Valentine's Day eCard

Write one specific thing you love rather than a general declaration. A detail (how they are in the morning, something they said months ago that you are still thinking about, the thing they do without being asked) convinces more than any amount of romantic language, because nobody else could have written it.

Every suggested message in the builder fills in their name for you, so nothing you start from reads as generic.

Match the temperature of the relationship rather than the occasion. Early on, warmth and humour work better than declarations: that you are glad you met them, that you are enjoying where this is going, one specific thing you like about them.

Valentine's Day arriving six weeks into something is a common source of awkwardness, and a light card solves it.

Send it on the morning of 14 February. An eCard arrives instantly by link or email, so first thing on the day is ideal: it lands before the day gets going rather than competing with the evening.

You can also schedule it at checkout so it sends on the morning itself without you having to remember.

The card asks for a sign-off name so the recipient knows who it is from, but nothing stops you signing it however you like: an initial, a nickname, or a phrase only they would understand.

Bear in mind that an unsigned card from an unknown sender reads as unsettling rather than romantic for most people.

It depends entirely on the framing. A Valentine's card sent to a friend as a friend, warm and funny and clearly platonic, is a lovely thing and increasingly common.

Ambiguity is what creates the awkwardness. If you mean it romantically, say so; if you do not, make that unmistakable.

Name the distance rather than writing around it. Acknowledging that you would rather be there, then saying something specific about what you are looking forward to, does more than pretending the distance is not the defining fact of the day.

A recorded voice message is particularly worth adding when you cannot say it in person.

Tracing a heart is the classic and suits any Valentine. Blowing a kiss is more playful, and yes-or-no works beautifully when you are asking something.

Every option can be played on your finished card in the builder before you send it.

Use an I love you card instead. Anything sent on 14 February is partly explained by the date, while a card arriving on an ordinary Tuesday can only be explained by you.

Unprompted cards tend to carry more weight for exactly that reason.