Oh, the joys of sharing a delicious turkey with your family or catching up on football — Thanksgiving is as delightful as it gets!
However, if you own a business, you may also be hoping to make a few sales on this bountiful day of harvest blessings.
And the best way to do that is by sharing your heartfelt thoughts and best offers with prospects using a well-designed Thanksgiving email.
This guide breaks down 18+ Thanksgiving email examples to inspire you to create your own winning Thanksgiving campaign that not only makes your subscribers feel valued but also rakes in revenue.
7 Reasons to Send Emails on Thanksgiving
You’ve probably read that you shouldn’t wait until Black Friday to share your best deals, discounts, and offers, and that’s true.
Here are some reasons to plan your Thanksgiving email marketing campaign as carefully as you approach your Black Friday sales day:
- Expresses gratitude: As the name says, you want to express your gratitude to everyone in your life, so why leave out prospects and customers?
- Strengthens long-term relationships: Remembering the most important people on special occasions is vital to bonding better and ultimately driving up the customer lifetime value (CLTV);
- Helps your brand stay visible: Staying top-of-mind during a key shopping season is crucial;
- Boosts engagement: You will likely get more opens, clicks, replies, and responses with the right offer sent at this time of the year;
- Re-activates inactive subscribers: Everyone’s looking for a great deal this time of the year, so it could be your ticket to re-engaging older prospects and customers who’ve gone silent;
- Diminishes competition: Most of your competition is too focused on driving their BFCM (Black Friday Cyber Monday) campaigns right. This is an excellent chance for your business to benefit from lesser competition for Thanksgiving;
- Drives sales like crazy: This last year of 2023, Thanksgiving alone drove an estimated $6 billion in online sales. Whether first-time visitors or loyal customers, there is an opportunity to make sales.
Your life will be way easier when you have festive templates ready. With Sender, you only need to add your copy, and you’re good to go:
Thanksgiving Email Examples: Communications & Updates
Ultimately, your Thanksgiving email campaign needs to be as well-thought-out as your plans for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Next, let’s look at several ways businesses do Thanksgiving emails.
Thanksgiving Gratitude Email to Express Gratitude
Gratitude is recognizing what’s good.
Your business must acknowledge the good in the relationships with prospects and customers, much like earphone manufacturer AfterShokz does in its Thanksgiving email below.
Subject line: Sending Grateful Vibez Your Way
What we love about it
- Simple-sounding, prominently-sized headline that draws attention to the sentiment of gratitude;
- Incentivizes the reader to do something for others instead of pushing them to participate in the ongoing sale;
- Precisely visualized options with clear CTAs radiate trust.
Happy Thanksgiving Newsletter Message
For your Thanksgiving message to be effective, it must be heartfelt from your end.
Astro West, a business that sells geological collectibles such as fine minerals, fossils, and meteorites, keeps it simple with a picture of its product on the forefront.
Subject line: Happy Thanksgiving from Astro West
What we love about it
- A simple subject line that draws the reader away from the noise of sales this time of the year with just a greeting;
- Amazing offer — who wouldn’t love 50% OFF anything?
- Simple, easy-to-understand copy.
Updates or Changes During Thanksgiving Break
Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to remind prospects and customers about the changes they could make to improve their lives.
Through their Thanksgiving email campaign below, American Neobank Simple aims to convey the importance of budgeting for a better future.
Subject line: Smiles Davis: Make room for budgeting this Thanksgiving
What We Love About It
- The use of first name personalization in the subject line as well as at the beginning of the email;
- The testimonial of the company’s team member makes the messaging more believable than if the business were to talk about itself directly;
- The email contains powerful social proof in the form of real-life stories of customers who have benefited from Simple’s products and services.
Reminder Email for Key Dates or Deadlines Post-Thanksgiving
Your prospects don’t ignore your offers, but sometimes they forget and need a simple reminder.
The School of Life, a London-based social media company, reminds its subscribers that its 20% OFF deal on books and other products expires soon.
Subject line: Reminder – 20% Off Everything – Ends
What we love about it
- Excellent copy—the simple black banner urges readers to buy their books on offer so they can have a wiser Black Friday;
- There’s no forced use of creatives or graphics, only plain and simple text that begs to be read;
- A well-designed email where the logo and the CTA are in contrasting colors against the backdrop of a minimalist background and, therefore, instantly catch the eye;
Corporate Thanksgiving Email
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to promote products and services, but let’s not forget to focus on family.
For instance, look at the below email from Google promoting its digital speaker, Google Home Mini. Even though it is an email that clearly lists the products on sale and the promotional offers supporting them, it conveys warmth and togetherness.
Subject line: Hey Smiles Davis, get a little help this Thanksgiving
What we love about it
- The use of first name personalization in the subject line makes it appealing and relevant to the subscriber;
- Relevant, high-quality image supports the copy below and pushes the idea of a family putting Google’s speaker to good use;
- Persuasive copy that, through clear instructions, shows the reader just how easily they can benefit from the product.
Thanksgiving Email to Employees
Expressing your emotions is crucial not just with your external customers but also with your internal customers—such as your dedicated team members driving success within your business.
Here’s a nice little Thanksgiving message from Sakara sharing its gratitude to all those involved in the supply chain, from farmers to chefs.
Subject line: Grateful
What we love about it
- The use of the one-word subject line—in a busy season, we’re sure this email stood out inside the inbox;
- Use of an animated GIF to grab attention and boost engagement;
- Great messaging that’s barely trying to sell anything, but rather thanks everyone involved.
Thanksgiving Emails Templates: Promotions & Sales
Thanksgiving is the time to share joy and happiness. But it is also that time of the year that kickstarts all buying.
You shouldn’t feel guilty about putting your bestsellers on sale or launching your latest product or service that will actually benefit people.
Special Thanksgiving Offer or Sale Email
Your best offers don’t have to wait till BFCM (Black Friday Cyber Monday) to see the light of day. The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving could bring you easy money with little competition.
Organic & natural foods supermarket chain Whole Foods Market’s Thanksgiving email below tries to evoke some of the good food memories you might have pictured about Thanksgiving.
Subject line: Thanksgiving Got You Stressed? Not Anymore with 365.
What we love about it
- A well-thought-out subject line that gently touches upon how stressed people can get preparing for Thanksgiving;
- Great creative that showcases the brand’s core organic positioning;
- Use of contextual messaging on call-to-action (CTA) boxes.
Thanksgiving-Themed Product Launch
Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the festive shopping season and is a great opportunity to launch products ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
With prospects and customers both eager and willing to spend, this is a strategic window to introduce your offerings from different angles, as organic mattress manufacturer and retailer Essentia does in their Thanksgiving email below.
Subject line: Maximize Your Sleep Quality: Jack Reveals Essentia’s Sleep Tech on the Human Upgrade!
What we love about it
- Use of a GIF denoting the video to boost engagement;
- Clear white background with a great, color-coordinated design;
- Easy-to-spot CTA boxes with relevant copy.
Learn how to write powerful product launch emails (with examples) to drive sales.
‘Store Closed for Thanksgiving’ Message
If your brick-and-mortar store will be closed for Thanksgiving and BFCM, or if your holiday hours differ from the usual, use your Thanksgiving email to convey the message clearly.
Interior furniture and lighting retailer Union does this simply yet elegantly.
Subject line: Thanksgiving Holiday Hours
What we love about it
- Straightforward email body conveys availability without beating around the bush;
- A crisp and clear subject line is sometimes better than any click-bait trick;
- Utilizing real, in-store visuals entices subscribers to visit during working hours.
Thanksgiving Email Campaigns: Events & Invitations
During Thanksgiving, people want to gather, connect, and celebrate together. Utilize this festive backdrop to invite your target audience to your events via Thanksgiving email.
Thanksgiving Event Invitation for the Holiday Season
Use Thanksgiving email campaigns to promote and highlight your upcoming offline and online events and maximize their attendance.
Social groups & community platform Meetup shows us how it is done with its simple yet delectable Thanksgiving message below.
Subject line: Make Thanksgiving more than a meal 🦃
What we love about it
- A touching subject line that reminds your prospects that Thanksgiving is about more than just the turkey they were hoping to sink their teeth into (plus points for the turkey emoji, though);
- It curates all upcoming events under different headings, so you can always find something that interests you;
- The use of relevant visuals and creatives depicting people enjoying close-knit communities indirectly yet powerfully arouses reader desire.
Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Company’s Thanksgiving Celebration
Thanksgiving is an excellent time for businesses to promote themselves by showing a side of themselves that the target audience can relate to.
In this Thanksgiving email campaign below, the South Dakota Department of Tourism balances Thanksgiving with its top attractions, encouraging travelers to partake in a unique experience.
Subject line: Live from NY, it’s South Dakota! 🏙️
What we love about it
- An attention-grabbing, curiosity-evoking subject line that makes you want to open the email;
- Engaging the audience with a recipe contest;
- Color-coordinated design with eye-catching visuals.
Thanksgiving Emails Examples: Tips & Content
You can use your Happy Thanksgiving messages to convey valuable information that resonates with your target customers through tips, gift guides, and more.
Tips for a Happy Thanksgiving
Even if you’re not selling anything, your Thanksgiving email could be the perfect occasion to share content that could add value to your prospects’ lives.
A restaurant reservations and hospitality management platform, Resy, compiles top cooking tips, recipes, and pro tips in its Happy Thanksgiving message below.
Subject line: Resy’s tips for Thanksgiving
What we love about it
- Easy to understand messaging;
- Attractive, branded, and mobile-friendly design;
- Irresistible visuals of food & dining experiences that entice the senses.
Story or Anecdote Related to Thanksgiving
In addition to evoking emotions, stories create a sense of shared experience among the audience.
Your Thanksgiving email can be an authentic story about a customer, an incident, or your own brand that resonates deeply with the audience.
Artifact Uprising, an online business specializing in premium photo printing, shared the following Thanksgiving message with its email subscribers.
Subject line: With Gratitude
What we love about it
- Copy & messaging that tugs at the heartstrings;
- Simple yet elegant design with a great choice of highly readable typography;
- There’s no direct sales pitch here. Instead, this is perfect for luring prospects with quality content.
Thanksgiving-Themed Tips Related to the Industry
The best way to sell your business, product, or service is to make yourself useful, and the easiest way to do that is by sharing valuable information with your prospects.
If you’re one of those businesses wondering how to share content, see how simple yet witty online investment and retirement planning startup Betterment keeps its Thanksgiving email.
Subject line: Seamless pivots for this Thanksgiving’s awkward chitchat
What we love about it
- The fact that despite belonging to the financial investment world, the email is fun and entertaining to read;
- Each section starts off light and unrelated yet segues beautifully into Betterment’s financial services;
- Instead of pushing the reader to sign up for a free financial consulting or audit, the email leverages Thanksgiving and asks them to refer a friend instead.
Interactive Content – Polls, Quizzes, Surveys
Having a standard Thanksgiving email template every business uses year after year is the fastest way to bore your prospects. Keep things fun by including interactive content like polls, quizzes, surveys, contests, and giveaways.
XTool, a manufacturer of engraving tools, celebrates Thanksgiving by hosting a contest for its prospects and customers.
Subject line: Easy Way to Win Big? Derivative Creation Contest is Here For You! 🏆
What we love about it
- Attention-grabbing email content headline with the keyword ‘contest’ in it;
- Use of the right emoji in the subject line increases engagement;
- Brief yet clear instructions on what needs to be done to participate and win the contest.
If contests are not your thing, try sending a survey email — it guarantees customer engagement. Read this article to craft a survey email nobody can ignore: Measure Satisfaction: 9 Survey Email Templates & Examples
User Generated Content Showcase
Sharing user generated content (UGC), such as reviews, testimonials, and more, can be a powerful way to share authentic experiences with your subscribers.
Plated, a retail meal kit supplier, chose to answer real-world user questions in its Thanksgiving email campaign below to generate engagement and boost trust.
Subject line: Best. Thanksgiving. Ever. It all starts here.
What we love about it
- A simple, humble subject line that draws immediate attention and commands engagement;
- Short, easy-to-digest, bite-sized copy and messaging;
- Featuring user questions acts as indirect social proof.
Thanksgiving Emails Examples: Appreciations & Acknowledgments
If your Thanksgiving email is centered around appreciation and acknowledgment of all things positive, it will resonate with most email subscribers.
Client Appreciation Thanksgiving Email
Use your Thanksgiving message to express heartfelt gratitude to foster a deeper emotional bond with your prospects.
Check out the below Thanksgiving special from Design Post. This creative newsletter helps explain to its readers the entire design process, from idea to execution, in an exciting, storytelling way.
Subject line: November Creative Newsletter 🦃🍂
What we love about it
- Fantastic choice of graphical elements that draw attention without distracting from the overall email content;
- Short, non-salesy email subject line;
- Using text interlaced with creatives at every opportunity.
Charity or Community Service Announcement
Thanksgiving is a good time to be making sales. But it is an even better time to bring your charitable endeavors and community service initiatives to the spotlight.
Through its Thanksgiving email, online pet supplies retailer Pet Valu helps to remind us that we should be sharing what we can with pets as well.
Subject line: This month, make it a happy Thanksgiving for pets in need, too
What we love about it
- Eye-catching image leaves the reader with positive emotions;
- Simple messaging with the occasional use of wit (‘furever thankful’) conveys lighthearted humor;
- It is out-and-out an attempt to help pets, not a veiled sales pitch.
Key Takeaways
Getting your Thanksgiving email campaign in order is vital to making tons of sales and getting ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the biggest selling seasons.
In case you haven’t had the time to pore through this entire article, here are a few quick tips & takeaways for your Thanksgiving email campaigns:
- Plan early: Don’t wait until the last minute to plan or even launch your Thanksgiving email campaign. You can never do it too early;
- Personalize: Use what you know about the prospect, such as their first name or past purchase history, to make your emails extremely relevant to them;
- Stick to the theme: First things first, Thanksgiving is about being thankful, so appreciate your readers for their support and business;
- Design for the mobile: Most of your subscribers are likely to open and click your email from their mobiles, so ensure that you test it out for the smaller screens, too;
- Add urgency: Ensure that your offers are limited by time or quantity, and the resulting sense of urgency will drive conversions;
- Use interesting subject lines: Use curiosity or benefit-based subject lines that are also shorter in length to stand out inside the customers’ inboxes;
- Use high-quality images: Use relevant and clear-quality images to convey your message;
- Deploy a clear CTA: Using a clear, compelling, and consistent CTA throughout your email can help draw more and higher-quality clicks.
- Display social proof: Highlight customer reviews, testimonials, and other user-generated content (UGC) to share how much loved your product or service already is;
- Create a follow-up strategy: Carry your Thanksgiving email energy through Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday to create sales momentum.
And with that, we wish you a prosperous and bountiful season (including pumpkin pie and roast turkey for Thanksgiving dinner)! And Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Looking for more inspiration for holiday newsletters? You might also like these articles:
- 10 Great Thanksgiving Email Subject Lines
- 19 Holiday Marketing Ideas & Examples of Promotion Campaign
Author bio
Santosh Balakrishnan is a full-time Copywriter and Growth Marketer who loves writing about all things digital marketing. Whether he’s crafting the perfect email campaign or deep in meditation visualizing world peace, you know he’s got his eye on the prize – and it’s always growth.
