Black Friday Emails: Dos, Don’ts, and 10 All-Time Best Email Examples

Black Friday Emails: Dos, Don’ts, and 10 All-Time Best Email Examples

This post was updated on September 30, 2022.

You do have your upcoming Black Friday email strategy planned, right?

Last year, companies sent 12x as many Black Friday emails as they did the year prior.

If you think you can get away with a stock standard email and still cut through the noise, it might be worth rethinking that stance.

But fret not—we’ve got the inside tips for crafting a high-performing Black Friday email right here.

In this post, you’ll read about:

  • What Black Friday trends mean for your ecommerce business (and why you should start planning now)
  • 10 examples of the best Black Friday emails (and what makes them great)
  • How to create a Black Friday email series that gets customers hyped

Black Friday is a big opportunity—don’t miss the chance to make the most of it for your business. The ActiveCampaign Black Friday Toolkit has what you need to successfully prepare for the big event. Access here!

Table of Contents

What is the future of Black Friday sales? Less in-store shopping, more opportunity for your online business

The future of Black Friday sales is here, and it’s online. 

Thanksgiving and Black Friday are the busiest shopping days in brick & mortar stores, but you might spot fewer mile-long lines than you did in the past. Black Friday sales are also prominent on many retail websites, which, coupled with Cyber Monday, produces a weekend of huge online spending.

In 2020, 37% fewer Black Friday shoppers hit the store, opting to shop online instead. Part of this is due to the active pandemic that year, but Adobe data shows that online spending only decreased around 1.4% in 2021, so digital sales are still going strong for Black Friday.

This means we can confidently predict that Black Friday shopping will move increasingly online, especially considering retail shopping is generally moving in that direction.

Here’s how to get ahead of the crowd:

  • Start marketing now. Plan your Black Friday marketing campaign now, and you’ll cut through the noise of all those other businesses that didn’t plan ahead.
  • Boost your email list. We’ve talked about the ways to grow your email list. Update your mailing list signup CTAs at the start of November. Let people know they definitely want to get your Black Friday newsletter.
  • Prep your website. Create special banners on your website to tease your promotions. Create a landing page for people to get a taste of your Black Friday deals (and capture even more emails).
  • Get your abandoned cart automations ready. As potential customers hunt for the best deals on Black Friday, they add things to their carts to save for later. Of course, your sale lasts for a limited time, so you’ve got a great opportunity to play on urgency in your cart abandonment emails.

Black Friday is an extended flash sale (with more bells and whistles). Read our article to learn more on how to create a flash sale for Black Friday.

Black Friday emails: The do’s and don’ts

Black Friday emails can be an extremely effective method of engagement during the busy holiday season, but not if they overwhelm or irritate your target audience. There are some simple do’s and don’ts when it comes to a Cyber Monday or Black Friday email campaign.

DO create a sense of urgency in your content.

If you give shoppers the opportunity to say no to an email, the odds are decent that they will. When it comes to competing for Black Friday holiday sales, the last thing you want is for someone to read your email and react with ‘Hm, no, I don’t think so.’

Come up with simple email content that sparks their interest, whether through urgency or curiosity and inspire them to click through for further action. Phrases such as “ending soon” or “only a few left” may help.

DON’T cross the line between urgent and overwhelming.

Try not to cross the line between urgent and overwhelming. Your goal with urgency is to motivate, not instill fear.

Email subject lines or content with a fear-enticing tone may send the wrong message and turn off customers from starting and completing purchases. Also, too many emails with the same urgent tone might cause recipients to back away. Diversify your messaging among emails.

DO start emailing early.

Starting too late is often detrimental to the outcome of projects or goals. Procrastinating on Black Friday and Cyber Monday email marketing is no exception.

Marketing for these days should begin 2-3 months prior to the days themselves. The goals here are to stay top-of-mind and to build anticipation for what you’re offering during the weekend.

DON’T be a pest.

Whatever emails or social posts you plan to send out in your Black Friday email marketing strategy, don’t be annoying about it.

Depending on the types of emails you’re sending, weekly or monthly can sometimes show better results than daily or every other day. This will also depend on the different audience types you’re targeting.

DO personalize emails.

No 1 likes to talk to a robot. Human connection is an important relationship-building block between brand and buyer. Although a goal for Black Friday and Monday is sales, it’s not the only goal.

Take the automated feel out of your automated email campaigns and get a little personal with your tone. Your buyers want it.

DON’T get too personal.

There’s personal, and there’s too personal. People are more interested in doing business with organizations whom they feel they can trust, but not 1 that feels intrusive.

Marketers and businesses have access to lots of customer information that needs to be used responsibly and strategically.

How do you write an email for Black Friday? The who, when, and what

Tossing out a wide net to catch as many discount-happy shoppers as you can is not an effective Black Friday marketing strategy. But how do you target who gets different emails?

Who your Black Friday email should go to

Within ActiveCampaign, you can create segmented lists and email automations based on multiple differentiators. For Black Friday, targeting recent and regular email openers and people who have purchased within the last year will help your conversion rates during the main event.

To avoid delivering to an expired inbox or being labeled as spam, be careful about sending too many emails to customers who have not engaged in the last 12-18 months.

When to send your Black Friday email

Black Friday email campaigns should start early in November. But how often should you send them?

Unfortunately, there’s no 1 right answer.

It depends on your business, audiences, followers, and a host of other factors. However, the weeks leading up to the holiday shopping season are a great time to A/B test different emails

These higher volume shopping days call for a higher volume of emails than usual.

This allows you to target different segments with different messages and find out what works. It should go without saying, however, that emailing people multiple times a day too far in advance is likely to end in a lot of unsubscribes and no-shows on the big days.

Try to avoid more than 2 emails on any given day.

The what: Black Friday email strategies to use

Here are the 10 best strategies to use in your Black Friday marketing emails:

  1. Write an attention-grabbing subject line (Casper)
  2. All about the urgency (Pretty Little Thing)
  3. Showcase your Black Friday Deals (National Geographic)
  4. Put your best graphics forward (BB Dakota)
  5. Create copy that says it all (Cards Against Humanity)
  6. Release the GIFS (Carhartt)
  7. Use humor (but carefully) (Redbubble)
  8. Make holiday shopping easy for your customers (Penguin)
  9. Stand out from the pack (REI)
  10. Optimize for mobile (Electric Objects)

After you see these strategies used in the following examples, you’ll be ready to create a Black Friday email strategy that stands out—and brings in your best Black Friday email revenue ever.

10 examples of the best Black Friday emails (and what makes them great)

Ok, we’ve given you our top10strategies for Black Friday emails. Let’s look at each in a little more detail and offer an example.

1. Write a catchy subject line (Casper)

The competition to get your deals noticed is fierce. Your subject line is your first shot at cutting through.

What do the best Black Friday email subject lines include?

  1. Company name. Don’t be coy: 45% of people click an email because of who it’s from
  2. Customer name. It’s an easy win for personalization.
  3. Friendliness. Keep your tone conversational and familiar. Think less hard sell, more friendly chat (about your awesome Black Friday sale).
  4. Urgency. Black Friday is probably your biggest, baddest sale of the year, right? So let people know these deals won’t last.
  5. Your sale details. Don’t just say “Black Friday” sale. Everyone is having a Black Friday sale. Tell them what’s in store inside (20% off storewide, for example).
  6. Curiosity. Don’t give everything away in your Black Friday email subject lines. Give just enough of a tease that they can’t help but click.
  7. Humor. If your Black Friday subject lines put your customer in a cheery mood (like Casper’s), there’s a better chance that mood will keep them clicking through to your Black Friday sale email.
screenshot of casper black friday email
Casper Black Friday email (Image Source)

These are real examples of great Black Friday subject lines:

  • 40% Off. Free shipping. It must be Black Friday.
  • ???? First Turkey, Then Great Deals!
  • Get your Black Friday game face on ????
  • ⏰Rise & shine Karen…half-off Black Friday deals are here
  • ????Better Than Their Deals☝️
  • ★ BLACK FRIDAY is here—want a little help with your Christmas shopping?
  • The biggest, best, most amazing, OMG, beyond anything, ever, sale event. Starts now.
  • If you open 1 email this Black Friday…
  • Give thanks ???? (and then get an extra 50% off!)
  • Karen, your boss is shopping today too

The best Black Friday email subject lines only use 1 or 2 tactics. 

That’s because if you shove every tactic into 1 subject line, there’s a good chance it’ll be spammy. Triggering spam filters can negatively impact your email deliverability (and undermine your entire Black Friday email strategy).

You have a fine line to walk: don’t get lost in Black Friday sale inbox clutter but don’t come across as desperate. If you need some help, try our Email Subject Line Generator.

2. All about the urgency (Pretty Little Thing)

Black Friday emails trigger FOMO—and why not, as many online stores save their very best deals of the year for Black Friday? 

What is FOMO? 

It’s the fear of missing out; people care more about what they might miss out on than what they might acquire. That fear is an especially effective Black Friday marketing strategy.

Here are 5 popular ways to use urgency in your Black Friday emails:

  1. Do your Black Friday deals usually sell out due to popularity? Let people know! People like the extra thrill of nabbing a deal that other, slower people missed out on.
  2. Is your sale only available for a limited time window? Include a countdown timer in your Black Friday email design that lets people know they’re up against the clock
  3. Is your Black Friday special limited edition? Make it clear that your Black Friday special is a one-of-a-kind item that won’t be available again.
  4. Do you want to show off your social proof? People decide what to do based on what other people are doing. How can you take advantage of this on Black Friday? Set an alert that shows how many people have your products in their cart.
  5. Are these your best deals of the entire year? Announce that if people skip this sale, they’ll have to wait a whole year to see deals like these again (but if it’s not true, don’t lie).
screenshot of pretty little thing black friday email
Pretty Little Thing Black Friday email (Image Source)

What this Black Friday email does right:

  • Use a Black Friday countdown timer. Do you want to speed up your customer’s decision to purchase from you? People quickly act on countdown timers like this 1 from Pretty Little Thing because they can see their opportunity ticking away right in front of their eyes.
  • A subject line that is all about the FOMO. You can’t trigger FOMO much harder than when you use the subject line “Don’t miss out again.”

What this Black Friday email could do even better:

  • Don’t be a broken record. There’s no need to tell us that dresses are 30% off! Bottoms are 30% off! Tops are 30% off! We get it. We get it—we got it from the headline “30% off everything,” actually.
  • Avoid stock images. People know a generic stock photograph when they see one. If possible, use images created especially in your Black Friday emails. Halloween, New Year’s Eve, Groundhog’s Day. This model shot could be used for any campaign throughout the year.
  • Ask for feedback. If somebody isn’t ready to buy, why not find out why that is? Make this easy with our free Feedback Email Templates

3. Showcase your Black Friday deals (National Geographic)

Customers assume ecommerce stores will have Black Friday deals.

People want to know exactly what your deals are. The best Black Friday emails state their deals upfront. If you don’t, your Black Friday battle to attract customers is already lost.

screenshot of national geographic black friday email
National Geographic Black Friday email (Image Source)

What this Black Friday email does right:

  • Show your regular price vs. sale price. National Geographic is a smart magazine, so it’s no surprise they know Black Friday email best practices: You see exactly how much you will save with their Black Friday deals.
  • Iconic design. If your brand is well-known enough, you don’t need to use flashy gimmicks. National Geographic gives us a classic, refined Black Friday email design that plays off its iconic status.

What this Black Friday email could do even better:

  • Make a subject line that excites. This subject line is as dry as a pile of National Geographic magazines that have been sitting in an Arizona attic for 40 years. A little curiosity would make this subject line more attractive.
  • Keep it concise. This email is long. It’s so long that not all of it’s shown here. Your Black Friday email is not your ecommerce store—so don’t include your entire store’s inventory in it. Focus on a small selection of your Black Friday deals to showcase.

4. Put your best graphics forward (BB Dakota)

Everyone knows it’s Black Friday, not Mauve Monday or Taupe Tuesday. And it’s easy to think that a play on black is the best (and maybe even the only) way to go. Newsflash: it actually is the best strategy—if your goal is to be utterly, completely forgettable.

several black friday email examples
Other Black Friday email examples

Creative email design cliches you want to avoid are:

  • A black background. If you use black in interesting ways, you can let your inner goth out in your Black Friday email designs. Ask yourself:
    • Is all of your copy easy to read against black?
    • Is a black background your only big Black Friday design “wow?”
    • Does a black background work for your business’s style?
  • Gold glitter anything. That includes words formed from gold glitter and golden confetti strewn across your background. 
  • Black. Red. White. Unless those are your brand’s colors, this Black Friday color combo is completely tired.

People don’t want to see the same basic email design endlessly repeated by different companies. A unique (and cohesive) design that avoids these cliches will make you stand out from the herds of generic Black Friday email templates roaming inboxes.

screenshot of bb dakota black friday email
BB Dakota Black Friday email (Image Source)

What this Black Friday email does right:

  • Black doesn’t have to be boring. BB Dakota uses unique photography that flawlessly tackles the Black Friday theme in a playful, clever way (but doesn’t overwhelm their design aesthetics).
  • Copy should play nicely with the design. What flavor do you think that black ice cream cone is? No idea—but it was the perfect inspiration for copy that’s better than your average Black Friday email copy.
  • Have 1 CTA. This entire email is clean, concise, and easy to navigate. A single CTA means it translates well on mobile, too.

What this Black Friday email could do even better:

  • Don’t hide the details. How long can you get 50% off? I don’t see—Oh wait—it’s hidden in that huge TOS block. Give your sale’s start and end times visual priority, and your urgency meter rises like *snaps fingers* that.

5. Write copy that says it all (Cards Against Humanity)

Black Friday can feel like a talent show where businesses perform their best marketing routines. Black Friday email campaigns are the mic you’re holding on stage. The question is, what will you say?

The best marketing messages come from your customers.

  • What do they have to say about your products?
  • What do they hope your Black Friday deals will be?
  • What stresses them out when shopping Black Friday online?

Keep your Black Friday email copy conversational and friendly, and use the words your customers use. What happens when you use the same language as your customers?

  • If you say what they’re already thinking, customers know that you get them
  • Customers better understand what your products can do for them
  • When you go above and beyond to address their specific concerns, customers show more loyalty
screenshot of cards against humanity black friday email
Cards Against Humanity Black Friday email (Image Source)

What this Black Friday email does right:

  • Stay true to yourself. When your style is wildly popular, why mess with a good thing? Cards Against Humanity (CAH) keeps it real with their bare-bones black & white email—a hallmark all their distinct marketing emails share.
  • Keep people curious. If your email is all copy, you better keep your writing engaging. Usually, a call-to-action button so freakin’ big would be a big no-no, but in this email, it introduces curiosity—which gets us to read why we should give CAH $5.
  • Make Black Friday a true event. CAH is known for its Black Friday shenanigans, so much so that they get major media coverage every year. And because you’re totally wondering, this Black Friday campaign yielded just over $71,000.

What this Black Friday email could do even better:

  • Nope. We got nothin’. It’s pretty brave to have a Black Friday subject line that literally reads “Nothing.” It’s even braver to ask your customers to blindly give you $5 without explanation. Cards Against Humanity really know their audience—this probably won’t work for most businesses.

6. Release the GIFS (Carhartt)

A Black Friday GIF adds visual interest to an email in a way that static email designs don’t.

Here are a couple of quick tips on how to best use a GIF in your Black Friday emails:

DO: Test your emails across multiple clients to make sure they perform as planned. Your brilliant Black Friday gif won’t matter if it doesn’t work in everyone’s inbox.

DON’T: Use giant GIFS. Any sort of image that has a large file size will slow down your email’s loading time, making many readers switch off and hit DELETE.

Read our article to learn even more about how to use gifs in marketing emails.

screenshot of carhartt black friday email
Ccarhartt Black Friday email (Image Source)

What this Black Friday email does right:

  • A clever gif. Carhartt adds energy to their email with this clever animation of blinds opening to reveal that their Black Friday sale has begun.
  • Simplicity. This clean email design looks great on both laptops and smartphones.

What this Black Friday email could do even better:

  • Don’t bury the lede. The most important information should appear at the top of your email. The most important Black Friday email copy is your discount code or deal. This email pulls the blinds down over that info.
  • A better subject line. Thanks, Carhartt. We had no idea it was Black Friday. This subject line gives us zero good reasons to click on it.

7. Use humor (but carefully) (RedBubble)

What are the most memorable advertisements you’ve ever seen?

Chances are your mind immediately goes to ads that made you laugh. There’s a reason that the majority of Super Bowl ads (which cost $7 million for 30-seconds) elect to go for a humorous angle.

Most Black Friday emails are straightforward, so well-placed humor makes your Black Friday emails more memorable, too.

But use humor carefully. 

Your email may be hilarious, but if it doesn’t give customers the practical information they need, it’s not doing its job—getting people to shop your Black Friday sales event.

screenshot of redbubble black friday email
Redbubble Black Friday email (Image Source)

What this Black Friday email does right:

  • Let the joke speak for itself. Notice something funny about the copy of this Black Friday email from RedBubble? No, you don’t—because the humor is in the photograph. The email copy provides important sale info without fanfare.
  • Keep it brief. Once you’ve had a chuckle at the happy candy-colored kid and his serious Gothy McGoth family, the rest of the email doesn’t waste people’s time. Here’s the deal you’ll get, the code you need, and when it ends. Boom! Got it, thanks!

What this Black Friday email could do even better:

  • Remember the text-only crowd. Some people have email images turned off. Since RedBubble’s deals are part of a graphic, some people won’t see those deals when they open this Black Friday email blast.
  • Tweak your wording. Expires November 25th at 11:59 pm. Factual, but not emotional. A couple of simple word changes (like These offers are only available until instead of Expires) would create urgency to shop while you still can.

8. Make holiday shopping easy for your customers (Penguin Random House)

We all know that fighting crowds to do your holiday shopping sucks. But helpfulness and convenience are major factors as people decide if they’ll complete a purchase online, too.

Does your ecommerce store offer holiday perks, like:

  • Free shipping?
  • Gift wrapping?
  • Guaranteed delivery date?
  • Gift guides?

Make any amenities you offer customers into prominent features of your email marketing campaign: If you can quickly solve a person’s seasonal problem, you’re that much closer to a loyal year-round customer.

screenshot of penguin random house black friday email
Penguin Random House Black Friday email (Image Source)

What this Black Friday email does right:

  • Compel them with cute. Penguin Random House has a pretty cute mascot (and they know it). People love a cute animal (or baby, or anything), so if it makes sense to slip a cutie into your Black Friday marketing, go for it.
  • Solve a problem. Dad loves a suspenseful beach read, Mom devours Neoclassicism art history, and Sis is obsessed with breeding exotic chickens. What do you get them? A business that can answer that question for a flustered shopper will earn so many grateful loyalty points.

What this Black Friday email could do even better:

  • Don’t leave customers high and dry. Penguin Random House should have listed the hours and dates the helpline is active. What happens if a desperate last-minute shopper wants to use the helpline, but it’s closed? They’ll be more frustrated than if the helpline hadn’t existed in the first place.
  • Microcopy matters. Small words make a big impact. Contact the helpline is fine microcopy, but it could be better. Is it Chat with the helpline? Call? Email? A few tweaks to the CTA’s microcopy, and the answer’s clear.

9. Stand out from the pack (REI)

How can you make your Black Friday marketing campaign stand out (in a way that doesn’t have anything to do with your subject line, design, or copy)?

Be a rebel with a cause by doing something unusual:

  • Donate to charity. Give back (and give thanks) with a charitable donation of part of your Black Friday proceeds. Use your marketing emails to showcase the charity you’ve chosen.
  • Opt out of Black Friday. Maybe a Black Friday email blast works against your business’s core values. Maybe your Black Friday event is that you won’t have an event.
screenshot of REI black friday email
REI Black Friday email (Image Source)

What this Black Friday email does right:

  • Live your mission statement. REI’s core purpose is to “… inspire, educate and outfit for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship.” They’re walkin’ the walk by closing their stores and asking us to join them outside.
  • Hash it out. Real talk time: there are a lot of people who don’t like Black Friday. REI knows this. With a handy #optoutside hashtag people can spread on social media, REI creates a feeling of solidarity with their True Fans.
  • Give people something they can use. You can’t #optoutside if you don’t know where to go. REI’s CTA shows you local trails and parks that you can visit before the turkey tryptophan starts to hit.

What this Black Friday email could do even better:

  • Practically perfect in every way? This email has a very unorthodox purpose (which is to inspire loyalty, not to make money). REI shows that they know exactly what their customers want from them on Black Friday: a powerful statement backed up with useful content.

10. Optimize for mobile (Electric Objects)

Around half of online sales today are made on a mobile device.

Pretty straightforward: if your Black Friday emails aren’t prepped for mobile, you’re missing out on half of your audience.

screenshot of electric objects black friday email
Electric Objects Black Friday email (Image Source)

What this Black Friday email does right:

  • Have some fun. Electric Objects uses vibrant colors and playful shapes to create a party-like mood in their Black Friday email design. After all the blackity-black emails people have already opened, this email is a breath of fresh, colorful air.
  • Show them the money. While everyone else is sending X% off emails, Electric Objects goes for the fixed dollar amount to stand out.

What this Black Friday email could do even better:

  • Spell. It. Out. How long does the sale run? It says Monday (in tiny, easy-to-miss type) but at what time? If you don’t state your time cut-off, expect emails from customers who want you to extend them the deal still. If you aren’t serious about your cut-off time, customers won’t be, either.
  • Don’t be too chill. “Black Friday is our excuse to cut loose!” Cool—but if your email is too laid-back and loose, your customers won’t feel any urgency to jump on your deal.
holiday season marketing toolkit

Want more great holiday marketing tips and tricks? Download our FREE Holiday Marketing Toolkit!

How to build even more holiday hype: Create a Black Friday email sequence

A customer’s decision to buy often hinges on anticipation.

An automated series of Black Friday emails builds the right anticipation, leading to more sales the day after Thanksgiving.

What is an automated email series? It’s a series of scheduled emails automatically sent to people on your email list. It’s easy to send an automated email sequence with ActiveCampaign.

Much like in a product launch email series, for the best results, you should send at least 3 emails:

  1. The informational teaser email
  2. The live sale email
  3. The going-going-gone email

1. The informational teaser email (Quip)

People want to know your Black Friday deals in advance, so they can plan ahead and budget. They’ve got a lot to buy, and you’re probably not the only place they’re shopping!

There are 2 goals for your first Black Friday email:

  1. Tease your deals. Create curiosity and anticipation so you’ll be at the top of the lists of ecommerce stores to visit on Black Friday
  2. Give Customers information. Customers want to know what to expect from your Black Friday sale. If it’s not clear, you’ll lose sales.

How can you make sure your information is clear? Make sure your informational teaser email answers these 3 W’s:

  1. What. Your business is having a Black Friday sales event: these will be the special deals and offers available.
  2. When. It will happen on this specific date and run from this time until that time.
  3. Where. This is where (and how) to get these Black Friday deals.
screenshot of quip black friday email
Quip Black Friday email (Image Source)

The American Dental Association is the final word in all things dental. A partnership with them gives Quip authority.

What this Black Friday email does right:

  • Use black wisely. Own it if you go all black with your Black Friday email ideas. Quip uses its first Black Friday email to showcase a new all-black toothbrush. The minty pops of color in the logo and the model’s nails add enough visual interest to keep the black from being oppressive.
  • Support a good cause. “Brush black, give back” is a great slogan to back a charitable cause—not only do you save 20% on your purchase, but $5 of each purchase also goes to the American Dental Association. It’s big wins all around—especially for Quip.

The best time to send this Black Friday Email: Send your Black Friday informational and teaser emails at least 1 week before Black Friday. If you send more than 1 preview email (we recommend 2), send the first email 2 weeks before Black Friday.

2. The live sale email

Why is it important to send an email when your Black Friday sale is live?

Because people’s memories are terrible.

With so many emails hitting people’s inboxes before (and especially on) Black Friday, if you don’t remind them of your sale, there’s a good chance it will have completely slipped their minds.

The details in your live sale email will mostly be the same as your first email, with these additions:

  • Update your call to action. Change your email copy and CTA so people know your sale is now live.
  • Push scarcity and urgency. We not only feel emotions in the here and now but also anticipate emotions we’ll feel in the future. If a product might sell out, you’re more likely to buy it due to loss aversion.
  • Be celebratory. Desperation isn’t cute—use design and language to treat your Black Friday like the exciting event it is, and people will respond in kind.
screenshot of quip black friday email
Quip Black Friday email (Image Source)

Quip gives customers more than 1 way to use their Black Friday discount, which removes objections to purchasing.

Schedule your email using predictive sending. Send emails at just the right time, based on when your customers are most likely to engage with them.

3. The going-going-gone email

This is your last chance to get people to shop your sale. This is where you really push the urgency.

screenshot of quip black friday email
Quip Black Friday email (Image Source)

A play on words is a fun, easy way to add humor and interest to your Black Friday emails.

What this Black Friday email does right:

  • One CTA. The clock is ticking, so you want to make it as easy as possible for people to make a purchase during your sale’s final hours. A single CTA with low-friction (“Get 20% off”) microcopy does just that.
  • Repeat your key points. Treat each email in your series like it’s the only 1 you’re sending. Why? Because lots of people won’t have opened your earlier emails. Your last email might be your first chance to convert them into a customer.

Frequently asked questions

When should Black Friday emails be sent?

The best time to send this Black Friday Email: Does your sale run over the entire Black Friday weekend? Send it on the final day. Is your sale a one-day event? Send it in the final hours.

How do you write a Black Friday offer?

Creating an offer unique to Black Friday should focus on 3 concepts:

  1. How do I create an offer so compelling that it’s a no-brainer for people to buy?
  2. How do I reward my most engaged customers?
  3. How do I surprise and delight new customers and turn them into raving fans?

How many emails should I send for Black Friday?

Generally, you should send 2-3 different emails during the day on Black Friday and the time leading up to it.

Conclusion 

Cutting through the noise on Black Friday and the surrounding days can be tough. You’re not the only company sending out email blasts, and your customers’ wallets only stretch so far.

But, if you follow the advice above, you’re in the best position to resonate with your customers and see some decent revenue come through this holiday period.
Remember, though; it’s not just about the 1 email. You have to build a whole Black Friday email sequence. Check out ActiveCampaign’s suite of automation tools, then get started building your Black Friday campaign today with our 14-day free trial.