73 special events to fire up your October newsletter ideas

From Mystery Series Week and National Kick Butt Day to Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Coming Out Day, there’s an engaging conversation starter to fire up tons of October newsletter ideas in this month’s roundup.

Even though Halloween isn't until the last day of October, it is one of the biggest (and most fun) newsletter events to plan this month. When I think of Halloween newsletters I see dripping slime, scary fonts and spooktacular wordplay.

• Newsletter idea: Design a fabulously frightening Halloween newsletter and tie in a product or service to the theme by creating a Halloween essentials list or offering a special discount.

Lush creates a Halloween tie-in by offering a solution to a problem many parents face after trick-or-treating. They use their Halloween newsletter to promote sleep products to help combat sugar highs at bedtime.

Want to know how to create a scary good Halloween newsletter? Read the article below!

October is a month to honor Black people's ongoing accomplishments and contributions to the UK and the world as a whole. It's also the perfect time to continue fighting racism, reclaim Black history, and make sure Black history is recognized all year long.

• Newsletter idea: List your favorite black-owned businesses or non-profit organizations where subscribers can access educational resources.

Uber Eats covers all bases in their Black History Month newsletter, highlighting black-owned restaurants, a Black business fund, and sharing stories from Black drivers all while keeping it super-relevant to their subscribers.

World Mental Health Day is an international day for worldwide mental health, awareness, education, and advocacy against social stigma.

• Newsletter idea: Provide links to online resources that support mental health. You can even offer printable journals and meditation guides, or share a resource that you found useful in the past.

Headspace, a mental health app, invited subscribers to a live meditation session to celebrate World Mental Health Day

Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the first Monday in October to celebrate the harvest and other blessings from the past year. But just because they carve their turkeys a month earlier than their friends to the south, doesn’t mean the themes are any different!

• Newsletter idea: Offer recipes or activity ideas related to your product or service that fit the Thanksgiving theme.

Agricultural company, Land O’Lakes, offers up farm-fresh recipes as well as a special countdown checklist to their subscribers in their Thanksgiving newsletter.

1. Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an international campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure.

• Newsletter idea: Provide links to non-profits that subscribers can support, and offer free printable self-examination instructions.

2. LGBT History Month

LGBT History Month is a global event that provides role models, builds community, and celebrates the achievements and contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community.

• Newsletter idea: Share the story of an influential LGBTQIA+ community member from history.

3. Eat Better, Eat Together Month

Eat Better, Eat Together Month is celebrated every October to encourage families to eat together, and cook more nutritious meals. Kids who eat regularly with their families are less likely to snack on unhealthy foods and more likely to eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

• Newsletter idea: Offer a downloadable family meal plan with healthy recipes for each day of the month.

4. International Walk to School Month

International Walk to School Month sets out to encourage children and caregivers across the globe to walk to school as a way to develop healthy habits and introduce exercise into their lives.

• Newsletter idea: Set a month-long walking challenge with a prize. Get subscribers to use a hashtag and post their progress on social media then share your favorite posts along with the winners in your newsletter.

1. Mystery Series Week (October 6, 2024 - October 12, 2024)

Holmes and Watson, Rizzoli and Isles… Mystery Series Week was created to celebrate continuing characters who return time after time to solve the case.

• Newsletter idea: Create an automated email sequence promoting your own mystery series. Create a challenge where subscribers need to sleuth to find clues to answer a question in your emails. You can use a quiz block to collect guesses at the end. 

2. International Postcard Week (October 6 - October 12, 2024)

Every year during the first week of October, International Postcard Week celebrates these little cards that are delightful to receive despite going out of fashion.

• Newsletter idea: Travel-related newsletters can get creative with design, taking inspiration from postcards to promote upcoming deals.

3. Customer Service Week (October 7, 2024 - October 11, 2024)

Customer Service Week is an international celebration of the value of customer service and of the people who serve and support customers on a daily basis.

• Newsletter idea: Showcase the hardworking human faces behind your business along with customer reviews. It gives your team the shoutout they deserve while building a personal relationship with your subscribers.

October 1, 2024

• International Coffee Day: Send subscribers a “coffee break” email with a fun coffee-inspired recipe and some personal updates

• International Raccoon Appreciation Day: Include an image or GIF of these furry little bin bandits to show your appreciation

• World Vegetarian Day: Share some vegetarian recipes that even hardcore carnivores will love

October 2, 2024

• World No Alcohol Day: Add a tasty mocktail recipe to the end of your newsletter

• Random Acts of Poetry Day: Commit a random act of poetry in your newsletter, whatever the weather, to make subscribers feel better

October 3, 2024

• Global Smoothie Day: Share your favorite healthy smoothie recipe

October 4, 2024

• World Animal Day: Promote a charity that advocates for animals in your community or country or conduct a sale where part of the proceeds go to support an animal charity

• National Taco Day: Run a competition where a customer who makes a purchase on Taco Day will be randomly selected to win a Taco Bell gift card (or equivalent)

• World Smile Day: Share social media posts of happy customers with your product(s)

October 5, 2024

• World Teachers’ Day: Share the story of a teacher close to you (with their permission)

• World Card-Making Day: Offer downloadable card-making templates to help subscribers get a head start on the holiday season

October 6, 2024

• National Coaches Day: This is the perfect opportunity to celebrate by promoting a sale on a coaching program

• National Noodle Day: Ask your email list how they like to prepare instant noodles and share the most creative recipes with subscribers

October 7, 2024

• World Architecture Day: Share local architectural gems, and ask your subscribers to do the same

October 8, 2024

• World Octopus Day: Share some fun facts about octopuses in your intro to put a smile on your subscribers' faces

October 9, 2024

• International Beer and Pizza Day: Provide subscribers with a list of games to make an unforgettable pizza party

• World Financial Planning Day: Offer a downloadable financial planning guide or savings calendar

October 10, 2024

• World Porridge Day: Share recipes for how porridge is prepared around the world

• National Cake Decorating Day: Offer downloadable cake decorating instructions

October 11, 2024

• Coming Out Day: Pairing perfectly with LGBT History Month, use this day to share your own coming out story

• World Egg Day: Share some both classic and creative ways to prepare eggs

October 12, 2024

• National Farmer’s Day: Share a list of places to buy local produce, or offer an at-home gardening guide

• Universal Music Day: Celebrate music, art and self-expression by asking an open survey question to invite subscribers to share their favorite song, then share the playlist in your newsletter

• I Love Yarn Day: A great time for knitters and crocheters to launch a big sale or giveaway!

October 13, 2024

• No Bra Day: Paired with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, No Bra Day is another opportunity to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research and early detection

• Train Your Brain Day: Include a quiz block to test subscribers' knowledge on any topic and offer downloadable brain games to beef up their craniums

October 14, 2024

• National Dessert Day: Share your favorite dessert spots or recipes

• National Kick Butt Day: Encourage subscribers to kick bad habits in the butt with empowering words of advice or a printable guide

October 15, 2024

• Global Handwashing Day: Established long before the pandemic, Global Handwashing Day serves as a reminder that soap and water are the best tools to fight the spread of disease. Include a handwashing infographic in your newsletter

• National Shawarma Day: Highlight a local shawarma place or share an at-home recipe

October 16, 2024

• World Food Day: Ask subscribers to share their favorite recipes from around the world and raise awareness about world hunger with links to reputable charities that subscribers can support

October 17, 2024

• National Pasta Day: Share your favorite pasta cooking tips and recipes so your audience can cook up a feast of their own

October 18, 2024

• National Ken Day: Since the release of the Barbie movie this national day carries even more meaning! Run a sale on men’s products or services to celebrate the Ken’s of the world

• Chocolate Cupcake Day: Share your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe at the end of your newsletter

October 19, 2024

• Evaluate Your Life Day: Life coaches can add a survey to your newsletter to find out your subscribers’ goals, and automatically deliver free resources according to their answers

October 20, 2024

• International Chef Day: Share the story of an inspirational chef (professional or amateur) and share a downloadable secret recipe

• World Statistics Day: Wow your subscribers with impressive stats relevant to your business

• International Sloth Day: Celebrate these slow creatures with a fun image or GIF and link to charities that support their protection

October 21, 2024

• National Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day: Share a checklist subscribers can use to clean up and organize their virtual workspace

• International Nacho Day: Share your favorite place to get nachos or a secret recipe of your own

October 22, 2024

• National Color Day: Dazzle subscribers and get creative with eye-catching colors in this newsletter 

October 23, 2024

• International Snow Leopard Day: Share an image of this majestic creature and share links to support their protection, or make a donation on behalf of your customers

October 24, 2024

• United Nations Day: Celebrate the creation of the creators of so many of our favorite international days

October 25, 2024

• International Artists Day: Highlight your favorite artists or run a sale on your own art

• Chucky, The Killer Doll Day: Get into the spooky spirit with a gruesome GIF of the world’s scariest doll

• World Pasta Day: Share an easy homemade pasta recipe to warm up the bellies of your subscribers

• National Frankenstein Day: Write your newsletter as Dr. Frankenstein

October 26, 2024

• Pumpkin Day: Include a pumpkin carving tutorial video in your newsletter

• National Trick or Treat Day: Include a survey block to ask subscribers to select trick or treat and automatically send a “Trick” or “Treat” follow-up email based on their selection

October 27, 2024

• Black Cat Day: Use images and GIFs of these misunderstood felines, as October really is their time to shine

October 28, 2024

• World Animation Day: Add your favorite animated GIF to your newsletter

October 29, 2024

• World Internet Day: Hold an online-exclusive, limited-time sale

October 30, 2024

• National Candy Corn Day: Share some candy corn-inspired recipes subscribers can enjoy on Halloween

October 31, 2024

• Knock-knock Jokes Day: Use a survey block made of intro slides to tell your favorite knock-knock joke in your newsletter!

With 71 content ideas tucked away in your pillowcase, I’d call that a pretty good October haul!

Remember, as always, to use ideas relevant to your business and the type of content your subscribers signed up for. See you next month!

From spooky season to silly season, the email marketing rush hour is about to commence. When do you start sending holiday emails? Let us know in the comments!