As necessary as footwear, marketers need to send excellent emails. But how will people know your email is excellent? Catchy subject lines are the best way to route customers into your emails, and eventually to your site.

Read below to get tips on writing great subject lines. And if you’re looking for more help, generate free subject lines for your brand, using Backstroke's AI subject line generator. Try it now.

Tips for Writing Great Subject Lines for Footwear Brands

Humanize Your Product Design

Who is behind the scenes of every shoe design? People. A lot of customers are only buying products without knowing who really designed them. Try including something personal about your designers in your subject lines, to add some human interest.

Do an interview or a talk with the footwear designer, to let them share their first thoughts on the products. Uncovering their inspirations and opinions can help customers build a deeper and closer relationship with the brand. 

Some subject line examples: 

• Tyler’s Pastel Picks for Spring Are Inside 🌸
• Get creative inspo from shoe designer Denise
• What are those?! 🔥 They’re our freshest kick designs.

Use Emotional Language

Each designer brings their own creativity and attitude to designing. Special colors convey certain emotions they’re trying to express. Unique designs can link with their creators’ own lived experiences. Connect these ideas within your email subject lines. 

The right copy lets customers feel the attitude of your brand and designs. Evoking emotion may in turn evoke something in your customers’ hearts.

Some subject line examples: 

• Red hot summer shoe sale 💥 Get 15% off
• Have you ever seen something so beautiful? 🥲
• Be moved . . . by the shoes that move you.

Include a Eco-Driven Connection, If You Can

Does your footwear retail brand commit itself to social responsibilities or community campaign? If so, don’t skip out on talking about your causes! If your products make a difference in the world, talk about it! 

When other brands still only focus on only their footwear products, your social commitments can make you stand apart. Just don’t greenwash your brand, if you have no ties to sustainability.

Some subject line examples: 

• Feel good about what’s on your feet 🫶
• We’ve taken the “sus” out of “sustainability”
• It’s not just our shoes that are green . . .

Align With Social Causes

These days, many brands have championed social responsibility. Perhaps the most famous footwear brand to do so is Nike, with their socially conscious marketing campaigns. Toms was famous for footwear activism in the early 2000s. 

Has your brand made a commitment to social causes? Do your employees volunteer together? Or do you donate money to specific nonprofits that benefit the social good? If so, you can promote these ideals in all your marketing, including your email subject lines. 

Communicating your commitments helps potential customers feel better when buying footwear from you. Knowing that your brand supports the causes they care about helps everyone take several steps forward. Don’t do it all for the clout though. Ensure that your brand truly cares about making a difference first. Then your marketing can follow suit.

Some subject line examples:

• Get 15% off and we’ll donate 15% more to charity
• We ran a 5k to promote heart health. 👟 Here’s how it went.
• Let’s step forward together for a greener planet 🌎

Craft Co-Marketing Campaigns with Clothing Retailers

Let’s imagine that your customers may want to buy shoes only when they can pair them with certain clothes. For example, women attending a black tie gala may be looking for high heels. People training for a marathon will search for high-performance sneakers. Families about to go on a beach vacation are likely looking for sets of sandals to pack in their bags. 

In each of these scenarios, your potential customers are likely looking for clothing too. 

Now, think about your network of other clothing retailers. Do you know anyone in marketing departments for swimwear lines or department stores? If so, they could be great people to collaborate with! 

If you do establish a co-marketing opportunity with another retailer, be sure to include content that focuses on them in your subject line. Your customers will benefit from seeing your offerings alongside theirs (and vice versa) . . . making both brands feel like their emails lead to go-to, easy shopping experiences. 

Some subject line examples: 

• (Your Brand) + (Their Brand) = a match made in heaven 🫶
• One stop training shop: sale on shoes, shorts, hats and more 🚴
• Let’s complete your look together 💅with (Your Brand) + (Their Brand)

So now are you ready to start writing your best subject lines? Try Backstroke’s free email subject line generator today.