Black Friday stands as one of the largest shopping events of the year.
As a highlight of the broader holiday season, it’s a deciding factor when planning your campaigns and strategies for the entire holiday shopping period. That is because it helps multiply engagement and revenue. Missing the right email campaign timing means missing big revenue, click-through rates, and engagement boosts.
While you might think you have aligned your campaigns and email marketing strategy timeframes, you must think twice before you hit send—and there are plenty of reasons for doing so.
Getting to know when and how to communicate with your audience is a much-needed process to amplify your Black Friday success, whether you’re launching early-bird specials or aiming for those last-minute deals that will have your customers running (to grab your deals). This blog is here to help take your Black Friday email campaign and send it to the next level.
- Why Timing Matters for Black Friday Emails
- The Best Times to Send Black Friday Emails
- All-Important Strategies to Increase Black Friday Email Engagement
- Accelerating Your Black Friday Campaign Hit: Post-Black Friday Email Techniques
- Data-Driven Results: Black Friday Email Marketing by the Numbers
Blog Highlights:
- Timing matters for various campaigns, and Black Friday is no exception. We’re answering this question in the sections below.
- Discover the best time to send Black Friday emails for powerful engagement and sales.
- Learn about the best times to send a Black Friday email and read about the best strategies and tips to get ahead of your competition this Black Friday..
Why Timing Matters for Black Friday Emails
Black Friday promotions flood inboxes. Sending emails at peak moments raises your chances of being seen, clicked, and chosen. But sending too early risks being forgotten, while sending too late means customers may have already bought elsewhere.
Careful attention to Black Friday timing is urgent for maximizing visibility and engagement, as planning your campaign around the perfect dates and hours can make the difference between being noticed or being overlooked.
If emails are sent too early, they may be forgotten by the time Black Friday rolls around. Too late, and customers may already be committed to other sales.
Research shows that brands with carefully timed emails gain many things, including:
- Higher open rates.
- Higher click-throughs.
- Better conversions.
According to Shopify and Dotdigital data, US Black Friday online sales soared to $10.8 Billion USD in 2024 (a 10.2% year-on-year lift). The conversion rate for online stores during Black Friday was 4.3%, compared to the usual 2.5%.
Over 365 million promotional emails were sent on Black Friday alone, as campaigns shifted to meet earlier shopper activity and consumer demand for well-timed offers.
The competition for inbox space during Black Friday is fierce, so your message must stand out to avoid getting lost among countless other promotions.
It’s important to plan email timing for maximal results—let’s probe the six most important sending periods backed by 2025 Performance data were the first after the COVID-19 pandemic, which slowed down the whole world.
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The Best Times to Send Black Friday Emails
We recognize that there are at least six ideal times when you can start your Black Friday campaigns.
Coordinating your Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns is crucial for maximizing impact during the holiday shopping season. Planning for both Black Friday and Cyber Monday guarantees a tailor-made transition and sustained engagement with your audience.
Some businesses send their first content in early November, while others are ramping up during the Black Friday weekend, following the near-silent early November days. Let’s investigate each option more closely.
1. Early November: Setting the Stage With Pre-Black Friday Emails
Starting your email campaigns in early November (or right after Halloween) builds momentum, introduces early-bird discounts, and helps segment your audience by early engagement levels.
Sending a teaser email at this stage gives subscribers a sneak peek of upcoming deals, building anticipation and engaging your audience ahead of Black Friday.
Here are a few ideas for early November Black Friday email strategies:
Advantages of early November emails:
- Builds anticipation for your Black Friday deals.
- Gives subscribers a chance to plan their purchases.
- Helps segment your audience based on engagement levels.
Sample subject line: Get Ready for the Biggest Deals of the Year—Coming Soon!
This email subject line brings that all-important email to the customer’s inbox early on in the month, increasing the chances of better sales during the Black Friday period.
2. Monday Before Black Friday: The Early Access Launch
This email lets VIP or loyal customers access deals before everyone else—building excitement and early conversions while dodging the inbox rush.
Benefits of Monday before Black Friday emails:
- Targets customers before the peak email flood.
- Encourages early conversions, helping prevent decision fatigue.
- Reinforces your brand as a top shopping destination.
Example subject line: Black Friday Starts Early! Access Deals Now before Everyone Else!
3. Wednesday Evening (Pre-Black Friday): Building Anticipation
Sending emails the evening before Thanksgiving is helpful for prompting last-minute excitement before the big day. Sending reminder emails at this time is especially effective for keeping your brand top-of-mind before Black Friday, ensuring customers are aware of upcoming deals and ready to take action.
Research shows that many consumers begin their Black Friday shopping while preparing for Thanksgiving or winding down in the evening.
A successful Black Friday email example is one that creates anticipation by showcasing unique designs, compelling offers, and strategic messaging to engage the audience.
Advantages of pre-Black Friday emails:
- Captures attention before competitors send out peak Black Friday emails.
- Encourages browsing for deals and planning purchases.
- Gives your audience a sneak peek at exclusive deals.
Example subject line: Tomorrow’s the Day! Get a Sneak Peek at Our Black Friday Deals!
4. Thanksgiving Day: Catching Early Shoppers
A lot of consumers start shopping on Thanksgiving, either from home or after a family gathering. This is a great time to send out a reminder email with a direct call-to-action. To stand out in crowded inboxes on Thanksgiving, it’s crucial to use attention-grabbing email subject lines that highlight urgency, special offers, or personalization.
Advantages of Thanksgiving emails:
- Takes advantage of mobile shopping as people travel or relax.
- Gets ahead of the Black Friday email rush.
- Appeals to early shoppers eager for deals.
Example subject line: Start Your Black Friday Shopping Today! Deals Are Live!
5. Black Friday Morning: The Peak Launch
It’s the big day, and you’ll want your email to be one of the first your subscribers see in the morning. An email sent around 6—7 a.m. is ideal to catch those early shoppers.
Make sure to plan your email send for when Black Friday falls, so your message reaches shoppers at the right moment and stands out during the peak of the holiday shopping season.
While sending a morning email is a practical way to reach more inboxes, some people will check their emails as soon as it hits midnight. To build anticipation, consider prepping your deals at least a day in advance.
Advantages of Black Friday morning emails:
- Reaches the inbox at the height of shopping excitement.
- Encourages purchases before deal fatigue sets in.
- Ideal for early bird shoppers who want to take advantage of deals before items sell out.
Example subject line: It’s Here! Shop Our Black Friday Deals Now Before They’re Gone!
6. Black Friday Afternoon: The Second Reminder
To stay top-of-mind, a follow-up email in the afternoon can remind subscribers of items they may have saved for later or offer an additional promotion on a specific Black Friday deal. Businesses often include items in low stock or clearance items that they want to sell quickly. Sending reminder emails on the same day as Black Friday is especially effective for creating urgency and encouraging immediate action from customers.
Advantages of Black Friday afternoon emails:
- Helps recapture interest from early-morning visitors.
- They can include a reminder of low inventory for popular items.
- Drives urgency with a Last Call type of subject line.
Example subject line: Still Shopping? Last Call On Our Best Black Friday Deals!
All-Important Strategies to Increase Black Friday Email Engagement
For Black Friday email marketing to succeed, business owners and email marketers tend to do a few more things than just launch their email campaigns.
Email marketers use these strategies to augment results, ensuring that their email marketing campaigns are well-planned and effectively executed for Black Friday. We collected the top approaches to apply to your own business.
1. Segment Your Audience for Personalized Deals
Rule number one in every email marketing campaign is segmentation. Black Friday email marketing allows you to tailor email content based on specific preferences and past behaviours through targeted email campaigns.
To intensify effectiveness, divide your audience into different segments based on demographics or shopping habits. Analyzing customer behavior, such as how subscribers interact with your emails, can help refine your segmentation and targeting for more relevant messaging.
For example:
- Group subscribers by frequent buyers, one-time shoppers, and browsers.
- Send unique emails: VIPs get early access and new buyers get exclusive offers.
2. Use Urgency & Scarcity Techniques
Time-limited offers, countdown timers, or low-stock notifications are proven ways to create urgency in your Black Friday emails:
- Limited Time Only! callouts raise urgency.
- Countdown graphics push instant action.
- Time-sensitive deals drive immediate action by letting customers know the offer will not last.
3. Optimize Subject Lines for Peak Engagement
Make your subject lines clear and concise, with a focus on keywords like Black Friday, Exclusive, and Only Today. Personalizing subject lines with the subscriber’s name or VIP tags can also increase open rates through customized subject lines.
Highlighting promotional messages in your subject lines can further boost open rates, as consumers are more likely to engage with emails that clearly offer special deals or discounts.
Remember to avoid words that might put your email in the spam folder.
4. Use Eye-Catching Design & Clear Calls to Action
Emails with visually appealing designs capture attention more effectively, especially during Black Friday when inboxes are full. Consider using a dark theme for your Black Friday emails to make your offers stand out and create a sense of exclusivity. Ensure your design is mobile-friendly, and place a prominent CTA button in each email.
5. Highlight Best Sellers & Exclusive Products
If you have best-selling products or exclusive items, highlight these in your Black Friday emails. Limited-edition products or exclusive discounts on popular items can generate buzz and increase click-through rates. Consider offering a free gift with every purchase to incentivize sales and reward loyal customers during your campaign.
6. Use Social Proof & Testimonials
Including social proof, such as customer reviews, ratings, and testimonials, helps build trust and can sway hesitant shoppers. Showcasing positive reviews not only reassures new customers but also strengthens brand loyalty, making repeat purchases more likely during Black Friday campaigns. Displaying ratings on high-demand items in emails can drive more conversions.
Accelerating Your Black Friday Campaign Hit: Post-Black Friday Email Techniques
Once Black Friday is over, you can still capitalize on your success with post-Black Friday campaigns that drive extended sales. Think of Cyber Monday or Cyber Week on some occasions.
Sending follow-up emails is crucial for re-engaging customers and maximizing sales after the event by targeting recipients based on their previous engagement. Here are some practical approaches:
1. Black Friday Weekend Extension
Extending your Black Friday sale through the weekend allows customers who missed out on Friday to still make purchases. Targeting customers specifically during the BFCM weekend is crucial, as it helps capture additional revenue during this high-traffic shopping period.
An email on Saturday morning announcing the extended sales can generate extra revenue. It can also make clients—who didn’t convert—buy more easily while also generating more traffic.
2. Cyber Monday & Beyond
With the Cyber Monday sale following right after Black Friday, sending out emails on Sunday night or Monday morning can remind your audience that the deals are not over. Well-timed Cyber Monday emails are crucial to maximize engagement and verify that your message stands out during the busy holiday shopping period.
Harmonizing your Cyber Monday campaigns with your Black Friday efforts—by matching designs and messaging—can help extend your promotional impact and keep customers engaged. Offering different products or online exclusives can nudge customers to return for another purchase.
Consider using a dedicated Cyber Monday email template to boost engagement and drive more sales.
3. Thank You Emails to Build Customer Loyalty
Sending a thank-you email to everyone who made a purchase on Black Friday can create goodwill and encourage future shopping. These emails also strengthen customer relationships by showing appreciation and encouraging ongoing engagement. The same goes for when a visitor subscribes to your store during the Black Friday period or in general.
Imagine subscribing to an online store and immediately after you’ve created your account, you receive a welcoming email with information on what to do next, or, for example, how to use the store’s wishlist.
Include a special discount code or a preview of upcoming holiday promotions as a way to show appreciation.
Data-Driven Results: Black Friday Email Marketing by the Numbers
- In 2024, global Black Friday online sales reached $74.4 Billion USD, a 5% increase year-over-year, highlighting the importance of analyzing Black Friday email performance to improve future campaigns.
- 69% of purchases were made on mobile devices—mobile optimization is non-negotiable for strong Black Friday email performance.
- 56.9% of shoppers want brands to reach out at least a month ahead of Black Friday, while 21.9% want even earlier contact.
- Well-timed Black Friday email promotions boost engagement and sales.
- Targeted emails have open and click-through rates of 36.69% and 267.21% higher than non-personalized campaigns.
- AI-Powered campaigns saw conversion rates rise by 9%.
- Effective email marketing contributed to notable growth in BFCM sales.
- Amazon’s Black Friday ad sales grew 130% in 2024.
Actionable Checklist
- Plan and segment campaigns by October.
- Create targeted campaigns for different audience segments to deliver personalized messaging and offers.
- Launch early-bird and warm-up emails in early November.
- Use your email platform to send campaigns at optimal times for Black Friday to maximize engagement.
- Plan and automate BFCM campaigns for maximum efficiency, using workflows and behavioral triggers.
- Test send times for the Monday before, Thanksgiving, and Black Friday morning.
- Use mobile-friendly designs and personalized subject lines.
- Integrate SMS and push notifications for instant impact.
- Add social proof, reviews, and testimonials.
- Extend deals and send thank-you emails to nurture new buyers
Summing It Up
Choosing the best time to send Black Friday emails and employing data-driven sending methods can shape your campaign’s success.
By planning well in advance, segmenting your audience, and creating engaging, mobile-friendly content, your Black Friday emails can rise above the competition, capturing attention and driving sales. Crafting effective marketing messages in your Black Friday emails guarantees that your promotional messages are timely and relevant, increasing engagement and conversions.
Additionally, make sure your landing page aligns with your email content to provide an uninterrupted customer experience from inbox to purchase. With these proven strategies, your Black Friday email campaigns will be well-equipped to make a lasting impact on your bottom line.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the best day to start Black Friday email campaigns?
Starting in early November for pre-Black Friday emails and ramping up the week of Black Friday is ideal for building expectancy and driving engagement. It also depends on the type of eCommerce store and your current stock.
Should I send multiple Black Friday emails?
Yes, but in a timely manner. Sending multiple emails, such as early access, a pre-Black Friday teaser, and a morning-of email, can help maximize engagement and reach different shopping segments. However, sending too many can have the exact opposite results.
Is Thanksgiving Day a good time for Black Friday emails?
Absolutely. Thanksgiving is increasingly popular for shopping, and an email on this day can capture early shoppers and those looking to secure deals.
What’s the ideal subject line length for Black Friday emails?
Aim for concise, attention-grabbing subject lines of around 40—55 characters. Including keywords like Black Friday and Deal can increase open rates.
How can I increase urgency in my Black Friday emails?
Use countdown timers, limited-time offers, and low-stock indicators to create a sense of urgency, encouraging immediate action.
Should Black Friday emails be mobile-friendly?
Yes, most consumers will view Black Friday emails on their phones. Ensure your email layout, images, and CTA buttons are perfected for mobile devices.
Where can I find Black Friday email examples?
You can find creative and engaging Black Friday email examples by exploring various marketing blogs and resources, or by subscribing to the email lists of other companies and businesses. These examples often showcase strategies like sitewide sales and interactive content, providing inspiration to craft powerful campaigns that drive customer engagement and sales.
How do mailbox providers affect Black Friday email deliverability, and how can I avoid spam filters?
Mailbox providers like Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft use advanced filtering to manage the high volume of emails during Black Friday. To avoid spam filters, use clean lists, avoid spammy language, authenticate your domain, and monitor engagement rates to ensure your emails reach inboxes.
Where can I find a comprehensive Black Friday hub for marketing resources and strategies?
A Black Friday hub is a centralized resource collection offering guides, strategies, courses, videos, and articles to help you prepare for Black Friday. Many marketing platforms and industry blogs provide a Black Friday hub to streamline your campaign planning and execution.
What are the benefits of using Black Friday email templates for campaign creation?
Black Friday email templates are designed specifically for the holiday, featuring dark themes, conversion-focused layouts, and compatibility with major email clients. Using these templates saves time and ensures your campaigns look professional and perform well across devices.
How can I coordinate BFCM promotions across multiple channels for maximum impact?
To maximize the impact of your BFCM promotions, plan and synchronize your messaging across email, website, ads, and SMS. Use consistent branding and timing to create an omnichannel experience that drives more traffic and conversions during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
