We are almost down to the last quarter of the year.
The months of October, November, and December are home for big marketing events - Halloween, Singles’ Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving Day, Yuletide Season, preparation for New Year, and a lot more.
We are fast approaching October and in the whole month, we celebrate the so-called “Sober October” which is actually a challenge to social drinkers to change their habits for a month and make some healthy lifestyle changes. It is a widespread trend in which thousands of people stop drinking, using drugs, and smoking for the 31 days of October.
But Sober October has become more than just a month-long challenge too. These days, more people are becoming open to drinking less, trying alcohol-free alternatives, or simply changing up their usual routines. So for a lot of people, going sober for October doesn't always feel like giving something up. It can also be a chance to try something different.
And that's where brands can have a little fun with it. You don't have to sell non-alcoholic drinks to join the conversation. Maybe your product can become part of someone's new routine, their Friday night plans, or simply something they want to try while doing the challenge. There are actually plenty of ways to make it work.
Build your Sober October marketing campaign
Today, we’re here for two things:
- First, to inspire you to add Sober October to your marketing calendar,
- To provide you with good examples of email marketing curated from some popular brands to serve as inspiration. We were able to keep track of these marketing emails with the help of the latest eCommerce benchmarking tool Panoramata.
Also, quick note, but maybe the most important - here's the thing most brands get wrong about Sober October: the money is made in September.
By 1 October your customers have already decided whether they're doing it, and already stocked the fridge. Surely ran their whole 20%-off deal in the last five days of September. Goodrays sent weeks ahead. Copy the timing, not just the creative.
Example: Incentivize your audience to participate in a challenge
Incentivize your audience to participate in a challenge is a great way to take advantage of Sober October for your brand — let's call this the Sober October challenge play.
Here's a good example:
Subject line: Ditch the drink, Sent by Moment
Copy this if you want reach without discounting. The Instagram-selfie mechanic costs you one gift box and buys you a month of UGC.
Moment is a beverage brand that offers sparkling drinks in a variety of flavors. In this email marketing campaign, they took advantage of the upcoming month (October) to offer their 36-pack bundle and they also gave 10% off and free shipping.
Given that Sober October is a kind of challenge, they encouraged their audience to participate by posting a selfie with their Moment product on Instagram. Of course, they need to tag the brand and once they win, they’ll be given a free gift box. What’s inside the gift box was not mentioned, but it’s a good way to create excitement and an element of surprise.
Instagram challenges like this allow users to engage in collective trends. Businesses have adapted it to grow their followings, increase sales and brand impressions, and generate UGC (user-generated content).
Take the opportunity to offer your products
Going sober this October? 🚫🍺
Sent by Goodrays
Copy this if you sell an alternative rather than a substitute. Lead with the benefits of going sober, then position the product as how you do it.
Goodrays is a UK Online Shop where you can find CBD drinks, oils, and edibles. A few weeks before October last year, they sent out an email newsletter to their subscribers with an engaging subject line “Going sober this October?”. As we know, a lot of people would love to take on the challenge. With this in mind, people would think of alternative drinks during this period. So it is a good opportunity for non-alcoholic beverage and wellness brands like Goodrays to present more of their products to the consumers.
Let’s take a look at their email campaign (as above). The copy is short and simple, yet it covers the basic and major points that consumers would need at this point:
- the banner text in bold letters GO SOBER THIS OCTOBER implies an encouraging message
- they enumerated some of the benefits of going sober for a month
- and most importantly, they offered a great alternative to alcohol that helps you get the benefits mentioned earlier, that is, their products.
To complete the offer, they placed a high-contrast (aligned with their branding color) CTA button that redirects the audience to their full range of products on their website. Just everything you need to know and to click in a simple presentation that does not take so much of your time.
Encourage customers to stock up on your product
Surely is one of several no-and-low brands worth watching — see the full non-alcoholic beverage marketing playbook.
Ready for Sober October? 🎃
Sent by Surely
Copy this if you sell something people stock up on. Run the offer in the last week of September, not in October.
Surely is also one of the brands that could benefit from the Sober October thing since it sells non-alcoholic wines. Non-alcoholic drinks are always approved for Sober October, so let’s get it on!
Surely created quite a buzz last year for the observance of Sober October with their 20% off plus free shipping deal. It was done to encourage their customers to stock their fridges before the deal was over (which only covered 5 days of September). Since there is a lot of choice of drinks from other non-alcoholic brands, it’s an effective way to be more generous by offering discounts and free shipping, if possible. Just like what they did. The point is, the competition is stiff so you need to be creative, generous, and consistent in your marketing efforts to win customers.
Let's dissect the email copy they’ve got above. First, there was the subject line “Ready for Sober October? 🎃” which directly asks the audience whether they’re ready or not, whether they’re well-prepared or still missing out on anything. Question statements are almost always engaging, so it’s great.
Next, the banner image and text that almost say it all:
- What to do and for what (Stock up for SOBER OCTOBER)
- What discount code to use
- What are they getting (20% off with purchase of 2+ wines, and free shipping)
- Big and obvious CTA early on (TRY YOUR FIRST SIP)
The copy continues by stating the dates covered by the sale. This creates a sense of urgency.
Then a CTA again at the second block of email copy.
Not yet compelled to click? The third block goes with one featured review from a customer, followed by another CTA that is also difficult to overlook. You can also click a specific portion to read more reviews should you want more proof.
Finally on the 4th block comes their product recommendation to help customers decide which wine to choose. At this point, maybe they’ve already made a decision to buy but it would really be helpful if they could see some best-sellers. Alternatively, they could take a wine quiz with just a few clicks.
20% off (+ free shipping)
Sent by Surely
Gone in a few hours
Sent by Surely
Just like other sales, you can send reminders during the last days and last hours to make sure that your audience won’t miss out on this opportunity, especially if the sale happens only once a year or very seldom.
Just try not to send the same reminder over and over again. You can introduce the offer in your first email, then use the next one to share a customer review, feature a best-seller, recommend a product, or give people another reason to check it out. That way, it doesn't just feel like you're saying “sale ends soon” again and again.
Showcase what your products are made of
Subject line: Pear, Miso, and More.🍐🍂
Sent by Acid League
Copy this if your product has something original. List the ingredients. People choosing not to drink want to know what they are drinking instead.
Acid League is a brand that offers not just beverages but also pantry essentials, condiments and flavors for cooking.
Yes, the drinks they offer for Sober October are, of course, without the alcohol content. But to make it more obvious, they presented it in their email in such a way that each bottle was given enough description in terms of the ingredients they’re made of. It helped the audience imagine how they taste, making them crave the drinks. Plus it gave peace of mind to consumers to know the exact composition of the product.
This is also a good reminder that just saying a drink is “alcohol-free” might not be enough to convince someone to buy it.
People still want to know what it actually tastes like, what's in it, and what they can have it with. So don't be afraid to talk more about the product itself. Mention the flavors, ingredients, how it's made, what food goes well with it, or even when would be a good time to enjoy it. Give people something that makes them want to try it, instead of making it feel like they're only choosing it because they're not drinking.
Collaborate with another brand to team up with your products
Subject line: Cali Sober October with Optimist Drinks
Sent by Prismatic Plants
Copy this if you don't sell drinks at all. Partner with a brand that does, and bring the recipe.
Prismatic Plants is a health and wellness brand that is known for its plant-based CBD tinctures and hemp oil for stress relief. Since they do not have any beverage products, they teamed up with the brand called Optimist Drinks, a Los Angeles-based company that is popular for its non-alcoholic drinks.
The collaboration made it possible for Prismatic Plants to still participate in the Sober October campaign. They presented a relevant team-up of Optimist Drinks’ products with their very own products using a blended recipe where they showed the ingredients and instructions on how to create the mixtures.
Brand collaboration can be used in many different ways and is always a win-win for both parties, as well as for the customers.
Don't make Sober October feel restrictive
Think about how you would feel if you saw an email saying, “Give up alcohol for 31 days.” It already sounds like you're being told what you can't do. Now compare that with, “Here are 31 ways to enjoy your evenings without alcohol.” That sounds a lot more fun, right?
So when you're creating your Sober October campaign, try not to focus too much on what people are giving up. Instead, show them what they can still enjoy. You can give them ideas for Friday nights, date nights, dinner with friends, or even just a quiet night at home.
You could share a fun mocktail recipe, a movie night idea, a dinner pairing, or a simple Sunday reset. Maybe your audience would enjoy a coffee recipe, a workout challenge, a new hobby, or a few easy things they can do after work instead of going out for drinks.
And don't worry if you don't sell drinks. You can still make Sober October work for your brand. Just think about what your customers normally do when they want to relax, have fun, or spend time with other people. Then find a way to make your product part of that.
At the end of the day, you don't want your email to make people feel like they're missing out for a whole month. Show them that they can still have fun, try new things, and enjoy their usual moments, just in a slightly different way.
Create a Sober October email sequence
If you're planning to run a full Sober October campaign, don't feel like you have to squeeze everything into one email. You can spread it out across the month and give people something different to look forward to each time you hit their inbox.
For example:
Email 1 : The invitation
Start by introducing Sober October and invite your audience to join you. Keep it simple, explain what the challenge is, and give them a reason to take part.
Email 2 : The alternative
Now show them what they can enjoy instead. This could be a non-alcoholic drink, a new recipe, a fun Friday night idea, or anything that fits with your brand.
Email 3 : The inspiration
Give them something they can actually try. Share recipes, food pairings, simple routines, activities, or even a few ideas for making a night without alcohol more fun.
Email 4 : The check-in
By this point, people have made it halfway through the month. Give them a little boost. Share customer photos or stories, reviews, a fun update, or maybe a small discount or giveaway to keep them going.
Email 5 : The celebration
You made it! Use the last email to celebrate everyone who took part. Thank them for joining, share a few highlights from the month, and then you can slowly move into whatever you have planned next for the holiday season.
The nice thing about doing a sequence like this is that you don't have to make every email about selling something. One email can be helpful, another can be fun, another can share a customer story, and another can have an offer. You also get more chances to try different subject lines and CTAs and see what your audience responds to.
More to come for your October marketing so just hang around! October rolls straight into the busiest quarter of the year. Singles' Day is next.
FAQ
What is Sober October? (vs. Dry October and Dry January)
Sober October is a month-long challenge to give up alcohol for the 31 days of October. Dry October is the same thing under a different name — people use the two interchangeably, and so does Google. Dry January is the identical challenge run in January instead, which matters for marketers because it is the other date on the calendar where non-alcoholic products get their spike.
The rules are simple: no alcohol from 1 October to 31 October. Some participants also drop smoking and recreational drugs. In the UK the challenge doubles as a fundraiser — Go Sober for October, run by Macmillan Cancer Support — and people take pledges and collect sponsorship. Elsewhere it runs informally.
"Sober curious" is the wider movement behind all of this: people cutting down on alcohol without quitting, year round. If your product is non-alcoholic, that is your audience for the other eleven months.
When is Sober October 2026?
1 October to 31 October 2026. It runs the full calendar month, every year.
What are the rules of Sober October?
No alcohol for all 31 days. That's the whole rule. Some people also drop smoking and recreational drugs, and in the UK many take sponsorship for Macmillan Cancer Support through Go Sober for October.
Is Dry October the same as Sober October?
Yes. Two names, one month, same challenge. Google treats them as the same topic, so use whichever your audience uses.
What do people drink during Sober October?
Non-alcoholic beer and wine, CBD drinks, functional sodas, mocktails and adaptogenic drinks. This is why the month matters commercially for beverage and wellness brands.
When should I send my first Sober October campaign?
Before October. Your customers decide in September and stock up in the last week of it. Surely ran their whole promotion in the final five days of September.
What if my brand doesn't sell drinks?
Partner with one. Prismatic Plants sells CBD tinctures, teamed up with Optimist Drinks, and shipped a blended recipe. The collaboration bought them a campaign in a month they had no product for.
