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Year-in-review emails stand out for reach, engagement, and conversions. These emails hit inboxes when the year is winding down and people are looking ahead. They offer you a chance to appreciate your customers’ support for your brand and strengthen their confidence.
They remind your customers how much your product or service has helped them and what they have accomplished during the year. These emails keep them engaged with your offerings and inspire them to accomplish even more next year.
The best part about year-in-review emails is that these email messages are not limited to a narrow segment of users. You can send them to your entire email list - customers, leads, and less-engaged subscribers. They offer you one shot to impress and reconnect with your customers and drive action as the year ends.
If you’re wondering how to create a year-in-review email for your brand, this blog post is for you. Here are the best 10 high-performing year-in-review email ideas to improve customer engagement and boost brand loyalty.
1. Choosing the Top 10 Highlights of the Year
People love lists and countdowns. It is one of the reasons why this type of email proves to be a showstopper for your brand. Such email messages build anticipation and motivate people to keep reading to find out what’s number 1.
Create a countdown-style email that features your customer’s top 10 highlights or achievements over the last year. These could be -
- Usage Overview - Share how often your customer used the product, highlighting total logins, sessions, or increases in engagement over the year.
- Top Features Used - Highlight the most popular features the customers relied on and how these features helped them improve their workflows or experience.
- Streaks - Celebrate your customer's consistency by showcasing the longest usage streaks and how streaks contributed to habit-building or goal progress.
- Progress Made - Share key milestones and goals your customer achieved by emphasizing measurable improvements and success stories.
- Time or Effort Saved - Calculate the number of hours or effort your customer saved using your product’s automation and efficiency features. For example, using Jira smart templates can save up to 175+ days per year in HR hiring processes by streamlining repetitive onboarding tasks and approvals.
- Content Highlights - Feature the most accessed tutorials, guides, blog posts, or other resources that your customer found helpful and engaging throughout the year.
Why it Works
The Top 10 countdown gives you an opportunity to celebrate your customers’ wins and make them feel proud of their achievements. This type of year-in-review email works because it taps into the customer's journey with your brand. As people generally enjoy looking back on positive experiences, this recap of top highlights triggers nostalgia and a sense of achievement, creating a feel-good moment for your customers.
For example, Spotify sends a year-in-review email named “Spotify Wrapped” to all its customers every year. Based on the customers’ listening data, the brand personalizes the email with a top 5 list/countdown and turns it into a visual celebration. It shows the customers’ #1 artist, the most played songs, top genres, number of minutes listened, and more to keep them engaged. No wonder approximately 156 million users engaged with Spotify’s Wrapped emails in 2022.
Source: Spotify Email from the Author's Inbox
2. Choosing A Year in Pictures
It is said that a single photograph can say more than a paragraph could. A “Year in Pictures” email offers you an opportunity to tell your brand’s story through a series of images. These pictures could showcase crucial moments that shaped your brand over the past year. You can use these emails to share -
- How do you show up? Team celebrations, remote meetups, and offsites.
- What did you achieve and with whom? Community events, customer stories, interviews, and podcasts you appeared.
- The impacts you made - Testimonials with visuals, social media posts, user reviews, etc.
Why it Works
People connect more deeply with real moments and faces than with text. By showcasing behind-the-scenes images, team interactions, and customer stories, you can build emotional engagement and trust with your customers., This makes your brand feel more human and relatable. It creates a sense of familiarity and engages your audience, thus strengthening customer-brand relationships.
Use year in picture emails to show real people, real smiles, and unfiltered behind-the-scenes moments. Remember, these visuals need not be polished or perfect. The goal is to build an authentic relationship. This approach aligns perfectly with the latest email marketing trends, which increasingly emphasize personalization, human connection, and authenticity in communications.
3. Customer Success Stories
Customer stories spark emotion and humanize your brand way better than stating facts and numbers. So, let your customers do the talking. Showcase real-life customer journeys in your year-in-review emails to build credibility. These emails will serve as solid proof of how your customers have benefited from your services or products. You can share -
- Mini case studies and highlight positive outcomes
- Before vs after results
- Testimonial or quote from customers
- Collective customer achievements or usage milestones
- Customer collaborations and UGC content
- Remember to keep these customer success stories short, to-the-point, and based on real outcomes.
Why it Works
This approach of sharing customer stories creates emotional connections and makes your brand relatable as it shows real people benefiting from your product or service. These stories build trust and credibility by providing tangible proof of value, allowing other customers to envision similar outcomes for themselves. Cover diverse stories from various customers and industry types in such emails to captivate your readers.
If you are sharing customer testimonials, make sure you include the customers’ names and their pictures (of course, with permission) to create a positive impact. Including diverse examples with authentic testimonials adds authenticity and social proof, making your email more persuasive and memorable.
For example, Help Scout shares customer testimonials in its year-in-review emails. It includes product features and quantifiable impact in the customer's quote. Through such email, Help Scout puts its customer out there, front and center, and focuses on showcasing the emotional + business transformation to its readers.
Source: OrbitMedia
4. Yearly Recap Infographic
Instead of using bulky paragraphs in your year-in-review emails, you can use infographics to tell your brand story. This type of email simplifies complex business-related data and presents it in a visual punch to keep customers engaged and make your email content unforgettable.
In your yearly recap infographic, you can include -
- Growth metrics - Showcase the number of subscribers, signups, conversions, revenue, and more.
- Product data - Add the usage statistics, newly added features, fixed errors and bugs, and so on, to the email.
- Social proof - Summarize your brand’s big achievements, top customer reviews, top milestones, and more.
- Impact initiatives - Showcase your company’s efforts in sustainability, community engagement, volunteering, or social good.
Why it Works
This type of email turns your complex company-related data into visually engaging, easy-to-digest content. Instead of overwhelming customers with text, it captures their attention quickly and delivers key highlights in a fun and scannable manner. By using visual storytelling it offers you an engaging medium to share your growth and achievements with your customers.
For example, PlateJoy, a meal planning assistant app, sent an interesting email presenting the year as a month-by-month timeline. It paired each milestone with appealing icons and concise descriptions. Sharing a progressive storyline and feature-centric highlights makes this email message engaging and easy to follow.
Source: Userlist
5. Thank You Emails
Your customers keep you in business. So, make sure you thank them at the end of the year for their support. While thank-you emails are simple messages, they are phenomenal in engaging customers. A heartfelt “thank you” email with no selling and pitching goes a long way in showing your customers that they are valued and appreciated. Use this low-cost, low-effort, and high-impact email to acknowledge their role in your brand journey as the year ends. Your email message can include -
- A warm, genuine message as if you’re talking to them 1:1.
- A brief story or lesson you learned last year.
- The number of people you have helped with your product/service.
- A quick note or short video from your team to amuse them.
- Photos or testimonials of the community you have built.
You can even pair the thank you email with a downloadable gift, such as wallpaper, calendar, etc.
Why it Works
These emails focus on genuine gratitude, strengthening emotional bonds, and trust with your audience. By stripping away sales pitches and simply acknowledging your customers’ support, you make them feel valued and seen. It depicts the human side of your brand, encourages loyalty, and leaves a lasting impression on the minds of your customers. When paired with personalization or a small gift, you can turn this simple gesture into a memorable moment that deepens customer relationships.
For example, Tinker acknowledges its customers' support and thanks them for being a part of its community. By expressing gratitude to customers, Tinker sets the stage for future interactions and fosters a sense of loyalty among its customers.
Source: Reallygoodemails
6. Exclusive Year-End Offers
Year ends are a time to reflect, both emotionally and financially. This is the perfect time to treat your customers with something nice that they can cherish before stepping into the new year. As they wrap up their projects, celebrate wins, and take lessons from losses, sending a small gift in the form of exclusive offers can go a long way in demonstrating to your customers that you value their support.
Take this opportunity to stand out with irresistible year-end offers, such as bonuses and discounts. To achieve more conversions, make this feel like a reward and not an aggressive sales tactic. Many fashion brand email campaigns do this well, using limited-time offers, festive visuals, and personalized touches to make subscribers feel special. For examples, take a look at these promotional newsletters from fashion brands that nailed their year-end messaging. Here is how to make your offer special -
- Use language such as “exclusive” and “Get Early Access”.
- Use a festive design complementing your branding.
- Include a clear CTA to get them to complete the action you desire, such as “Buy Now”.
- Limit the offer based on quality or time to show urgency, but without any pressure.
Why it Works
Use these emails to share with customers what they have achieved, what they have missed, and what they might want to improve in the coming year. Weave these emails with enticing offers such as exclusive, early access, limited-time, or thank-you gifts to create a sense of special treatment and urgency without sounding salesy. This combination of emotional timing, a limited-time deal, and festive presentation creates a sense of urgency without pressure, driving conversions.
For example, Readle sent its year-in-review email along with a special gift for its customers. It offered steep discounts to customers, meaning they could buy high-quality products at lower prices. This exclusive early access or bigger discounts added excitement and gave them a sense of accomplishment when they scored a great deal, making them feel more connected to the brand.
Source: Reallygoodemails
7. Behind-the-Scenes Look
You might have noticed behind-the-scenes looks after the end of a movie. They are highly relatable and show what actually goes into the making of a movie. The hard work, rehearsals, fun, and actors gradually fitting into their characters seem interesting. The same happens with brands.
Behind-the-scenes emails pull back the curtain on your brand. It showcases your people, processes, and efforts that you pour into your product or service. This humanizes your brand and builds an emotional connection. At the same time, it shows your authenticity and transparency. You can include the following in your emails -
- A sneak peek into creating a product or campaign
- A day in your office or team
- Bloopers or lighthearted moments
- Short videos telling the story of a product or process
- Interviews with your team members
Why it Works
Remember, people connect more deeply with people than with logos. By offering your customers an insider’s view, you help them see the real humans, effort, and heart behind your brand. Whether it is sharing product-making moments, team stories, or bloopers, it makes your brand more relatable, likable, and memorable. It adds personality to your emails, offering a much-needed break from polished marketing and making your communication feel more genuine.
For example, Lush Cosmetics included a behind-the-scenes video in its emails to remind its customers that real, passionate people are diligently working toward the brand. It adds warmth and emotion, helping their customers feel part of its brand journey.
Source: MailBakery
8. Year-End Survey on Feedback Request
Customer feedback and opinions matter. So, ask away. Invite your customers to share their experiences with your brand through a feedback form or a year-end survey. Use the feedback and suggestions to actually provide better services and products, and keep your customers satisfied. In the survey or feedback email, include -
- A short survey of around 5 questions about their experiences
- Specific questions related to your products or services
- Ask them if they would like to add or suggest anything
Why it Works
By asking for feedback at the end of the year, you show your customers that you are committed to improvement and customer satisfaction, not just sales. This type of email message turns your typical one-way message into a two-way conversation, making customers feel heard and valued. It gives you actionable insights that help you build better products, services, or experiences in the coming year. It reminds your audience that their opinion matters, which deepens their trust, strengthens relationships, and boosts customer loyalty.
For example, Tailor shows its customers that it cares about their voice and opinion. This signals to its customers that the brand genuinely wants to listen, learn, and improve based on customer experience. It directly asks for feedback through a quick feedback form and, as a thank you, offers an exclusive discount on their next purchase.
Source: Pinterest
9. Looking Ahead to the New Year
Reflecting on the past sure sounds great, but you should also excite your audience for the future. Share your near-future plans that await them in the new year. Tell them about your initiatives and goals to serve them even better than last year. This email tells your customers what they can expect from your brand in the upcoming year. It could be new product launches, improved services, future goals, etc. This builds excitement for your brand and gives them hope that something amazing is in store for them, a reason to stay with you. In this email, you can include -
- A glimpse into your future releases
- An announcement for business expansion
- Goals for next year in terms of innovation or growth
- Upcoming events or webinars
Why it Works
These emails create anticipation by giving your customers a reason to stay connected with your brand. When you share what's coming next, it showcases your commitment to innovation. It reassures your customers that your brand is evolving and that they are part of that journey. By turning your year-end reflection into a forward-looking message, you instill a sense of excitement and future-focused engagement in your customers.
10. Holiday Greetings and Warm Wishes
Holidays are when people connect and reflect. So, your email does not always have to promote, sell, or pitch. Sometimes, warm wishes and greetings are enough. It shows gratitude, a chance to acknowledge your community and spread kindness and positivity,
Sending these emails reminds your audience that real people are behind a brand to serve them. This leaves a lasting impression of your brand. Your email should have -
- Well wishes for the holidays
- A festive design
- Warm messages or video clips from your team
- Appropriate illustrations or animations
- Gentle or optional CTA
Why it Works
Customers remember how a brand made them feel, especially during meaningful moments like the holidays. This simple message strengthens emotional bonds with your customers as it prioritizes building a genuine connection over conversion. It humanizes your brand, shows gratitude and goodwill, and reminds customers that you value them beyond business transactions. It also taps into the festive spirit, making your message more memorable and appreciated. With no hard sell, it builds trust and long-term loyalty.
For example, ActionRocket sent an interesting email during Christmas, offering customers a quick insight into what the brand does to keep its team engaged. It shows that there are real people behind the brand. It adds warmth and emotion to what might otherwise feel like a data-driven or promotional email. Being the final touchpoint of the year, this email ends on a thoughtful, festive note, ensuring that the brand is remembered fondly.
Source: Reallygoodemails
Conclusion: Bring These "Year in Review" Email Ideas to Life with SendX
Year-in-review emails offer you a perfect medium to celebrate your customers and everything your brand has accomplished. Whether it’s customer wins, team moments, or product milestones, you can share them with your customers in visually appealing and stunning emails.
However, putting together a year-in-review email should not be a time-consuming task. You should not be juggling stats, writing copy, designing emails, and so on. SendX offers you everything you need to create impactful recap emails without starting from scratch. It helps you turn your annual highlights into beautifully designed recap emails in minutes, without the design hassle or content struggles.
Built for marketers, SendX allows you to create and send stunning, high-converting emails at scale with style. With SendX, you can:
- Use automation rules to personalize year-in-review emails
- Segmentation users based on their behavior
- Optimize delivery time to land the right emails in inboxes at the right time
- Customize emails with an easy-to-use and fast drag-and-drop editor
- Track engagement to find what resonates with readers and refine next campaigns
- Use clean reporting to track campaign performance
Check out SendX today to build and send your year-in-review email in minutes, not hours.
