Are you tired of the same May email newsletters you release year after year?
Have you gone through all the predictable campaigns that your subscribers have seen many times before, but can’t think of anything out of the box?
There can only be so many marketing moments to write about. For May, the big hitters are Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and Cinco de Mayo–but it’s how you approach these moments that matter.
You need a new angle or approach that makes your emails click-worthy and unforgettable. But you also know when not to jump in on a trend.
The marketing opportunities should fit your brand and build trust in your audience.
Another caveat: you should think of what newsletters your competitors send during May so you avoid making identical campaigns. Tools like Panoramata will help you massively with this challenge, but more on that later.
In this guide, we will solve that challenge by breaking down the major holidays and marketing opportunities during the month of May and how you can use them to bolster trust in your brand, capitalize on commercial moments, and execute the campaigns wisely.
By the end of this, you’ll have a treasure trove of May newsletter ideas and ensure every campaign you send strengthens your relationship with your mailing list.
Main May Marketing Opportunities
May: Mental Health Awareness Month
Mental Health Awareness Month is a staple topic for newsletters and is one not to miss. It builds naturally from April's Stress Awareness focus so you can actually go deeper with more specific content about mental health.
There’s also the matter of the increasing number of adults experiencing mental health challenges and the issue of workplace mental health growing into a big business concern.
Your mailing list will appreciate you supporting or, at the very least, acknowledging the need for better mental wellbeing.
Create an educational series about mental health
You can curate a weekly informative email series with the aim of expanding mental health literacy.
For example, you can list signs of mental health challenges in one’s self and others, then move on to coping strategies, where to access mental health resources, and tips on maintaining mental health in the long run.
Partner with licensed therapists, counselors, or mental health organizations
Go further by partnering with mental health professionals to add credibility to your newsletter.
These professionals can give practical and actionable advice on when people need to seek professional help, how to find affordable treatment, and practices that support mental health.
Share a self-care action plan
The self-care action plan should give subscribers ways to protect their mental wellbeing, going beyond generic advice about self-care like taking bubble baths or stretching.
Give subscribers more concrete actions, such as setting boundaries at work, establishing morning or evening routines, identifying stress triggers, and creating support networks during difficult times.
Make a campaign specific to your industry
Health and wellness brands have the most leeway to address mental health in detail. You can host expert Q&A sessions, give free mental health assessments, and share the latest mental health resources.
For other brands, mental health is outside their wheelhouse, but they can still connect their product with mental health, if possible. For example, tech and SaaS companies can tackle how technology affects mental health in terms of screen time and sleep.
Highlight the connection between your industry and mental health. To go further, show how your product can reduce stress, promote relaxation, or help someone connect with others.
Want more ideas and inspiration like these? Check out our email swipe file with over 100 newsletter ideas you can use for your next campaign.
May 1: International Workers’ Day
International Workers' Day, or May Day, celebrates workers' rights and labor movements worldwide. While it's not widely observed in the United States (which celebrates Labor Day in September), it holds a lot of meaning internationally.
Who should engage in International Workers’ Day?
Brands whose audiences consist of small businesses are a fit for this day, as are brands that focus on workplace products.
Definitely publish a May Day newsletter if you have an employee-centric brand, a global workforce, or are part of social justice commitments in any way.
Celebrate employees and their contributions.
Highlight employee stories, what they do, and how you support work-life balance. Spotlight fair labor practices and worker benefits that you offer or announce your commitment to worker-friendly policies.
Target small businesses and entrepreneurs
Provide primers and informative content for self-employed or small business owners, including those who are freelancers and gig workers. Give tips and tools to help small businesses succeed.
Share stories from customers who are themselves entrepreneurs or small business owners. In this way, you position yourself as a brand that supports independent workers.
Connect your brand with the global labor movement
May Day is widely observed worldwide, so if you have a global market, acknowledge the celebration’s significance.
Tailor each newsletter for each region by segmenting your emails, providing culturally appropriate messaging for each geographic location, and highlighting workforce diversity.
May 4: Star Wars Day
Star Wars Day (May the Fourth) stems from a pun based on the Star Wars line “May the Force be with you.” It’s a fun, nostalgic, and fandom-centered day without any solemn meaning.
Thus, it’s relatively safe for brands to release a Star Wars Day newsletter.
Use it in your subject lines
Use “May the Fourth be with you” on your May 4 email subject lines to instantly attract opens and recognition from those who know the reference.
However, your email should actually contain something related to the franchise or celebration. Otherwise, it feels deceptive to the subscriber.
Push a limited-time offer
Create a limited-time Star Wars Day offer to entice subscribers to act fast. This flash sale should last for 24 hours only to amplify the urgency. You can promote special bundles or give exclusive access to products or services, but these should only be available on May 4.
Tap into nostalgia
A lot of people have an emotional connection to Star Wars. Why not share how the films influenced a member of your team or a customer?
You can also create fun quizzes about topics like “Which Star Wars character are you?” to encourage engagement. Encourage your customers to share videos or pictures that show how big a Star Wars fan they are.
Keep it light
Most of all, keep the tone of your Star Wars promotions light and fun. Overdoing it tends to be offputting. Celebrating the day can be as simple as using a Star Wars reference in a case study you’re sharing on that day.
You can also find ways to use Star Wars in product positioning, such as how your service gives users Jedi powers or asking subscribers to fight the Empire of inefficiency.
You can also create product collections using Star Wars metaphors (light side vs. dark side) or give discounts on products related to the franchise.
May 5: Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army's victory over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
However, most people associate it with big Mexican parties. There are several ways to approach Cinco de Mayo newsletter campaigns without being dull or offensive.
Create educational content
Primers, guides, and resources never fail, especially for days like Cinco de Mayo which are rooted in cultural context while also being significant commercial opportunities.
Let this informative content set the stage for your succeeding promotions, whether they be Cinco de Mayo sales or special collections. You can explain the origins of Cinco de Mayo and highlight Mexican creators, business owners, artists, and voices.
Celebrate Mexican cuisine
Food is a big part of Cinco de Mayo, as well as Mexican culture in general. Why not share authentic Mexican recipes from different regions in the country?
You can even feature traditional ingredients and cooking techniques and partner with Mexican chefs and food experts.
Spotlight the community
Alternatively, you can help shine a light on Mexican voices that need to be amplified. Make it about the Mexican community, not about you.
Encourage subscribers to support Mexican businesses, restaurants and artisans. Promote organizations that serve Mexican and Latin communities. Use your platform to make the people the center of Cinco de Mayo.
May 11: Mother's Day (US)
Mother's Day is one of the year's largest commercial opportunities, generating over $35 billion in US consumer spending annually.
However, for brands, it can actually be tricky to navigate as not all people have positive relationships with their mothers. Many have lost their moms while some may have struggles with infertility or motherhood.
Curate a segmented gift guide for all types of moms
Don’t just post a gift guide; post a gift guide for each kind of mother. By doing this, you recognize that motherhood is not a monolith.
There are many types of mothers. Create guides for new moms, moms of teenagers, grandmothers, mother figures, aunts, mentors, and self-gifts for moms who want to treat themselves.
Start early
People start shopping around for options before May so get your newsletter ready by then. Make the messaging distinct for each phase: early shoppers, middle of the pack, and procrastinators.
Mother's Day is one of the year's largest commercial opportunities, generating over $35 billion in US consumer spending annually. However, for brands, it can actually be tricky to navigate as not all people have positive relationships with their mothers.
Give them the option to skip Mother’s Day emails entirely
Include preference center options for people who don’t have celebratory feelings about Mother’s Day so they can opt out of those emails without unsubscribing from your list entirely. Your list will appreciate this gesture, and this can potentially build customer loyalty over the long term.
May 26: Memorial Day
Memorial Day is both solemn and celebratory. In the US, people remember the US military personnel who died while serving, but at the same time, they celebrate the holiday with barbecues, beach trips, and shopping.
Memorial Day is also the unofficial start of summer, so it brings about an air of excitement too. Here are some newsletter ideas perfect for this day.
Acknowledge the importance of the day
Start your Memorial Day newsletter by recognizing the purpose of the day briefly and simply. It can be as simple as saying “Today we honor the service members who gave their lives for the country” before transitioning to how you can make their celebration with friends and family special.
Target those celebrating the long weekend
Americans plan travel, outdoor activities, or social events on Memorial Day weekend to capitalize on the extra vacation time. Tailor your emails around these plans.
You can give travel tips, road trip essentials, beach checklists, outdoor entertaining guides, camping and adventure gear recommendations, and home hosting guides.
Kick off the summer
Build hype for the summer and incoming sales through your Memorial Day emails.
For clothing and apparel brands, this is the time to launch the summer fashion season.
Promote swimwear, resortwear, and beach outfits, especially Memorial Day weekend outfit ideas.
No matter what your industry is, you can publish summer preparation guides, launch summer collections, release summer teasers, and design emails with summer visual themes.
Throw a big sale
Lastly, what better way to celebrate Memorial Day than with a massive sale? Memorial Day is one of the biggest shopping events of the year, and people are ready to spend on a good deal.
Host sales across several product categories and create anticipation ahead of the long weekend through exclusive or VIP access. Then, as the holiday winds down, transition to final-hours messaging to create urgency.
Month-long May events
Mental Health Awareness Month
National Creative Beginnings Month
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month
National Physical Fitness & Sports Month
Better Sleep Month
Better Hearing and Speech Month
National Bike Month
Get Caught Reading Month
National Photography Month
Week-long May events
May 4-10: National Small Business Week
May 5-11: Be Kind to Animals Week
May 6-12: National Nurses Week
May 6-12: Teachers Appreciation Week
May 12-18: Women’s Health Week
May 13-19: Mental Health Awareness Week (UK)
May 19-25: Public Works Week
May 20-26: National Safe Boating Week
May newsletter ideas per day
May 1: International Workers’ Day
May 2: World Tuna Day
May 2: International Harry Potter Day
May 3: World Press Freedom Day
May 4: Star Wars Day
May 5: Cinco de Mayo
May 6: National Nurses Day
May 6: National Teacher Day
May 9: National Receptionists’ Day
May 10: World Migratory Bird Day
May 10: World Fair Trade Day
May 11: Mother's Day (US)
May 12: Vesak, the Day of the Full Moon
May 12: International Day of Plant Health
May 15: International Day of Families
Mid-May: Cannes Film Festival
May 20: World Bee Day
May 21: International Tea Day
May 21 National Talk Like Yoda Day
May 22: World Biodiversity Day
May 25: World Football Day
May 26: Memorial Day (US)
May 30: International Day of Potato
May 31: National Smile Day
May 31: World No-Tobacco Day
Step up your May newsletters this year
We hope this article gave you ideas for transforming your May email campaigns from boring to bombastic.
Take it up a notch by tracking what your competitors are sending for big holidays and marketing opportunities. This way, you can anticipate their promotions and strategize your messaging and campaigns.
Sign up for Panoramata to track competitor email strategies across every May moment, search thousands of campaign examples revealing what actually works, and find the creative inspiration that makes your May newsletters the ones subscribers open first.
FAQs
How do I approach Mental Health Awareness Month without exploiting subscriber struggles or seeming performative?
Provide genuine educational value through partnerships with licensed mental health professionals before making any product connections, and only integrate your products or services if they legitimately reduce stress or support wellness—never position purchases as solutions to serious mental health conditions.
Should I send Mother's Day emails if they might upset subscribers dealing with loss, infertility, or difficult relationships?
Yes, but provide opt-out options specifically for Mother's Day content in your preference center so subscribers can skip these emails without unsubscribing entirely—this thoughtful gesture builds tremendous loyalty with those navigating difficult situations. Use inclusive language like "celebrating the mother figures in your life" rather than assuming biological relationships.
How can I participate in Cinco de Mayo authentically without cultural appropriation?
Provide educational content about the Battle of Puebla's actual historical significance, amplify Mexican-owned businesses and voices rather than centering your brand, partner with Mexican chefs or cultural experts for authentic cuisine content, and avoid stereotypical imagery like sombreros or mustaches.
