Proven Lunar New Year media email designs you can use
1. theSkimm: Teeth whitening strips from a brand called Snow
Objective
The email aims to re-engage shoppers with curated, editor-vetted product recommendations while subtly promoting Snow’s teeth whitening strips as a standout item. It blends lifestyle storytelling with commerce to build trust and drive conversions through relatable, everyday product use.
Why this works
TheSkimm masterfully blends editorial voice with commerce by embedding product picks inside personal, relatable narratives, making recommendations feel like trusted advice rather than sales pitches, which builds deeper consumer trust and engagement.
How to implement
By spotlighting Snow’s teeth whitening strips with a specific, tangible benefit, 'they dissolve within 20 minutes of application', the email transforms a generic beauty product into a practical, time-saving solution that resonates with busy, modern consumers.
Pro Tip
The Snow whitening strips are buried in a product grid under 'Margo’s Empties', they should be elevated to the hero or offer section with a dedicated visual and stronger benefit-driven headline to maximize conversion potential. • The primary CTA 'Get your copy' is misaligned with the commerce goal; it should be replaced with action-oriented CTAs like 'Shop Snow Strips Now' or 'See the Deal' to better guide users toward purchase intent.
2. Marin Living Magazine: Marin’s Best Super Bowl LX Specials You’ll Want on Game Day 🏈
Objective
To drive local engagement and event attendance by highlighting Marin County’s top Super Bowl LX specials and curated February experiences, while subtly promoting community partnerships and lifestyle content that aligns with the magazine’s regional authority.
Why this works
The email brilliantly anchors its Super Bowl theme with mouthwatering food imagery and a clear headline, immediately signaling relevance to local readers seeking game-day experiences without overwhelming them with unrelated content.
How to implement
By blending time-sensitive events like Lunar New Year celebrations and charity galas with evergreen lifestyle features like sleep science and resort escapes, the campaign maintains urgency while nurturing long-term reader loyalty through diverse, high-value content.
Pro Tip
Add a countdown timer or urgency indicator near the Super Bowl LX section to emphasize the time-sensitive nature of game-day specials and encourage immediate clicks before the event passes. • Reposition the 'Best of the County' cross-sell section higher in the email, perhaps after the hero, to leverage the Super Bowl’s excitement and convert readers into voters while they’re still engaged with local experiences.
3. USA TODAY : A Georgia teacher's death
Objective
To deliver a concise, curated morning news roundup that informs subscribers of breaking national stories, cultural moments, and sports updates while reinforcing USA TODAY’s role as a trusted daily source. It also aims to drive engagement through interactive content and app downloads.
Why this works
The email opens with a bold, emotionally resonant headline about a Georgia teacher’s death, immediately anchoring readers in a human-centered, high-impact story that drives urgency and empathy without sensationalism.
How to implement
By weaving in cultural moments like Ash Wednesday and sports updates like Iowa State gymnasts’ canceled season, the email balances gravity with relatability, making the news feel personal and timely rather than just transactional.
Pro Tip
The CTA ‘DISCOVER MORE AND PLAY’ is buried under a playful section and lacks visual hierarchy; it should be redesigned with a contrasting button color and positioned above the fold to better convert casual readers into engaged users. • The ‘TOP STORIES’ section uses inconsistent image-to-text ratios and lacks a clear editorial hierarchy, adding visual badges like ‘Most Read’ or ‘Editor’s Pick’ would help guide attention and reinforce content value.
4. Los Angeles Magazine: Celebrate Lunar New Year at Grand Canal Shoppes
Objective
This email aims to drive attendance to the Lunar New Year celebration at Grand Canal Shoppes by highlighting cultural performances, photo opportunities, and exclusive gifts, while leveraging the prestige of Los Angeles Magazine’s partnership to lend credibility and urgency to the event.
Why this works
The email brilliantly ties cultural celebration to luxury experience by featuring a joyful, elegantly dressed guest holding a cocktail amid festive red and gold motifs, subtly signaling that this isn’t just a cultural event, it’s a high-end social occasion worth attending.
How to implement
Using 'Year of the Horse Celebration' as a headline instead of generic 'Lunar New Year' creates intrigue and specificity, making the event feel exclusive and historically rooted, which elevates perceived value and encourages curiosity-driven attendance.
Pro Tip
Add a clear date and time for the event directly under the headline or near the CTA to reduce friction, readers shouldn’t have to click through to discover when the celebration actually happens. • Include a small map pin or 'Find Us' link near the venue name to help out-of-town readers visualize location and plan travel, especially since the event is in Las Vegas and the sender is based in Los Angeles.
5. TIME: Homeland Security shuts down in battle over ICE reform
Objective
To inform subscribers of breaking news and trending stories while encouraging engagement through a reader survey and promoting TIME’s Best Inventions campaign to drive brand interaction and newsletter sign-ups.
Why this works
The email opens with a high-impact political headline to immediately capture attention, leveraging urgency and relevance to draw readers into the full briefing while anchoring the newsletter’s authority on breaking news.
How to implement
By embedding a reader survey mid-content, the campaign smartly converts passive readers into active participants, gathering valuable audience data without disrupting the flow of news consumption or diluting the editorial tone.
Pro Tip
The CTA ‘Take the Survey’ is visually prominent but lacks urgency or incentive; adding a micro-benefit like ‘Help shape our coverage, takes 60 seconds’ would increase conversion without cluttering the design. • The two ‘TIME Best Inventions’ banners are visually repetitive and occupy valuable real estate; consolidating them into one dynamic, scroll-triggered banner with a countdown timer would reduce redundancy and heighten FOMO.
6. Honolulu: ✨Your Guide to the Perfect Weekend in Honolulu
Objective
This email aims to inspire local residents and visitors to explore Honolulu’s cultural, culinary, and family-friendly weekend activities by curating a visually rich, themed guide that blends events, food, and local stories. It also subtly promotes magazine subscriptions and social engagement.
Why this works
The email brilliantly blends lifestyle content with local culture by spotlighting niche experiences, like indie book fests and family scavenger hunts, making readers feel like insiders rather than tourists, which builds emotional loyalty and repeat engagement.
How to implement
Each content block uses vivid, mouthwatering or visually arresting imagery paired with punchy, personality-driven copy, such as 'They’re so fluffyyyyy!', which transforms generic event listings into irresistible, shareable moments that readers want to experience firsthand.
Pro Tip
Add a sticky or anchored CTA button at the bottom of the email that says 'Plan Your Weekend Now' to capture users who scroll past all 'READ MORE' links without committing, this reduces friction and aligns with the goal of driving immediate action. • Integrate a mini map or clickable location icons next to each activity to help users quickly visualize proximity and plan logistics, this enhances usability and transforms passive browsing into active trip planning.
7. Orange Coast: O.C. Now: Monday
Objective
This email aims to engage readers with locally relevant stories and cultural highlights from Orange County, fostering community connection while subtly promoting brand affinity through curated content and event awareness.
Why this works
The email masterfully blends human-interest storytelling with local flavor by spotlighting real people reviving iconic businesses, which builds emotional resonance and positions the brand as a cultural curator rather than just a publisher.
How to implement
By integrating multimedia content like podcast episodes with clear platform-specific CTAs, the campaign transforms passive readers into active listeners, expanding audience reach while reinforcing brand partnerships through authentic, personality-driven features.
Pro Tip
Add a visual hierarchy to the 'Upcoming Events' section, such as bolding dates or using icons, to help readers quickly scan and prioritize events, reducing cognitive load and increasing click-through likelihood. • Include a secondary CTA beneath the podcast feature, such as 'Follow The Zest on Spotify' or 'Subscribe for Weekly Episodes,' to capture interest beyond the single episode and build long-term audience retention.
8. The Bend Magazine: ☀️ The Best Wings in Corpus Christi, Black History Month Events in the Coastal Bend, Weekend Events and more
Objective
This email aims to engage local readers by delivering a curated weekly digest of events, dining highlights, and community stories across the Coastal Bend region, encouraging clicks to explore deeper content while subtly promoting magazine subscriptions and advertising opportunities.
Why this works
The email opens with a warm, personalized greeting and a quick teaser of the weekend’s biggest events, instantly anchoring the reader in local relevance and creating urgency to keep scrolling for curated, time-sensitive content.
How to implement
Each content block uses a high-res, emotionally resonant photo paired with a benefit-driven headline and a consistent 'READ NOW' CTA, which trains the reader’s eye to scan and click without decision fatigue or visual clutter.
Pro Tip
Add a subtle countdown or date badge (e.g., 'This Weekend Only') to the 'Things to Do' and 'Game Day Gathering Spots' sections to heighten urgency and encourage immediate clicks before the events pass. • Reposition the subscription offer from the bottom to a mid-email 'Don’t Miss Out' banner with a stronger visual treatment, perhaps a contrasting color block or icon, to capture attention while readers are still engaged, not after they’ve scrolled past all content.
9. Baltimore magazine: Diving Into the Dining Scene for Our Annual Best Restaurants Issue 🍴+ Open & Shut 🥣, Lunar New Year Specials 🥟 + More Food News
Objective
This email aims to engage food-loving readers by teasing the upcoming Best Restaurants issue while delivering timely, curated dining news, including openings, closings, cultural events, and restaurant reviews, to position Baltimore Magazine as the essential local guide for food experiences.
Why this works
The email opens with a personal, passionate message from the editor that humanizes the brand and builds trust by sharing behind-the-scenes effort and emotional investment in curating the best dining experiences for readers.
How to implement
Each content block is tightly themed around a specific culinary trend or event, like live music venues or Lunar New Year celebrations, making it easy for readers to scan and choose what resonates most without feeling overwhelmed by unrelated topics.
Pro Tip
Add a countdown timer or teaser graphic near the top highlighting how many days remain until the Best Restaurants issue drops, creating urgency and anchoring the campaign’s core objective visually. • Include a short, punchy quote or star rating from one of the reviewed restaurants directly under each 'READ MORE' button to increase click-through by offering immediate social proof and flavor before the click.
10. The Economist: Lunar New Year sale: save on The Economist
Objective
The email aims to drive immediate subscriptions by leveraging the Lunar New Year cultural moment with a time-sensitive 50% discount, encouraging readers to act before the February 19th deadline while reinforcing The Economist’s brand as a source of illuminating ideas.
Why this works
The email brilliantly ties a cultural milestone, Lunar New Year, to intellectual value by framing the subscription as ‘where ideas catch light,’ transforming a discount into a symbolic gift of insight rather than just a price cut.
How to implement
Using a bold, flame-shaped ‘2’ as the central visual metaphor not only reinforces the 50% savings but also subtly evokes celebration and urgency, making the offer feel both festive and fleeting without relying on clichéd imagery.
Pro Tip
Add a brief testimonial or subscriber quote near the CTA to build social proof, for example, ‘Join 1.5M readers who start their week with The Economist’, to reduce perceived risk and increase trust in the offer’s value. • Include a small countdown timer beneath the ‘Sale ends February 19th 2026’ banner to visually reinforce urgency, as static text alone may not trigger the same psychological response as a dynamic, ticking deadline.