6 essential tips to get the most out of Mother’s Day email marketing this year

By Kaleigh Moore April 18, 2023

Psst. Hey. Did you forget Mother’s Day is coming up?

If your heart just jumped up into your throat, you know the power of the Mother’s Day season. It’s the day on the calendar no one wants to forget.

And people aren’t forgetting it. Mother’s Day saw a record $31.6 billion in extra spending in 2022. It’s one of the most underrated sales seasons of the year.

Want to make the most of the Mother’s Day email season, but don’t know how? You don’t need to be in a niche market to do it. Here are our ideas for imbuing your newsletter with that heart-into-the-throat urgency we just gave you:

Play into the limited timeframe

Mother’s Day sneaks up on many of us. Then, just as quickly, it’s gone. There’s no “Black Friday” for Mother’s Day, no “Cyber Monday.” It’s sudden—just one day.

And that’s great for newsletters. You’ll have scarcity pre-built into any Mother’s Day campaign: a limited-time offer.

Spring is already rife with these opportunities, as you can see in our spring email inspirations. And the urgency around Mother’s Day fits in perfectly with high-urgency Mother’s Day subject lines that hint that time is running out.

According to one poll, about a quarter of respondents forget about Mother’s Day. There’s a moment of “Uh, oh” that enters every recipient’s mind when you’re the first one to bring it up. Use that power to your advantage with time-limited offerings.

For example, Postable’s Mother’s Day email tells its recipients: schedule your card now so you don’t forget. It only takes a sentence like this to gently remind people there’s a day they won’t want to miss.

Have fun with seasonal GIFs

We all love a good GIF. But there’s something about Mother’s Day that’s asking for bright pastels (it is Spring, after all). 

It’s also a holiday that needs something visual to add to the connection between your newsletter and your readers. Don’t just show bright colors. Show people, reminding us all of the mothers in our own lives.

Visual elements like these can make your message that much more compelling.

Imagine you were writing an article, for example. Did you know articles with visual elements tend to receive 94% more engagement and page visits than those that don’t have them?

To nail the Mother’s Day point home, make sure you include visual elements like GIFs to liven up your messaging and get people in the Mother’s Day mood.

Keep it light

It’s Mother’s Day, after all! It’s not somber; it’s supposed to be a fun celebration of the moms in our lives. The tone of your emails should reflect that.

Here’s how The Mother of All Wine did it. For starters, they took on a fun tone. “Forget flowers”—it’s an instant reframe.

But take note of that CTA. It isn’t “Buy Today” or “Use Your Discount Code.” Those would work fine, but they’re still lacking a little bit of that Mother’s Day spice.

Instead, the CTA is “Get Mom Wine.” Simple, straightforward, and a little cheeky. The perfect tone to strike for your Mother’s Day emails.

Nail your Mother’s day subject lines

How important are subject lines on any day of the week? Consider 47% of people open an email based on the subject line alone. It’s the one sentence that could make or break your Mother’s Day offer.

• Use “sentence case” subjects lines. After all, If You Capitalize Every Word, It Comes Across Less Conversational. But a sentence like this in your inbox looks more natural—which is perfect for Mother’s Day.
• Put the holiday first. Lush, for example, used “Something wicked this way comes” because it was Halloween-appropriate. Make sure you include vital words like Mother’s Day—or remind the customer to pick up something for “mom,” to keep it casual.
• Get specific. Offering a 15% discount? Don’t say “we have a Mother’s Day discount” for you. Exact numbers suggest an immediacy: click here to read this email, because an exact discount is already waiting for you.

Mother’s Day subject lines can run the gamut:

Your 15% Mother’s Day discount code is waiting inside puts the promotion first, nailing down a specific offer.

Your mom really doesn’t want you to forget… creates some intrigue with a casual, light tone. 

Whatever you choose, make sure it’s actionable, it highlights the holiday, and that it hints that time is about to run out.

Create a seasonal sale

Another way to bake scarcity and urgency into the cake is to create a Mother’s Day email campaign. But if you create a seasonal sale, you don’t have to add a verbal reminder. Everyone knows Mother’s Day just lasts one day. Once it hits the Monday afterward, the sale is over.

You don’t have to create a hard sell to push the urgency here. It’s already there. All you have to do is create a unique offering.

If you build a Mother’s Day sale, your newsletter subscribers will automatically know a few things about it. They’ll know it’ll be over soon. 

And more importantly, they’ll know this specific sale only comes once per year.

To really sell the point home, create a unique Mother’s Day gift code. Customers will know that any Mother’s Day-related code has to expire soon.

For example, let’s take this email from Nanit. They created a 15% discount code with an unmistakeable code: MAMA. There’s no wondering whether if that code is limited to the Mother’s Day season.

Highlight overlaps with your target market and the holiday

Not every newsletter or online community will neatly overlap with Mother’s Day. But if there is a natural overlap, you can build a Mother’s Day offering that naturally draws in more followers.

Take an example like Emma Johnson. Her newsletter, Wealthy Single Mommy, would have obvious Mother’s Day overlaps. 

Much of her success came from a powerful lead magnet, a guide called 15 Steps to Thriving as a Single Mom. 

It’s not hard to imagine how a unique Mother’s Day-themed lead magnet might give your newsletter a boost in subscribers.

If you have those natural overlaps, tie them into your offerings this year. 

Create a compelling seasonal sign-up

While Mother’s Day is a unique opportunity, it doesn’t mean you have to overhaul your entire web presence.

For example, you can use Mother’s Day to tweak your email sign-up forms. But you don’t necessarily have to create them whole cloth, either.

You can add a website pop-up that only lasts for a few days around Mother’s Day. If you’re wary of using pop-ups, remember that baked-in promise: this is only around Mother’s Day.

You can also add a unique headline for a seasonal promise. For example, Cat’s Meow Village promises “21 Days of Doodles, Diversions & Delights.” A number like 21 creates a clear calendar of what your followers can expect.

Frame your Mother’s Day email campaigns, lead magnets, and sign-up forms around a similar offer. You shouldn’t be surprised if people start signing up.

Get the most out of Mother’s Day

If you can use the season to set a limited timeframe on a new, compelling offer, you can expect more engagement. Ditto if you highlight any overlap between your community and the purpose of this time-honored holiday.

But don’t forget to capitalize on all of these opportunities, either. Automate your email with AWeber to send out that timely Mother’s Day email campaign and ensure you get the most out of this holiday.