Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude and connection—so how do you create a Thanksgiving email that captures that? This guide covers why Thanksgiving emails matter and shares easy tips on writing, timing, and design to boost engagement.
Why Thanksgiving Emails Matter
A beautiful Thanksgiving table setting with autumn decorations.
Thanksgiving emails are important because they’re a chance to connect with customers on an emotional level. And they also allow you to build brand loyalty and engagement. During the Thanksgiving season it’s not just about sales, it’s about being thankful and appreciative to your loyal customers, much like the spirit of a traditional Thanksgiving feast.
A well planned Thanksgiving email can drive sales during the busiest shopping period of the year by getting customers to interact. With inboxes full of holiday promotions a thoughtful and well timed Thanksgiving email will help you stand out from the noise. By focusing on messages from the heart, design and personalisation Thanksgiving emails can make a lasting impression and bolster your overall email programme.
Timing Your Thanksgiving Email Campaign
Timing is key for Thanksgiving campaigns as it affects open rates, sales and brand reputation. To make sure your message reaches your audience at the right time, start your campaign a few days before Thanksgiving. This will give you visibility and open rates and give customers time to interact with your content.
Interestingly 59% of consumers start their holiday shopping before November. So starting early will catch this proactive audience. And using automation will also help you send your emails at the best time without manual intervention.
Sending emails just before customers sit down for Thanksgiving dinner will also get the most impact and interaction.
Thanksgiving Message
A good message for Thanksgiving has to be sincere to get engagement. The tone you want to use is sweet but persuasive. Your Thanksgiving messages should be your brand voice and it should be creative. Keep it simple and clear.
To do this, focus on three things: subject line, being grateful and special offers.
Subject Line
Personalized subject lines can boost open rates by 50%. Combining an offer with a fun emoji can make a Thanksgiving subject line. For example “Happy Thanksgiving!”, “Happy Holiday Season”, “Gratefulness is coming your way!”, “Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving!”
Using holiday emojis in your subject lines makes them more noticeable and holiday-y. Examples like “Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours🧡” or “Thanksgiving Sale Has Started!🦃” grab attention and get the point across. To dive into detail, continue reading our article: Top 100+ Thanksgiving Email Subject Lines to Boost Engagement
Thanksgiving Emojis and How to Use Them
To add a festive touch to your emails, you can use these Thanksgiving-themed emojis. Here’s a table with some popular ones and their suggested uses:
EmojiDescriptionSuggested Use🦃TurkeyMeans Thanksgiving dinner and the usual turkey feast. Use it to highlight Thanksgiving meals or promotions related to food.🍁Maple LeafSymbol of autumn and the fall season. Ideal for bringing the essence of the season in your emails.🍂Fallen LeavesReflects the changing season and the beauty of autumn. Perfect for adding an autumny touch to your messages.🥧PiePumpkin pie is a classic Thanksgiving dessert. Use it to emphasize Thanksgiving treats or dessert promo.🍽️Plate with Fork and KnifeThis means a meal or feast. Great for highlighting Thanksgiving dinner invitations or related events.🍗Poultry LegAnother nod to the Thanksgiving meal, perfect for emphasizing the turkey feast.🎉Party PopperGreat for celebration and festivity. Use it to add excitement to your Thanksgiving greetings.🧡Orange HeartRepresents warmth and gratitude. Ideal for expressing heartfelt messages.🍎Red AppleA symbol of harvest and abundance. Great for messages focusing on the bounty of the Thanksgiving table.
Incorporating these emojis into your Thanksgiving subject lines or messages can enhance the festive spirit and make your emails more engaging.
Thank Your Loyal Customers
Gratitude emails can build stronger relationships with customers and increase loyalty. The real meaning of Thanksgiving is appreciation and that should be at the heart of your happy thanksgiving messages. A sincere tone shows you care about your customers. Consider adding a quote about gratitude to make it personal, like this one from Randy Pausch – “Showing gratitude is one of the simplest and most powerful things humans can do for each other.”
Mentioning personal traits and connecting with customers on a deeper level makes your thanksgiving message more impactful and appreciated. This shows you value them and makes them a hero in your brand’s story. Simple and sincere messages can keep the connection throughout the holidays.
Promotions and Deals
Subtly including promotions with your gratitude messages keeps it real. Including an exclusive offer in your thanksgiving message can show you appreciate them. Setting email reminders with clear deadlines for orders can prompt customer action.
Mention Black Friday in your thanksgiving email and customers will know about the upcoming thanksgiving deals. This builds anticipation and makes your audience aware of what’s available to them, making your email more complete.
Use Humor and Creativity
When it comes to crafting a Thanksgiving email campaigns, don’t be afraid to inject some humor and creativity into your message. A well-timed joke or playful GIF can go a long way in making your email stand out from the crowd and leaving a lasting impression on your subscribers.
Here are a few tips for incorporating humor and creativity into your Thanksgiving email:
Use a playful subject line that sets the tone for the rest of the email. For example, “Gobble ‘Til You Wobble: Happy Thanksgiving from [Brand Name]!”
Add a funny GIF or meme to your email that relates to the holiday. For example, a GIF of a turkey running away from a chef or a meme of a person stuffing their face with food.
Use humor to poke fun at the challenges of the holiday season. For example, “We know that the holiday season can be crazy, but we’re here to help you stay sane (and stylish) with our latest deals and discounts.”
Create a humorous video or animation that showcases your brand’s personality and sense of humor. For example, a video of your team members sharing their favorite Thanksgiving traditions or an animated GIF of a turkey dancing to music.
By incorporating humor and creativity into your Thanksgiving email, you can create a message that is both entertaining and engaging, and that will leave a lasting impression on your subscribers.
Designing Eye-Catching Holiday Season Emails
An eye-catching Thanksgiving design on a computer screen.
A pretty layout with seasonal images will get people engaged. A striking design will increase customer engagement and brand recognition. Themed images of turkeys, pumpkins and autumn colours will make your Thanksgiving emails feel seasonal.
These will make your emails look and be remembered.
Utilizing Festive Themes and Colors
Autumn colours like orange and brown will give your Thanksgiving emails the holiday feel. These colours are warm and nostalgic and will capture the essence of Thanksgiving. Adding Thanksgiving motifs and festive images will make it even more so. Using a Thanksgiving email template can help you combine personal messages with festive designs.
Design elements for Thanksgiving Day like autumn leaves, pumpkins and turkeys will create a beautiful and festive feel. Aligning your email design with these traditional symbols will feel familiar and comforting to your recipients during the holidays and will add to the overall turkey feast experience.
Many Thanksgiving email templates are available on Stripo and Unlayer so you can create your perfect email in minutes. They have plenty of designs and features to help you craft beautiful and engaging emails that will get you in the holiday mood.
Choose a template you like, customize the text, add or replace images and graphics if you want and then export the HTML code. Then paste it into your email campaign editor of your email service provider and you’re done with your Thanksgiving marketing.
To explore Thanksgiving email templates, check out this article: 9 Best Thanksgiving Email Template Ideas.
Adding Interactive Elements
Interactive elements like GIFs and videos will increase engagement. These will grab attention and make the email more fun. For example a GIF of a turkey or a short video message from your team will be memorable.
Interactive elements will not only make your emails more engaging but also more likely to be shared and interacted with. Marketers should consider these elements to leave a lasting impression and make their Thanksgiving emails stand out in a crowded inbox. You should also consider adding a Thanksgiving Email Signature to your emails.
Mobile-Friendly Design
Email layouts need to be mobile optimised as many people check emails on their phones. A seamless user experience across different screen sizes will increase engagement rates. A responsive design will adapt to different devices so recipients can read and interact with your email easily.
Mobile friendly design reaches more mobile users and gets your Thanksgiving emails to a wider audience. This is good for accessibility and overall email campaign performance.
Examples of Effective Thanksgiving Emails
Thanksgiving content displayed on a smartphone.
Learning from examples can be super helpful for your own campaigns. Here we look at how other brands have done their Thanksgiving emails. From design to copy, these examples show best practices and new ideas.
Example 1: Leesa
This is a great example of how to engage and connect with your audience during the holidays. The autumn leaves and orange colors capture the Thanksgiving vibe and feel warm and nostalgic, making it visually appealing and festive.
The happy kids and families in the imagery tie in with the togetherness and gratitude themes of Thanksgiving.
The copy which thanks customers and says the brand will donate to those in need reinforces a genuine and heartfelt message. This strengthens customer relationships and aligns the brand with positive social values and makes them more likable.
Plus the holiday offer gives customers something to interact with, blending commercial with the Thanksgiving message. So it’s authentic and encourages engagement and sales.
Lessa’s Campaign – A Thanksgiving treat for 2 (source: ReallyGoodEmails)
Example 2: Ibotta
This is a great Thanksgiving campaign because it combines visuals and offer. The pie in the background is warm orange and immediately makes you think of Thanksgiving and a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. This visual sets the mood and ties into the theme of togetherness and celebration.
Instead of just wishing recipients a happy Thanksgiving the campaign includes a special offer that adds value. By offering extra money back for sharing the app with friends or family the campaign encourages engagement and broadens its reach through word of mouth. This not only increases customer interaction but leverages the holidays of sharing and gratitude.
Ibotta’s Campaign – Happy Thanksgiving from Ibotta 🦃 (source: ReallyGoodEmails)
Example 3: South Dakota
This is a great example of how to engage an audience by combining thematic visuals with interactive opportunities. The Thanksgiving graphics (orange pumpkin pie and autumn leaves) immediately make you think of the warmth and nostalgia of the holidays. These elements not only set the festive mood but also create a visual and inviting atmosphere that ties into the essence of Thanksgiving.
And the campaign goes beyond the messaging by inviting recipients to participate in a live event for Thanksgiving. This interactive element creates a sense of community and inclusivity and makes the audience feel like they are part of the party.
And the holiday recipe contest invitation adds an extra layer of fun. By giving the chance to be in a cookbook the campaign encourages participation and taps into the Thanksgiving tradition of sharing recipes and cooking. This increases engagement and deepens the brand’s connection with the audience by celebrating their input and expertise.
South Dakota’s campaign – Live from NY, it’s South Dakota! 🏙️ (source: ReallyGoodEmails)
Personalizing Your Thanksgiving Emails
A personalized Thanksgiving message.
Personalized deals in Thanksgiving emails keep customers engaged and converting. Personalizing content to your audience demographics will increase connection and open rates. Use customer data and purchase behavior to create content that speaks to the person.
Including local traditions or cultural references in your Thanksgiving emails will add to the personalization and engagement. Segmenting your list allows you to target specific groups with messages that match their interests and past behavior. So each person feels special.
To learn more about personalization, click here to read our article on this topic.
How to Measure Your Thanksgiving Email Campaign
Engagement metrics will give you insight into customer behavior and your email marketing strategy. To learn the top 14 metrics that you need to track, click here.
Segmenting campaign data by demographics or referral sources will show you which audience segments are responding to the campaign. To dive into email marketing segmentation, continue reading here. This will help you know what worked and what didn’t for future Thanksgiving campaigns.
Collect customer feedback through surveys to supplement the quantitative data and get deeper insight into campaign performance. Adjust your campaign based on what you learn from your analysis. A week after Thanksgiving is a good time to send a follow up email to remind customers of the ongoing sales.
Thanksgiving Email Marketing Tips
A family enjoying Thanksgiving.
Consumers expect brands to offer deals during the holidays so email marketing is key. With consumers feeling financially strained thoughtful email is more important than ever. Measure your Thanksgiving campaigns by open rates, click through rates and conversion rates.
Tools like Google Analytics and email marketing software will give you insights into your campaign performance. Calculating ROI will tell you how much your Thanksgiving marketing is worth.
Keep your Thanksgiving emails short and to the point, express gratitude or offer deals. Consider sending follow up emails after Thanksgiving to keep engagement and promote ongoing sales.
Summary
In short, Thanksgiving emails are a powerful way to connect with your customers and drive sales during the holidays. Timing, heartfelt copy and design will make a lasting impression on your audience. Personalization and interactive elements will help too.
To make the most of your Thanksgiving email campaigns, measure and data drive. Follow best practices like offering special offers and mobile friendly design to stand out in crowded inboxes. As you get ready for the holidays, let your Thanksgiving emails be genuine and festive and create memorable experiences for your customers. By the way, our email marketing calendar is here to help you get the best email campaign ideas for other upcoming holidays. You can check it out here.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start my Thanksgiving email campaign? Starting your Thanksgiving email campaign a few days before the holiday is key to boosting visibility and engagement. Kicking it off earlier can help you reach those eager shoppers ahead of time! How can I make my Thanksgiving email subject lines more engaging? To make your Thanksgiving subject lines more engaging, personalize them and add festive emojis. A subject line like “Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours” can really grab attention and spread some holiday cheer. What are some effective ways to express gratitude in Thanksgiving emails? Expressing gratitude in Thanksgiving emails is most effective when you use a heartfelt tone and include personal acknowledgments that highlight the recipient’s traits. This genuine approach can really strengthen your connections. How can I incorporate promotions without overshadowing the Thanksgiving message? You can incorporate promotions by subtly blending them with your Thanksgiving wishes, like mentioning exclusive offers while expressing gratitude. This way, you keep the focus on the spirit of the holiday while still encouraging customer engagement. Why is it important to design mobile-friendly Thanksgiving emails? Designing mobile-friendly Thanksgiving emails is crucial because most people check their emails on mobile devices, which enhances user experience and boosts engagement rates. A well-optimized email means your message won’t get lost!