Winning Father's Day Email Marketing Ideas to Drive Up Sales

Finally, the dads are getting the love they deserve.

It’s not like we don’t love our dads. But Mother’s Day has always been a much bigger deal, greatly overshadowing Father’s Day. And while it isn’t even close to being as big as Mother’s Day, it’s getting there slow and steady - which is excellent news for your business.

The continuously growing holiday gives you the perfect opportunity to capitalize on holiday spending. One problem with that idea, though: how do you attract customers?

That’s where your Father’s Day email marketing campaign comes in. Your aim should be creating a marketing campaign that connects with your customers deeper than just “Oh look, a sale!” Keep reading to find out how to do just that.

Father’s Day by the Numbers

We know Father’s Day is growing as a holiday, with more and more people celebrating (and spending) each year. What does this look like in numbers? In 2021, 75% of Americans celebrated Father’s Day and were expected to spend over $20.1 billion on gifts and other items.

Next, let’s look at who gets the most gifts on Father’s Day, as researched by National Retail Federation (NRF):

• Not surprisingly, fathers get the most gifts, with 55% of men and 46% of women buying gifts for either fathers or stepfathers.
• 45% of women also buy gifts for their husbands, making them the second-highest segment to receive gifts.

When is Father’s Day Celebrated Around the World?

Instead of having a fixed date like most holidays, the date for Father’s Day changes every year. Typically, across more than 40 countries, Father’s Day is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of June.

You’ll notice we said “more than 40 countries” instead of saying “globally.” That may come as a surprise, but different countries celebrate the holiday on different dates.

This bit of information is especially important if you’re an email marketer since you don’t want to send out your Father’s Day email marketing campaign at the absolute wrong time. To help you out, here’s a list of Father’s Day dates in 2022:

Ideas for Father’s Day Email Marketing + Examples

In search of inspiration to figure out what your Father’s Day email marketing should look like? Look no further. Here are a few ideas to help you create the best campaign possible. We’ve even added in tons of examples so you know what amazing Father’s Day emails look like and what you should aspire towards.

Run a Father’s Day special sale

As soon as Mother’s Day comes round the corner, you can see special sales and offers all around - you just can’t get away from them. Alas, Father’s Day does not get the same royal treatment.

For this reason, you might want to stand out by making a big deal of the day. Offer special discounts on selected products that all men, particularly fathers, always need or would love to have.

Father’s Day is an excellent opportunity to play with emotions to prompt action from your customers. So whatever the special sale is, make sure you’re being creative about it and not just sticking to generic Father’s Day email marketing.

Creativity can come in the smallest of things. For example, use a moving image, or if you’re offering a discount code, use something like “DAD20” or “LOVEYOUDAD.”

Here is a great example of an effective Father’s Day sale email by Hush Puppies:

Here’s why this email works:

1. Funny and innovative discount code “RADDAD”
2. The image shown, i.e., the orange pants and funky shoes, goes well with the idea of a “rad dad”
3. The tagline “This one’s for the human dads” is a moving reminder that even your hero is but human at the end of the day

If you’re having trouble designing the right email, you can easily create your own Father’s Day sale email using this free template.

Provide a gift guide for those clueless shoppers

Help shoppers finally answer the age-old question, “What does dad want?” Fathers are near impossible to shop for. They already own everything, and if you ask them what they want, you never get one straight answer. Sure, we love you, Pops, but you’re making it really hard to shop for you.

So the best gift you can give your shoppers this Father’s Day might not be a discount code or a cool event, it can just be the gift of making shopping much easier.

As part of your Father’s Day email marketing campaign, send customers a guide highlighting various gifts ranging across different price points, so there’s something for everyone. A gift guide also benefits you since it’s an excellent way to promote items that otherwise might not sell as much.

A great designer tip for guides is to devote specific themes or personas to each guide. For example, showcase items such as travel cameras, camping gear, and hiking boots for the “Outdoorsy dad” persona.

Dividing the guide into different personas makes it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for. A great example of this is the following gift guide by Aldo: 

Offer subscribers the option to opt out

This might come as a shock - why should you highlight the option to unsubscribe when that’s the opposite of what your company needs? Seems counterintuitive.

Hear us out.

Think about all the people who recently lost a father or child or aren’t on the best of terms with their dads. Father’s day can be a very emotional and triggering time for them. 

Therefore, amidst all the happiness around Father’s day, it is also your brand’s responsibility to be more mindful of this audience segment. The best way to do that is by encouraging your subscribers to opt out of future Father’s Day emails if they don’t celebrate the event.

Here’s a super considerate email example from Lisa Angel:

Don’t worry, the point is to let your reader unsubscribe only from the Father’s Day emails, not all other emails. Showing such a high level of care for your customers automatically increases customer loyalty toward your brand.

Be honest about shipping delays - it happens

Ever since the pandemic, shopping habits have moved online, with more customers opting to get items delivered instead of going out. Couple this with the expected increase in demand over any holiday, and shipping delays become inevitable.

Imagine this: your customer places an order. They expect it to deliver before Father’s Day because you said it would. Alas, shipping delays arise, and the item delivers after Father’s Day - making it virtually useless.

You just ruined someone’s Father’s Day while consequently bringing down your company’s credibility as well.

To avoid being the Grinch that stole Father’s Day, be transparent about any shipping delays that might come up. Send out a simple yet clear email explaining the delay and apologizing for it, such as the one below by Article:

This email works because it is transparent and honest, qualities that customers greatly appreciate. What’s another thing customers appreciate? Free gifts, such as the free credit this email offers to make up for the shipping delay. If needed, you can use this free template to design your shipping delay email.

4 Tips to Revamp Your Father’s Day Emails

1. Snazzy subject lines for Father’s Day emails

Your Father’s Day email marketing campaign is the perfect chance to experiment with different tones to see what customers respond to best. You can make your subject lines sentimental, promotional, funny, or anything at all - just don’t make them boring.

We’ve listed down 4 possible ways you can put a creative spin on the same old subject lines, plus tons of examples to help you out.

Make them funny

What are dads best known for? Their dad jokes. So naturally, when creating a Father’s Day email marketing campaign, you need to include tons of dad jokes.

Okay, maybe not tons of… Don’t want to overdo it after all. But a joke or pun in the subject line doesn’t hurt. It’s a great way of keeping things lighthearted and connecting with your audience on a more human level.

Here are some subject lines that Dad would definitely approve of and use as a joke at the next family dinner:

• Dad, meet grill
• Every dad has his day
• Shop our dadliest deals this Father’s Day

Bring on the waterworks

Don’t be afraid to get emotional. After all, if you can’t even be nostalgic and sentimental on Father’s Day, then when can you?

You can truly strike a chord in your customers’ hearts by bringing emotions into the mix. This is great because it means they’ll rush to buy dad the best thing out there.

Here are a few examples that even got us teary-eyed:

• Celebrate the real hero in your life this Father’s Day
• What Dad really wants this year: Your time
• Dad always saves the day…now it’s your turn

Show some appreciation

Let’s not forget the true spirit of Father’s Day: an opportunity to show your father just how much he means to you. What better way to show appreciation than showering him with presents? Subject lines that revolve around appreciation are a great segue into gift-related email campaigns.

Here are some subject line examples to make your email stand out:

• Thank you for everything, Dad! ❤️
• Amazing gifts for an amazing father
• Show your Dad just how special he is!

If all else fails: promos

If you don’t want to play around with any nontraditional subject lines, you can always just stick to the tried and tested promotional subject lines. They get the message across without beating around the bush and are clearly effective.

Here are some examples you might want to consider:

• Father’s Day Sale is Live: Save up to 30%
• Free Shipping With Code “FATHERS DAY”
• Here’s an additional 20% off Father’s Day gifts!

2. Impactful CTAs shoppers can’t help but click

The right subject line and a great email body will only get you so far. The real test is whether your customers click the Call To Action (CTA) button or not. So don’t let all your effort fail by simply using some generic CTA like “Click here to shop the sale.”

Whatever tone you’ve chosen to go with throughout the email copy, be it emotional or funny, keep the same tone flowing when it comes to the CTA too.

Here are some CTAs to draw your customers in:

• Shop for Dad
• Show Some Love: Shop Gifts
• Give Him a Gift
• Shop with code [BESTDAD]
• Dine with Dad: Reserve Now

3. Attractive visual design because Dad deserves the best

The right words mean nothing if they’re sitting in a poorly designed email. Your email design needs to be on point for Father’s Day if you want to truly prompt customers to get shopping.

Start by picking a suitable color scheme. You can play it safe by using blues and blacks. Blues are typically taken as a symbol of masculine qualities, while the color black symbolizes strength and authority - qualities that we associate with fathers.

Once you have the colors down, design around that. Incorporate high-quality images, follow a structured layout, and ensure there’s enough white space.

Lastly, before you send anything out, make sure to test. You need to check what the subject line looks like sitting in your inbox, whether the CTA button directs you to the correct page, and whether the images load properly.

Here’s a great example by Atoms of what your Father’s Day email marketing should look like:

Here’s why we think this is an excellent email, both content-wise and visually:

• Clean and organized layout
• Plenty of white space
• Moving image
• Creative code offered for discount
• Simple yet “cool” CTA, in line with the brand’s image

4. Optimize for mobile for on-the-go shoppers

With more and more users now shopping from their mobile devices, you need to make sure your email layout is mobile responsive. You don’t want to create a beautiful Father’s Day email only to realize that it doesn’t load properly on your customers’ mobiles.

Here are a few best practices to ensure your email is well-designed for mobile devices:

• Always use a single-column layout.
• Make your text more readable on the smaller screen by using 13-pt or 14-pt font for the email body and 20-pt for the headings.
• Don’t clutter too many hyperlinks together, and avoid using them altogether if possible.
• Use smaller yet high-quality images and always add an alt-text to all your images.

Designing Father’s Day Emails With Unlayer

You’ve gone over some great Father’s Day email examples. You know what the do’s and don’ts of executing a great Father’s Day email marketing campaign are. How do you translate all this knowledge into designing a fantastic Father’s Day email?

We’ve got you covered: just choose from any of Unlayer’s predesigned Father’s Day email templates and get designing.

The easy-to-use drag and drop builder lets you create attractive designs without professional help. The best part is that all the templates are mobile responsive, so that’s one step you don’t have to worry about anymore. Your email will always load perfectly across all devices.

So make life easier by starting your 14-day free trial right now to design the best Father’s Day emails out there.

Father's Day Email Templates That Convert Crazy

Attractive Designs. Responsive Format. White-Labeled.

Design Now

Conclusion

Creating a Father’s Day email marketing campaign is an absolute necessity now that the holiday is steadily growing in importance. The day is a great opportunity to capitalize on those holiday sales, but it is also a chance for you to get creative with your email design.

As long as you follow all the ideas and tips we’ve talked about, you’re set to go. Happy designing and Happy Father’s Day!