Showing our loved ones, friends, colleagues, or family that we care for them is something we should all do more often. Buying them a gift as simple as a gift basket can go a long way, especially if we manage to fill it with things they'll love. After all, it's the simple things that matter. But, no gift can truly surprise and make someone happy, unless there's a personalized card to go along. Writing a gift card is that final touch you should always consider adding to your gift. It gives you a chance to make the gift more meaningful, memorable, and important. All you need to do is learn how to write the perfect gift card. If you're not sure how to do it, just keep reading.
Here are 12 essential tips for writing a perfect gift card.
1. Show How Well You Know the Recipient
As we’ve already mentioned, you want to make the recipient of the gift feel special, loved, or appreciated. Your gift can speak for itself, but the card has to add meaning to the whole occasion. That’s why you need to show this person just how well you know them. Before choosing a card, think about the things they love, their personality, and their likes. Try choosing a card that they'll love from the moment they see it:- choose a design they’ll love
- make sure it’s their favorite colors
- it can include a picture of their favorite cartoon character, or favorite animal
2. Make it Personal
The text of the card needs to make the recipient happy and once again show them you’re truly their friend. Personalizing a card means avoiding cliché phrases that can be seen in any other random gift card. Instead, you need to choose what to write wisely. So, writing a simple "Happy birthday!" isn't going to do the trick. You need to dig a bit deeper. It's always a great idea to include something more specific:- a reference to an event you spent together
- a joke only you two understand
- an honest wish you know they’re thinking about too
3. DIY Gift Card
If you really want to make an effort and make this special someone extra happy and proud, you can create a card from scratch. Making a DIY card shows your dedication and love and makes the whole gift even more special. So, how can you make a DIY card? You can find a ton of online tutorials and gift card ideas online. Don't worry if the card isn't perfect and you can see some flaws in it. It's the attention that matters. So, make the card the best you can and add your personal spice to it. The person receiving it will love the effort.4. Express Your Emotions
Usually, when we’re buying gifts for the people we love, it’s for a special occasion. Whether it’s Mother’s day, someone’s anniversary, or a birthday, there are usually a lot of emotions flowing in the air. And, you need to help these emotions reach the person you love. Expressing how you feel for a person is another important segment of a meaningful gift card. You should show your love, appreciation, and how much this person means to you. So, don’t hesitate to write about:- your emotions
- how you feel about this special event
- how this person makes your life better
- how they changed you for the better
- how much they mean to you
5. Wish Them Something They Truly Want
If you really know a person well, you know what their biggest wishes might be. It can be something they’re working for, something they love talking about, or something that’s always been a dream. Use this in your card to show your support on this journey and help them feel confident about achieving their goals. It can be something silly or something life-changing. The important thing is that it matters to them. For example:- traveling to Paris
- graduating successfully
- restoring their health
- reaching their fitness goals
- moving to a new home
- moving to another country
- quitting the job they hate
- partying more
- becoming a parent
- “Dear Mom, I wish you the happiest birthday of all! This year, we’ll fight together to help you restore your health and finally do that hiking trail together. I love you!”
6. Connect the Gift and the Card
Sometimes, the gift you choose to give a person has a metaphorical or symbolic meaning. The card is the perfect way to explain this meaning and make sure the person receiving it understands what you wanted to say. So, use the card to explain the gift and help the recipient connect all the dots. Here's what we have in mind:- you have a friend who loves traveling
- recently they’ve lost their passport and had to make a new one
- you bought them a personalized passport case
- you wrote a note to go with: “For all your future travel adventures- and, may you never lose your passport again! Love, Josh.”
7. Make it Motivational
Gift cards can show more than love and appreciation. They can also provide the recipient the motivation they need to pursue their dreams, overcome some issues, or simply feel better. So, you can make your gift card inspiring and motivational for this person. That means you can write:- encouraging notes
- motivational quotes they’ll love
- parts of famous speeches
- lyrics of a powerful song
- “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
- “Everything you can imagine is real.” - Pablo Picasso
- “Do one thing every day that scares you.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
- Dear Maya, your strength is an inspiration to me. Use it to make every day count.
- Manny, you're smart, strong, and caring. I know you'll achieve all your goals because you deserve it.
8. Turn it Into a Joke
Humorous cards can be a great choice, as well. Adding some humor to the mixture is always a good idea, especially for a super-happy occasion such as someone's retirement, birthday, or anniversary. So, think about making a funny remark or turning your card into a joke. There are so many options and ways to approach this type of card writing. Here are some ideas to keep you inspired:- Smart, good-looking, and funny. But enough about me. Happy birthday!
- If anyone calls you old, hit them with your cane and throw your teeth at them!
- Today we celebrate the best decision you’ve ever made. Happy anniversary, my love.
9. Write a Song
If you’ve got any talent for words and are even the slightest creative, you can turn the gift card content into a song. Writing a short song might be a bit of a challenge for some of you, but why not give it a try? If you do make it work, you’ll make someone feel really special. So, how do you write a song? Here's what we suggest:- think about the wishes you want to make
- decide what you want the card to say
- take notes of all of this
- find words that rhyme with the keywords you’ve listed
- start writing
- “Hey Bob, please don’t sob!
10. Draw Your Message
For those of you who are a bit more artistic and creative, there's always the option of drawing your messages instead of writing them. A simple drawing inside the card is a sign of true effort and appreciation for the person receiving it. So, you can use your skillful hands to draw:- a short comic
- a situation that recently happened
- something you wish happens to this person
11. Be Grateful
You want to make the person receiving the present happy and grateful they have you as a friend or a member of their family. But, you also need to show you’re grateful for having them in your life. If this is truly someone special, you should write a message that shows:- how much they mean to you
- how they’re making you a better person
- how they’ve always been there for you
- how thankful you are for having them around
- "Dear Mom, you're my rock. I'm the luckiest person alive to have you as my mother. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me and love you more than words can explain. Happy birthday!"
12. Don’t Overdo it
Sometimes, when we wish to give it our best and do something perfectly, we try too much and it simply doesn't work. When you're writing a card, you want to make sure you're not overdoing it. That means you need to choose one direction to go in and stick to it. So, your card cannot be both humorous, emotional, and motivational. And it shouldn't. Instead, you need to:- adjust your card style to the occasion and the recipient
- choose a tone and stick to it
- aim for simplicity and uniqueness
