The year-in-review email: subject lines, copy and timing

The job of the email

It has one job: get the click. The story does the rest. That means a short email with one button, not a newsletter with five links. Don’t put the stats in the email body. Tease one, and let the story reveal the others.

Subject lines that work

The best ones say “your” and the year, and some add one real number. Keep them under 50 characters so they fit on a phone. Pick one of these and change the names:

• Your 2026 on Mossnote is ready
• Ava, here’s your year
• You wrote 74,927 words this year
• Your year in notes, in 60 seconds
• We made you something: your 2026
• You were busier than 90% of us this year
• Your 2026, by the numbers
• Your best month of 2026 was April

A number in the subject (“You wrote 74,927 words”) needs a merge field per user, which most email tools can do from a CSV column. If yours can’t, the first two are safe for everyone. Skip “Year in review” on its own: it sounds like a company newsletter.

The preview text

The line after the subject in most inboxes. Use it to finish the thought: “Your numbers, your best month, and a card to share.” Without it, inboxes show the first words of the email, which is often “View in browser”.

An email you can copy

• One button, with words like “See your year”. They tell people exactly what they get, which “Click here” and “Learn more” don’t.
• A picture helps. One of their numbers as an image above the button makes the email feel personal. Keep enough text that it doesn’t look like an ad to spam filters.
• Sign it from a person. “Sam from Mossnote” reads better than “The Mossnote Team”.
• Say why they got it in the footer, with an unsubscribe link. It is required in most places and it keeps your sender reputation clean.

When to send

• The first or second week of December. People are in the mood, and you’re early enough to not be lost among the big apps’ recaps.
• A weekday morning in your users’ main time zone. Most people will open it on a phone, so check it there first.
• Not after December 20. Holiday inboxes are full, and by January a recap feels late.

Who to send it to

• Everyone who used the app this year and hasn’t unsubscribed from your emails.
• Leave out people with almost no activity. A story with tiny numbers can feel like a scolding. Send them a separate “here’s what’s new” email instead, or nothing.
• Lapsed users who were active earlier in the year are worth including. A good recap is one of the gentlest ways to bring someone back.

Make sure it lands

• Send from your own domain, with SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up. Your email tool shows you the records to add.
• If your list is big and you rarely email it, send in batches over a day or two rather than all at once.
• Send yourself a test on a phone and on a computer. Tap the button. Check that the link opens your own story, not someone else’s.
• Include a plain-text version. Most tools make one for you.

After the send

• One reminder four or five days later, only to people who didn’t open. Change the subject: “Did you see your 2026?”
• An in-app banner for the rest of the month catches people who never open email.
• Share the best posts. When users post their card and tag you, repost it (ask first). It shows other users the story exists.

Using your own email tool? The sending guide shows how to import each user’s private link into Mailchimp, Kit, Loops, Brevo and others. On Yearcap’s paid plans, Yearcap sends the email for you: it greets each person by first name, shows a picture of one of their numbers, and ends with a See your year button. Set up your stories.