Black Friday falls on 28 November this year, which means campaign planning should already be underway. Email volumes spike hard during this period, and so does competition for inbox attention. The marketers who do well are the ones who plan early, segment carefully, and write emails that earn the click.
Here is what you need to know.
How email benefits your Black Friday campaigns
Email gives you a few advantages that other channels do not.
- Direct reach. Your offer lands in your customer's inbox, not in an algorithm-controlled feed.
- Targeting. You can send different offers to different segments of your database, which lifts both engagement and ROI.
- Follow-ups. Email reporting shows you exactly who opened, clicked, or ignored your campaign. Use that data to send a follow-up only to those who need one, rather than mailing your whole list again.
- Reporting. Open rates, click rates, conversions, you get the full picture on campaign performance and can identify what to fix before the next send.
How to plan your campaigns
A little structure goes a long way when you are managing multiple sends across a short, high-pressure period.
- Build a content schedule. Map out every send in advance: what goes out, when, and to which segment. Last-minute changes during Black Friday week are how mistakes happen.
- Check your historical data. Look at your previous campaigns to find out which days and times produced the best results for your audience. Tuesdays and Thursdays tend to perform well across most industries, but your own data should have the final say.
- Segment your database. A blanket blast to your full list rarely outperforms a targeted send. Group your contacts by behaviour, purchase history, or preference, and tailor your offers accordingly.
Email best practice for Black Friday
Once your plan is in place, these fundamentals will help each send perform.
- Write a strong subject line and preheader. Your subject line and preheader text are the first thing recipients see. Inboxes are flooded during Black Friday, so these two lines of copy carry a lot of weight. Be specific about the offer rather than relying on hype.
- Design for scanning. Most people will not read your email word for word. Use clear headings, short paragraphs, and images to make the key information easy to pick up at a glance.
- Make your call to action obvious. Use a button rather than hyperlinked text, and write the button copy in action language that tells the reader exactly what happens when they click. More on optimising calls to action here.
- Keep the offer front and centre. Everything in the email should support the offer. If readers have to hunt for the deal, they will not bother.
Black Friday rewards preparation. If you need help with your campaign setup or send strategy, get in touch and we will sort you out.
Frequently asked questions
- When should I start planning my Black Friday email campaigns?
- At least three to four weeks before Black Friday. You need time to build your content schedule, finalise offers, segment your database, and test your emails before the first send goes out.
- Should I send the same Black Friday email to my entire database?
- No. Segmenting your list and sending relevant offers to each group consistently outperforms a single blast to everyone. Use purchase history, engagement data, or customer preferences to split your sends.
- What is the best day and time to send Black Friday emails?
- Tuesdays and Thursdays tend to perform well in general, but your own historical send data is the most reliable guide. Check your previous campaign reports before committing to a schedule.
- How do I make my emails stand out during Black Friday?
- Start with a specific, honest subject line that states the offer clearly. Pair it with preheader text that adds context rather than repeating the subject line. Inside the email, keep the design clean, the copy short, and the call-to-action button impossible to miss.