At year-end, package content using superlatives like 'most downloaded' or 'most viewed.' This strategy leverages social proof, as consumers inherently trust what's popular with others. It works regardless of your audience size and taps into the 'catch-up' mentality prevalent during this season.

Sharing photos or videos of your team in a holiday setting taps into the audience's desire for authenticity. This simple tactic can result in 400% higher engagement, which you can then leverage by personally DMing everyone who likes or comments to build rapport.

Since true video embedding in email is unreliable, use animated GIFs to simulate video content and boost clicks. Create a short, looping GIF from your video, overlay a play button icon, and link it to the full video. This serves as a more dynamic and enticing call-to-action than a static image.

Brands, particularly in B2B, are often too serious and miss the power of humor. Laughter releases bonding hormones like oxytocin, creating an instant connection with an audience. It's a universal language that can dissolve conflict and make a brand more human and memorable.

Since embedding actual video in email is unreliable, marketers can create an animated GIF of a video thumbnail. Animating a 'play' button or background elements signals that there is rich media content, serving as a highly effective call-to-action to drive clicks to external landing pages, demos, or case studies.

Your email signature is valuable, underutilized real estate. Adding a simple holiday-focused message, a thank you, and a link to 'best of the year' content can increase CTRs by over 40% in December as you're reaching highly relevant business contacts.

Animated GIFs in emails see their highest performance during the November-December period. This seasonal lift is attributed to audiences being in a more receptive and festive mood, making it a prime time to test this tactic for increased engagement and to stand out in crowded inboxes.

Animated GIFs aren't just for flair; they are a proven tactic to increase email engagement. Data shows they can lift click-through rates by approximately 20%. Their effectiveness is particularly high during the holiday season from November through December, a period when audiences are more receptive to dynamic content.

As audiences push back against AI-generated and overly polished stock imagery, featuring real people in authentic situations will be critical for engagement. Showcasing your team, customers, or volunteers in natural settings—not on a green screen—builds trust and connection, making genuine humanity the key to cutting through the noise.