Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the year’s shopping highlights and the perfect chance to ramp up sales and win new customers. But with inboxes jam-packed, generic emails just won’t cut it.
Here are 15 smart cheat codes to help you stand out, engage your audience and drive conversions.
1. Start Early to Build Anticipation
Don’t leave it until the last minute. Brand leaders start teasing sales weeks before BFCM. Send sneak peeks, teaser campaigns or early-bird access offers to warm up your audience. If you’re running late, at least drop a teaser a week before Black Friday, then follow up with countdown emails.
2. Segment Your Audience for Personalisation & Profit
Generic emails? That’s not going to work. Use behaviour, purchase history or customer value to segment your audience. Reward loyal customers with early access, and target cart abandoners with special incentives.
Smart brands use RFM (Recency, Frequency and Monetary) to tailor offers. For instance, light discounts on high-margin items for top spenders, and deeper discounts on trending stock to clear inventory.
3. Mix Up Your Offer Strategy
Overdid discounting last year? Switch things up. Percentage off isn’t always the most effective.
Test freebies, bundle offers, or free shipping instead. Customers often see added value in gifts or BOGO deals more than in hefty discounts.
4. Go for Flash Sales & Stock-Limited Offers
Flash sales and limited-stock deals drive urgency. Try time-sensitive or quantity-limited offers to spark excitement.
Keep momentum high with updates via email and SMS throughout the day.
5. Lean into Storytelling If Deep Discounts Aren’t Possible
Not offering steep discounts? Focus on narrative instead.
Share your brand story, product inspiration or user success stories to build emotional connection.
A well-told message stands out amid purely promotional emails. Bonus: if it fits your brand, an anti-Black Friday stance can be powerful.
6. Offer Exclusivity to Top Customers
Show your VIPs some love with early access or subscriber-only deals. Send exclusive emails to your best customers before the public sale starts – it builds loyalty and drives conversions.
7. Make Your Email Design Pop
Black Friday inboxes are crowded. Use bold visuals, clear headlines, minimal text and standout CTAs to grab attention. Animated GIFs in the hero section can engage users and reduce skips.
8. Use Dynamic Content for FOMO
Countdown timers and low-stock alerts feed FOMO and prompt quick action.
Phrases like “Only 5 items left” or “Sale ends in 2 hours” encourage faster responses.
9. Turn Up Engagement with Interactive Elements
Interactive features like scratch-to-reveal offers or clickable image hotspots make campaigns more engaging and can boost conversions.
Use them to highlight features or surprise deals.
10. Accelerate Abandoned Cart Campaigns
Sales reach a peak during BFCM, and browsing cycles are shorter. Make sure your cart abandonment messages are frequent and timely.
Even a single follow-up can recapture up to 30% in lost revenue.
11. Include Reviews for Instant Credibility
Customer satisfaction matters as much as product quality. Feature reviews or testimonials prominently to build trust in your Black Friday campaigns.
Tools like Trustpilot let you dynamically showcase reviews in emails.
12. Write Subject Lines That Stand Out
Your subject line needs to cut through the noise. Personalise it with dynamic content where possible. If not, get creative.
Pique curiosity to drive open rates. With attention spans so short, every word counts.
13. Clean Your List for Better Deliverability
During peak season, inbox placement matters. Prune inactive contacts before BFCM to boost deliverability and avoid spam traps.
14. Don’t Rely Only on Email – Use SMS & Push Too
Email loads may be delayed during high-volume periods. Supplement your campaigns with SMS and push notifications to reach your audience instantly.
15. Follow Up with Post-BFCM Campaigns
Don’t stop on Cyber Monday. Send thank-you emails, request reviews or share related offers.
Retarget interested but non-buying visitors with a tailored welcome journey – that’s how first-time buyers turn into repeat customers.
Win Your Inbox Space This Black Friday
Personalise your content, add urgency, and deliver seamless customer experiences. Start early, test smart, and measure results now to fine-tune next year’s campaign.
Don’t let poor sender reputation spoil it. Check out Spotler’s Black Friday deliverability guide to make sure your emails reach the right place at the right time.
Black Friday Marketing Hub
No need to stress about your Black Friday campaign. We have a complete toolkit ready for you with all the help you will need. Stress less. Sell more. Start with you Black Friday campaign now!
