Blue Monday Email Examples To Brighten Your Subscribers’ Day

We all experience Monday blues from time to time. But there’s a specific Monday that can make that feeling go through the roof, leaving us feeling melancholic.

Blue Monday is often seen as the epitome of the January blues, prompting us to seek relief and lift our mood. Consequently, many brands have begun connecting with their target audience on this day to brighten their spirits through various initiatives.

In this guide, you’ll learn why adding a Blue Monday email to your marketing calendar is a great idea, and get tips to engage your audience through these messages. You’ll also find examples from notable brands and pre-made templates to craft your own Blue Monday campaigns.

What is Blue Monday?

Blue Monday typically falls on the third Monday of January and is referred to as the most depressing day of the year. In 2026, it will occur on January 19 and in 2027 on January 18. Even though there’s no scientific evidence to back this up, it has, over the years, become a cultural phenomenon.

Blue Monday was created by psychologist Cliff Arnall in 2004. Sky Travel asked him to find a formula for the bleakest day of the year. The goal was to encourage people to book their summer holidays on that day and boost sales.

Even though it started as a marketing gimmick, Blue Monday was widely accepted because there’s some truth in it. Poor weather, seasonal depression, post-holiday debt, or failed New Year’s resolutions make this myth feel like reality. It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Why Blue Monday is an Opportunity for Brands

Many people who believe in this narrative use this day to focus on their well-being and mental health. As a result, many brands choose to support them, offering encouragement, positive messages, or even special campaigns.

Here are some of the top reasons to craft Blue Monday emails:

• Build trust with your subscribers: Supporting your audience on a tough day and genuinely caring for their wellness can boost their engagement with your brand. Plus, this campaign can increase your credibility when crafted wholeheartedly.
• Boost brand awareness: Special promotions and valuable content can bring more people to your brand, driven by an intent to connect with someone authentically and a need to feel seen.
• Differentiate from your competitors: Creating and sharing kind messages that show you care for your subscribers makes you stand out from competitors, especially if the tone isn’t salesy.
• Drive sales: If you run an eCommerce store, you can leverage the Blue Monday theme by sharing discounts or special promotions to cheer up subscribers. This way, your promotions become more meaningful.

But to reap all these benefits, there’s an important prerequisite. Your emails should come across as proactive and purpose-driven, rather than performance- or sales-oriented.

Best Practices for Impactful Blue Monday Emails

Ready to find your own perfect formula to create an effective Blue Monday email marketing strategy? Follow the steps below.

1. Choose an email angle

Let’s start with your campaign goal. What do you want to achieve through Blue Monday emails? Are you looking to drive more sales or share a warm email with your audience to boost brand awareness? Your goal should be clear so that you can communicate it effectively.

Once you’ve decided whether your email is promotional or nurturing, choose an angle that resonates with your audience to grab their attention. Understand their needs to choose a perspective that matters to them.

Here are some themes to brainstorm with:

• One-day promotions to boost their dopamine
• Positivity quotes to reverse their melancholy
• Initiatives to connect with the community, such as volunteering
• Humorous email storytelling to tackle the blues
• Self-care tips to connect with their inner selves

Find your favorite concept and sit down with your team or an AI assistant to determine the best way to bring it to life through a gentle yet impactful email campaign.

2. Offer valuable content and promotions

Some brands add “Blue Monday” to the email subject line to boost their seasonal promotions without putting in extra effort. While this is a viable option, you miss a valuable chance to genuinely connect with your audience.

Instead, ensure that your email message and content reflect the day’s theme. Promote products that can truly impact someone’s well-being or mood, or package them in a way that inspires action. No matter your angle, make sure your tone is authentic.

Keep in mind that it’s not all about what you offer, but how you offer it. Ensure your caring intent is visible throughout your content, even at a glance.

For example, BIKO announced their Blue Monday free shipping offer using phrases like “To make you a little less blue” and “lift your winter spirits,” adding a gentle tone to a promotional email:

Subject line: Treat Yourself This Blue Monday

3. Personalize your email campaigns

To create more targeted emails that will delight your readers, personalization should be your go-to tactic. You can start simply by adding the recipients’ names in key placements, such as the subject line or email introduction.

You can also use behavioral or personal data to make more informed decisions. For example, you can add product blocks to send more personalized promotions to your audience based on products they’ve recently browsed. Who wouldn’t love to receive a special offer for something they really want to light up a gloomy day?

Finally, segmentation lets you send different emails to subscribers based on shared characteristics, such as location or funnel stage. For example, send VIPs special offers to boost their brand loyalty, and provide self-care content to new customers who’ve recently converted, showing your values and earning their trust.

To streamline these processes, you can use email marketing services like Moosend or Constant Contact. They come with valuable personalization features, such as dynamic content, audience filters, and automated workflows based on user behavior.

Try Moosend for free

4. Set up an automation workflow

Sometimes an email isn’t enough, especially if you want to promote specific products to increase your sales. Through email automation, you can create email sequences and nudge your contacts at meaningful times.

For example, you can announce a flash sale on Blue Monday and schedule a gentle reminder for people who haven’t purchased to boost conversions. Automating emails can also save you time to prepare for upcoming campaigns, such as Valentine’s emails, without compromising quality.

Another great content-oriented idea is sending a pre-Blue Monday email with weekend self-care tips to help people start their Monday on a positive note. Then, send another email on Blue Monday, highlighting the importance of staying present and practicing self-kindness on tough days.

Finally, keep in mind that many email automation platforms offer pre-made recipes, which help users craft those sequences easily by following the if/then logic.

5. Adopt an empathetic tone

Your Blue Monday copy is unlike any other. It should signal to subscribers that you deeply care about them and that you’re there to support them when melancholy hits.

Put yourself in their shoes and consider their perspective:

• What do they need to feel better?
• How can you offer it to them?
• Is a flash sale enough, or should you also invest in content?

Make sure that the visual assets you use also align with the theme. For example, replace happy smiles with graceful or reflective facial expressions that they can resonate with. Otherwise, you risk sending mixed signals that will confuse readers about the purpose of your campaign.

Overall, empathy in emails is not just a good-to-have element. It can help your reader trust your content and feel safer.

6. Remove salesy language

Since Blue Monday campaigns aim at making subscribers feel better, avoid adding salesy elements, even when launching flash sales or offers. While countdown timers and urgent calls-to-action usually increase conversions, they may put readers in the exact state of mind they try to avoid on Blue Monday.

Instead of inducing urgency and FOMO, adopt a gentler tone when mentioning the expiration dates of your promotional offers. Plus, replace clock and hourglass emojis with zen or heart symbols to set a calm mood right from the subject line.

Interested in experimenting with different copywriting tones? Use an AI writer and find the best version that will make sense to your audience on this special day.

Email Examples to Inspire Your Blue Monday Campaigns

Explore these email campaigns from great brands to get inspired before crafting your Blue Monday emails.

Displate

Subject line: 💙 Blue looks best on metal!

The poster brand Displate sent a special offer to their email contacts to cheer up their day.

Why it works:

• The subject line directs readers straight to the email topic, capturing the attention of highly interested subscribers.
• The special discount (up to 30%) is placed at the top to maximize visibility. It’s also repeated in the CTA button to drive more clicks.
• The email body highlights the deal’s intent to shake off the blues with a splash of color.
• Important information about the offer, including the end date and redemption code, was highlighted to offer potential customers peace of mind.

Body Shop

Subject line: 20% off weekend treats 💙

Check out this beautiful pre-Blue Monday email from The Body Shop and create a similar campaign to deliver positive vibes to your subscribers’ inboxes:

Why it works:

• The subject line informs recipients of the email’s main incentive (20% off) to encourage them to open it.
• They included the discount information, a redemption code, and a link to their best sellers to drive more clicks.
• The diverse product recommendations cater to various preferences and needs, ensuring there’s something for everyone.
• Each recommendation has a brief product description and a beautiful image for a richer experience.

Wonderbly

Subject line: Exclusive 20% off for 48 hours

Wonderbly, a brand that sells personalized kids’ books, shared a discount with an exclusive member list around Blue Monday.

Why it works:

• The word exclusive makes readers feel special and more likely to interact with the email.
• The email body emphasizes the importance of finding small pleasures to help you persevere on gloomy days.
• Below the primary CTA, recipients can find added product recommendations for different tastes, followed by “Customize me” buttons to boost conversions.

Van Gogh Museum

Subject line: Hopeful

Looking for an inspiring post-Blue Monday email example? This email campaign from the Van Gogh Museum is the one.

Why it works:

• The collection of Van Gogh quotes brings hope and inspiration to readers during a “tough month.”
• They added a beautiful Van Gogh painting and chose an orange-and-yellow color palette to make this campaign feel more hopeful and appealing.
• They mentioned three reasons why Van Gogh is the perfect Blue Monday antidote, each linked to inspiring words, colorful paintings, and recognition.

GUESS

Subject line: Blue Monday | Smile for an Extra 20% off

If you’re a fan of simpler promotional emails, check out how GUESS chose a different angle for their Blue Monday campaign.

Why it works:

• With the catchy headline “Turn the blue to cool,” they immediately introduced their unique angle.
• The listed product recommendations in blue relate to the day’s theme in a unique way.
• The extra incentive at the existing sale is mentioned in the subject line and above the footer to grab readers’ attention.

Extra reading: January offers more opportunities to connect with your audience. Have a look at our January email planner to find out more.

Pre-made Email Templates for Blue Monday Emails

Looking for pre-made email designs to craft your next Blue Monday email? Check out these pre-made templates and easily customize them with a drag-and-drop editor.

Just sign up for a Moosend account or request a 30-day free trial to explore the platform.

Mental health resources template

Grab this mental health template and tailor the copy, visuals, and brand colors. The blue shades make subscribers resonate more quickly with the theme.

Use this template

Extra reading: Get inspired by these Mental Health Day email examples to deliver a campaign that can truly move your audience.

Product recommendations email template

Promote your product recommendations, and Blue Monday offers using this beautiful email template, focusing on product images and descriptions to help subscribers decide what’s best for them.

Customize this design

Blue Monday message newsletter template

Even a kind message sent from the heart can make a true difference on gloomy days. Grab this template and tailor it based on your brand’s tone:

Tailor this template

Paint Blue Monday with All Colors

If you decide to send Blue Monday email campaigns, make sure to stick to the day’s special themes and deliver them in an empathetic tone. Add hope and optimism to your subscribers’ tough days to get into their hearts.

Also, feel free to think outside the box and choose a unique angle to make a bigger impact. These seasonal days leave plenty of room for imagination. Just make sure that human connection is always your compass.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions regarding Blue Monday emails:

1. Can I use urgency in Blue Monday emails?

Blue Monday emails are made to reduce stress and make readers feel lighter. Aggressive sales language and countdown timers can undermine your intent or empathetic tone. Instead, mention the offer’s expiration date to inform them.

2. When is the best time to send Blue Monday newsletters?

Start on Friday and the weekend before the actual date with a teaser and self-care tips to survive the day. On Blue Monday, send the promotional offer or kind message, and consider sending a post-Blue Monday follow-up campaign to extend your offer.

3. How can I make my Blue Friday email feel authentic?

Align the offer with the theme of the day by sharing products or services related to self-care and wellbeing. Use gentle colors and reflective visuals, and write copy that focuses on human experience rather than sales.