Subject lines always matter a lot for any marketing email — or sales email, or any email, for that matter. But for a holiday email, which is an indispensable part of any email marketing strategy, a good subject line is everything. Just get it wrong — and your rivals will grab your customers’ attention first, while your awesome email will go unnoticed. When there are dozens of emails in your clients’ inboxes, and your message is tied to a particular date, that is a critical issue.
Moreover, there are so many ways to get something wrong when it comes to International Women’s Day campaigns. To hit the mark, you need to understand the origins and the meaning of the holiday, the specifics of your audience and your products, the current agenda on the topic, etc. But let’s assume you already know all that, so everything you need is some inspiring examples, email ideas, and proven writing tips. Luckily, we’ve got plenty.
Right off the bat, here is a selection of International Women’s Day subject lines from actual emails, sorted by email types most commonly used for holiday email marketing campaigns. Before we move on, read them to get an idea of what Women’s Day subject lines might look like.
Ready to get to work and take your International Women’s Day subject lines to the next level? Use the following tips and get inspired by the handpicked examples provided to illustrate them.
Short email subject lines perform better than longer ones — that’s a proven fact. According to research by Retention Science, an ideal subject line length is somewhere between 6 to 10 words (approximately 40 to 60 characters). To ensure your subject line doesn’t get cut off on mobile devices, aim at 40 characters max.
As “International Women’s Day” alone contains 25 characters, you might want to shorten it to “Women’s Day”, use an abbreviation (IWD), or choose a more creative subject line that doesn’t mention the name of the holiday altogether. If a few words are not enough to convey your message, make use of a preheader.
From: Gibson
Subject line: Whats in the IWD collection?
Preheader: Peek inside the collection for the women that inspire us
Whatever the meaning behind it, International Women’s Day is a holiday — and holidays call for holiday wishes. Yet a simple “Happy International Women’s Day” might not be the best option: firstly, it’s overused, and, secondly, it’s very generic — you can bet there’ll be quite a few emails in your recipients’ inboxes featuring the exact same subject line.
However, this traditional holiday wish might be hard to substitute or paraphrase. That’s why many brands use emojis to help it stand out — visually, at least. You can use the same tactic — or get more creative and try to come up with different holiday wishes if you have inspiration.
From: Dossier
Subject line: Happy International Women’s Day! ♀
If you’re struggling to come up with a meaningful subject line, take a moment to ponder on what values you typically translate to your customers, and go from there.
For example, if you sell home accessories, it probably wouldn’t do to speak of female empowerment. For sports brands, on the contrary, it would be odd to mention femininity — not because women who are into fitness cannot be feminine, but because that’s not what your brand is about, and not what your customers expect from you.
From: Puma
Subject line: Supporting women in sport.
Originally, International Women’s Day was about women’s empowerment and fighting for equal rights. Today, more and more women in all parts of the globe re-embrace the original meaning of the holiday, and, therefore, expect brand messages to be in line with that meaning.
That’s why empowering Women’s Day subject lines celebrating female strength and resilience are bound to strike a chord, especially if the majority of your audience is represented by younger generations — namely, Millennials and Gen Z.
From: Breitling
Subject line: Because she’s a hero, every day
Preheader: Our International Women’s Day gift guide.
In the modern world, inclusivity is one of the core values — and brands can leverage that in their marketing campaigns. When writing a subject line for your Women’s Day email, remember that it has to speak to all women, regardless of age, race, occupation, marital status, etc.
Sometimes, exceptions can apply if your brand’s products are targeted at a specific segment of the female audience — for example, young mothers. But since it’s best to err on the side of caution, messages like “Mothers rule” are still more appropriate in Mother’s Day email marketing campaigns. For Women’s Day, subject lines that are inclusive are the best way to go.
From: West Elm
Subject line: Celebrating International Women’s Day
If your company is supporting women’s charity organizations, International Women’s Day is the best occasion to announce it to your subscribers. Firstly, it will help to raise more funds because people are more inclined to donate around the holidays. Secondly, you’ll make a stand and earn appreciation from those who support the same cause.
For charity organizations themselves, this holiday is also a good opportunity to send fundraising or storytelling emails that raise awareness and highlight issues related to women and women’s rights.
From: Eddie Funkhouser
Subject line: Save + Donate + Share | Women’s Day Charity Events
Preheader: Show appreciation to women around the world.
If there’s a trending hashtag on the internet that’s associated with International Women’s Day, you can use it to draw attention to your subject line. For example, in 2023, the campaign theme for Women’s Day and the hashtag linked with it was #EmbraceEquity. Its extensive usage ensured it was instantly recognizable, making it hard not to notice when used in an email subject line.
But be careful: before using a hashtag, tap into the message it conveys and make sure that it’s in line with the contents of your email. Otherwise, you risk looking ridiculous, and the overall impression from your email will be spoiled. Quick tip: Sometimes, you don’t have to use the hashtag itself — a recognizable reference is enough.
From: The White Company
Subject line: #ChangeAGirlsLife this International Women’s Day
Preheader: £5 from every candle will be donated to Women Supporting Women at The Prince’s Trust
The human brain is hardwired to process visuals much faster than text, and you can make use of this feature not just in the body of your email, but also in the subject line by using emojis. As you can see in the examples below, emojis instantly catch attention and liven up any generic subject line. That can help increase open rates — however, it’s important to use those symbols responsibly.
While an abundance of emojis in your email subject line will certainly help it stand out in your recipient’s inbox, it can result in that email being treated as spammy. Besides, the more emojis your subject line features, the less space is left for words — and these are words that convey meaning, not flashy symbols. To create a subject line that’s both attention-grabbing and meaningful, use words and emojis in concert.
From: Saucey
Subject line: it’s International Women’s Day 💙
When crafting your holiday email subject lines, generic formulas might be the first ones that come to your mind. But as we’ve already mentioned, using them might not be the best option because they increase the risk of your email getting lost among many others with exactly the same subject lines. As a result, you’ll get low open rates.
To prevent that, write a list of the most overused Women’s Day subject lines and avoid them if you can help it. That said, being excessively creative can also backfire. The best tactic is to strike the right balance between creative and recognizable, as shown in the example below.
From: Express
Subject line: Who runs these brands? GIRLS ♥️
Preheader: Props to these ladies on International Women’s Day
Sometimes, brands would use a trending word or hashtag just for the sake of it. But when there’s no obvious connection between the subject line and the content of the email, there’s always a risk of getting negative reactions. You don’t want to entice your reader with a catchy subject line and then disappoint them by not living up to their expectations, do you?
The best-case scenario is when all elements of an email — subject line, preheader, and email body — complement each other and work together to tell a connected story, like in the example below.
From: Botanical Republic
Subject line: Let’s celebrate International Women’s Day together!
Preheader: Meet our founder, Hannah
Holiday wishes, empowering messages, emojis, hashtags, and more — all of these tactics might work well on their own. But it’s best not to use everything everywhere all at once if you want to make your subject line work as a whole. Instead, you can test several subject lines to see which one performs best. Then, just stick with it.
In the example above, the subject line features more than 80 characters, so it got cut off. Luckily, the first few words are exciting enough to spark curiosity, so the recipients are still likely to open the email anyway. However, it would have been better if the subject line was more concise.
You saw some of the most interesting and creative International Women’s Day subject lines in this article, but don’t click away just yet. Here are two more great examples you can use as templates for your own campaigns.
This subject line and preheader are playful, attract attention, and also convey the feeling of celebration.
From: Fishwife
Subject line: GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS 💃
Preheader: time to get wild!!
This subject line consciously uses capitalization to emphasize the most important parts of the message. The brand also included modern lingo to connect with the audience.
From: Victoria’s Secret
Subject line: We’re all about STRONG WOMEN 💪 YAS, GIRL!
Preheader: International Women’s Day is coming! SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!
Last but not least, this subject line cleverly plays with the brand name and conveys an uplifting message.
From: Uncommon Goods
Subject line: 💝 Uncommon gifts for every extraordinary woman
Preheader: Happy International Women’s Day!
Coming up with compelling subject lines for Women’s Day might be daunting, especially if you’ve been doing it for years in a row. Luckily, there are many ways to add flavor and variety to the timeless but generic “Happy International Women’s Day!”. To stay on top of your game and beat the competition, practice using our subject line writing tips, get inspired by top-of-the-mind examples shown in this article and, well… just believe in yourself. 🙂
This article was originally published in March 2023 and was updated in February 2024 to make it more relevant and comprehensive.
