5 September newsletter ideas to ring in the sales
September is the proverbial calm before the storm for many ecommerce brands.
Navigate this transitional time with our September newsletter ideas. Even if you take one of the ideas below and expand it into a multi-series campaign, you’ve got a month’s worth of content.
#1 Run a 24-hour Labor Day offer
Labor Day (Sept. 2) is synonymous with sales promotions and “farewell to summer” blowouts. Americans and Canadians expect deals for long weekends.
But what if you don’t want to slash prices?
We advise a pricing promotion that’s less risky for your margins. Consider a “buy x, get y” sale like Yon-Ka Paris. Limit it to one day.
Here’s how to decide on the complimentary product:
- Open the “profit by product” report in Shopify.
- Examine the gross margin column and search for products with the lowest margins. They’re good candidates, especially if they’re overstocked.
Alternatively, you could offer free shipping or a discount once customers meet a spending threshold.
See more Labor Day inspo in our August newsletter roundup.
Last-minute Labor Day email subject lines
- Summer's last splash: Labor Day discounts
- Grab Labor Day steals before they're gone
- Flash Labor Day sale: 24 hours only
- Late to the party? We saved you some deals
- Labor Day special: Buy ___, get ____
#2 Embrace fall
September newsletters are the place to celebrate fall’s arrival (Sept. 22) and inspire seasonal renewal. Help shoppers turn over a new leaf or find something that ignites joy.
Check out how Mackenzie Childs channels our human tendency to greet a new season with a new project.
Why this email will convert:
- It engages through education. We can envisage how the step-by-step tutorial speaks to and empowers the decor-challenged. The brand is saying, “We know you can do this.”
- It includes calls to action (CTAs) for suggested products. Instilling a dose of confidence with education is step one. Backing it up with product ideas is the portal to sales.
Fall collections or sales are natural fodder for a promotional campaign. Below is a September newsletter series idea, courtesy of Tilley, centered on tiered discounting.
The brand illustrates that reinforcing a message and catching attention with multiple messages doesn’t have to be complicated. Sent over eight days, the campaign:
- Uses the same framework for all four emails and nearly the exact wording in each
- Relies on photo selections, subject lines, and a subtle change in title verbiage (‘The Fall Wardrobe Event,’ ‘Final Hours’) for differentiation
Promote tiered discounting on your Shopify site with a banner that updates shopper progress per cart status.
Fall email subject lines
- Fall launch coming soon … get a sneak peek 👀
- ___ are back for the season and better than ever
- Fall in love ❤️ with our autumn collection
- ☕ Cozy up to our favorite fall essentials
- Fall-tastic deals: ___% off
- Are you ready for sweater weather?
- 🍂 The must-haves for fall 2024
- Spice up your wardrobe with what’s trending for fall
#3 Encourage time for self-care
It’s easy to overlook Self-Care Awareness Month, with Labor Day at the outset of September.
Pounce on the opportunity if your products help improve well-being or foster better mental health. Beauty, health, wellness, and sleep aid companies are popular candidates.
Here’s an example from Thera.
What we like about it:
- It’s simple. Less can be more, as the saying goes. A straightforward title and concise text — plus a hero image that conveys a relaxed couple — is enough.
- Action-oriented CTAs serve as reinforcement. The brand wants you to do one thing: shop the sale!
- It supports self-care beyond the sale. Thera encourages subscribers to follow its socials for self-care tips.
If your brand falls outside the traditional norms of self-care but you’re interested in this idea for a September newsletter, think outside the box. Pampering comes in different forms. For one person, it’s indulging in a hobby. For another, it’s making time for family or friends.
With a widened lens, how does your brand support physical and mental health?
Self-Care Awareness Month email subject lines
- Prioritize some time for YOU
- 🌟 Self-care made easy with our ___
- It’s Self-Care Awareness Month! Pamper yourself with __% off
- Grow a healthier you 🪴
- Transform your care routine
- Our top 10 self-care gifts
#4 Get fans game-day ready
September is the start of football season. It's a golden opportunity to reach both NFL and college football fans.
Build off the excitement. There are tailgates to plan and new fan gear to buy.
And as BN3TH highlights, an entire contingent of fantasy football participants are getting comfy on the couch.
The elements that make this email captivating (aside from its clever positioning of underwear performance):
- The subject line and preview text are a great hook. If “Fantasy Football winning underwear 🏈” isn’t enough to grab interest, “Comfort for couch coaches everywhere” seals it.
- It’s easy to scan. Most consumers don’t have the time or patience to wade through dense newsletters. BN3TH adheres to a clean email structure and concentrates on one theme.
- Social proof from the pros is convincing. Most brands don’t have backing from professional athletes. Regardless, testimonials or endorsements from real customers cultivate the trust needed to build an audience.
Collect and manage social proof for your brand with Seguno’s Product Reviews.
Football email subject lines
- Score big with ____
- 🏈 Everything you need for game day
- Football season is back and so is our ____
- Fall is for football
- Winning snacks for game day 🥤🍕
- Upgrade your fanwear
- Show up for your team: here’s ___% off
#5 Hype up your Halloween goodies
Early Halloween lovers are on the hunt in August. Last-minute shoppers scrounge for the leftovers in mid to late October.
The in-the-middle folks who ease into the Halloween spirit? Reach them in September. Nearly 30% of the general population starts shopping for candy, costumes, and decorations this month.
In the September newsletter example below, Primary appeals to the DIYer on a costume mission.
What makes this email click-worthy:
- DIY inspiration. Sometimes, people simply need ideas to trigger their creativity. Others — the non-imaginative — want the idea plus the steps to execute. Primary serves both types with its top 20 roundup.
- Extra Halloween resources. The brand goes all in on helping customers create a memorable spooky season with more DIY tips and children’s activities.
Halloween email subject lines for September
- 👻 Spook-tacular savings start now
- Get a head start on Halloween with ___% off
- 🎃The Halloween countdown begins
- September's scary good deals are here
- 🕸️ Early Halloween treats just for you
- 👀 Sneak peek: our Halloween collection drops today
- Get in the spirit with our ___
- ___ ideas for avoiding the costume conundrum
Refine and ramp up September newsletters with Seguno
Use September as a staging ground before peek season hits.
Rebalance your email marketing schedule if the cadence is out of sync. Or, if you’ve held a steady beat and want to gradually increase your tempo, pop in one of these September newsletter ideas as an extra.
Get a head start with Seguno’s email templates:
Establish a consistent rhythm first. Then, work to refine your messages. Now’s the time to learn from experimentation so you’re ready when the holiday shoppers emerge in full force.
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