Event Calendar for May: 115 Marketing Ideas & Email Examples

As we approach the last month of spring, marketers start looking for email content ideas for May. International Labour Day, Mother's Day and Victory Day are the most popular holidays in May. But not the only ones. You can choose from the list below of events applicable to your business, and craft the corresponding email campaigns.

Below, you'll also find 9 creative marketing ideas for May emails covering the content and design trends. And if you need last-minute help beyond email ideas, save this email marketing cheat sheet with useful resources.

Day Holidays and Events to Look for in May 

May 1

• International Labour Day;
• May Day (EU);
• International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day;
• Beltane;
• Lei Day (Hawaii);
• Loyalty Day (US).

May 2

• World Tuna Day;
• Day of Madrid;
• Flag Day (Poland);
• National Education Day (Indonesia);
• World Naked Gardening Day;
• Teachers' Day (Iran).

May 3

• Sun Day;
• World Press Freedom Day;
• Constitution Memorial Day (Japan);
• Constitution Day (Poland);
• Turkism Day;
• World Laughter Day;
• Fiesta de las Cruces (Spain).

May 4

• International Firefighters' Day;
• Star Wars Day;
• Labour Day (Australia);
• Youth Day (China);
• Bird Day (US);
• Greenery Day (Japan).

May 5

• International Midwives' Day;
• International Day of the Portuguese Language and Culture;
• Council of Europe Day;
• Cinco de Mayo (US, Mexico);
• Children's Day (Japan, South Korea);
• Liberation Day (Denmark);
• Hidirellez (Turkey);
• Constitution Day (Kyrgyzstan).

May 6

• International No Diet Day;
• Teachers' Day (Jamaica);
• National Nurses Day (US).

May 7

• Press, Language and Book Day (Lithuania);

May 8

• World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day;
• Parents' Day (South Korea);
• Victory in Europe Day;
• Veterans Day (Norway);

May 9

• Europe Day;
• World Migratory Bird Day;
• World Fair Trade Day;
• Mills Weekend.

May 10

• Independence Day (Romania);
• Children's Day (Maldives);
• Mother's Day;
• Flower Festival (Azerbaijan).

May 11

• National Technology Day (India);
• Human Rights Day (Vietnam).

May 12

• International Nurses Day;
• Day of the Finnish Identity (Finland).

May 13

• International Hummus Day;
• National Apple Pie Day (US).

May 14

• Ascension Day (Western);
• Engineer's Day (Chile).

May 15

• Flag Day (Paraguay);
• Malcolm X Day (US);
• International Day of Families;
• Persian Language Day (Iran);
• Mother's Day (Paraguay);
• Peace Officers Memorial Day (US);
• Teachers' Day (Colombia, Mexico).

May 16

• Teachers' Day (Malaysia);
• World Whisky Day;
• Culture Freedom Day;
• Science Day (Ukraine);
• Biographer's Day (US).

May 17

• International Day Against Homophobia;
• World Hypertension Day;
• World Information Society Day;
• Galician Literature Day;
• Navy Day (Argentina);
• Firefighter's Day (Latvia);
• Constitution Day (Norway).

May 18

• International Museum Day;
• World AIDS Vaccine Day;
• National Cheese Souffle Day (US).

May 19

• World Family Doctor Day;
• May Ray Day (US).

May 20

• World Bee Day;
• World Metrology Day;
• European Maritime Day;
• National Awakening Day (Indonesia);
• National Day (Cameroon).

May 21

• World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development;
• Navy Day (Chile);
• Independence Day (Montenegro).

May 22

• International Day for Biological Diversity;
• World Goth Day;
• Harvey Milk Day (US);
• National Maritime Day (US).

May 23

• World Turtle Day;
• Labour Day (Jamaica);
• Students' Day (Mexico).

May 24

• Buddha's Birthday (East Asia);
• European Day of Parks.

May 25

• Africa Day;
• Bike Day (Canada);
• International Missing Children Day;
• Memorial Day (US);
• Geek Pride Day.

May 26

• Independence Day (Georgia);
• Mother's Day (Poland);
• National Paper Airplane Day (US);
• National Sorry Day (Australia).

May 27

• Children's Day (Nigeria);
• Mother's Day (Bolivia).

May 28

• Republic Day (Azerbaijan);
• National Brisket Day (US).

May 29

• Republic Day (Nepal);
• European Neighbors' Day;
• International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers;
• World Digestive Health Day;
• National Elderly Day (Indonesia);
• Oak Apple Day (UK).

May 30

• Canary Islands Day (Spain).

May 31

• World No Tobacco Day;
• Children's Day (Hungary);
• Carpet Day (Turkmenistan);
• National Macaroon Day (US).

9 Creative Marketing Ideas for May Emails

Now when you know when to write, let’s see what email content creation ideas you can adapt.

1. Experiment with fonts.

You don’t need many images or a complex layout to make your campaign look nice. Smart usage of fonts, colors and white space can do the job as well.

By the way, in our system, you can add any font you want in several clicks. They will be available in the editor right after you click final Save.

2. Add animation.

Animated elements never leave the list of email design trends. They make any campaign look more festive and dynamic. Plus, animation is a life-saving marketing idea for small businesses that don’t have budget or technical possibilities to run a special photoshoot.

3. Promote related products.

Think about what products of yours may resonate with a particular holiday and come up with the corresponding launch. As an example, last year, GiftBasket launched a special pizza kit for National Pizza Party Day.

4. Add a countdown timer.

A good old countdown timer focuses on a time limit and prompts faster decision-making. How to add one in your ecommerce email is clearly explained here.

5. Use a simple promo code.

Whatever the occasion, make a promo code easy to use. A short memorable combination like GOTH20 is better than, say, GthyFGthkjijip890mi.

6. Run Best of May.

Or any other campaign focused on the best products of the month, Staff Choice, What You Liked This Month, Best Sellers of May, etc.

In our platform, you can create personalized product recommendations featuring bestsellers or popular products. Select the necessary recommendations algorithm, upload your site data source, and assign it to the email template with recommendations. The system will automatically add items to emails based on their category and availability.

7. Employ gamification.

A great content idea in itself, gamification is a useful tool to keep your subscribers entertained. It also increases the average read time and depth, prolonging the interaction with your brand.

8. Run a challenge.

And speaking of entertainment, challenges are also a great way to engage your audience. Think about what activity resonates with your company and offer small incentives for participation.

9. Add a video.

Use a how-to tutorial to explain how to use your product and give people more reasons to buy it.

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Whatever campaign you send, make sure you segment your audience properly and optimize sending time. The right offer sent at the right time is what makes the most high-performing campaign.