conversation. 

Many are using AI machine learning algorithms and AI automation to analyze customer interactions, past purchases, browsing habits, website visits, and even social media behavior to curate engaging email content that resonates deeply with the real-time needs of recipients.

For PetLab Co this looked like including content such as an individual’s pet health history or product usage timelines. Damian Grabarzyk expands, “This approach transformed the conversion rate and strengthened customer loyalty. As we look ahead, I see brands in 2025 moving beyond generic personalization to adopt strategies that make customers feel truly understood and valued.”

On the other hand, many are leaning into user-generated content (UGC) for crafting tailored experiences. Customers today are more likely to trust the opinions of peers over branded messages. UGC like customer reviews, testimonials, videos, and photos are the best form of social proof depicting real people using and benefitting from your products or services. 

We see the benefits of using both AI and UGC to get the most out of your email conversions ;). 

#2. AI tools as an addition, not a substitution

Experts at NordPass state, "AI-powered content generation tools are not here to replace email copywriters and marketers. These tools make us more efficient. The smarter the tool is, the better equipped we are to create high-performing email content that drives results." 

AI tools can support us by significantly enhancing the speed, precision, and effectiveness of your emails. For instance while traditionally A/B testing has required a lot of time to analyze small variations with AI you quickly implement and test multiple email elements and make adjustments based on real-time engagement data. There are AI algorithms that can even predict which variations are most likely to resonate with different audience segments, leading to more accurate targeting and faster optimization.

In short, AI tools are revolutionizing the way we craft and optimize our email’s deliverability. There are many different types of AI solutions so we suggest finding the right one for your needs. 

#3. Even more transparency around data

With AI continuing to rise, folks are more and more concerned about where their data is going. That’s where zero-party data collection becomes a key strategy in email marketing, allowing you to gather data directly from customers rather than relying on third-party sources. 

Zero-party data includes information that consumers willingly share, such as preferences, interests, and purchase intentions. This data is often collected through surveys, preference centers, quizzes, or interactive content and is highly valuable because it is shared explicitly, ensuring accuracy and deeper personalization without privacy concerns associated with third-party tracking.

As privacy regulations tighten, zero-party data will empower you to deliver hyper-personalized email experiences while respecting user privacy. This approach will help you build trust, as customers feel more in control of their data, and you gain insights that lead to more relevant and engaging email content.

#4. The death of static emails

With attention span getting shorter day after day, digest-format emails are expected to rise in popularity in 2025. Presenting email content in an easy-to-scan, organized, and minimalistic layout will surely help deliver the most relevant information in a fraction of the time. 

Additionally, interactive emails will allow recipients to directly engage within the email without having to visit a landing page or website. Interactive elements like product carousels, polls, and quizzes create a dynamic experience that keeps subscribers engaged, especially in visually driven industries like fashion brands

So what now? 

You’ve heard these strategies before, but now it’s time to actually put them into action. The brands that win at email marketing in 2025 won’t just be sending emails—they’ll be creating experiences. Whether it’s hyper-personalized content, AI-driven efficiency, zero-party data collection, or interactive emails that break the mold, the key is to stay ahead of the curve.

So, what’s the first strategy you’ll finally implement? Your inbox (and your audience) are waiting.

How to Leverage Email Campaigns to Gather Sincere Product Reviews

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What do customers think about your brand’s products? The best way to find out is to ask them directly, which you can do via strategic email campaigns.

Email makes gathering authentic product reviews quick and easy. By collecting sincere feedback, you can build trust, increase sales, boost loyalty, and innovate product improvements. 

That said, requesting reviews via email requires precise timing, personalized messaging, and lots of engagement optimizations. But don’t worry—we’ll walk you through some key steps to create email campaigns that deliver the valuable feedback you need.

Why product reviews matter

Product reviews do more than confirm that you're meeting customers’ needs. Sincere feedback drives loyalty and sales, offers valuable customer insights, and helps you develop a strategic product development roadmap.

  • Fosters customer loyalty: Requesting and listening to feedback makes your customers feel valued and heard. It demonstrates that you prioritize customer satisfaction, which helps you build stronger, long-term relationships. Review requests also act as re-engagement emails by starting new conversations with customers.
  • Increases sales: Social proof drives sales. According to a recent survey by Power Reviews, 90% of potential customers use online reviews to make purchasing decisions. In fact, reviews have more influence over purchasing decisions than product prices. Turning product reviews into customer testimonials and encouraging reviews on third-party sites can significantly boost sales.
Image sourced from powerreviews.com
  • Builds Customer 360 insights: Customer feedback delivers insights into customer needs and sentiments, enriching Customer 360. Exactly what is Customer 360? It’s a unified, 360-degree view of customer data. It empowers you to tailor products and customer experiences to meet individual needs and preferences. 
  • Drives product improvements: Sincere customer feedback reveals what target customers like/dislike about your products. It provides key insight into their value, functionality, and usability, unlocking large-scale development opportunities.

How to create an email campaign to collect product reviews

Want to unlock the power of product reviews? Let’s explore how to create email campaigns that encourage customers to share their feedback.

Segment your audience

Like promotional emails, product review requests shouldn’t be sent to every subscriber.

If subscribers haven’t had the chance to try your product, product review requests will feel irrelevant and may trigger unsubscriptions. So, only send review email requests to customers recently trying your product.

You can do this by segmenting your email list based on where customers are in the buying cycle. Target loyal customers, recent purchasers, and first-time buyers with tailored email campaigns. This ensures that you’re sending emails to customers most likely to respond with insightful feedback.

Write a compelling email subject line

According to Superoffice, 33% of people open an email based on the subject line. 

Image sourced from superoffice.com

To get the click-through rates you want, your email subject lines should be personalized, relevant, and engaging. Here are some examples:

  • Did you love [product]? Or hate it? Let us know!
  • We value your opinion — help us improve!
  • We want YOU to help us make our product better!
  • Up for a discount? Share your feedback for 10% off! 

Learn more > Tips for writing open worthy subject lines.

Optimize for customer engagement

A successful email marketing strategy relies on customer engagement. Here are some key email elements you need to encourage interactions.

  • An attractive email design: With the right layout, color scheme, typography, and images, you ensure easy readability and promote interaction. Use these engagement-boosting email design best practices to help you create a design that boosts conversion rates.
  • Gratitude and value: Thank customers for reading the email and explaining why their feedback is so important. Also, consider including a personalized Gmail email signature with your content details to build trust and encourage customers to engage with your review request. 
  • Personalized, relevant content: Personalized email content motivates engagement. Use customer data platform (CDP) data to tailor messages to individual customers. What is a CDP? It’s a centralized platform that collects and unifies customer information, building comprehensive customer profiles. 
  • Incentives: Offering a small discount can motivate customers to leave reviews, especially first-time buyers. That said, incentives can (sometimes) generate insincere reviews, so stress the importance of honesty. 
  • A strong call-to-action (CTA): Your CTA should direct readers straight to the reviews submission page. Use clear CTAs with bold buttons and typography to make it stand out.
  • Mobile responsiveness: If your emails are slow to load or don’t display correctly on mobile devices, your bounce rate will spike. Leverage solutions that offer advanced mobile optimization features — such as Beefree— to create responsive emails every single time.

Ask specific, concise questions

Complex, drawn-out questions that are too open-ended can disengage customers. So, get straight to the point with concise, direct questions. Here are some examples:

  • What did you think of [specific product feature]?
  • How often do you use our product?
  • What are your favorite/least favorite features?
  • How likely are you to recommend this product?
  • What could we do to improve our product?

Use a mixture of closed and open-ended questions to increase your chances of receiving meaningful responses.

Make it easy to respond

The easier it is for customers to leave a review, the more responses you’ll receive. So, make the process as seamless and convenient as possible. One way to do this is with survey emails.

Email surveys have high response rates. They can be completed within the email with minimal effort, which is a big plus for busy customers. And, they can generate a wealth of quantitative data and metrics that are quick to analyze, leading to faster improvements. BeeFree has an extensive collection of email survey templates to suit every need.

For longer review requests, include a CTA that directly links to the review submission page. Review forms should use simple, clear language, be optimized for mobile, and have a progress bar. 

You could even provide your telephone contact details to allow customers to leave a review via telephone. It’s the preferred communication method for 55% of Baby Boomers according to Hubspot, so it’s worth considering. 

Leverage small business telephone services from Vonage to access call center capabilities like virtual receptionists and CRM integrations, streamlining processes.

Also consider directing customers to leave reviews on popular review sites, such as Google and Amazon.

Optimize email timings

If you send product review requests too early, there’s a chance your customers won’t have tried your product yet. But if you send them too late, your customer might have forgotten their experience. 

So, when’s the best time to request reviews? 

Aim to send review requests within 7-14 days post-purchase. This gives customers a chance to try the product a few times, leading to more sincere, meaningful reviews. Plan for seasonal surges such as Black Friday and incorporate them into your schedules.

Key takeaways

Do email campaigns work for gathering valuable product reviews that drive improvements, boost trust, and increase sales and loyalty? 

Absolutely — but they need to be strategic.

To generate sincere reviews and valuable data, ensure your marketing emails are personalized, engaging, and optimized for convenience. And, use email list segmentation and marketing automation to ensure they’re sent to the right customers at the right time.

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