20 Black Friday Email Examples to Sell More in 2023
Whether your business is a brick-and-mortar with online sales or online only, Black Friday is a huge time of year. Many consumers use these days to knock out holiday shopping or take advantage of discounts for a needed product or service. Black Friday 2021 was a record year for sales, as businesses on and offline took in a record $886.7 billion!
Email marketing lets a business get personal with current and potential customers. From using their name in the opening to offering product recommendations based on previous purchases, personalization sells. It also helps create a loyal customer base throughout the year.
E-commerce sales are projected to make up one-fifth of total retail sales for 2022.¹ Millions of consumers carry their email inbox everywhere via a smartphone. Black Friday email campaigns are imperative for businesses. These campaigns do take a bit of planning and strategizing to roll out and produce results. Yet, while it may seem daunting, we’ll break down these parts, including:
How to write a successful Black Friday email;
Why your CRM is important to your Black Friday campaign; and
Specific questions about email campaigns.
Settle in and take the first steps toward your best Black Friday sales year yet!
Why Are Black Friday Email Campaigns So Important?
Black Friday email campaigns are effective. In 2020, U.S. consumers spent $4.3 billion on desktop e-commerce shopping or shopping online from a computer.² As e-commerce continues to grow, email marketing allows businesses the flexibility to connect with existing and potential customers, plus:
Reaching more people: Email allows you to reach a targeted audience and tailor each message to a specific current or potential customer.
Streamlining other marketing channels: Your website, social media, blogs, and customer testimonials are great channels to share in an email. Each provides brand recognition and consistency while offering readers the chance to learn more about your business and products or services beyond Black Friday.
Motivating readers to take action: Perhaps the most important reason, email gives you a direct way to connect a customer to a purchase.
Increasing brand recognition: Existing and potential customers who sign up for your emails and other marketing materials have a higher likelihood of recognizing and preferring your business. They’re also more likely to give word-of-mouth recommendations to their social circle.
Personalizing messages and product offers: Customizing emails in a Black Friday campaign is a great way to engage and grow your customer list. Plus, it tells customers you know who they are by offering specific offers.
Gaining further insight into customers based on email metrics: Most email CRMs (customer relationship management) let you see who’s opened emails, buttons or links clicked, and other data. You can design and create tests to further investigate what resonates with customers and make appropriate changes to drive sales.
How To Write a Successful Email for A Black Friday Campaign
Getting the attention of a reader in the sea of Black Friday emails feels like a herculean task. Keeping it may also feel daunting. Yet, with a bit of planning and strategy beforehand, your business may have its most successful Black Friday to date. Keep in mind that a successful Black Friday depends on goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) you set for the specific campaign.
1. Plan Your Black Friday Email, But Don’t Chisel It In Stone
The first step to success isn’t looking over Black Friday email examples but planning your email. Decide the what, when, how, and why:
What products or services do you want to highlight via email?
When do you want to feature them, such as all at once or over several emails?
How do you want to convey your sales, such as static images, video or GIF, or a blend of the three with relevant text?
Why do you want to feature these products or services, such as you’ve noticed an uptick in customer inquiries about them.
Keep in mind your plan isn’t written in stone. If product availability will be scarce during the sale duration, you can play up the scarcity with customers, or not. Flexibility is key when planning and creating your Black Friday email templates.
2. Write An Open-Worthy Subject Line
Having an open-worthy subject line may mean the difference in a sale or missed opportunity. This line is often the first impression a reader has in a full inbox. Here are 20 subject line ideas for five common types of emails sent for Black Friday from businesses.
Black Friday in general: Your Black Friday Treat; Thanksgiving Is Done - Now It’s Time For Shopping; Our Black Friday Deals Have Arrived; It’s Black Fri-Yay.
Sneak Peek: Your Early Black Friday Offer; Be The First To Shop Our Black Friday Deals; Your Early Access To Our Black Friday Sales; Get Our Amazing Deals Now.
Free Shipping: Say Hello To Free Shipping On Black Friday; Free Shipping? You’ve Got It!; Free Shipping For All Purchases On Black Friday; Celebrate Black Friday With Free Shipping.
Black Friday Deals: Save Up To XX% For Black Friday; Open To Find Our Best Deal Ever; X Days of XX% Off; Buy 1, Get a 2nd XX% Off.
Last Minute Black Friday: Only X Hours Left On This Sale; Our Once-A-Year Sale Is Almost Over; Only X Hour Left For Black Friday; You Won’t See These Discounts Again Until Next Year.
Regardless of what subject line you choose, keep it short, valuable, and to the point.
3. Use A Simple Black Friday Email Template Structure
Black Friday/Cyber Monday isn’t the time to roll out a new email design. Stick with a simple column structure and test the design on mobile devices before sending. Mobile users generate 39 percent of online revenue during the holidays.³
4. Feature How Your Product or Service Solves A Customer’s Issue
This should be the overall message to any email sent, but more so during the competitive holiday season. Consumers have a want, need, or issue, and are turning to you to provide a solution. Plus it’s a great chance to give segments of your contact list personalized recommendations. Personalization is a simple way to increase click-through and conversion rates.
5. Use Appropriate Humor
A dash of humor is a great way to engage current and potential customers during this busy time of year. But unless the message includes the useful information customers want and need about your sale, humor is ineffective. Be mindful that not everyone finds humor in the same situation or topic.
6. Make A Valuable Offer
Today’s shoppers are tuned-in deal hunters. A 10 percent discount rarely entices, and a buy one, get one deal on slow-moving inventory won’t. Wow current and potential customers with an alluring offer, such as a better discount than a competitor.
7. Create A Sense Of Urgency or FOMO
People want to be included or think they are. Email copy and imagery reinforcing a sense of urgency or the chance of missing out improves open, click-through, and conversion rates. But don’t be spammy — phrases such as “act now” or “once in a lifetime” may be understood unintentionally.
8. Include Video or GIFs When Possible
These two mediums are a great way to catch a reader’s scant attention and show someone how to use the product. It also allows them to see what the item looks like in real life and provides an opportunity to envision themselves using it.
9. Use A Strong Call To Action
Consumers know you want them to make a purchase, sign up for a subscription, or another action based on the email itself. But, sometimes they need an extra nudge to take the final step. A strong call-to-action (CTA) engages and entices, with a small amount of cajoling. Don’t be afraid to change the button text to an action word from a headline.
4 Tactics To Avoid In A Black Friday Email Campaign
With so many emails hitting inboxes for Black Friday, it may seem like a good idea to use a shortcut or two to save time. But, these frequently result in a poor user experience and cost a sale and a customer. Avoiding these tactics now and throughout the year will improve your overall email marketing.
1. Click-Bait Subject Lines
A subject line needs to relate to the email content. With thousands of businesses sending Black Friday emails during this time, it’s important to follow best practices, such as this. Misled customers may be confused or frustrated, or unsubscribe entirely (or hit spam!).
2. Broken Buttons, Codes & Links
Double-check any buttons, codes, and links you include and immediately fix any issues. Broken elements within the email content may adversely affect sales. They also create a poor user experience which customers may cite as reason enough to unsubscribe.
3. Daily Emails
While it’s important to send emails to build excitement, it’s equally important not to bombard customers daily. Otherwise, readers may ignore and delete your emails before opening them. A good rule of thumb is two emails per week leading up to the sale.
4. An Overwhelming Amount of Text
Whether you’re writing your first Black Friday sale email or your 36th, keep the amount of text to a minimum. The average reader spends 10 to 15 seconds reading an email.⁴ Be brief and remember it’s more than okay to send more than one email over time.
Why A CRM Is The Way To Black Friday Email Campaign Success
Your CRM is a trove of customer data and information ready to turn into personalization and sales. Consumers appreciate and engage with personalized messages, even if you’re selling something. In turn, their data and information lets you offer targeted products, services, and recommendations. Here are four ways to work with your CRM this holiday season, for your benefit and your customers’.
1. Lean Into Automation
Your email readers are on different journeys, but hopefully all going to the same destination - becoming a customer. CRM automation makes it easy to reach these readers along the way, providing a helpful nudge or two. Once you’ve segmented the contact list, take some time to write emails for these different readers. Remember to personalize each email message. Then, use your CRM to set up triggers to send the emails when appropriate.
2. Check Campaign Performance During The Campaign
Near real-time data is a great way to make positive changes to an active campaign. Or, if you’ve run a Black Friday campaign in prior years, an analysis of the information can guide improvements for this year. If a sent email has a low click-through rate on the main CTA, you can make adjustments to scheduled emails as necessary.
3. Identify Possible Cross-Sells & Upsells
Because a CRM holds years of customer data, it’s a great tool to use for cross-selling and upselling products and services. If a customer bought a specific product last Black Friday, and your business has an improved version, the customer is an upsell target. Or, if they recently bought a product but you offer a related and beneficial product, send a cross-sell email.
4. Reconnect With Existing Customers
Maybe you have a plan for existing and evangelist customers. But what about those who only buy once or twice a year? A CRM lets you find those customers and easily send a message of acknowledgment.
For example, if they bought from you last Black Friday, but not in the following year, offer a thank you discount code. It doesn’t have to be a major discount, but a small token of appreciation for their business. This short acknowledgment shows you recognize each customer. It may spur a one-time purchase into a regular buyer.
20 Black Friday Email Examples To Use in 2022
Perhaps the busiest time of the year, Black Friday emails create a cacophony in inboxes. But, gleaning a bit of inspiration from others then tailoring to your needs is a great start. Here we’ve put together 20 examples and reasons why they work.
1. Use Action-Based But Conversational Messaging like Brooklinen
If you rarely have product sales, highlighting a Black Friday deal is a great way to spur action. Brooklinen does a good job of pointing out that the company rarely offers sales, heightening the fear of missing out (FOMO). The copy is actionable but conversational as if Brooklinen is speaking only to the reader.
2. Grab Attention With A Great Subject Line like Casper
“Every Friday is Black Friday when your eyes are closed. Because you’re napping.”
A chuckle, guffaw, or knee slap, but Casper doesn’t hold back with its readers and a kitschy Black Friday subject line. This snappy one-and-a-half liner blends right into the rest of the email content, where readers are invited to choose a snooze. The copy directly states the discount, terms, code to use, and when the sale ends.
3. Simply Announce Black Friday Sales like National Geographic
National Geographic gets right to the point with how much customers could save on a range of gifts. Readers can quickly scan the email and see products thanks to the simple and clean design. The company also embraces its iconic branding and colors, which is a good idea for a busy sales season. While it may be tempting to unveil a one-time color palette to grab attention, sticking with tried and true branding is.
4. Create a Product-Focused Black Friday Email like Machine Fitness
Machine Fitness seamlessly blends featured products and a simple black-and-white design to create a responsive email. Each product shows the discounted price with distinct CTA buttons. Plus, the model’s straight-on gaze makes the email feel personal.
5. Stand Out In The Details like Clarks
It’s the details that matter in this example from Clarks. The company features its sitewide free shipping and free returns in the preheader. Plus, this area has the first click-through opportunity for readers. The body of the email follows a one-column centered layout, guiding the reader’s attention steadily toward the end.
6. Sell By Not Selling like REI
It may seem counterproductive, but sometimes people are enticed to buy more because a business doesn’t have Black Friday sales. REI invites its customers to join them elsewhere — in the outdoors — instead of in a store on Black Friday. The retailer also invites people to make charitable donations with the money they would have otherwise spent. Sometimes the event itself is not going with the crowd.
7. Show Off A Simple But Engaging Animation like Carhartt
Animations or videos in a Black Friday email template don’t have to be Oscar-worthy to be eye-catching. Carhartt riffs on window blinds opening to announce the start of their Black Friday weekend sale. The text above their two CTA buttons states discounts only apply to selected items. But, the buttons direct users whether they’re shopping for men or women.
8. Feature Your Sale Products or Services like Urban Outfitters
Sure, you’re running different discounts for different products, but customers want to see what it is they’re receiving. Urban Outfitters shows their readers what’s included for discounts and provides links directly to those website pages. The company doesn’t use much text in the email, simply allowing clear static images to speak. Black Friday email templates such as this have a higher ability to drive click-throughs and conversions.
9. Solve Finding A Gift like Penguin Random House
For businesses that offer an array of products, compiling a recommended gifts list is a great way to interact with customers and drive Black Friday sales. Maybe you have a house full of readers, but readers of vastly different genres. Penguin Random House invites readers to click a penguin to find a recommended book. Further down in the copy, it states expert staffers can further help find the perfect gifted book through a hotline CTA button.
10. Combine A Game & Unknown Savings like Bose
Intrigue and interactivity combine in this Black Friday email from Bose. If a reader clicks or scratches off the designated circle, they’ll receive a savings code on a landing page. The click-through opens the way for further click-throughs and conversions.
11. Embrace Less Is More Like Article.
Understated but effective work perfectly for a busy holiday sale. Article slyly shows off one of its stylish armchairs with shadow movement. But, the use of text holds its own against the GIF. Readers don’t need to search for how much of a discount, shipping information, and when the sale ends.
12. Make A Statement on Mobile like Electric Objects
Eighty percent of smartphone users check the device within 15 minutes of waking up.⁵ This staggering number is the leading reason why Electric Object stands out among Black Friday email examples. The design, text, and branding are optimized for mobile devices. It’s vibrant but not overwhelming, brief but not lacking.
13. Lead With FOMO like Pretty Little Thing
Right after a reader learns everything from Pretty Little Thing is 30 percent off, they’re hit with FOMO. Or at least that’s the goal of using a countdown timer below the ‘shop now’ button. The company also forgoes incorporating the color black for Black Friday because it’s not in line with its branding.
14. Be Clean & Organized like Eye Buy Direct
This example from EyeBuyDirect is for Cyber Monday, but there’s no reason why it wouldn’t work for Black Friday. The text GIF is legible and not overwhelming as a direct lead into the first CTA and discount code opportunity for readers. Eye Buy Direct ended the email with a subtle but direct CTA change, reminding customers they’d save money on eyewear instead of simply shopping.
15. Blend Pop Culture & Fun Together like Maurices
When your ideal customer is known for their pop culture prowess and modern approach to style, weaving both into a Black Friday email is perfect. Maurice’s immediately lets readers know the buy one, get one free deal applies to online orders and in-store purchases. Further down, the real discount is unveiled in large text. The simple design also resizes well for mobile viewing.
16. Let The Design Tell Who You Are like Sephora
In the crowd of Black Friday emails, Sephora stays true to who they are as a brand — with a few seasonally appropriate additions. The images, style, and voice stay consistent with who the brand is every day. The overall design lets readers find the information they want and need, such as online and in stores and when the sales begin.
17. Quietly Announce An Exclusive Deal like SimpliSafe
A major benefit of email marketing is the ability to personalize each message. Here, SimpliSafe shared its Black Friday deal with subscribers only. The text-only message gives the feeling as if it was written solely for the reader. Dave’s sign-off at the end adds to the personalization. Plus, the use of bold text, for the offer and the links, stands out among the copy.
18. Add Commonly Purchased Items like Chewy
The holiday season is busy for everyone, including four-legged friends and family. Chewy acknowledges them by using an effective reminder at the top. The ‘Almost Out’ text catches the reader’s attention. Clear product photos may spur a reminder to buy more pet food, based on previous purchases. The reminder at the bottom of a 24/7 helpline also tells the reader Chewy’s staff is there for them at any time.
19. Make Online Shopping Simple like Poo-Pourri
Discount codes are great, but a set discount applied automatically is even better. Poo-Pourri makes shopping easy for their customers with the stated automatic discount. This email weaves several tactics - power words, scarcity, and animation - into a short yet effective call to action.
20. Increase Foot Traffic From Subscribers like Dunkin’
If your brick-and-mortar business has a points-based reward system, such as Dunkin’, use it to increase foot traffic. The offer of bonus points, or punches for a punch card, increases the feeling of exclusivity for reward members. The Find A Store button tells readers Dunkin’ wants to make it easy for them to fuel up. This is good in case your business has multiple locations. Readers shouldn’t have to remember which location is closest to them.
Bonus Black Friday Email Tips for Better Sales
How can I use my social media to help my email campaign?
Use it to tease upcoming Black Friday promotions and encourage people to sign up for emails. Social media is a great spot to drive email sign-ups by teasing email-only offers. Plus, the social proof created by active social media channels will reinforce brand awareness beyond the holiday season.
Should I send emails before Black Friday about my sales?
Yes! These emails are a great opportunity to tease promotions and build up FOMO. This heads-up lets readers keep an eye on their inbox so they don’t miss your Black Friday offer.
Who should I send my Black Friday/Cyber Monday emails to?
Only send to contacts who’ve positively engaged with previous emails, such as opening the email, clicking on links, and forwarding to others. They’re more likely to interact with Black Friday email campaigns and make a purchase.
I have a special offer in mind — should I send it to everyone on my email list?
If you’re thinking about an exclusive Black Friday offer, save it for your brand evangelists. These are loyal customers who interact with each email and promote your brand or company online and offline. Plus the exclusivity of the promotion may entice them to further spread the word.
When should you send Black Friday emails?
Ideally, the first should go out at least one week, preferably two weeks, before Black Friday between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m. Space out sending subsequent emails for the campaign, and don’t be afraid to change send times based on the data.
How many emails should I send on Black Friday?
The answer depends on the promotions featured within your Black Friday email strategy. Along with the main email, some businesses send subsequent messages for further discounts or surprise sales.
What type of emails should I send for Black Friday?
While it depends on your campaign goals, most businesses send teaser, sale announcement, sneak peek, reminder, day-of, and last chance emails.
Teaser: Don’t worry if all details aren’t finalized yet. The point of a teaser email is to let email readers know you are having a Black Friday sale, and to stay tuned.
Sale Announcement: This email should be sent seven to 10 days before the sale itself. It should also include necessary details, about sale dates and length of time.
Sneak Peek: This is a great type of email to send to loyal customers. Give them a sneak peek of the sale, or a special item only available during Black Friday.
Reminder: These emails usually hit everyone’s inbox one to two days before the big event.
Day-Of: Most day-of emails go out the morning of Black Friday. Remember to include an actionable message and working links to your website.
Last Chance: Whether your sale ends the night of Black Friday or later in the weekend, drum up a little FOMO. Readers who meant to shop earlier may now load up their cart rather than miss this year’s sale.
How can I improve email deliverability for Black Friday?
1. Follow email design best practices.
An email that looks like it was thrown together at the last second won’t drive sales. Stick with your brand fonts, make sure displayed CTAs use a contrasting color, and use a 70/30 ratio of images/graphics to text.
2. Segment your contact list.
Segmenting your list is a perfect way to fine-tune a Black Friday sales strategy. Even a handful of segments, such as regular customers, customers who’ve bought in the prior six months, and customers who shopped last Black Friday, are enough to start with. These are people more likely to open and click through an email.
3. Confirm user opt-ins.
Make sure you’re only sending to users who’ve confirmed they want to receive your emails. Privacy legislation, such as GDPR and CCPA, requires this confirmation. Otherwise, you have the risk of deliverability and performance issues.
4. Send emails at optimal times.
Remember, optimal times may not be when everyone else is sending emails. Alternative times, such as 10 a.m. or 2 p.m., might catch readers who aren’t waiting in queues or prefer to shop later in the day. Ultimately, optimal times for you depend on what the data from your CRM says.
Write Better Black Friday Emails
Black Friday email campaigns don’t have to be intimidating. Though there’s a lot of work to prepare, we promise it’s worth the effort.
We know that email marketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all channel and strives to put each customer on the path to success. From full email marketing management to hourly consultations, we’re here to help every step of the way. Contact us today to learn how!
¹ https://www.statista.com/statistics/534123/e-commerce-share-of-retail-sales-worldwide/
² https://www.statista.com/topics/8714/black-friday-worldwide/#dossierKeyfigures
³ https://www.statista.com/topics/1103/holiday-season-e-commerce/#dossierKeyfigures
⁴ https://earthweb.com/how-many-emails-does-the-average-person-receive-per-day/
⁵ https://www.nu.nl/files/IDC-Facebook%20Always%20Connected%20(1).pdf
