The 4th of July means barbecues, fireworks, parades, and, yes, patriotic email campaigns. But when it comes to sending 4th of July email designs, there's more to a successful campaign than a red-white-and-blue color scheme.Here are some excellent email examples that go beyond the colors of the flag, plus tips for making your 4th of July email designs stand out from the rest.
Dress up your header design
Step one in email design best practices is optimizing your subject line and pre-header text, and step two is grabbing readers' attention immediately with an effective header. It's a simple rule of thumb, but it's an important one, and holidays are a perfect time to experiment with your header. Hipmunk, the travel company, uses an illustrated chipmunk as its cute and fuzzy brand ambassador, and he's ready to "fire up the barbie" in the brand's kitschy header.The email body is incredibly succinct, factual, and well-organized in two clear columns, without illustration or design elements. Plus, the unique CTA ("Get Crackin'") serves as a reminder of barbecues and as prompt for readers to get started on their vacation search. But the main visual is what makes the Hipmunk have one of the more effective 4th of July email designs.
What works:
- On-brand, festive header illustration
- Simple two-column design optimized to deliver information
- Easy-to-spot CTA button with unique text
Get animated with a GIF
Tattlysells temporary tattoos designed by professional artists and designers. Even though theyaren't marketing any tattoos specially designed for the holiday—no fireworks, hot dogs, or flags in sight—they highlighted all available red, white, and blue tattoos. Tattly demonstrates that with a little creativity, any brand can get in the Independence spirit with their 4th of July email designs.By creating a cleveranimated GIFof red, white, and blue tattoos becoming an American flag and adding clever copy ("We've got you covered this 4th of July"), the brand sends a message that stands out.The email is carefullycomposed, and it definitely works to promote products (in fact, some of the tattoos are already selling out on the site). The email is great inspiration for other brands with inventory that may not correspond directly with the holiday.
What works:
- Optimized pre-header text ("Stock up on Red, White, and Blue!")
- Eye-catching and festive animated GIF
- High-contrast CTA button (the red color and "Made in the USA!" slogan reinforces the patriotism)
- Short and clear body text
- On-brand design and messaging
Simplify your color scheme
With so manybrandsincorporating a red-white-and-blue color scheme for the holiday, it might seem appealing toavoid creating 4th of July email designs that look like all the others. But DC Shoes provesthat with smart design, the red-white-blue look can be subtle but still stand out.To make the colors pop, DC Shoes kept the email mainly in black and white. This is a really nice touch that emphasizes the thin, horizontal red and blue lines that frame the main image and evokes a sophistication for the bold colors. Plus, like Tattly, the brand chooses red, white, and blue products to showcase in a simple and organized way, with language that reminds readers of patriotism ("Celebrate July 4th in Red, White & Blue") and relaxation ("Ready to Grill & Chill"). Plus, the hybrid layout design, which starts out with one column and then showcases products in three columns, is a good example of howyou can establish a clear hierarchy while presenting multiple products.
What works:
- Black and white color scheme makes the red, white, and blue stand out
- On-point copy that acknowledges aspects of Independence Day
- CTA buttons in contrasting colors
- Hybrid layout to organize a product showcase
Offer meaning and inspiration
Sometimes, seeing a product and reading its product story can make it seem more unique.This email from Martha Stewart highlights products only made in America and digs deeper than a typical product marketing campaign to give some background about what makes each item patriotic. So along with a photo of a banner-shaped cutting board, the email copy reveals it's ideal to use forchopping and decorating, since the pattern is meant to be displayed. By adding small details about each product (in just a few words!), subscribers can connect better with the each "American Made" design.Similar to DC Shoes, this email design also utilizes a hybrid layout designwith four modules that fill out the width of the email, and then a fifth module that's vertical (to accommodate the vertical straws and the ad space). Selecting just five items that are highlighted in a simple way against a subtle background also helps the products to seem curated and focused.
What works:
- Images are paired with short descriptions of inspirational text
- Curated selection of five images
- No complicated header navigation
- Link color is on-brand and stands out
- Gray background color makes white modules more obvious
Give away relevant content
What's your audience likely to be doing over the 4th of July holiday weekend? Going to the beach, spending time with family, or firing up the grill? You know your audience better than anyone. Consider how they'll be spending the holiday weekend and offer content that will add value to your readers' lives. That's what Oh Joy!,the lifestyle blog, did with their Independence Day email.There are no over-the-top July 4th motifs and colors; just bright colors that evoke patriotism and Independence Day fun. Oh Joy! also stays true to its brand and provides readers with a how-to video on making a bean bag toss game that works for any family gathering. This also lets subscribersknow the games will be playful (literally) for the holiday, or any weekend.
What works:
- Free content (how-to video) relevant to the holiday, audience, and brand
- Cute and simple email design
- No complicated header navigation
- Link color that's on-brand and visually striking against the white and black
Wrap Up: Tips for your 4th of July email designs
- Add visual interest right away, with an eye-grabbing illustrated header or animated GIF.
- Simplify or remove your navigation menu and focus readers' attention on your primary CTA at the top.
- Consider content that would be valuable for your audience and send it in a straightforward way.
- When using red and blue are bold colors, consider keeping the other email colors in simple black and white.
- Don't be afraid of text! But keep it short (two sentences) when including fun copy of your products.
Want to create a stellar 4th of July email for free? Try the BEE editor—its online and requires no registration and all emails are mobile responsive.Happy 4th of July emailing!SaveSaveSave
