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Preparing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Tips and Inspiration for Your Best Campaign Yet

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner, and for email marketers, it’s the most wonderful (and busiest) time of the year. These two days represent a golden opportunity to connect with your audience, boost engagement, and drive serious sales—but only if you’re ready to stand out in a sea of promotions. And we know that most of you aren’t quite ready yet!

To help you get ahead of the game, I’ve rounded up some of the most effective strategies and inspiring examples from past campaigns. Whether you’re crafting compelling subject lines, designing eye-catching emails, or planning personalized offers, these tips will help you create high-impact emails that grab attention and get results.

So, let’s dive into the tactics that will make your Black Friday and Cyber Monday emails shine—and set you up for a successful holiday season.

Crafting a Winning Subject Line

Your email’s subject line is your first—and often only—chance to grab your subscriber’s attention. With inboxes overflowing during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, a standout subject line can make all the difference between an email that gets opened and one that gets ignored.

One great example from last year is Huckberry’s emoji-only subject line: “⬛⬛⬛🟦⬛⬛⬛🟪⬛⬛⬛🟩⬛⬛⬛.” It was unexpected, intriguing, and playful—qualities that sparked curiosity and drove high open rates. The lesson? Don’t be afraid to break the mold with your subject lines.

Tips for Crafting Subject Lines that Get Opened:

•Be Creative and Unique: Use humor, emojis, or bold statements to stand out in a crowded inbox.

•Create Curiosity: Pique interest with a question, a hint at what’s inside, or an unusual format.

•Leverage Urgency: Words like “Limited Time,” “Ends Soon,” or “Today Only” can encourage subscribers to act fast.

•Keep It Short and Clear: Aim for clarity while keeping it concise—many people check emails on mobile, so make sure your subject line doesn’t get cut off.

Remember, the goal is to get noticed and entice your subscribers to open the email. Experiment with different approaches to find what resonates best with your audience. The most important thing is to stay true to your brand voice while standing out from the crowd.

Designing Bold and Eye-Catching Emails

Once your subject line has done its job and gotten your email opened, the next challenge is to keep your subscribers engaged. This is where your email design comes into play. During Black Friday and Cyber Monday, your email needs to stand out visually to compete with countless other promotions flooding your customers’ inboxes.

The best designs are often the simplest. Bold colors, clear messaging, and prominent call-to-action (CTA) buttons can make all the difference. Minimalist designs with strong contrasts help draw the eye exactly where you want it—whether that’s a big discount, a new product launch, or a special offer.

Examples of Brands That Nailed Their Design:

• High-Contrast Colors and Big, Clear CTAs: Some brands use dark backgrounds with bright, neon CTAs or vice versa. This contrast not only draws attention but also makes the content easy to read.

• Simple, Direct Messaging: Cutting straight to the point helps communicate the offer quickly. A concise headline, a few compelling details, and a clear, clickable button can drive conversions better than a cluttered email.

• Visual Hierarchy: Use size, color, and positioning to create a flow that guides the reader’s eyes through your content—from the header to the CTA.

Tips for Optimizing Your Email Design:

•Use Bold and High-Contrast Elements: Make your CTAs, discounts, and headlines pop with contrasting colors.

•Keep It Clean and Focused: Avoid overcrowding your email with too much text or too many images. Focus on one core message per email.

•Ensure Mobile-Friendliness: With a large percentage of emails being opened on mobile devices, ensure your design is responsive and looks great on all screen sizes.

•A/B Test Your Designs: Don’t settle on one design. A/B test different layouts, colors, and CTAs to see which version performs best.

An effective email design doesn’t just look good—it guides your readers toward taking the action you want. So, keep it bold, keep it simple, and always keep testing!

Creating Urgency with FOMO

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are all about limited-time offers and deals that won’t last long, so urgency is key. You want your subscribers to feel a sense of “Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO) that compels them to act quickly. The more urgency you can create, the more likely they are to click through and convert.

Here’s where urgency shines: Countdown timers, “limited stock” messages, and phrases like “Only Today!” or “Ends at Midnight!” can help create that all-important sense of urgency. But it’s not just about throwing a timer on your email—you need to make sure your audience feels the urgency is real and worth acting on.

I remember a few years ago, I was working on a holiday campaign for a client who was selling premium cookware. We added a dynamic countdown timer to the email, ticking down to the end of their Black Friday sale. Just having that visual element made a huge difference—people really responded to seeing the seconds slip away. We saw a noticeable spike in click-through rates within the last few hours of the sale. It was a simple addition, but it helped drive home that feeling of “act now or miss out.”

Tips for Adding Urgency to Your Emails:

• Use Countdown Timers: Embed a countdown timer that shows how much time is left until your offer expires. This works especially well for flash sales or limited-time promotions.

• Highlight Scarcity: Use phrases like “Only a Few Left” or “While Supplies Last” to create a sense of scarcity. People don’t like to miss out on exclusive deals.

• Create Exclusive Offers: Make your subscribers feel special by offering early access or exclusive deals just for them. This taps into their desire to be part of something unique.

• Use Time-Sensitive Language: Words like “Hurry,” “Last Chance,” “Now or Never,” or “Ending Soon” can motivate readers to take immediate action.

The trick is to strike the right balance. You want to create urgency without making it feel forced or overused. When done right, it can lead to significant increases in engagement and conversions.

Leveraging Personalization and Segmentation

In today’s crowded inbox, sending the same generic message to everyone just doesn’t cut it anymore. Your subscribers expect emails that feel personal and relevant to their interests. That’s where personalization and segmentation come in—they allow you to tailor your messages to meet the specific needs and preferences of your audience, making your campaigns more effective.

Personalization is more than just adding a first name to the greeting. It’s about using the data you have to create truly relevant content. This could mean recommending products based on past purchases, tailoring offers to match browsing behavior, or sending specific promotions that align with a customer’s preferences.

A while back, I was managing a campaign for a client in the fitness industry. We decided to segment their email list based on activity level—whether subscribers were beginners, intermediate, or advanced athletes. For beginners, we focused on introducing basic gear and entry-level programs, while the advanced group received emails about high-performance equipment and exclusive workout plans. The result? Not only did we see higher open and click-through rates, but there was also a noticeable uptick in sales across all segments. The emails resonated because they spoke directly to each group’s unique needs.

Tips for Effective Personalization and Segmentation:

• Segment Based on Behavior: Use data from your website and past email interactions to create segments. For example, you could create segments based on recent purchases, items viewed, or frequency of engagement.
• Tailor Your Content: Create dynamic content blocks within your emails that change based on the recipient’s profile. This could mean showing different products, offers, or even entire sections depending on the subscriber’s preferences.
• Send Time Optimization: Experiment with sending your emails at different times based on when each segment is most active. For example, your early-bird shoppers might appreciate an early morning email, while night owls respond better to late-night promotions.
• Use Personalized Recommendations: Suggest products or services based on what the subscriber has browsed or purchased before. This makes the email feel more like a helpful suggestion rather than a hard sell.

Remember, the goal is to make your emails feel like they were crafted just for the recipient. The more you can make your subscribers feel understood and valued, the more likely they are to engage with your content—and ultimately, convert.

Adding Interactive Elements to Engage Subscribers

Static emails are effective, but interactive elements can take your campaigns to a whole new level. Adding animations, GIFs, or interactive features like quizzes and polls can transform your emails from simple messages into engaging experiences. When done well, interactivity can make your emails more memorable and encourage higher click-through rates.

Interactivity doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as a playful GIF that demonstrates how a product works or an animated countdown timer that builds anticipation. I once worked on a campaign where we used a fun, animated scratch-off feature in the email—recipients had to “scratch” an image to reveal their discount. It was a small touch, but it generated a lot of excitement. People loved the novelty, and it significantly boosted our click rates.

Tips for Using Interactive Elements in Your Emails:

• Incorporate GIFs and Animations: Use GIFs to showcase products in action, highlight special features, or add a bit of personality to your email. Just be mindful not to overdo it—too many moving parts can be overwhelming.
• Add Hover Effects or Clickable Elements: Encourage interaction by making images, buttons, or text change color or style when hovered over. This adds a layer of engagement without being too intrusive.
• Use Polls, Quizzes, or Surveys: Get your audience involved by asking them questions, letting them vote, or inviting them to take a quiz. This not only increases engagement but also provides valuable data about your subscribers’ preferences.
• Try Countdown Timers: A dynamic countdown timer not only creates urgency (as mentioned earlier) but also adds a visual cue that keeps subscribers’ eyes on the email longer.

I’ve seen firsthand how adding even a small interactive element can change the entire feel of an email. People love to engage with content that feels dynamic and fresh. It’s like turning your email into a mini experience, which is exactly what you want for high-impact campaigns like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Offering Bundles and Exclusive Deals

When it comes to holiday sales, everyone loves a good deal—but it doesn’t always have to be about slashing prices. Bundling products or offering exclusive deals can be an excellent way to increase the perceived value of your offer while encouraging customers to spend more. This strategy can help you boost your average order value and clear out inventory, all while giving customers more bang for their buck.

Bundling products is a smart way to drive higher sales. Instead of discounting individual items, you create value by packaging complementary products together. For example, when I was working with a skincare brand, we decided to bundle a best-selling moisturizer with a lesser-known serum and a travel-sized cleanser. We called it the “Winter Glow Kit.” Not only did it introduce customers to products they might not have bought individually, but the bundle deal also resulted in a 25% increase in average order value. Plus, customers loved feeling like they were getting a complete solution rather than just a single item.

Tips for Creating Compelling Bundles and Deals:

• Bundle Complementary Products: Think about which items naturally go together and create a package that offers a complete solution. For instance, if you sell coffee, bundle together a bag of beans, a mug, and a coffee grinder for a perfect morning starter kit.
• Highlight the Savings: Make sure to clearly communicate the value of buying the bundle versus purchasing the items individually. Use language like “Save 20% with this bundle” or “Get everything you need for one low price.”
• Create Exclusive Deals for Subscribers: Reward your email subscribers with exclusive early access to deals or special bundles that aren’t available to the general public. This not only drives urgency but also makes your subscribers feel valued.
• Test Different Offers: Try experimenting with different types of bundles and exclusive deals to see what resonates most with your audience. A/B test your email content to find the perfect combination of products, pricing, and messaging.

I’ve found that offering bundles and exclusive deals can be a win-win—it’s a great way to introduce customers to a range of products while also giving them the sense that they’re getting more for their money. And for the business, it can mean larger purchases, happier customers, and better margins.

Key Takeaways for Your Black Friday and Cyber Monday Campaigns

As you prepare for the biggest shopping days of the year, keep these essential strategies in mind to ensure your email campaigns stand out and perform at their best:

• Start Early and Build Anticipation: Don’t wait until the last minute to get the word out. Start teasing your deals weeks in advance with sneak peeks, early access offers, or countdown emails. I’ve seen firsthand how starting early can pay off. One year, we began promoting a client’s holiday sale two weeks in advance with a series of teaser emails. By the time the sale went live, our audience was already excited and engaged, leading to a surge in traffic and sales on day one.
• Optimize for Mobile: A large percentage of shoppers will browse and buy from their phones, so it’s crucial to make sure your emails look great on every device. Keep your design simple, with large buttons and easily readable text. I remember when we accidentally launched a campaign without fully optimizing for mobile, and the results were less than stellar. We quickly learned our lesson: always test your emails on multiple devices!
• A/B Test Your Content: Testing different subject lines, CTAs, and layouts is essential for understanding what works best with your audience. During one campaign, we tested two different subject lines—one straightforward and the other a bit more playful. To our surprise, the playful one outperformed the other by 30%! The takeaway? You never really know what will resonate until you test it.
• Stay True to Your Brand: While it’s tempting to go all-in on discounts, make sure your emails still reflect your brand’s unique voice and values. Authenticity matters more than ever. I’ve worked with brands that tried to adopt a completely different tone for their holiday campaigns, only to find that their audience didn’t respond well. When we pivoted back to their authentic brand voice, engagement improved immediately.

Get Inspired and Get Started!

Remember, the key to a successful Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaign is preparation, creativity, and staying true to what makes your brand unique. Check out our full galleries of Black Friday and Cyber Monday emails for more inspiration. Whether you’re a seasoned email marketer or just getting started, these examples can help spark ideas and guide your strategy.

Let’s make this your most successful holiday season yet!

Much love,
Andy

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @emaillove