Back-to-School Email Campaigns To Get Inspired By

Why send out back-to-school emails

In addition to the start of the school year, the first day of fall marks the end of the summer vacation season and a general increase in business and shopping activity. Parents and students are searching for deals on supplies and gear for the new school year, so this is a great opportunity to promote your products or services in email newsletters. Even if your business has nothing to do with education or school essentials, you can still take advantage of this loyal audience. 

The National Retail Federation (NRF) conducts an annual survey to assess how American families will shop for back-to-school supplies. In 2024, the average family with children in grades K-12 plans to spend $874.68, which would total $38.3 billion across all families surveyed.

What do people spend their money on during the season? According to NRF, the top three categories include electronics, clothing & accessories, and shoes.

As the survey shows, people are willing to spend a lot ahead of the back-to-school season.  It is the biggest marketing craze of the year, generating millions in revenue. Businesses should take advantage of this shopping opportunity.

In 2024, NRF also ran a survey about popular shopping places for supplies during the back-to-school season. According to the said survey, 57% of consumers plan to shop online.

Same goes for college students, with a larger gap between these options — but online stores are still winning:

For you, it means that sending back-to-school emails is a great way to stimulate sales in your online store. However, there are more reasons to run back-to-school email campaigns this season:

1. To connect with customers and show that you care about their needs.
2. To promote special deals or sales, which can increase customer loyalty and spending.
3. To stay top of mind with customers, which can lead to increased business down the road.
4. To engage with subscribers, making your brand more memorable in the process.
5. To stand out from the competition thanks to personalized newsletters, good pricing, and masterful design of email templates. 

Best strategies for back-to-school email marketing

Summer will end quickly, so retailers need to take action in advance to plan their marketing campaigns and design their email templates. There are several things to keep in mind when preparing back-to-school emails:

Start early

The summer months are a great time to launch your back-to-school email campaign. As students prepare for semesters and new courses, you can’t afford not to take advantage of this opportunity to get ahead of the competition. 

The timing of your back-to-school email marketing campaign is crucial. If you wait until August to start sending emails, then potential clients will be flooded with sales pitches from other brands and it could turn them off. Instead, if possible try starting early like July.

Why so? According to NRF, 55% of shoppers started preparing for school in early July this year. That’s why promoting your deals and offers via email newsletters in advance gives you a competitive edge.

Make sure to keep up with cultural trends

Your email marketing strategy should always be in line with the latest cultural trends. This is especially important during back-to-school season, as young people are highly influenced by what’s popular at the moment.

Consider the interests of the younger generation, and analyze the latest trends, events, and “hot topics” that may excite your target audience. If your back-to-school email campaigns can show that you’re up-to-date with the latest trends, you’ll be more likely to connect with your audience and get them interested in what you have to say.

The 2024 summer season is dubbed “brat summer” thanks to the singer Charli XCX. Not to get into too much detail, this trend is about hedonism, messiness, and rebellion and is characterized by a specific shade of green and writing in lowercase. 

Here is a successful email example that takes advantage of this trend:

Want more trendy email examples? Last summer, the Barbie movie became the talk of the town. That’s why this email from Honeydew USA promotes a selection of pink clothes as a part of their back-to-school marketing strategy.

Aim for the college market

Back-to-school season is not just for elementary and high school students. College students need to shop for clothes, electronics, and dorm room furniture as well. They want to be prepared for the new semester and have everything they need to succeed. That’s why it’s important to address these subscribers too in your back-to-school email campaigns.

Apple remembers that not only children continue their studies in September, but students as well. That’s why their fall messages are also for college students and their parents.

Adidas used the word “campus” in its marketing campaign with a reference to college students:

Use email templates

We are strong believers that a good, thought-out email sequence works better than just a one-off email. However, designing several back-to-school email campaigns may take too much time and effort. The solution? Design using pre-made templates from your ESP!

Selzy has a myriad of responsive email templates for any occasion. Holiday newsletters, cart abandonment, welcome — you name it, we have it! If you want to design something entirely unique, you can always use Selzy’s AI-powered email builder. Register for free and create effective back-to-school email campaigns in minutes!

Here is one of the sales email templates you can use for your seasonal newsletters:

Add value with help and advice

Another good tactic is to add interesting tips/recommendations to your back-to-school email campaign. This way you show your expertise on the subject and increase the loyalty of your readers. Focus on the usefulness of the information provided, rather than on the benefits of your products.

Here is a great example of a message with ideas and recipes for school lunches:

Use emojis

Adding an emoji to your subject line can help you add interest and excitement to an email that might otherwise be composed only of words. They can also help capture the reader’s attention. Plus, an email emoji can convey emotion and add personality to your message.

Be careful with emojis if you’re targeting Gen Z consumers! According to The Washington Post and other sources like The New York Post, this generation interprets popular emojis’ meanings differently compared to Millennials. For example, they consider 👍 and 🙂 passive-aggressive and hostile, and they use 😭 and 💀 as “crying/dead from laughter”. 

Offer discounts and incentives

Offer your customers discounts and incentives for shopping with you during the back-to-school season. This is a great way for your business to show appreciation and encourage them to continue shopping with you in the future.

Incentives can include anything from free shipping to exclusive pricing and discounts. Whatever you choose, make sure it is something that will appeal to your target audience and motivate them to take advantage of your offer.

Discounts are also a great way to show your customers that you are committed to them and always offer the best possible deals. 

Take this example as your email design inspiration. The brand promotes a 20% off deal on the products kids can take with them to schools or colleges. This not only tempts parents with good pricing but also suggests the most relevant items:

Ideas for back-to-school email content

Back-to-school emails can be either informational or promotional. Both types serve distinct purposes and should have different subject lines and designs. 

Informational emails

These campaigns are all about giving your customers useful information that will help them as they head back to school or college. It’s a way to build trust and credibility with your audience, and it can also be a valuable way to drive traffic to your website or online store.

In fact, you can come up with a lot of informative content for your back-to-school emails:

1. How to be more productive in the classroom.
2. Fashion trends for the coming fall.
3. Gift ideas for favorite teachers.
4. How to help your child adjust to a new school.
5. Selections of useful studying materials.
6. How to make school lunches delicious and healthy.
7. Poem greetings.
8. Ideas for holiday hairstyles, etc.

Informational email newsletters can come in handy if you’re promoting an educational organization. Here’s a great example of an informational email with resources for studying from Google:

Promotional emails

Here are some great promotional email ideas for your back-to-school campaigns:

1. Give away freebies like pencils, pens, and notepads with every purchase made during the back-to-school season.
2. Hold a contest for the best back-to-school photo or video and offer prizes like gift cards or discounts.
3. Create a loyalty program for customers who shop with you during the back-to-school season and offer lower pricing.
4. Partner with local businesses to offer discounts and promotional deals for back-to-school shoppers.
5. Send out promotional emails with coupon codes and special offers for back-to-school shoppers.

Here is a promotional campaign from Claire’s with a colorful design and a prominent banner:

Subject line ideas your audience will love

Marketers are going crazy trying to get attention from their subscribers. You need something that will stand out and make your customers stop scrolling the inbox. The first step is to come up with an interesting subject line for your message. In 34% of cases, it makes your subscribers decide whether they open the email or not.

Here are some good ideas for your back-to-school email subject line:

1. “Back to school for High Grades’’
2. “Stylish for school”
3. “Our official September 1st discount”
4. Everything you need for back-to-school season at an affordable price”
5. “Hurry up and check everything for school – we’ve got an extra 20% off here”
6. “Back to school in style”
7. “Back to school – it’s so easy with [name of your company]”
8. “School uniforms from $4.99”
9. “ALL you need for school – spend $15, save $5.”
10. “Back to School – Discounts”
11. “Now writing it down…”
12. “Free shipping on everything you need for school >>>”
13. “Back to school: stylish shoes for the whole family”
14. “Super savings on school supplies”
15. “Become a style icon ✅”
16. “Top Score! Stylish for school from $9.99”
17. “ETERNAL WARRANTY on school supplies”
18. “Back to school – picking a style”
19. “We can’t count – 2 + 2 = 5”

Back-to-school email campaign examples you must see

Back to school is a great time to connect with consumers. Here are some inspirational ideas to help you make the most of this opportunity. 

TOMS — Use school style

The typical school setting is often associated with lessons, school desks, and chalkboards. However, TOMS (a shoe company) used these same features in their newsletter to create a fun and unique design. 

The email marketers did a great job on fall promotions by creating offers that would appeal to a wide range of people. They didn’t just focus on one group but had something for everyone. This made the email more effective and likely to result in conversions.

TOMS’ designers focus on the design of their messages, without including any information about prices or promotion duration. This creates a sense of incentive and encourages recipients to visit the website to learn more. The text of the preheader, “Free shipping”, is also prominently displayed in a different color, further highlighting this important offer.

Dresslily — Engage with GIF

Interactive elements in email marketing can be very effective in engaging subscribers and increasing click rates. There are a few popular interactive elements that can help to enhance subscriber engagement. These include GIFs, timers, and sliders. Using videos is another great way to engage your audience.

This email from Dresslily uses a GIF of a running clock to create a sense of urgency.

Olive Ave and Hudson’s Bay — Sell beauty and fashion products

If you sell beauty and fashion products, make sure to do back-to-school email marketing. Choose products that complement each other to create a unified look and if you target college or university students, opt for minis or travel-appropriate formats.

For example, Olive Ave offers a selection of style inspirations perfect for young teachers or high school students.

While Olive Ave clearly targets older audiences or at least those with a more mature and dress code-friendly sense of style, State focuses on kids and teenagers. Take a look at their colorful email that promotes a collection of backpacks for every taste:

Neon, printed, with flowers and dinosaurs — even the fussiest student can find something for them. We like this email because it showcases the variety of choices without being overwhelming color-wise — enough space and a calm color scheme of the whole email balances it all out. 

Natural Life — Sell stationery

Many schools in the US and European countries have strict dress codes or even uniforms. That’s why for many school students funky notebooks and all the rest are the only means of self-expression. So, don’t neglect a back-to-school campaign if you’re selling some of these! 

Here’s a great example from Natural Life. This brand of colorful planners, bags, lunch boxes, and all the rest has embraced its quirkiness and invites subscribers to be weird together. 

PetSmart — Promote products that are unrelated to school

Even if you sell products that are not related to school, you can still use the back-to-school theme in your email newsletters. PetSmart provided a great example of how to use the beginning of the school year to sell dog products. In the email, the store offers products that will keep your pet from getting bored while their owner is at school.

Grammarly — Use humor

Grammarly’s back-to-school marketing campaign isn’t a typical hard sell. Instead, they sent a series of email drip campaigns with fun facts about the school. This educational approach won them customers’ loyalty, who appreciated the valuable content instead of feeling like they were being sold to.

Caraway — Create a checklist

Another email design idea you can adopt for one of your back-to-school email campaigns is a checklist. It can suit a variety of brands and newsletters. For example, Caraway, a cookware and bakeware brand, promotes products relevant to a student’s life in a dorm:

Final thoughts

With back-to-school emails, you can remind parents and students of your business while promoting deals or sales. Also, staying top of mind with customers can lead to more business in the future. Creating an engaging and memorable email campaign is a great way to take advantage of the back-to-school season.

There are two types of back-to-school emails: informational and promotional. Informational emails can contain helpful tips and resources on everything from choosing the right backpack to packing a healthy lunch. Promotional emails might offer discounts or freebies for customers who shop during the back-to-school season.

Follow these best practices to succeed while preparing your back-to-school email campaign:

1. Start planning and designing your email campaign in advance (bonus points if you use email templates). This will give you plenty of time to come up with creative ideas and test different versions of your emails.
2. Keep up with cultural trends and consider the interests of the younger generation. 
3. In addition to elementary and high school students, don’t forget about college students. 
4. Be sure to offer discounts and incentives to increase the likelihood of conversion. A discount or another incentive gives customers a reason to buy from you instead of the competition. 
5. Make your subject line stand out with emojis which will help you convey emotion. Remember that the subject line affects your email open rate.

This article was originally published in July 2022 and was updated in August 2024 to make it more relevant and comprehensive.