4 newsletter ideas [+subject lines] for August

Remember a few months ago when it was easy to fill your calendar with email marketing ideas? It seemed like a holiday was always looming around the corner or a cultural observation waited in the wings. 

August is stingy on the happenings front. Though the month provides little to work with, there are enough reasons to communicate with your subscribers.

The best part? You can take any one of our August newsletter ideas, turn it into a multi-email campaign, and connect with your audience through just three or four emails for the month. 
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#1 Get serious about back-to-school shopping 

Back-to-school shopping is in full swing. If school-related promotions didn’t make it into a July newsletter, get on board now. 

The back-to-school season qualifies as a pinnacle time for ecommerce shops and retailers. Wallets are out — with big spending on everyone from pre-K students to those heading to college. 

According to the National Retail Federation, the most popular shopping destination is online. They’re buying: 

• School supplies
• Clothing, accessories, and shoes
• Electronics
• Dorm/apartment furnishings

Maika demonstrates one way to attract attention.

The deal — and how the brand frames it — has a lot to do with making this email click-worthy: 

1. Free shipping has sway. Research shows that nine out of 10 shoppers rank free shipping as the No. 1 incentive for shopping online more. The promotional pricing strategy results in a 30% higher average order value (AOV). 
2. The subject line gets straight to the offer. An enticing deal turns heads. Plugging it into the email subject line (Back to School Bonus: Free Shipping!) deserves a click. 
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Attract extra attention in the inbox with a multi-email back-to-school campaign.

If your brand’s products don’t suit traditional back-to-school shopping needs, spin the theme to a concept that fits yet still relates. Anatomie’s “back to business” twist is perfect for an August newsletter idea. 

Back-to-school email subject lines

• 🍎Teacher-approved deals
• Save big on classroom must-haves
• Check off your list, from pencils ✏️ to backpacks 🎒
• Are you first-day ready? 
• Pop quiz: spot our best back-to-school deals
• Refresh your look for the new school year with __% off!
• ___ for K to college
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#2 Run a farewell to summer / Labor Day sale 

The end-of-season blowout. Labor Day sale. Adios, summer. 

Call it what you will. Late August newsletters that trail into early September are ideal for clearing out seasonal inventory and making room for fall products.  

Consider an incentive when launching your promotional campaign:

• Offering a unique discount code to all subscribers or just a segment of your list (VIPs, etc.) 
• Applying a Shopify discount when shoppers reach a minimum spending threshold
• Doubling rewards points on purchases made within a specific period

Case-Mate takes the alternative route of “buy X, get Y.” This tactic is fantastic for encouraging a higher AOV. 

End-of-summer / Labor Day email subject lines

• Deals for the final dog days of summer
• Last chance: August's farewell specials
• Up to ___% off for our summer finale
• Labor Day blowout 🌞
• Our last summer hurrah 
• Celebrate Labor Day with ___% off 
• End-of-summer clearance
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Seguno has a starter campaign template for a site-wide sale, providing a customizable four-part email series that announces the sale, features a collection, highlights product features, and sends a last-chance reminder.

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#3 Help shoppers with the “in-between” season 

The tail end of August and all of September is a time of transition. For much of the world’s population, summer’s grip is lessening as hints of fall appear. 

This half-summer, half-fall period is a predicament for anyone willing to leave behind the poolside look but not ready for pumpkin spice in August.

Transitional emails are a no-brainer for any shop that sells clothing. Help customers ease into the new season by suggesting pre-fall pieces appropriate for warm days (that gradually cool) and chilly nights.  

 Home decor outlets can also benefit from the in-between August newsletter, as Hawkins New York demonstrates. 

The email inspires shoppers with almost-fall ideas. We love how the brand highlights products and suggests pairings to elevate their “somewhere between summer and fall” look. 

In-between email subject lines

• Transitional textures
• ____ for the season change

• Caught between ☀️ seasons 🍂? We've got you covered
• What to wear when seasons change
• Not quite fall, not quite summer
• Styles for the in-between days
• Layering essentials for the seasonal transition
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#4 Cater to the early Halloween prep crowd 

While one cohort of customers gradually embraces fall, another is stashing away their summer decor and dreaming up a ghoulish display. 

Like it or not, there’s a reason why major retailers start stocking their shelves with pumpkins, witches and ghosts before Labor Day. One study shows that 65% of moms begin shopping for Halloween in August.  

Why? The largest percentage of shoppers (36%) say they shop “Summerween” for the fun of it rather than to find deals.

There are decorations to update, costumes to buy (or make), and Halloween-themed clothing to find for school festivities and parties. After all, Halloween has turned into a month-long celebration for some. 

Little & Lively deployed a Halloween-themed campaign last August to launch a product collection. 

Here’s a breakdown of the email campaign: 

• Email 1 (Aug. 25): a preview of the impending collection with a countdown to its availability
• Email 2 (Aug. 28): invites subscribers to become VIPs and secure early access to the collection
• Email 3 (Aug. 30): official opening of the collection for everyone
• Email 4 (Aug. 31): a reminder email to close the campaign

Two aspects make this an impactful campaign:

1. The use of segmentation. By asking eager subscribers to identify themselves with a VIP signup, the brand creates opportunities for future segmentation. Growing a VIP list of subscribers feeds the need to build an audience and cultivate loyalty.  
2. Consistency. From the same clothing pieces and child models appearing in different arrangements to the “limited collection” stamp, a cohesive thread runs through the emails for reinforcement and standing out from the pack.  

Stay in front of your audience with August newsletters  

In our books, consistency ranks as one of the top-most email marketing best practices. Because when you're not — you email a bunch one month, go silent the next, and return in full force — you potentially damage your chances of making it into the inbox. (One Seguno merchant learned just how devastating inconsistency can be.)

So, even though holidays and cultural events take a hiatus in August, there are still pathways for connecting with your audience. 

Leverage Seguno’s email templates to speed up your work: 

• Four-part starter campaign templates for a sitewide sale
• Summer email templates
• Back-to-school email templates

As we mentioned, these August newsletter ideas are ripe for the campaign treatment. Consider your brand, what you sell, and your audience when developing your email marketing plan.