Love is in the air.
Not my air. Probably not your air. But almost certainly in the air of the small businesses preparing for Valentines Day.
This email is your 🚨FLASHING RED WARNING SIGN🚨 to change up who you’re pitching to and to do it quickly.
I’m talking roses, flowers, perfume, jewelry. If it can be touted as a gift for a loved one this Valentines Day it’s an opportunity.
While you’re already too late for the big brands likely working on longer timeframes, the small fish are just getting going. Here’s eleven brands I’d be pitching to this week for V-Day content.
1. Apotheke
Apotheke emphasizes the importance of home as a place of comfort, love, and beauty. The brand believes in the power of fragrance to connect past, present, and future memories. APOTHEKE is committed to sustainability in its fragrance ingredients, focusing on working conditions, agriculture, environmental impact, and community welfare.
Think fancy candles, spa-like beauty products and diffusers anyone would be happy to receive — even moreso with a red bow tied around.
The last ads were launched in November 2023, leaving the perfect opportunity to introduce some V-day targeted content in the next few weeks.
Contact: Carli Lampley, Chief Marketing Officer 💌 carli@apothekeco.com
2. Rowan
This is a bit of a different one, but truth be told I just really love this company and think there are so many angles you could take content. Rowan is a woman-founded and led company with a focus on safe ear piercings. All piercings are performed exclusively by licensed nurses, only using hypoallergenic earrings made from premium materials to avoid allergic reactions. It’s more than just piercing ears though, they believe every piercing is a milestone worth celebrating.
For Valentines, I’m pitching Galentines. Treat yourself to a piercing or four this V-day, and do it in a safe way. (They also do sell beautiful earrings, 10/10 quality that make more of a traditional gift.
Contact: Leah Durkee, Marketing Director 💌 leah@heyrowan.com
3. Missoma
Missoma is on this list as it’s my boyfriend’s go-to for every single birthday, Christmas and Valentines Day (at my request). Missoma is a contemporary jewelry brand known for its stylish and versatile pieces. Established in 2008, Missoma collections often feature delicate, layered, and personalized jewelry, making it a popular choice for those seeking on-trend accessories with a timeless appeal.
A perfect brand for Valentines pitching, even if just for some freebies.
Contact: Claudia Carr, Senior Digital Marketing Executive 💌 claudia@missoma.com
4. Ana Luisa
Ana Luisa is Missoma’s slightly cheaper little sister. They offer high-quality, sustainable, and affordable pieces using recycled materials and ethically sourced gemstones. The brand emphasizes transparency in its production processes and aims to minimize environmental impact. A win all around. In my eyes, jewelry is the go-to for men on Valentines Day, so I’d be spending a day delving into the Linkedin’s of every fine jeweler with a social media presence. Fine jewelers within reason, no-one in their right mind is dropping $$$$ on this holiday.
Contact: Kaitlyn Walrath, Performance Marketing Manager 💌kaitlynw@analuisa.com
5. Tavour
I don’t know about anyone else, but my boyfriend doesn’t want corny stuff on Valentines Day. I think he’d prefer I ignored it altogether… Thats a market. A market of men (or women) who just want something that isn’t red and fragrant. Enter, Tavour. Tavour connects beer enthusiasts with unique and hard-to-find brews. Whether it’s a highly-rated hazy IPA, a sought-after dark brew, or a creative and unique fruit-infused sour, Tavour has something for everyone and would make a great gift for a beer lover.
Contact: Sethu Kalavakur, Founder 💌 sethu@tavour.com
6. Snif
Snif.co is a gateway to the world of luxury scents. Think fine fragrances and scented candles, but that are non-toxic, vegan, and cruelty-free. Oh, and they don’t break the bank. This brand redefines the way you discover scents, making luxury fragrances and candles accessible to all.
At its core, Snif is all about helping you find scents you love — what more could you want for a V-day gift?
Contact: Julianne Lewis, Director of Social + Content 💌 julianne@snif.co
7. Le Puzz
Le Puzz is basically cool jigsaw puzzles, with a particular affection for vintage puzzles hailing from the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
Perfect as unique gifts for loved ones who would cherish quirky humor, unique imagery, and unconventional shapes that characterize these puzzles, all while fostering a deep commitment to environmental sustainability.
They’d also make a great treat for a single soul around the time.
Contact: Michael Hunter, Co-founder 💌 michael@lepuzz.com
8. Every Man Jack
Every Man Jack offers grooming gift sets for men with naturally derived ingredients. Sandalwood, cedarwood, all of the woods, and perfectly packed into well presented gift sets. They aim to revive dry, tired skin with hero ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid, Jojoba Oil, and Natural Peppermint Oil. Sounds like a winner to me.
Contact: Brad Larabell, Performance Marketing Director 💌brad.larabell@everymanjack.com
9. Floom
Floom is a platform that facilitates same day and next day flower delivery. They partner with local florists for diverse and hand-delivered floral arrangements. The selection includes bouquets like Peonies-orchids, Rosy Reward, and Felice, all perfect for Valentine’s Day.
They can be delivered in various cities across the US and the UK, and the last minute nature of the product means there’s some extra lead time in there for pitching.
Contact: Mike Payne, Growth Marketing Manager 💌mp@floom.com
10. Brooklinen
Brooklinen is a fancy-pants bedding and home essentials brand that has redefined the way we approach comfort and style at home. Known for its exceptional bed linens, including sheets, duvet covers, and pillows, Brooklinen has now become a household name. At least on TikTok. Think hotel quality bedding that doesn’t break the bank.
Whilst the bed linen is always a nice touch for Valentines Day, hint hint nudge nudge… I’d be tempted to focus on the less obvious route. They offer super-plush hotel style robes which would make a great gift.
Contact: Eduardo Amaral, Paid Social Manager 💌eduardo@brooklinen.com
11. [KNOCK OFFS OF] The Million Roses
If you’ve been on social media, you’ll have seen The Million Roses.
They offer luxury preserved roses that last at least 3 years. We’re talking heart-shaped boxes, beautiful presentation and gifts that are quite literally made for Valentines Day. Given the nature I’m going to go ahead and say that they’ve been prepped and ready for their biggest weekend of the year for months so we’re not going to pitch The Million Roses. Instead, we’re going to study their winning. We’re going to come up with some concepts. And we’re going to pitch them to 20 of their smaller competitors who might not be quite so organized with their ad creative.
Contacts: I’m not making it that easy for you… get researching!
💡 BONUS TIP: Today, Brands Meets Creators sent out an email sharing a TikTok shop spy tool. Let me tell you, this tool looks like a game changer. It allows you to find trending and high converting TikTok shop products, as well as example videos and exactly how much $$$ each video is making. The tool? Kalodata.com. The best part? They have a free trial. Utilize the tool, finding Valentines products, promote on TikTok Shop… easy as 1, 2, 3. Head for Brands Meets Creators for a full walkthrough.
It took me 20 minutes to collate the above information. If you set aside an hour (and don’t have to write a spiel about each business) you could collate a hell of a lot more. Happy pitching!