75 Captivating Labor Day Email Subject Lines for Small Businesses

Labor Day is a bittersweet holiday for many of us.

While sure, it’s technically about celebrating the nation’s laborers and the tireless work they do, it’s also the unofficial end of summer. The beach days and vacations are coming to a close, and the kids are going back to school.

As a marketer, it’s your last-ditch effort to puff up summer sales and prepare for the all-important fourth quarter. Although email open rates can drop by about 5% on the weekend preceding a holiday, you can’t miss the potential to engage your current audience and convert leads on Labor Day.

That begins with writing good subject lines. Your Labor Day email subject lines must grab attention and stand out among what will surely be a busy inbox for your consumers.

So, how’s it done? That’s just the question I’m going to explore today. In this blog post, we have 75 Labor Day email subject lines and a 6-step guide for better campaigns.

Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

The Importance of a Strong Subject Line

You can’t afford to skimp on the subject lines because you’re going into the long Labor Day weekend with at least a 5% lower open rate than normal. Now is the time to pull out all the stops, maximizing interest and KPIs.

Think of your email subject lines as gift wrapping. When you look at a pile of Christmas or birthday gifts, you consume the items with your eyes first. You slowly drink in the appealing wrapping paper, the perfect ribbon bow, and the accompanying tag.

Your subject line does the same. It whets the appetite and sets the stage for what’s to come. At least, that’s what it’s supposed to do. Lackluster subject lines send one very clear signal to the reader: skip.

Have you ever watched a movie on Netflix just because of the title? A good subject line is like that. It inspires curiosity and motivates you to want to click.

When you already have lower open rates and higher holiday competition working against you, you need as much help as possible.

Key Components of Effective Labor Day Subject Lines

Let’s break down what makes a Labor Day email subject line successful, as this will help you begin putting together your subject lines (as will the examples I have coming up for you).

Seasonality

This one is a no-brainer, right? Yet, it bears mentioning. You can write your subject lines for Labor Day emails using several approaches.

For one, you can celebrate the true meaning of Labor Day. The holiday originated in the 19^th century after American workers wanted more recognition for their positive influences on the country. The holiday celebrates laborers of all kinds and their tireless contributions to the nation’s fabric.

If you don’t want to take that approach, try this slant. Focus on Labor Day as the end of summer. This is an excellent opportunity to drop prices on your seasonal stock to make way for fall. You could also debut your autumn collection early since Labor Day is the unofficial start of fall.

Perhaps you go with the back-to-school angle, especially if you sell children’s clothing or supplies. This is a popular time of year for you, as parents are in a frenzy trying to pick up everything they need for the start of a successful school year.

Timeliness

You can’t send Labor Day discounts on Wednesday after the holiday. Well, you could if you wanted to be, especially contrarian, but it won’t have the positive benefits you were likely banking on.

Instead, you’re going to confuse your audience. They will wonder where you were days ago, which is a valid question.

You need to plan your Labor Day email campaign and execute it when it’s time. Take care of A/B testing early, build your automation workflow in advance, and be ready to go on Saturday, and certainly no later than Monday.

Brevity

You might have much to say when writing Labor Day email subject lines, but you’re curtailed to 60 characters. Sometimes, that’s about seven words, and in other emails, it’s nine. The longer the word, the more characters it chews through.

Speaking of chewing through characters, everything else you add to your subject line besides words will count toward the character limit. That goes for punctuation, spaces, symbols, numbers, and emojis. Bear that in mind.

Urgency

The exception to the urgency rule is when wishing your customers a happy Labor Day, but most businesses that send out emails on this holiday weekend intend for more than spreading warm wishes. They’re also looking to close a deal and make a sale.

Your subject line must convey urgency.

The Labor Day savings can’t last forever, after all, and you want your audience to purchase now, this weekend, today. This is an excellent time to incorporate action words into your subject lines, like:

Last chance
Now
Don’t miss out
Last-minute
New
Urgent

Curiosity

Always remember the value of curiosity in driving email open rates. The spirit of curiosity is mostly fostered in your subject lines by asking questions.

Open-ended questions are one way to pique a reader’s interest. For example, a Labor Day email subject line that reads, “Who’s ready for Labor Day savings?”

You can also ask questions that have an answer but one that’s not so readily apparent. Making readers stop and think about your subject line for a minute has caught their attention. Now, you must reel them in by getting them to open the message.

Alignment

On that note, alignment between your subject line and body content must exist. If your opener mentions savings and no discount codes or deals in your email, that’s the equivalent of false advertising.

It will leave a sour taste in your audience’s mouth this time around, and they may be more cautious about opening your emails in the future. Others might decide to unsubscribe if they feel misled.

False promises may generate high open rates, but your click-through rates will tank, your subscriber count can drop, your email engagement rate can plummet, and you risk your sender’s reputation, as some users can report you for spam.

It isn’t worth it!

Personalization

Here’s one of the most critical elements of your subject lines, and not only seasonally for Labor Day, but all year. You must personalize your email content.

For example, let’s say your company sells fishing boats. Last month, a customer named Phil looked at a pontoon boat but didn’t buy it. Your subject line could read, “Hey, Phil, X pontoon boat is on sale for Labor Day!”

Here’s another example. As a retailer, if a customer named Janice has bought styles similar to the ones in your upcoming fall collection, your subject line could read, “Janice, we think you’ll like these styles for Labor Day.”

These examples feel like they’re tailor-made just for the recipient, but they aren’t. Thousands of similar subject lines will go out to audience members in your various niches, but they don’t have to know that.

Emotions

We’ve talked about urgency and curiosity, but what other emotions can you trigger when writing email subject lines for Labor Day?f

Well, you can hone in on someone’s desire to have fun, especially if your products or services will make their holiday weekend more enjoyable. You should focus on fear of missing out or FOMO, especially to underscore the importance of your short-term sale.

75 Ready-to-Use Labor Day Subject Lines for Your Business

We produce the following subject lines (and aren’t examples from other companies) and are ready to use now, whether as is or with minor adjustments as you wish.

Customizing the subject lines is as simple as replacing text to suit your promotion or business.

🔥 Hot Deals Just in Time for Labor Day! Save Up to 50% Now!
Celebrate Labor Day With Exclusive Savings Just for You!
Last Chance! Labor Day Sale Ends Tonight 🕙
Unwrap Labor Day Joy: Special Offers Inside!
Say Goodbye to Summer with Our Labor Day Blowout 🌞
Labor Day Steals & Deals You Can’t Miss 🛍️
Your VIP Access to Labor Day Savings Starts Now!
Get Ready to Relax: Enjoy Our Labor Day Specials 🏖️
Upgrade Your Weekend with Our Labor Day Exclusives
Labor Day Alert: Free Shipping on All Orders Today!
Labor Day Special! Enjoy Exclusive Offers from Us
Labor Day Specials: Don’t Miss Out on Big Savings 💰
Labor Day Extravaganza! Savings Await You Inside
Happy Labor Day! Enjoy These Exclusive Discounts
Today Only! Shop Our Labor Day Sale Now!
Toast to Labor Day Savings 🍻Discover Deals Now!
Long Weekend, Great Deals – Labor Day Savings NOW!
Celebrate Labor Day BIG with These Deals
Hurry, the Labor Day Sale Ends Tonight 🕙
Savor the Savings This Labor Day Weekend
Shop from the Beach This Labor Day ⛱️
Labor Day Sale! Dive into Exclusive Offers
Your Ticket to Long Weekend Happiness: Labor Day Sale!
Labor Day Delights – Shop Our Limited Sale
You Don’t Want to Miss This Labor Day Sale!
Say Goodbye to Summer!⛱️ Labor Day Savings
Unveiling Our Fall Stock This Labor Day 🍂
Who Says It’s Too Early for Fall? We’re Starting This Labor Day
You Wouldn’t Want to Miss This Labor Day Sale, Right?
The Best Sale All Summer! Shop Labor Day Deals
Don’t Miss Out! Labor Day Deals Are Here!
We Can’t Keep This Labor Day Sale Going for Much Longer…
Labor Day Blowout Sale – Your Chance for Savings
Labor Day Love: Save Big with Exclusive Deals! 🛍️
It’s the Labor Day Sales Extravaganza!
Oh, Our Labor Day Sale Is SO On
Get Patriotic with These Great Labor Day Deals
Red, White, Blue, and Savings for Labor Day
Fire up the Grill for These Hot Labor Day Deals 🔥
Your Wallet Will Thank You! Limited Labor Day Sale!
Okay, We’ll Extend Our Labor Day Savings Just for You
One More Day to Save! Shop Our Extended Labor Day Deals
Take Advantage of These Labor Day Discounts
Buy Now on Labor Day Before Our Deals Are Gone!
Refresh Your Wardrobe This Labor Day 👗 👢
Get Your Garden Ready for Fall with Our Labor Day Sale
Closing the Pool? We’ve Got Supplies You Need Cheap for Labor Day
Refresh Your Space with Our Labor Day Sale
Labor Day Weekend Is Here! Celebrate the Savings
We’re Sure You Won’t Want to Miss This Labor Day Deal
Our Labor Day Clearance Sale Begins Now
EVERYTHING Must Go! Labor Day Special Sale
Kick Off Labor Day with Unforgettable Deals
Only Two Hours Left ‘Til Our Labor Day Sale Ends
Get Cookin’ 👨‍🍳 Our Labor Day Sale Continues
It’s a Labor Day Bonanza! Don’t Miss Out!
The Sales Don’t Stop This Labor Day
Our Labor Day Gift to You – 45% Off!
These Labor Day Deals Are as Hot as the Grill 🔥
Limited-Edition Labor Day Savings
Get ‘em While You Can – Labor Day Deals Now
The Last Sale of the Summer Begins on Labor Day
Get Excited for These Labor Day Deals
Unveiling Our Labor Day Savings
The Long Weekend Is Here! Shop Labor Day Now
All Your Labor Day Essentials, Covered
Gear Up for Back to School with Labor Day Savings
Discounts and More Discounts This Labor Day
Your Best Labor Day Ever? Shop Our Sale
We Know What You Want This Labor Day
Making Fireworks with Hot Labor Day Deals 🎆
One Last Call for Labor Day Savings!
Labor Day Deals Are Calling Your Name
You Can’t Wait for This Labor Day Sale
Let’s Go! Exclusive Labor Day Clearance Event Ahead

6 Easy Steps to Draft Engaging Labor Day Email Subject Lines

Now that you’ve got the crux of what goes into Labor Day email subject lines, here are the steps to build your openers for a bountiful holiday campaign.

Step 1: Determine your goal

This first step is rather straightforward, considering the occasion. You’re reaching out to make a sale, but what kind? Is it an end-of-season deal? A start-of-autumn extravaganza?

However you reply, your goal should be crystal-clear before you proceed. Otherwise, you could hurt your email marketing campaign results.

Step 2: Segment your audience

The only way to write ultra-personalized emails like those from the above section is to divide your audience as finely as possible.

Maybe it’s a strange analogy, but consider your audience a big pile of cocoa powder. You have a sifter, which is your segmentation criteria. Sifting the cocoa powder makes it fine, right? Sure, you might end with a few lumps and chunks at the end, but you can always pass the cocoa powder through the sieve again until it’s uniform.

That’s what breaking down audience data feels like. You don’t want broad figures (chunks); you want finely presented data. This will help tons with personalization, especially if you create customer avatars.

Segment your audience and create a different email list for your Labor Day campaign by using specific criteria to filter out customers.

Step 3: Brainstorm ideas

Your goal has materialized, and your audience is finely segmented. Now it’s finally time to sit down and begin loosely planning your Labor Day email subject lines.

You don’t need final subject lines right now, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself.

How do you come up with anything? You can use subject line generator tools or AI to help you start. I’ll also have a section with more than 50 Labor Day subject lines you can use coming up, so don’t miss that.

Step 4: A/B test your subject lines

After coming up with possibly dozens of subject lines, please take a few that stand out the most to you and test them. Split testing can sometimes take several weeks as you compare the opinions of a similar target market to determine the most optimal version of your email.

Give yourself ample time to complete this testing. Foregoing it means flying blind and risking lower open and click-through rates.

Step 5: Polish your subject lines

Once you receive the split test results, it’s time to put them to work, creating subject lines with more panache and engagement than the originals. Continue refining the subject lines until you believe they’re ready to go, considering the holiday countdown.

Step 6: Create an automation workflow

If you don’t already have an automation workflow for sending emails, ideally within a CRM, you need to set one up, pronto.

Schedule a few emails in the lead-up to Labor Day weekend (maybe midway through that week), then several more emails for the weekend and a few for Labor Day itself.

The emails should announce your sale, drop the discounts, and later, remind people that the deals are almost ending.

Step 7: Publish!

When you’re ready, publish your emails to send, then sit back and monitor.

Key Takeaways for Small Business Owners

A Labor Day sales email must be seasonal, timely, and aligned with the body content.
Personalization, audience segmentation, and A/B testing are the most important elements when creating successful Labor Day subject lines.
Stick within the character limit to ensure your subject lines aren’t cut off.

Conclusion

Labor Day is a fine time to connect with your audience through engaging email subject lines. The best subject lines contain personalization, action words, and some emojis (if applicable).

With so many excellent Labor Day email subject lines courtesy of EngageBay, you’re ready to propel your Labor Day marketing plans as high as those fireworks in the sky!

EngageBay is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and customer support software for small businesses, startups, and solopreneurs. You get email marketing, marketing automation, landing pages and email templates, contact management, sales pipelines, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How early should I start sending Labor Day promotional emails?

Time is of the essence here, so send the initial email on the Wednesday before Labor Day.

This way, your deals are fresh in your audience’s mind come the weekend, but you’re not waiting so late that they’re already away from their offices and inboxes.

2. Can using emojis in email subject lines increase open rates for Labor Day campaigns?

Adding emojis to email subject lines can boost open rates by more than 25%, so they’re worth incorporating into your Labor Day email marketing campaign. That said, only use one to three. Too many can come across as spammy.

3. How do I personalize email subject lines without making them too long?

Home in on one or two specific personalization elements. If your subject line is shorter, you can allude to products or services without being too specific. For example, “Hey, George, We Thought You’d Like This …” That kind of message inspires a customer like George to open the email and see what’s inside.

4. What are common pitfalls to avoid when crafting Labor Day email subject lines?

Writing shorter subject lines is the top mistake.

Other errors to avoid are skipping personalization, abusing caps and punctuation (especially question marks and exclamation points), missing grammar and spelling errors, misleading, using spam words, and adding special characters that don’t load properly.

5. Is it beneficial to reference Labor Day directly in the subject line, Or should I focus on the promotion/sale aspect?

You should do both.

If you don’t mention Labor Day in your subject line, your audience can confuse the email for a general sales email. You don’t have to explain your deal in detail in the subject line.

Remember, you have the entire email body for that.