Important Note: Never forget the reason behind Memorial Day. Memorial Day is meant to honor and mourn the heroes who have died for our country. Don’t be insensitive or forget the reason behind the holiday in your marketing campaigns.
Summer doesn’t officially begin until later in June, but Memorial Day — which happens on May 30th — feels like the beginning of summer. People meet at the lake, or at the cabin, or at the park (or whatever) for cookouts and beer fests. Whole families get sunburned for the first time that year. Festive, fun times (and aloe vera balm) reign supreme.
Where do all these happy people go after they’ve eaten themselves silly and played volleyball all afternoon? Why, they look for bargains in long weekend Memorial Day sales, that’s where.
Online and offline, Memorial Day sales give businesses a big boost. Furniture and appliances retailers, for instance, see a 37% increase in revenue, while plant nursery sales go up by 45%. Plus, holiday sales are a great way to reengage with lost customers and create loyal buyers.
It makes total sense to cash in on the Memorial Day sale trend — and to create a Memorial Day email marketing campaign, too. To get the most bang for your buck, you’ll need a properly enticing subject line. Here’s our guide to Memorial Day email subject lines.
What’s in a Subject Line, Anyway?
Email subject lines can be surprisingly hard to come up with — even for marketers. Have you ever written an entire email only to find yourself totally stumped when it comes to the intro? You’re not alone.
It isn’t good enough to write “Memorial Day Sale Now On.” Nearly 50% of consumers skim over uninspiring subject lines in favor of entertaining intros. So, be entertaining, darn it!
But how?
How to Write the Perfect Memorial Day Subject Line
Subject lines have to pique readers’ interests. Oh — and they can’t be too long, either. Here are 20 best practices to get you going:
- Keep it short. A lot of emails are read on mobile devices, so make sure your subject line doesn’t go over 60 characters.
- Make it urgent. You want recipients to buy your products today, not next week. Include a CTA like “Sale ends soon!” or “Buy now!” to create a sense of urgency.
- Get personal. If you can, personalize your subject line. “Rachel, it’s time to shop” almost feels like a command — so go with that.
- Stay away from “no reply” email addresses. Come on, let recipients reply to your emails. You’re not the Wizard of Oz.
- Capitalize on mystery. Phrases like “Read this right now!” or “You’ll never believe what we have in store…” make people curious. Curious people read marketing emails.
- Promote offers. This one seems obvious — but do promote your sale in your subject line. If you’re running a 50% off weekend, tell readers right off the bat.
- Tell a story. Got a short anecdote in mind? Turn it into a relatable subject line. People love relatable subject lines — just trust us on that one.
- Create segmented subject lines. College students probably won’t care about the reinforced knees on your khaki slacks — but gardeners aged between 40 and 60 might.
- Don’t lie. Duh! Don’t say one thing and deliver another. If free shipping doesn’t start until the $25 mark, don’t imply that everyone gets free shipping, for example.
- Timing is everything. According to the good folks at Entrepreneur, emails sent on Tuesday mornings at 8:00 a.m. get the most responses. So, that’s your happy hour.
- Simplicity is key. Don’t use complex verbiage — instead, be concise and use easy-to-understand language.
- Begin with an action verb. Hold up, Rambo. Start your subject line with an action verb like “shop” or “subscribe” or “buy” or “discover.” Tell recipients what you want them to do.
- Include numbers. Tell readers how much they could save in percentage terms, or how many people have already signed up for your special pre-order offer.
- Ask a question. Make it slightly accusing for best results — “Have you made this common skincare mistake?” for instance. Hey, it just works.
- Get punny. Don’t be scared to use a pun; consumers find that kinda fun. Punny subject lines tickle recipients’ funny bones and make them want to read more.
- Be trendy. Research trends within your industry to find out what’s on point, and create an email campaign accordingly.
- Choose your punctuation wisely. Moderation is everything, especially when it comes to exclamation and question marks. Pick one or the other — never both.
- DON’T WRITE IN ALL CAPS. It’s just too in-your-face. Compelling subject lines are never shouty: they’re subtle, refined, soft-spoken marketing mavens. Like us.
- Use preview text. Okay, so this goes beyond your subject line — but add a tempting text teaser to increase your email open rate.
- Test, test, test. Or at least test, test with an A/B split test. Send half your subscribers one subject line and send the remaining 50 percent your other subject line. Which one performs better? That’s your ideal intro right there.
One more thing: make recipients feel special. Tell them they’ve qualified for an exclusive offer and that you value them. They want to know that you think they’re swell. Which they totally are.
Memorial Day Subject Lines Galore
Ready for a few real examples? Okay — we’ll stop beating around the bush and give ‘em to you. Here are 48 of the most excellent (well, we think so) Memorial Day subject lines around. And yeah — you can totally riff on these. You’re welcome.
Memorial Day BBQ Subject Lines
Everyone likes a nice barbecue. Carnivores and veggievores almost universally agree that food just tastes better when it’s all crispy — and don’t even get us started on those little black lines. They’re the best bit. Speaking of best bits, here are a few of our best Memorial Day BBQ-themes subject lines:
- Yummify your BBQ with our HOT Memorial Day food offers!
- Get set and BBQ with 50% off [BARBECUE BRAND] grills today!
- Make this Memorial Day BBQ the BEST YET!
- Read Pro Chef Secrets for Memorial Day BBQ Success!
- Save 20% on hamburgers, hot dogs and beer this Memorial Day!
- Family-Friendly BBQ Recipes and 30% Off This Memorial Day!
Memorial Day Activity Subject Lines
You know what else Memorial Day weekend is good for? Doing stuff. Lots of stuff. Going places, seeing people we love (and occasionally, don’t love), hiking up trails, belly flopping into lakes — that kind of stuff. Wanna see some stuff-related Memorial Day subject lines? We gotcha:
- Swim into summer with our HUGE Memorial Day event!
- Stock up on Sunscreen This Memorial Day | 15% Off!
- Dive into deep savings with our Memorial Day sale!
- Happy Memorial Day! | Red, White and Blue Savings for You!
- Top Memorial Day Party Tips | [BRAND NAME]
- 75% Off | Memorial Day DOORBUSTER Event!
Memorial Day Discount Subject Lines
Discounts are great. I mean, why buy something full price if you can get a discount on it? Memorial Day specials are notoriously awesome — and we recommend capitalizing on that trend with a super-duper discount subject line. Here are a bunch of examples:
- Save 50% on our [PRODUCT] in the Memorial Day sale!
- Memorial Day special: Buy 2 get 1 FREE!
- Additional 30% off clearance in our Memorial Day sale!
- Memorial Day Savings Start NOW! Save 30% with Code MEMORIAL30
- Flash Memorial Day sale: EXTRA SAVINGS!
- Save in store and online this Memorial Day!
- Three days only! MASSIVE Memorial Day event!
Memorial Day Sale Subject Lines
Memorial Day weekend sales are legendary. It makes sense to have a sale — and even more sense to kick off your inevitable marketing email with a compelling subject line. One of these, for instance:
- Get into savings with our HUGE Memorial Day sale!
- Memorial Day Flash Sale Now On!
- Save 30% at our Memorial Day sale with coupon code MEM21
- [BRAND NAME HERE] | Massive Memorial Day Sale!
- Early birds get the worm at our Memorial Day Sale!
- Boost your Memorial Day weekend with our MEGA sale!
Early Memorial Day Subject Lines
Sending out your Memorial Day emails early is a great way to get ahead of the competition before all inboxes become flooded with holiday weekend sales. Of course, you don’t want to send them out too early, but it’s a good idea to not wait until the last minute to promote any sales you’re having. Build awareness and anticipation for your great deals with these early Memorial Day subject lines:
- Just for you! EARLY ACCESS to our Memorial Day Sale!
- Preview Memorial Day Sale is on NOW!
- The Memorial Day Sale Is Coming! 30% Off Storewide!
- Pre-Memorial Day Deals Are Here! Buy 3, Get 1 Free!
- We couldn’t wait any longer! Early Memorial Day Sale!
- Memorial Day Is Coming! Preview Our Sale Now!
Memorial Day Last Minute Subject Lines
Subscribers who don’t respond to discount or sales emails need a…reminder! Hey, buddy — this sale ain’t gonna last forever! Get on down to my ecommerce store and fill up yer basket, stat! Okay, maybe that’s somewhat unsubtle — but you know what we mean. Give hesitant recipients a little FOMO nudge with one of these last minute subject lines:
- Memorial Day Offers End Tonight! SHOP NOW!
- Up to 75% off in our limited-time Memorial Day sale!
- LAST DAY savings in our Memorial Day event!
- Snooze and Lose! | Get 50% Off in the Memorial Day Sale!
- SAVE up to 25% with our exclusive FLASH Memorial Day event!
- Memorial Day savings — LAST CHANCE sale ends in 12 hours!
Memorial Day Emoji Subject Lines
Most subject lines are plain text. Include an emoji and your email instantly stands out in a sea of Arial. Don’t go crazy, though — most subscribers don’t wanna see 20 hearts in a row (and neither does your mom, by the way — that’s emoji overload). Add a pop of color and interest with one, maybe two emojis. Here — we’ll demonstrate:
- 🇺🇸 [BRAND NAME] Memorial Day Sale Now On! 🇺🇸
- 💵 Save BIG with our Memorial Day countdown sale! 💵
- ⏳HUGE SAVINGS at our TIME-LIMITED Memorial Day event!
- 🍖 Beef up Your Barbecue This Memorial Day Weekend! 🍔
- Get 50% Off Drinks at Our Memorial Day Happy Hour Event! 🍻
- 20% off sitewide at the [BRAND NAME] Memorial Day sale! 💰
Memorial Day Free Shipping Subject Lines
Shipping fees are one of the biggest causes of cart abandonment. According to recent data, nearly a quarter of cart-abandoning consumers — 23%, to be precise — abandon shopping carts because of unexpected shipping costs. This Memorial Day, eliminate shipping costs completely and then brag about your decision in a marketing email, like this:
- Celebrate Memorial day with FREE SHIPPING at [BRAND NAME]!
- Free shipping over Memorial Day weekend only!
- FREE Domestic Shipping for Memorial Day!
- Stand Out This Memorial Day! FREE SHIPPING!
- Enjoy FREE shipping on all orders over $50 this Memorial Day!
- Huge savings and FREE SHIPPING in the Memorial Day sale!
Memorial Day..ish Subject Lines
Memorial Day subject lines don’t all fit neatly in itty bitty boxes — oh heck no. Here are some fun, attention-grabbing miscellaneous subject lines for ya:
- Make [BRAND NAME] Your Destination This Memorial Day!
- Nostalgia Sale | Up to 60% Off this Memorial Day!
- MAJOR Memorial Day Event! American Patriots Click Here!
- 40% off sun loungers | Kick back and relax this Memorial Day
- Sun, sand and savings: MEGA Memorial Day sale starts now!
- Exclusive Memorial Day Blow-Out Sale — SHOP NOW!
Memorial Day Subject Lines Boost Revenue
The bottom line is…well, it’ll get bigger if you go with a great Memorial Day-themed subject line. When successful entrepreneurs capitalize on holidays, they tap into a collective consumer mindset — i.e. everyone’s thinking about the same thing, so if you come along with a thing-centric sale or a product, they’re likely to buy in.
The next holiday is always just around the corner and it’s a good idea to plan ahead. Once you come up with your amazing emails for Memorial Day, start planning your email subject lines for Father’s Day.
