Open your inbox and count how many Christmas emails start the same way. Row after row of rhyming subject lines, seasonal puns and forced cheer, and most get deleted unopened.
In this episode of the Digital Success for Business podcast, Leanne Cohens explains why holiday emails blend in, how AI-written drafts make it worse, and the three messaging shifts that make your emails sound like a real person. She also covers the right way to use AI in the process: as an editor, not the author.
What you will learn:
- Why AI-written Christmas emails feel generic and get deleted without anyone telling you why
- Shift one: trade seasonal puns for plain subject lines about your reader’s current reality
- Shift two: lead with your customer’s year-end pressures, then a short real client story, then your offer
- Shift three: package value with bonuses, priority slots or bundles instead of slashing your margin
- How to use AI as a cliché scanner and editor on your own draft, with the exact prompt
- The read-aloud habit that catches cringe lines before your reader does
Key quotes
AI should be supporting your strategy. It should never replace your voice.”
“Their reality first, your proof second, and then your offer last.”
“A discount says, we need this sale. A bonus says, we’re confident enough in what we do to add to it instead of cutting.”
Timestamps
00:00 Why every Christmas email in your inbox sounds the same and gets deleted
00:46 Why emails blend in, from the yellow display ad in the directory to the AI prompt everyone types
02:01 Why Christmas email is one of the biggest revenue drivers for many businesses
02:57 How AI-written Christmas emails blend into an average and leave readers feeling nothing
04:20 Shift one: trade puns for plain subject lines about your reader’s reality
06:25 Shift two: lead with your customer’s reality and a short real client story
09:03 Shift three: package value with bonuses and priority scheduling instead of discounting
11:14 How to use AI as a cliché scanner and editor on your own draft
12:34 The one habit to take away: read every holiday email aloud before you send it
12:56 The recap of the three shifts
13:30 How to get your Q4 messaging, email funnels and AI workflows mapped out
14:07 What’s next: should your small business bother with Black Friday?
Quick answers
Why do Christmas promotional emails get deleted?
Most sound the same: rhyming subject lines, seasonal puns and forced cheer. AI tools make this worse because they blend millions of holiday emails into an average, which readers recognise as automated in about half a second.
What makes a good Christmas email subject line?
A plain, specific line about what your reader is dealing with right now, such as “quick question about your Q4 plans” or “before our books close on the 15th of December”. The best examples in the episode never mention Christmas at all.
Should small businesses discount at Christmas?
Not by default. Matching a discount you can’t afford erodes your margin and your positioning. A fast-action bonus, priority scheduling or a bundle adds value without touching your price.
How should I use AI to write Christmas emails?
Write your own first draft, then use AI as a cliché scanner and editor. Add your own anecdotes, client names where you have permission, and this year’s milestones before you send.
Do personalised emails perform better?
Experian’s 2013 Email Market Study found personalised promotional mailings had 29% higher unique open rates and 41% higher unique click rates than non-personalised ones.
Work with Leanne
If you want an experienced strategist to review your email sequences, build your holiday nurture campaigns properly and help your business finish the year with momentum instead of stress, book a VIP Strategy Intensive. In four focused hours, we lock down your Q4 messaging, your email funnels and the AI workflows that keep them running while you run your business.
Stop guessing. Start growing.
Where are you right now? Pick your next step:
You’re writing your Christmas emails this week. Start with the free resource: marketingleap.net/marketing-resources
You want an expert to review your Q4 messaging and email funnels or you’re starting from scratch with no system? Book a VIP Strategy Intensive. In four focused hours, we lock down your Q4 messaging, your email funnels and the AI workflows that keep them running while you run your business. https://www.digitalsuccess.global/vip-planning
You want someone to run it for you. Let’s have a conversation about retainer or Fractional CMO support. 👉 marketingleap.net
Stop guessing. Start growing.
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