Cannabis businesses are a significant part of the commercial industry that is actually still underestimated. It has already reached a considerable level of development, but not many email and SMS marketing companies are taking on the work of creating cannabis-related campaigns. This article is dedicated to email marketing for cannabis brands. Here we will present ideas for campaigns with examples, subject lines for your emails, and agencies you can work with in order to prepare you for the upcoming 4/20 celebration.
Cannabis Email Marketing for 4/20
420, 4:20, or 4/20 can be spelled differently, but the essence is the same. It is a slang expression for marijuana consumption. However, this expression has also become a symbol of a day dedicated to cannabis, and this day is celebrated annually symbolically on April 20, as it looks like 4/20 on the calendar.
4/20 may be associated with the cannabis consumption community, but it’s not just enthusiasts who celebrate it. This day symbolizes rest, relaxation, socializing, and the opportunity to unwind, whether you consume or not. It’s a great opportunity to communicate with your audience in a relevant, interesting, and fun way.
Just as Black Friday is retail’s Christmas, 4/20 is an iconic holiday for cannabis enthusiasts, lifestyle brands, and those promoting a relaxed, mindful approach to health.
According to the latest data, cannabis-related email open rates are higher than average in April, with some brands reporting a 25% increase in engagement as 4/20 approaches.
These stats are pretty important, but we understand that you may not be a cannabis-focused brand, and that’s okay! You can still boost your performance and increase sales with 4/20-themed campaigns.
8 Relaxing Strategies of Email Marketing for Cannabis Brands
Now we bring you the most exciting part, which is our top 8 smokin’ ideas for campaigns that will help you ignite sales and engage your audience on this iconic day.
A Lighthearted Campaign
Even if your store doesn’t offer cannabis or related products, 4/20 can still be an opportunity to connect with a wide range of audiences with a relaxed, themed campaign. Adding lighthearted jokes like playful 4/20 puns or creative visuals inspired by marijuana leaves can make your brand recognizable and memorable to your audience.
This will work regardless they consume such products or just enjoy a good laugh. A humorous 4/20 campaign can make your brand more vibrant and enjoyable by creating a fun connection with your audience and showing them the easygoing side of your brand.
💡 Pro Tip: Focus on style and lightheartedness. Well-placed puns and a hint of humor make a great impression here. Try using catchy phrases like “Burnin’ Up with Deals” or “Feel-Good Savings” combined with green accents or soft visuals to keep things playful but stay branded.
Replenishment of Supplies
Emails that remind you to replenish your stock are perfect for the cannabis industry. Most of these products are consumables, from marijuana leaves to cartridges and additives. They need constant replenishment, and your email will be a good reminder in this regard. Such emails are effective and will serve as a good reminder to do some shopping for the upcoming 4/20.
A replenishment email will predict your customer’s needs, and with 4/20 coming up, you’ll send out emails at the exact time your customers need them, even if they haven’t realized it yet. Such an email should be simple and straightforward, showing the customer what product you offer, and how much it costs, along with an instant order button. You should also include ads for related products that might be of interest to the customer.
💡 Pro Tip: These emails can be a great help to your customers, and they may want to receive these reminders more often. Set up triggers for replenishment emails. Analyze your customer base data to improve the prediction of purchasing behavior and foresee when a customer will run out of product so that they will want to buy again.
The “Munchies” Moment
A perfect time for food businesses to shine. The “Munchies” are an integral part of the 4/20 experience, which is why food businesses simply need to create a well-designed email that temptingly promotes their snacks and treats. Same as the other campaigns we suggested, use playful, relaxed language and visuals to highlight the products that would make the perfect 4/20 snack, whether it’s savory, sweet, or a combination of both.
💡 Pro Tip: Encourage social engagement. Spread hashtags or photos to encourage customers to share their 4/20 snacks, sharing the event across the community. A fun call to action like “Snack Away” or “Get Your Munchies” can also increase click-through rates.
Personalized Welcome Emails
During the 4/20 campaign, cannabis product brands are guaranteed to gain new customers, which is where their cannabis email marketing will require welcome emails. Don’t miss a good opportunity to send an email to a client and introduce yourself in all your glory. We will explain how to create such emails so that they make a good first impression.
The welcome email establishes the first connection, sets the tone, and shows what subscribers can expect from your newsletters. Personalization in your greeting can immediately improve and bring your customer relationship closer. Present the entire product assortment discreetly, without exaggerated advertising, to keep the customer better informed about your product offerings.
💡 Pro Tip: Make the first connection relevant, personalize it, and refrain from template greetings. Ready-made templates reduce your uniqueness, and unless they are designed by you, you won’t be able to customize them to your brand.
Chill-Out Collections and Product Bundles
For brands related to wellness, CBD, lifestyle, or even fashion, this is the perfect opportunity to introduce their products as part of a “Chill Out Collection” or to remind customers about limited-time kits that fit the theme of relaxation. Use product names or descriptions that play with 4/20-related language, such as “Unwind Essentials” or “Zen Packs.” Focus on products that help reduce stress or promote calmness, as these are highly relevant to the 4/20 audience.
💡 Pro Tip: If you’re offering CBD or wellness products, add short, informative descriptions to inform your audience about their benefits. Include visuals or GIFs that convey a relaxing atmosphere, such as cozy scenes or soothing natural images.
Loyalty Program for Cannabis Marketing
A loyalty program is a way to reward your particularly loyal VIP customers and collect some valuable data about them at the same time. Campaigns run by cannabis businesses have rather limited advertising opportunities. They are limited in the varieties of paid online marketing or other digital methods used by marketers to attract customers. Therefore, creating a loyalty program will be a particularly useful tool for such ecommerce.
💡 Pro Tip: Combine your loyalty program with a referral program, in other words, rewards for referring friends. This combination of programs will provide you with powerful word-of-mouth advertising. Getting people to advertise you by telling their friends about you will allow you to overcome prohibitive advertising measures.
Limited-time Offers
Nothing emphasizes urgency like a limited few-day sale on 4/20. Discounts, buy-one-get-two deals, or exclusive offers add a sense of celebration to your email that shouldn’t be missed. If you want to add even more excitement, create an interactive experience in your email, such as a scratch-off feature that reveals a surprise discount or a countdown timer that leads up to the special day to extend the impact.
💡 Pro Tip: Use a strong call to action and visuals to create a FOMO effect, such as the countdown timer mentioned above. Use eye-catching visuals, such as fireworks graphics, fun GIFs, or illustrations that reflect the theme of “igniting” savings to encourage clicks.
Give Back with Advocacy and Community Focus
4/20 is a day that represents not only relaxation but also activism, with people and brands joining together to support initiatives related to legalization, criminal justice reform, and medical research. An email campaign that focuses on contributing to initiatives can create a genuine connection with your audience by aligning you with the values that matter to them. Share information about the ways you support a movement; the stronger the support, the stronger the connection.
💡 Pro Tip: Show your subscribers how their purchase will make a difference to create an incentive. Create special sections of your email with quotes or statistics that emphasize the cause you’re supporting.
5 Content Ideas for Emails of Cannabis Business
In case you need informational content in addition to creative campaigns, we’ve described the topics that will serve as perfect content for cannabis email marketing.
- 1. Fresh news
There is always news around cannabis. The business is constantly progressing, changing, and falling, states are repealing restrictive legislation, and new dispensaries are appearing. Content related to your business that keeps your audience up-to-date with the most important topical news is never out of place.
- 2. Use of Products
Food companies offer recipes including their products. Plant companies provide instructions and tips on how to care for their plants. People find such emails interesting because they often reveal something new and useful. Tell more about your products. Offer ideas on how to relax and have fun using your products.
- 3. Quality reviews
Like most consumer products, cannabis from various brands differs from one another, and it’s not just about strains. That’s why you need reviews of your product to let potential customers know what to expect from it, as they are primarily interested in the taste and expected effects. Showing your customers’ feedback in emails will let them know that their opinion is valued and will encourage new feedback.
- 4. Multimedia campaign
Brands create a variety of media, from promotional videos to podcasts, to reach different channels of perception. Create a new media campaign, promote it, and distribute it in your emails. There are plenty of opportunities, ideas, and examples of such campaigns. Take a cue from others or create something completely new; just remember that email is your channel of distribution.
- 5. Thematic blog
Blogging is a great way to increase your company’s recognition. A blog will bring you useful traffic from search engines. Blog email marketing allows you to keep in touch with current customers and interested subscribers. Blog content is not just about publishing; it’s about promoting, and therefore, it’s definitely a good idea to include it in your cannabis email newsletter.
25+ Smokin’ Subject Lines for Cannabis Email Marketing
The subject line is an integral part of any email. Event or holiday emails require the most creative subject lines. That is why we have prepared creative subject lines of different topics and directions for you on marijuana email marketing and 4/20.
Creative Lighthearted Subject Lines
If you decide not to overload your 4/20 newsletter with information, special offers, or limited-time deals but just send a fun email, these subject lines are just for you.
“Budding Delights Await, Uncover Our Newest Products!”
“Elevate Your Day: Fresh Drops Inside!”
“Green Goodness. Dive into Our Spring Collection!”
“Roll into Happiness: Your Weekly Dose of Joy!”
“Chill Out & Unwind: Your Cannabis Essentials Await!”
“Spring into Green, Exclusive Offers Just for You!”
“Catch the Buzz! Hot Deals and Cool Strains Inside!”
4/20 Celebration Subject Lines
Cannabis brands constantly mention it in their subject lines, but here we are also focusing on 4/20, which happens only once a year. If you want to emphasize the symbolism of your subject lines with the approach of 4/20, we’ve got you covered.
“It’s 4/20, Let’s Get Lit!”
“420 Deals So Good, You’ll Be on Cloud Nine ☁️”
“Roll Up, Chill Out: Your 4/20 Specials Are Here!”
“4/20 Is Here: Let’s Make It a Joint Effort!”
“Your 420 Party Starts Now… And It’s ON SALE!”
“Keep Calm & Toke On: 4/20 Savings Await!🌬️”
Replenishment Subject Lines
We’ve already mentioned that replenishment emails are a good idea for 4/20 campaigns. For such emails, you’ll need the same thematic subject lines to remind customers about replenishing their stock. We have prepared some for you.
“Running Low? 🌿 Time to Restock Your Stash!”
“Refill. Relax. Repeat.🔁”
“Low Stock Alert: Let’s Fix That!”
“Top Off Your Stash Before It’s Too Late!”
“Keep the Good Vibes Going — Restock Today!”
“Fresh Goods Await — Is Your Shelf Ready?”
“Because Running Out Is NOT an Option.”
Snaking Subject Lines
4/20 is a good reason for food companies to send an email because snacking will be more appropriate than ever. Here are the subject lines for food brands to send on 4/20.
“High Snacks, Low Effort: Munchies Made Easy!”
“Pass the Snacks — It’s 4/20 Feast Time!” 🌮
“4/20 Pro Tip: Come for the Bud, Stay for the Snacks.”
“Snacks on Snacks on Snacks… Happy 4/20!” 🍟
“Warning: Extreme Munchies Ahead.”
“Because No One Celebrates 4/20 Hungry.”
Email Marketing Platforms for Cannabis Brands
To implement the ideas we’ve suggested as 4/20 approaches, you’ll need an email platform. However, not all email platforms allow you to create emails dedicated to cannabis and related products commerce.
To avoid wasting your time searching for platforms to collaborate with and getting into trouble when designing emails on platforms that don’t allow you to use them for cannabis brand marketing, we’ve created this list for you.
Klaviyo
Our respected partners, widely recognized as the best email platform, Klaviyo, have repeatedly confirmed that they support email marketing for cannabis brands. Klaviyo provides robust features that allow you to manage analytics and give you a variety of messaging and automation options, making them the best choice for 4/20 marketing. Their plans are affordable and their features are easy to use, making them perfect for both large and small brands.
Alpine IQ
For those who are looking for a platform dedicated specifically to the cannabis business, Alpine IQ is the one. The advantage of Alpine IQ is not only a wide range of customization features but also the opportunity to create loyalty programs and integrations.
Emercury
Email marketing platform Emercury has confirmed its support for the cannabis industry as long as all subscribers willingly sign up to receive emails.
Flodesk
The Flodesk platform also confirmed its positive attitude towards cannabis marketing. The recommendations emphasize their affordable subscription model, which is famous for providing the ability to create unlimited emails and access to all features.
HubSpot
The team of representatives from the HubSpot platform confirmed their positive attitude, stating that they are already working with cannabis marketing clients. HubSpot differs from other email platforms in that it is also a full-fledged customer relationship management system (CRM).
MailerLite
MailerLite has a clear, thorough policy. They will check you out before you even take the first step towards them. However, if your business has a clear physical address, which is often required by law, you will be able to get services that are mostly on par with other platforms.
Moosend
The well-known email marketing platform Moosend has made no secret of its support for marijuana brands. They confirmed their friendly attitude and approved access to their platform.
Get Ready for 4/20 with Flowium
To implement the ideas we have suggested, you will need an email platform. If you have your own unique idea but don’t know how to implement it or don’t use email platforms yourself, you’ll need a professional email marketing agency to do everything for you as you wish and even better. Let us be that agency for you. Our team has extensive experience in creating vibrant and successful email campaigns because that’s what we do and what we’re good at. Contact us and let’s create an outstanding 4/20 campaign together!
