Let’s check the main events in May, with examples to inspire your content marketing plans.
International Workers’ Day (May 1st)
A great way to kick off May is to start acknowledging workers everywhere. One way to do that is to feature your workforce, especially the blue-collar people who guarantee your product’s building, packaging, and delivery to your customers.
You can also direct your message to your customers, like this great example from Mark’s: it spotlights some of their clients while featuring special pieces of its catalog.
Harry Potter Day (May 2nd)
Harry Potter is a $34 billion brand. The books, movies, games, and toys are still everywhere 28 years after the first book release, and still get new fans. And don’t forget about the upcoming TV show that targets a 2026 premiere. That means Harry Potter is a hot topic and his Day can be celebrated by every brand: you can be sure you’ll find one, or many, fans of the famous wizard among your subscribers.
Harry Potter Day is celebrated on May 2, the date when Harry defeats Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts in the eighth book of the series. Fans everywhere wear scarves and hats of each House’s colors and celebrate with friends reading or watching movies together.
This is a go-to date for toy and collectible businesses, but there are opportunities to jump in, like this example for Larson Jewelers: they used their custom jewelry machines to build some Harry Potter-themed rings just for the date.
May the fourth — Star Wars Day (May 4th)
A pun with the famous phrase “May the force be with you”, May 4th is Star Wars Day, celebrated by fans around the world. The fourth biggest media franchise in the world, it is bigger than Disney Princess or Barbie.
This date is celebrated with cosplay encounters, movie re-watches, and every Star Wars-themed trinket you can imagine, from drinks to mugs, to technology products, to clothing, to fan content.
Smaller companies can enjoy a lighthearted approach, especially if the owners are big fans of the series: pictures of them in costumes or of cherished objects from the series can earn high esteem from subscribers. Bigger brands with franchise products can jump in with discounts to enjoy the free marketing.
Cinco de Mayo (May 5th)
Cinco de Mayo, while a smaller holiday in Mexico, is a major celebration of Mexican culture, with parades, music, drinks and, of course, Mexican cuisine.
There are two ways to approach the date, depending if your company has roots in Mexican culture or not. If you’re talking tacos, Mexican-inspired clothing or jewelry, this is a big date that may require special planning and a week-long promotion. For other brands, a smaller reference is nice, like “Happy Cinco de Mayo, here’s a coupon”, just like this gorgeous email from GOA Skincare.
Teacher’s Day (May 6th)
Teacher’s Day is a special date to acknowledge those with the most important profession of all: the encouragers.
Here are three suggestions to approach this special date:
Pipsticks brand approached the date with a giveaway contest for a year of sticker subscriptions, while Grab Green chose a warmer option, starting with a message about the importance of teachers (and a coupon for board cleaner).
Mother’s Day (May 11th)
Mother’s Day is the biggest date in May. It is one of the most lucrative holidays (and sometimes criticized for the commercialization of the date, especially at the beginning of the 20th century).
Most brands don’t only reserve this date, but also start their Mother’s Day campaigns in April to account for planning and delivery time. A nice touch is to create a sequence campaign, with different content and coupons for distinct product lines. Each email can then be sent to fewer and fewer subscribers (for example, only to those who clicked or opened the previous email), to avoid alienating the whole list.
But even without planning way ahead, there is some low-hanging fruit for the date, like a heartwarming message to all mothers, or a flash-sale just for the date (perhaps a mother can choose her own present, why not?).
We’ve selected two good examples from last year: Poolside has a simple written message from the founder (a mother of three) and Skowsh, a brand known for its fun good vibes, focuses on the sister of one of its designers, with great pictures of her mother and son.
World Bee Day (May 20th)
The idea of World Bee Day was proposed by Slovenia and accepted by the UN as a way to acknowledge the importance of bees to sustainable agriculture. Bees are very important pollinator insects, with 20,000 known species.
The date is related to sustainability and ecology, a nice way to spell out some of your brand values if they relate to the theme. But it can also be a simple fun date to boost any bee-themed merch in your catalog, like these bee-themed pajamas from Lazy One.
Memorial Day (May 26th)
Memorial Day is an official American holiday spread, celebrated on the last Monday of May. Observed since 1868, it is a date to mourn and celebrate US Military personnel who died in service.
On Memorial Day, brands with military affinities go for patriotic themes, flags, and encouragement messages. But many companies just honor the date with a coupon: a Memorial Day Sale.
Memorial Day promotions also have the perfect timing to warm consumers up for Father’s Day, in June.
World Hunger Day (May 28th)
The 2025 theme of World Hunger Day is “Sowing Resilience”, focused on building a climate-resilient future to ensure food safety. The date, founded by The Hunger Project in 2011, is an opportunity to call attention to the global food crisis.
This date is not for every company’s marketing plan. But if the theme fits your brand it is a great opportunity to build rapport with the subscribers.
In May there are some week-long events that you can use as an opportunity for a great email marketing campaign.
We start with National Pet Week, an important date for pet companies. There’s also Screen-Free Week, an invitation to a series of activities that your subscribers can enjoy with friends or family.
Teacher Appreciation Week, which leads to Teacher’s Day can be celebrated with an automated sequence or a drip campaign. In May there are also Celiac Awareness Week and Food Allergy Awareness Week, important days for every food brand.
Here are the important week-long observances in May:
In May we also get some important health-related observances: Arthritis, Celiac, Lupus, Melanoma, Stroke, and Mental Health Awareness. These are opportunities for your company to do some good and inform your subscribers with quality content.
Skincare companies can talk about melanoma, how to protect from it (sunscreen!) and how to identify the first symptoms. Companies that cater mostly to men can call attention to the male mental health crisis worldwide.
May also presents some nice feel-good monthly events, with themes like bike, gardening, and photography.
Here are the most important monthly observances in May:
Here are 10 subject lines to kick-start your brain juices to create something great that fits your branding! If you need extra help, Selzy has some great articles about subject lines.
Plan ahead and get your May marketing emails ready by April. This gets you plenty of time to spellcheck your copy and get great visuals to captivate your audience. Once everything is ready, schedule your date and let your email marketing software take care of the rest.
A simple “sale” word in the subject line won’t get you filtered for spam, but if your email is filled with words that can be considered too pushy, you might have a problem. Here’s an article all about spam email words to avoid.
A customer journey can be thought of as a funnel or sequence: first, your customer discovers your brand, follows, gets ready to buy, buys the first product, buys again. Does this email marketing create awareness of your product line? Or a special offer that converts readers to buyers? If you know your objectives clearly, you will be more effective. Bonus tip: our guide to email marketing and customer journey.
Of course, May’s big date is Mother’s Day, but this is probably already on your radar. But there are many more dates and holidays to explore in your marketing campaigns, from nerdy dates like Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Geek Pride days, to social awareness dates like World Hunger Day, International Day Against Homophobia, and Global Accessibility Day.
Ending May is also Memorial Day, the official holiday that effectively starts the summer in the US and kick-off Fathers’ Day sales for June.
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