Well done! You’ve successfully made it through the busiest quarter of the ecommerce year. But before you’ve even had a chance to relax, you realise it’s time to start planning email newsletter ideas for January.
In just a moment, I’m going to show you how you can carry over the momentum you built in Q4 to keep your subscribers engaged and loyal to you in Q4. As you know, engaged and loyal subscribers means more revenue - so keep reading to discover how to do this in Q1.
January is a difficult month for us as ecommerce marketers since our customers are coming out of an expensive period and are trying to save money at the start of the new year. Also, our subscribers have been bombarded with promotional emails, making them think twice about opening newsletters in January.
With all of this in mind, I will share our secrets for January campaign planning so you can avoid the January blues and stop yourself from being under too much pressure for Q1.
I’ve gone through every other “January newsletter ideas” blog post, and I wasn’t able to find a comprehensive list of holidays (daily, week-long, and month-long) for January that had all of the correct dates for 2024 and had an accurate description of what each holiday is.
So, I’ve spent hours creating this list for you. Then, for any holiday we’ve previously sent emails, I’ve shared with you what’s worked well for us and how you can apply this as part of your January plan.
I know you’re probably looking for some help with subject lines for January, too, so I’ve also included some subject lines that worked really well for us last January.
Without further ado, let’s start with the January newsletter idea planning.
3 Featured January Newsletter Ideas
We’ve picked out three of our favourite January newsletter ideas that we use every year for our clients.
1. Achieve Your New Year’s Resolutions
What’s the first thing you think of when someone brings up the New Year? It’s New Year’s resolutions. It’s the talk of the town in the first week of January.
The most popular New Year’s resolutions include exercising more, sleeping more, and eating healthier. Fitbit is well placed to help people achieve these goals with its Premium subscription. It uses an excellent comparison table to show the benefits of upgrading to its premium offering.
While this is a SaaS email, you can apply the same techniques to your ecommerce email newsletter. As a tip, don’t shy away from taking inspiration from SaaS emails since retention is a massive focus for software companies.
Subject line: Fitbit Premium: Level up your 2022 💪
2. Embrace the Winter Cold
January is one of the coldest months of the year, which makes it an excellent opportunity for you to promote your winter-themed products. If you’re a clothing brand, promoting some cosy accessories such as hats, scarves, and socks will be well received by your subscribers.
Anthropologie does an excellent job of recognising how cold it is outside and offering subscribers a free shipping coupon to help treat themselves to someone warm without having to pick up the tab for shipping.
A word of caution with January coupons: we typically avoid running promotions in January since customers have been subjected to so many promotional emails in November and December. However, we always make exceptions for free shipping coupons.
American Eagle showcases some of its cosiest winter accessories using a GIF in its email hero section. I love how they’ve set up this shot to have a wooden background with various products overlaying it.
3. Last Year in Review
Spotify Wrapped popularised the “Year in Review” concept, which shows your subscribers their activity with your brand over the past year, intending to have them share it on social media or forward the email to their friends.
The more personalised the content can be, the better, so use all available data about your customers to provide them with a fun review of their past year with your brand.
For example, include graphics that show how many orders they placed with you, how much money they saved during promotions, how much they contributed to your charity partners through ordering with you, how many years you’ve been “together” (i.e. how long they’ve been subscribed), to name to a few ideas.
You can also include graphics on your brand accomplishments due to the customer’s ongoing support.
We recommend sending this “Year in Review” email to your engaged segment so new subscribers don’t receive it.
In the example below from Shipt, they’ve provided a fun analysis of each customer’s past year, including honourable mentions for the lowest-priced item in an order and the temperature range of the days they placed an order.
Subject line: Your Shipt Year In Review 2019 🎉
Daily Events for January
Looking for a comprehensive list of daily events for January 2024 so you can plan your favourites in your campaign calendar? Here you go.
January 1st
January 2nd
January 3rd
January 4th
January 5th
There aren’t any notable holidays on January 5th, 2024.
January 6th
January 7th
January 8th
January 9th
- National Static Electricity Day: Recognises static electricity and the science behind it.
- National Word Nerd Day: A celebration of vocabulary and the importance of words in our history and civilisation.
- National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day: A day to express gratitude to your local law enforcement professionals.
January 10th
- National Bittersweet Chocolate Day: A celebration of bittersweet chocolate, a sweetened form of dark chocolate that does not contain milk.
- Houseplant Appreciation Day: Your houseplants may have been neglected over the holidays, so this day is a reminder to give them a little extra attention to keep them thriving.
- Peculiar People Day: An opportunity to recognise the leaders of the strange and unusual and those who refuse to conform to the world's idea of normal and sane.
- Cut Your Energy Costs Day: A day which encourages us to explore changes we can make in our daily lives to reduce our energy consumption.
January 11th
- Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day: To help preserve the history of Morse Code and its importance to society, this day encourages us to learn how to spell our name in Morse Code (a sequence of dots and dashes).
- National Human Trafficking Awareness Day: Raises awareness of the persistent issue of human trafficking and modern-day slavery.
January 12th
- National Hot Tea Day: Inspire special and heartwarming moments with tea, the second-most widely consumed beverage in the world (after water). Tea represents a lot to people: a sip of warm comfort, a moment of calmness, a way to connect with friends, to name a few.
- Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day: A day for admiring "feasting one's eyes" on good-looking men.
- National Pharmacist Day: Recognises and honours all pharmacists across the U.S. and their vital role in our society.
January 13th
January 14th
January 15th
January 16th
- National Appreciate A Dragon Day: A day dedicated to learning about dragons and sharing your love for these creatures. It is marked by the reading of books that feature dragons and the celebration of dragons through art.
- National Nothing Day: It is an anti-holiday where you can sit without celebrating, observing, or honouring anything. You're not meant to do anything on this day.
- National Religious Freedom Day: A day to reflect on our right to practice, pray, and preach our faiths peacefully, openly, and without persecution.
January 17th
- Benjamin Franklin Day: Observed to honour Benjamin Franklin - on his birthday - one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America and a noted scientist, inventor, and statesperson.
- Museum Selfie Day: Celebrate selfies taken at museums using #MuseumSelfie. Promotes awareness of remarkable collections of work stored in museums.
- Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day: Also known as "Quitters Day", the second Friday in January is the most likely day people give up their New Year's resolutions. The day embraces the freedom of spontaneity and letting those well-intentioned plans take a back seat to life's delightful surprises.
- International We Are Not Broken Day: A day to remember all victims of trauma or mental illness.
- International Mentoring Day: Celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of having mentors and role models to look up to.
January 18th
January 19th
- Popcorn Day: A celebration of popcorn (salted, buttered, or caramel), a tine-honoured snack that goes perfectly with watching a movie.
- National Tin Can Day: A day dedicated to the humble tin can that preserves some of our favourite food items.
- Good Memory Day: A holiday to remind us of the importance of memory and how it plays a critical role in our lives.
January 20th
January 21st
- National Hugging Day: A holiday to encourage hugging, a therapeutic way to convey affection and emotions.
- Squirrel Appreciation Day: An opportunity to learn about and celebrate squirrels, the world's cutest rodents.
January 22nd
- Celebration of Life Day: This day is primarily about spending time with your children and grandchildren to recognise the joy they bring to our lives.
- National Blonde Brownie Day: A celebration of blonde brownies, often called blondies.
- National Answer Your Cat's Questions Day: This day encourages cat owners to understand their cats better and help them have a better life.
January 23rd
January 24th
January 25th
January 26th
January 27th
- Punch the Clock Day: A day to recognise the 'punch the clock' system of clocking in and out of work.
- Local Quilt Shop Day: An event to raise awareness of the importance of independent quilt shops to the local economy.
- National Chocolate Cake Day: This holiday celebrates the history and deliciousness of all kinds of chocolate cakes.
January 28th
- World Leprosy Day: A celebration of the leprosy community and an opportunity to raise public awareness of leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease.
- National Kazoo Day: A day to remember how playing and listening to the kazoo brings happiness to people of all ages.
- Data Privacy Day: An opportunity to raise awareness of privacy and data protection issues in your organisation and worldwide.
January 29th
January 30th
January 31st
- National Hot Chocolate Day: A celebration of hot chocolate, the timeless cold-weather beverage.
- National Inspire Your Heart With Art Day: Recognises the importance of art in our lives and encourages us to visit an art museum.
Week-Long Events for January
Some events are celebrated for a whole week, and we’ve included all of January 2024’s week-long events for you below so that you can incorporate these into your campaign calendar.
Celebration of Life Week (January 1-7)
A reminder to approach the New Year with a heart full of gratitude. During this week, we're encouraged to embrace life and all its wonderful blessings.
Diet Resolution Week (January 1-7)
This week was designed to support people dedicated to losing weight over the coming months. It's focused on empowering healthier lifestyles by promoting mindful eating choices.
Newsletter idea: Start a 7-day newsletter series where you give a tip every day to your subscribers on how they can lead a healthier lifestyle.
New Year’s Resolutions Week (January 1-7)
This is an opportunity for us to make resolutions for the New Year.
Newsletter idea: On the first day of New Year's Resolutions Week (January 1st), ask subscribers to reply to your email with their resolutions. Then, throughout the week, in your other emails, you can feature some resolutions from subscribers to give a community feel to your newsletter and to let others know they're not alone in setting and achieving goals.
National Mocktail Week (January 14-20)
A week to recognise the growing number of people choosing non-alcoholic drinks over traditional options. Raise a mocktail and say a toast to those who've decided to lead an alcohol-free lifestyle.
Pizza Week (January 14-20)
A seven-day celebration of pizza, one of the world's most loved and iconic foods.
Universal Letter Writing Week (January 14-20)
A week in which we're encouraged to take out a pen and paper and write to someone. Nothing beats the thrill of receiving a handwritten letter in the mail.
Big Energy Saving Week (January 17-23)
A campaign to help people cut their energy costs. This includes raising awareness of switching energy suppliers or tariffs to get the best deal and making your home more energy efficient.
Sugar Awareness Week (January 18-24)
A week to raise awareness of the damaging effects of too much sugar in our diet.
National Healthy Weight Week (January 21-27)
A week to understand the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle.
Hunt for Happiness Week (January 21-27)
A week to celebrate the little joys in life, especially those happy moments we usually overlook. It's a way to recognise that some of us get post-holiday blues and to help us "hunt" for happiness during winter.
National Storytelling Week (January 30-February 6)
A celebration of the power of sharing stories.
Monthly Events for January
January 2024 has some events running throughout the month, so I’ve also included these for you.
National Stalking Awareness Month
A call-to-action for the month of January to recognise and respond to the serious crime of stalking.
Veganuary
A month-long event to promote and educate people about veganism by encouraging people to follow a vegan lifestyle for January.
Dry January
A month-long challenge where people abstain from alcohol and stay sober, leading to weight loss, better sleep and other health benefits.
National Hobby Month
A celebration of our favourite hobbies and a reminder to try new hobbies during January.
Get Organized Month
A month-long event to help individuals, businesses, and schools implement time management, organisation, storage solutions, and productivity into their daily lives.
Thyroid Awareness Month
A month-long campaign to raise awareness about thyroid-related diseases and thyroid cancer.
International Creativity Month
This month-long celebration encourages people to step out of their comfort zones and create something exciting and new.
National Soup Month
A celebration of soup: the perfect, warming winter meal choice.
National Blood Donor Month
A time to recognise the importance of giving blood and platelets while honouring dedicated donors.
National Braille Literacy Month
A month-long event to raise awareness of Braille literacy.
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
An opportunity to spread the word about glaucoma, a sight-stealing disease which is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States of America.
January Email Subject Lines
I’ve gone through last January’s most opened emails across brands we work with to give you subject line ideas for your January newsletters.
- “Resolutions, anyone?” - New Year’s Day (January 1st, 2024)
- “Shhh… great minds at work” - World Introvert Day (January 2nd, 2024)
- “Snuggle up with savings” - Cuddle Up Day (January 6th, 2024)
- “What’s another word for…?” - Thesaurus Day (January 18th, 2024)
- “Do you remember the time?” - Good Memory Day (January 19th, 2024)
- “Discover winter wellness tips - beat the blues!” - Hunt for Happiness Week (January 21st to January 27th, 2024)
- “Definitely don’t open this email!” - National Opposite Day (January 25th, 2024)
- “Have we got a story to tell you!” - National Storytelling Week (January 30th to February 6th, 2024)
- “Cozy up and save big this winter ❄️” - Embrace the Winter Cold
- “This is snowww joke” - Embrace the Winter Cold
New Year, Continued Email Marketing Success
Now that your January campaign calendar is filled with newsletter ideas, you can kickstart your email marketing for the new year.
We've got you covered if you’re already looking to start brainstorming February newsletter ideas.
