Ready to make a splash this fall with your email marketing? Trust us, it’s more than just pumpkin spice and autumn leaves — it’s prime time for serious email action.
With events like Black Friday on the horizon, fall is vital to your email marketing calendar, and there’s no time to slack.
So, roll up those sleeves and dive into some of the best fall newsletter ideas in this blog.
Why Fall Newsletter is Important?
Fall is a great season to engage (or re-engage) your audience. Everyone’s looking for gifting ideas, deals, and fun activities. It’s the perfect time for your brand to align with the shopping mood of the season.
Here’s why your fall newsletter deserves special attention:
- Higher engagement. Capitalize on people spending more time indoors and online;
- Seasonal relevance. Tap into the autumn spirit and show your brand’s adaptability;
- Holiday preparation. Get a head start on major holidays, from Halloween to Thanksgiving;
- Year-end momentum. Build excitement and set the stage for year-end promotions;
- New product launches. Introduce fall-themed products or services to excite your audience.
Remember, fall is a great time to nurture customer relationships. So, plan a campaign based on trending fall newsletter themes that feels as warm and inviting as a pumpkin spice latte on a chilly autumn day.
12 Fall Newsletter Ideas
The fall season is packed with events your customers care about, making it a prime time to tailor your email marketing campaigns.
From the buzz of back-to-school shopping to the anticipation of Halloween and Thanksgiving, the season is ripe with opportunities to connect.
Here are some fall and autumn newsletter ideas for inspiration.
Create Fall-Inspired Content
Share the latest fall-inspired content in your newsletter. Offer tips people can use immediately, like “5 Quick Ways to Cozy Up Your Space for Fall”. To make it pop, include some eye-catching images — think warm colors, pumpkins, or golden leaves.
Keep your email crisp while offering something ‘warm and useful.’ Add a short and sweet intro with a ‘Read More’ button to lead folks to the full article.
You don’t have to be a designer to make professional newsletters. Just use Sender’s drag-and-drop builder and you’ll have your email campaign ready in minutes.
Pre-School Shopping
Fall’s first day or even a week is the time when students are most receptive to fresh starts and new opportunities.
New semesters mean new beginnings. So, why not offer tips to kickstart academic year or sharing exclusive discount codes?
Plan student-exclusive bundles or special promotions to grab attention. It’s a smart move to make your undergrad subscribers feel valued and persuade them to shop. Here’s an example by Atoms:
Sports Season
Fall is a season of touchdowns, slam dunks, and hat tricks, with major leagues like the NBA, NFL, and NHL all kicking off their new season. So, why not send something sports related to engage subscribers?
Here’s an example by Drizly:
Make them pick their favorite team and send them a special coupon if that team wins its next game via an email newsletter.
It’s a win-win: your subscribers get more involved, and you score points with your target audience.
Pro Tip: Segment your list into two groups (based on their team choice) and use automation to send contextual offers or newsletters.
Start of a New Collection
Most businesses refresh their inventory or launch new products during fall. And with people starting to search for holiday gifts, it’s the perfect time to send an email about what’s new or coming soon in your online store.
A simple “New Arrivals!” or “Coming Soon!” email can generate buzz and keep your subscribers engaged with updates. Here’s an example:
Craft Shopping Guides
Curate engaging shopping guides to make holiday shopping easier for your audience. Launch a fall-themed collection and showcase products or gift ideas based on season specific themes.
Help subscribers envision how different products fit into their autumn lifestyle (or holiday shopping lists). Share themed shopping guides to make your guides more useful. Here’s an example by Warby Parker:
You can create a “Cozy Night In” guide featuring throw blankets, gourmet hot chocolate, and bestselling fall reads. Or, assemble a “Fall Outdoor Adventures” collection with hiking gear, thermoses, and portable snacks.
Pro Tip: Share practical tips. For example, include brief styling tips or usage/care tips. The extra information will position you as a valuable brand rather than just a seller.
Enjoy Outdoors
Get your audience to engage by highlighting the joy of spending time outside.
Whether you’re in the business of outdoor gear, home and garden, or even coffee and fall treats, this is when you can show your products that make a great companion for outdoors fun.
Pro Tip: Capture the cozy yet vibrant fall vibe in your email visuals. Use fall colors — warm and earthy tones to resonate with your subscribers. Here’s the perfect fall email example by AARP:
Start of Holiday Season
Remind savvy shoppers not to wait for the holiday rush when they can get a jumpstart on the holiday gifting list.
Offer your subscribers a sneak peek at our upcoming holiday deals.
It will get them excited, plus the early feedback will give you a chance to fine-tune the promotional offers to bring you more of what you love — higher revenue.
Send Holiday Greetings
Holiday greetings are the perfect way to add a personal, warm touch and make your audience feel like they’re part of a clan.
Use cozy yet promising fall email subject lines that grabs attention. Something like, “We’ve Got a Gift for You.” Make it visually pop with festive flair — a little sparkle or some maple leaves go a long way.
Even better, create a special offer as a holiday gift to make your message stand out.
Here’s a holiday greeting email example to get inspired:
Share Thanksgiving Prep Tips
This fall newsletter idea is a popular crowd-pleaser! People love going above and beyond during the holiday season. Giving them tips, ideas, and even recipes will make them smile and thank you.
Start with a catchy fall email subject line like “Gobble Up These Thanksgiving Tips!”.
In your newsletter, offer a mix of recipes, decoration hacks, and maybe even a quick Thanksgiving history nugget.
Pro Tip: Make your newsletter interactive by adding a quick poll. Or perhaps include a printable checklist for Thanksgiving prep.
Utilize User Generated Content
Showcase photos or testimonials of happy customers using your products this fall.
You can get some quick photos by announcing a fall photo contest where subscribers can send in pics for a chance to be featured or win a prize.
Share the entries via a newsletter and on your social media. Kick-off with a subject line that puts your customers in the spotlight: “Our Fall Faves — Featuring YOU!”
Pro Tip: A cool idea is to include a “Photo of the Week” in every newsletter, encouraging people to send in their snaps for a feature.
Host Holiday Spirit Inspired Events
Plan for an autumn-themed event and promote it via your newsletter. Think pumpkin-spice tasting sessions, Halloween costume contests, or Thanksgiving recipe exchanges.
Use your newsletter to build excitement and share the necessary details. Here’s an example:
As above, you can also team up with relevant influencers or businesses to expand your audience. For example, a local chef for fall-themed recipes/tasting sessions or a stylist for autumn fashion/costume tips.
Pro Tip: Ask attendees to post photos or videos on social media and feature the best submissions in your next newsletter to increase engagement.
More Global Content Ideas for Fall Events
If you’ve got an online store that caters to a global audience, fall is your golden ticket for segmented campaigns.
Let’s say you send an email focused on Oktoberfest, a big deal in Germany. It’s a way to tap into specific cultural moments and offer something that resonates.
Want more ideas for your fall newsletter?
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Holiday-Specific Fall Newsletter Campaigns
Adding fall-themed newsletters to your fall marketing strategy will pump up your engagement. Don’t believe us? Look at these numbers:
- Holiday sales have increased 3.6% every year in the last decade;
- Consumers spent the most on electronics, health and personal care, as well as online sales during the holiday season;
- Consumers spent $276.8 billion online during the 2023 holiday season, an increase of 8.2% .
Got you excited? Here are some examples ideas for your fall email campaigns.
1. Halloween Newsletter Template
Start your Halloween email newsletter campaign before the celebration to generate enthusiasm and hook the target audience. Keep it running through October, all the way to Halloween.
There are plenty of different ways to include Halloween in your fall emails:
- Content. Write some Halloween-related posts or newsletters. For example, if you’re a restaurant, have a garlic special to ward off vampires;
- Sales. Run “monstrous discounts” and “horribly low prices”;
- Contests. Announce a UGC contest asking your audience to share their Halloween pics in return for special discounts or a special prize.
Here’s a Halloween newsletter example by Jane:
Sender offers ready-to-use fall newsletter templates to share the latest updates during the fall with your subscribers.
2. Thanksgiving Day Newsletter
Thanksgiving is one of the busiest weekends of the year for marketers and brands.
So, if you want desired impact through your Thanksgiving day newsletter, schedule the festive email newsletters as early as possible to stand out in the inbox. Here’s an example:
The perfect time to start is a day or two after Halloween. The greatest thing about Thanksgiving is that subscribers will be in the mood to buy stuff at bargain prices.
Find more fantastic Thanksgiving email examples: 18 templates to impress your customers.
3. Columbus Day Newsletter
Run a fall email marketing campaign that matches with a special Columbus Day promotion. You can also tie up your promotion with regional parades for higher engagement.
Here’s a Columbus Day sale newsletter by Rugs.com:
Remember, there is undoubtedly some cultural sensitivity around Columbus Day. So, if there’s any confusion, shift your focus to pre-holiday promotional offers.
4. Black Friday and Cyber Monday Newsletter
Black Friday and Cyber Monday emails aren’t just about flashy discounts; it’s also about delivering a shopping experience as unforgettable as the savings.
People will anticipate a special discount and Black Friday newsletter, leading to increased interest and website traffic.
So, prep your team, optimize your website, get all your resources on standby, and plan an enticing newsletter campaign.
Here are some tips and ideas:
- Create a buzz. Roll out a “sneak peek” campaign a few weeks before the big days. Share pre-Black Friday deals or announce Cyber Monday demand lots via email;
- Share tempting deals. Your discounts should be tempting but also strategic. Got overstock? Black Friday is the time to clear it out. Got a bestseller? Bundle it with accessories and offer it at a special price for Cyber Monday;
- Engage & measure. Use real-time metrics to engage your audience. How about a “Deal of the Hour” featured in your newsletter, pushing limited-time offers based on real-time inventory?
- Schedule a post-event follow-up. Send a follow-up newsletter thanking your customers for their purchases and asking for reviews. Use this opportunity to preview upcoming holiday sales, keeping that momentum going.
Here’s an example of a Black Friday email newsletter by Vena:
Remember, the upcoming holiday season is as much about brand building as it’s about immediate sales. So, align everything to reflect your brand’s personality.
Make your Black Friday emails impossible to ignore — use one of the 125+ Black Friday subject lines to boost open rates.
5. First Day of School or Back to School Newsletter
Kick off your back to school campaign a few weeks before school starts and keep the buzz going into the first month.
Your newsletter can include a go-to guide for parents, teachers, or even older students. Here’s a great email example by Apple, who didn’t forget that the new school year starts for college students, too:
Here are some tips:
- Content ideas. Share tips like “5 Quick Breakfast Ideas for Busy Mornings”. Or maybe feature “Tech Essentials for Modern Students”;
- Promotions & deals. Tailor your deals to what parents and students will need. Offer bundled discounts, like a “Study Starter Kit” at a reduced price;
- Fun engagement ideas. Host interactive events, like a ‘Back-to-School Virtual Scavenger Hunt,’ with discount vouchers as winnings can boost engagement.
Autumn Newsletter Design Tips
Excited about making your autumn newsletter designs visually appealing? Here are some useful tips to help you stand out and grab attention right away:
- Incorporate warm color palettes. Use warm colors like deep red, orange, and golden yellow to evoke autumn vibes. Complement these with earthy tones for an inviting feel;
- Use fall-themed graphics and icons. Integrate seasonal imagery such as falling leaves, pumpkins, or cozy sweaters to create the desired vibe;
- Highlight seasonal products and promotions. Use eye-catching banners or contrasting CTA buttons to draw attention to autumn deals and limited-time offers.
