Beat the ‘summer slump’ with 5 July newsletter ideas

Well, we’ve reached a lull. 

Holidays and cultural events take a breather in July. It’s as if they embrace the slower summer pace, too. 

Despite the sparse calendar, we have five great July newsletter ideas to engage your email audience.  
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#1 Run a summer sale promotion

July is a massive month for slashing prices. Amazon’s yearly Prime Day has become an enormous driver, as brands like Target, Walmart and Best Buy have followed suit with mid-year sales. 

Why not join in and combat the historical “summer sales slump?” Call it a 4th of July sale, Christmas in July, July Black Friday deal, or whatever you fancy. 

Let’s look at two July newsletter sales ideas: Prime Day and a generic summer campaign. 

Prime Day emails

Prime Day 2023 set a record for the highest spending in the event’s 9-year existence. 

The Prime Day search has become a ritual for many. So, if your Shopify store has a presence on the platform and will participate this year (July 16 and 17), let your subscribers know about it. 

Check out how Posh Peanut rides Amazon’s waves. 

Why this email will convert:

1. It conspicuously dials into Amazon Prime Day. A banner mention and logo leave no doubt that Posh Peanut is part of the mega-event.
2. It gives a glimpse at the inventory on sale. By artfully displaying the included categories, the brand encourages subscribers to explore products on the site.  

Let’s say you want in on the excitement of Prime Day, but your brand is monogamous to Shopify. Nothing stops you from channeling the event. See how Highline Wellness does it. 

Why this “Prime Dayz” email will drive sales: 

1. Its intro is convincing. We appreciate the cheeky approach, and we’re sure many subscribers will nod in agreement with the “meh” product browsing assessment.  
2. It offers options. Multiple “buy X, get Y” deals are win-win. Shoppers get their pick. Highline Wellness controls margins by ensuring customers purchase at least one item at regular price. 

A multi-email sales campaign

If July is rife with brands touting promotional pricing strategies, and you send just one email about your sale, what percentage of your subscribers will notice it? 

No one can answer that question. However, we’re 100% confident that sending multiple emails will cultivate greater awareness and lead to more sales. Campaigns are an excellent way to launch promotions.

 We don’t condone inundating subscribers — expect 81% to unsubscribe if you do — or sending the same message repeatedly. Instead, adopt a staggered approach with different messages for each. 

A summer sale campaign might look like this: 

1. A teaser that builds anticipation
2. An email when the sale launches
3. Emails highlighting products or categories
4. A reminder as the sale nears its end

Rareform bolstered its summer sale with three emails spaced two days apart:

1. Promo kicking off the sale 
2. Feature calling out new colors added 
3. Last call to instill urgency

The series’ visual unification exemplifies what a campaign should be. Rareform scrapped its design norms (neutral background colors or domineering lifestyle photos) for a neon yellow replacement signifying this is a special offer. 
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Sales are risky if you don’t structure them with margins in mind. Use unique Shopify discount codes to protect your brand.

Summer sale email subject lines

• Beat the heat 🥵 with our July deals!
• ☀️ The hottest deals under the sun
• Stop here for Prime Day 2024
• Halfway to holiday savings
• Fetch our dog days of summer deals
• Unwrap 🎁 our Christmas in July offers
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#2 Squeak out a last-minute Independence Day email 

In a June newsletter blog post, we outlined ways to prepare your audience for 4th of July celebrations. 

But what if you’ve run out of time? You could wish subscribers well, share a BBQ-worthy recipe, or show support for “Made in America.” Or, take inspiration from First Day’s alternative spin. 

What makes it stand out: 

1. An intriguing subject line. “Fireworks and flying hot dogs?” Say what? It’s a compelling invitation for curious minds.
2. An unexpected message. The 4th of July mega-sale is everywhere. What’s not? A brand that masterfully draws lines between childhood creativity, Independence Day, and vitamins.   

This email builds brand awareness and shows off its personality. Sometimes, it’s more important to be memorable — with an eye toward building your audience — than obsess over making the sale. 

4th of July email subject lines

• How we celebrate America’s independence ❤️🤍💙 
• Red, white, and unbeatable deals are ending soon!
• 🇺🇸 Happy 4th of July from ___
• 🎆 Wishing you a safe and fun 4th of July
• Our favorite Made in the USA collections
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#3 Join the Summer Olympics hype

For two weeks starting July 26, the planet tunes into the sporting spectacle of the year. The Summer Olympics are a chance to connect with customers worldwide through a shared experience.

There are many ways to tap into the excitement of the games with one or more July newsletters, such as: 

• Showcasing best-selling products as "gold medalists" or organizing products by price point (bucketed as gold, silver and bronze)  
• Highlighting curated collections aligned with Olympic sports
• Featuring products for an opening (or closing) ceremonies party or snack ideas for late-night event viewing
• Mimicking the Torch Relay with limited-time offers that lead up to the opening ceremony
• Spotlighting products inspired by Paris, other countries, or different cultures 

Let’s examine two examples. 

Biscuiteers pounces on the Olympics and other summer sporting events. 

Multiple calls to action (CTAs) encourage visits to the website, getting subscribers one step closer to conversion. The brand makes shopping by sports category easy and offers an Olympics collection.   

Circus by Sam Edelman demonstrates it doesn’t take much to pull together an Olympics email that shines: gold-toned products and a sparkling subject line (“Go For the Gold”). 

Olympics email subject lines

• Go for the gold with our ____
• 🥇And the medals go to … 
• Shop like a champion with ___% off
• Cheer on the games in our newest ____
• Prices fit for the podium
• 🏃 Sprint to our Olympic-sized savings
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#4 Help back-to-school shoppers

No one wants to think about school when the beach, pool parties, and late-night campfires beckon. 

Yet, many parents succumb to checking off the school supply lists early. “Get it done,” they think. One survey shows that by mid-June, 24% of Americans will have already started back-to-school shopping, and 45% will have begun before Aug. 1.

So don’t hesitate to add back-to-school emails to your July newsletter schedule. Remember college students head back earlier, too.  

We enjoy the early-bird email from This Saves Lives.

Why this email resonates: 

1. The headline is empathetic. Since the brand treads cautiously — bordering on apologetically — it validates the feelings of many parents.
2. Value propositions address challenges. Anyone who has school-age kids knows the difficulty of finding classroom-safe snacks. This Save Lives provides a solution by listing its ingredients.     

Back-to-school email subject lines

• Early bird gets the A+ ✏️
• Beat the rush and stock up for school now
• 📚 Not ready for school shopping? Here’s __% off
• Our top 5 dorm room essentials
• July savings for the college-bound
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#5 Spread the vacation vibes 

Spring break vacations aren’t the only time for travel-prep emails. Between weeklong family vacations and friends’ getaways, road trips and air travel surge in summer.

Most brands have something in their product line suitable for a travel-focused July newsletter. Here are a few ideas for the taking: 

• Suggest essentials for different trip types, like a beach vacation, camping excursion or city exploration   
• Feature travel-friendly attire, footwear and accessories; segment emails based on gender preference if you have Shopify customer data

• Share products and tips for keeping kids busy, comfortable and fed on long road trips

• Remind customers of consumable products (i.e., vitamins, shampoo, etc.) to check that they’re stocked

Of course, vacation isn’t always about going somewhere. Sometimes it’s a staycation or simply a state of mind. The brand For Love & Lemons, for example, mentally transports subscribers with its vacation “looks.” 

Vacation email subject lines    

• ☀️ Have fun in the sun with __% off 
• Pack your bags with our 3 essentials 🧳
• Our summer travel best-sellers 
• Are you ready to enter vacation mode?
• Go from the beach 👙 to the boardwalk 👗
• Open for vacation vibes 
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Build impactful July newsletters with Seguno  

Use our July newsletter ideas to combat the “summer slump.” Any are appropriate for turning into a multi-email campaign. 

Seguno also has July-appropriate email templates to save you time: 

• Summer email templates
• 4th of July email templates
• Back-to-school email templates

Remember, email newsletters are an avenue for forging connections. Think about what your audience needs, wants, and is experiencing. Use the answers to guide you.