Back-to-school email subject lines can help you engage your audience with relevant content and products — not to mention getting your slice of a multi-billion-dollar sales cake. The back-to-school sales season is a big deal for retailers, whether you’re selling stationery, uniforms, bags, or coats.
In this article, we’ll look at the best-performing backto-school email subject lines based on real-world data. You can then read through 99 (yes, ninety-nine) examples for all the different types, including those about fashion, getting ready, savings, supplies, and more!
Earn more from your back-to-school emails with Omnisend’s ready-made templates.
Secondly, we’re also looking at the click rates for each of the top five subject lines.
So let’s take a look at the five highest-converting back-to-school email subject lines:
#1 “BACK TO SCHOOL! Come join the FUN! 🏫”
Open rate: 28.6% | Click rate: 5%
#2 “OH DEER POPUP SUPER SALE! Back to School Shopping!”
Open rate: 22.5% | Click rate: 6.5%
#3 “$5 Back to School Deal ✏️”
Open rate: 21.6% | Click rate: 1.9%
#4 “Back to School never looked so good! Specials all week!”
Open rate: 20.3% | Click rate: 3.5%
#5 “30% OFF BACK TO SCHOOL SALE💰”
Open rate: 18.3% | Click rate: 1.8%
As you can see from the five above, there are a lot of emojis here. That’s probably because the target is the younger generation (aiming for younger parents) or the students themselves.
Or, it could be that it’s a pretty light, optimistic occasion in itself, so the emojis fit the mood.
You can also see that three of the email subject lines contain all caps, either completely or partially.
That fits in with the light mood, and it’s always good to experiment with different subject line styles to see which really pays off.
Back-to-school email subject lines with sales & discounts
Exclusive! Back to School Sale
Shop for Back to School with 40% Off 📚
40% off all Back to School must-haves!
Last Days of Our Back To School Sale
A sale so big you’ll wish you had homework
Back to School must haves | Now 20% off! 📖
Back to school: Get up to 30% off + bonus!
💰 Back to School Sale: Up to 50% Off Footwear →
10% OFF for the Back to School Event! 🏫
Hold the door! Check out this back to school sale.
? Get them set for school! Kid’s lenses only $25 – so smart
Back To School Savings up to 40% Off*. Better hurry.
Back-to-School Essentials, $39 & Under → 📚
Back-to-School Sale begins NOW! Double Deals: Up to 80% OFF + EXTRA 10%
Stock Up for School: 40% to 75% Off The Entire Store and Earn $15 PLACE Cash!
Free Shipping + 20% Off Back-To-School Must-Haves! 🎒
Back to School Sale – Up to 70% off sitewide
20% off Back to School Gifts!
40% OFF Everything! Stock up on back to school basics! 📖
Hurry, before the bell rings! New gear ships free + save 20% on select backpacks
Back To School Sale Starts Now! 🎒
HUGE Back to School Bedding SALE – Today Only!
Back-to-school subject lines about getting ready
Are you in the back to school spirit?
Ready to go back to school? 🏫
It’s that time of the year again…
☑ Check the Box on Back to School Readiness! (Lenovo)
Back-to-school already?! Raise your hand if you’re prepared…
Time for Back to School 🔔
Back To School Ready
Prep for School: New Year, New Look 👓
Going back to school?
School is Around the Corner!
Ready for Back to School? Deals inside.
Ready, set, go for the new school year 🏁
New Year, New Gear: Back-to-School Essentials!
School days are almost here – are you prepared?
Back-to-School Essentials Checklist 📋
The Countdown to Back-to-School Begins!
Get Back-to-School Ready with These Must-Haves
Gear Up for Back-to-School Season! 🎒
Top Tips for a Smooth Back-to-School Transition
Back-to-school subject lines about fashion
Favorite looks for school are here!
Back to school cool 😎
Your #1 Destination for Back to School Looks
Back to School in Style With These Essentials
Top 10 Looks for Back to School
🛍️ Back to School Styles for Him and for Her 🛍️
Jump Back Into School With Style! 👓
Back to School Fall Faves
New Style to Rule the School
Back Into School With Style 👓
New Term, New Wardrobe! Discover the Latest Styles
Step Up Your Back-to-School Style Game! 🏫
Fashion-Forward Looks for the New School Year
Back-to-School Style: Outfits That Make the Grade! ✅
Look Sharp This School Year with Our Fashion Essentials
Back to School, Back in Style! Shop the Collection
Get Your A+ Style for the New School Year 🏫
Chic and Affordable Back-to-School Outfits!
Back-to-school subject lines with supplies and gadgets
Apart from buying the school appliances, “Back to School” shopping is about looking cool. For kids and teenagers, this is the most essential when acquiring stuff for the new season.
Check out the following examples, how brands differently approach their audience and promote their products.
1. 24S.com
24S.com targets young women, college students of higher income. This brand highlights the most suitable for the fall weather products on the “must-have” list.
Although the products vary in shapes and colors, the newsletter looks stunning because of the design solution that 24S.com made. The list email structure helps a lot when the products and the size of the images are different. Take a look at email yourself.
2. Columbia
Columbia has an unexpected approach. It takes a chance to promote its summer sale and introduce new arrivals for back-to-school shopping.
I also like the images: Instead of listing separate products, it uses images of products for boys and girls and leads them to entire categories.
3. K-Deer
This brand doesn’t sell any must-have school appliances or clothes. However, these guys take a perfect chance to promote leggings for both – mommies and their little girls.
The photoshoot it used for this sale could also serve for many occasions: Mother’s Day, upcoming fall or spring vacation, and so on. It only proves the fact that you don’t have to invest much in preparation for an endless list of different occasions. The same marketing material can be repurposed in many ways.
4. Lego
The Lego team encourages sales by offering a school-related gift for all purchases above $50. Gifts are also something that could be quickly adopted by many ecommerce businesses.
5. Cath Kidston
Cath Kidson offers a wide variety of products. It sells clothes, shoes, gifts, home accessories, bags, and so on. For the following back-to-school newsletter, it chose only bags.
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Karolina is a writer, content marketer, and email enthusiast at Omnisend. When she's not curating articles, you can find her in the woods challenging herself in hiking boots or off-roading her bike.
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