It’s Kate from Selzy here. I'll admit it: I used to ugh at International Women's Day emails.

Not because I don't believe in celebrating women, of course. I do. But because my inbox would flood with tired tropes, pink everything and lots of discounts on perfumes.

It should be that we’ve long moved past this… Haven’t we?

Here's the thing, though: nearly half of women still feel misunderstood by brands. This is according to "The Collective economy: A global understanding of women’s buying power" by The Collective (you’ll need to leave your email to access the full report). And only 4% feel truly understood. The top reason? Outdated stereotypes and marketing that feels inauthentic.

So let’s talk about three mistakes brands still make on March 8, and what works better.

Mistake #1: Turning IWD into a gift campaign

When March 8 transforms into “what to buy her”, all focus shifts from recognition to retail.

There’s nothing wrong with selling, of course, we’re doing marketing here. But if the message feels interchangeable with Mother’s Day or Valentine’s, it loses relevance.

The stronger move? Connect your campaign to something specific inside your business.

It can be about spotlighting women on your team, sharing an initiative, linking to a commitment.

Mistake #2: Relying on generic empowerment language

Slogans like “Strong women”, “Boss energy”, “Celebrate her” aren’t wrong, they are just too broad sometimes.

Better solution? Right now, audiences respond better to clarity than slogans.

It can look like a specific story instead of a general statement, a founder’s note instead of a polished tagline, a concrete action instead of a theme.

Mistake #3: Sending the same message to everyone

One well-designed email to your entire list is definitely the easiest option. But March 8 doesn’t land the same way for everyone with some wanting product relevance, while others prefer values-forward messages.

The answer? Segmentation.

It doesn’t even have to mean three separate campaigns, BTW. It can mean a different intro paragraph, a different CTA, a slightly adjusted tone, etc.

Split by engagement: Use Selzy’s segmentation filters based on opens, clicks, or purchase history.
Highly engaged subscribers → deeper storytelling
Transaction-focused buyers → product-forward
Inactive subscribers → lighter tone, no heavy positioning

Keep one template, adjust the first 3-4 lines. Small context changes make a big difference in how the message lands.

Add a follow-up trigger. If someone clicks your IWD initiative link, set up an automation with a “Link clicked” trigger to send a deeper follow-up.

You can find detailed information about segmentation in our Help Center article on how to segment your contacts.