As Black Friday approaches, businesses are preparing for the busiest shopping weekend of the year. Our inboxes will soon be inundated with Black Friday promotions, and for good reason. This article will explore five email examples to utilize leading up to Black Friday.

The sheer volume of emails sent by businesses leading up to and during Black Friday is no accident.

Custora reports that email marketing drives 1 in every 4 Black Friday purchases, surpassing all other channels. Social media, in contrast, only generated approximately 2%.

Email outperforms all other channels in driving sales, and customers who make purchases via email spend 138% more spend more on average.

The importance of Black Friday email marketing is undeniable. The real question is how to execute it effectively.

What constitutes a successful email campaign for the biggest sales weekend of the year?

Sending Multiple Emails

For an event as significant as Black Friday, an email campaign should always involve more than one email.

It’s unrealistic to expect a single email blast on Black Friday morning, detailing your offers, to yield substantial results. Your competitors will be emailing their subscribers not only on Black Friday itself but also in the preceding days and weeks.

To ensure your customers are aware of your sale, begin emailing a few weeks in advance using a dedicated service. This allows them to make an informed decision about where to spend their money.

By sending additional emails as part of a comprehensive campaign, you can keep your customer base fully informed about your sale.

So, how should you structure your campaign?

While there’s no universal formula, below are five emails to consider incorporating into your campaign.

Structuring Your Black Friday Email Campaign

1) Pre-Black Friday Teaser Emails

Start with a teaser email that sparks curiosity without revealing all the details.

Peel’s email below exemplifies this strategy.

Sending your initial email at least two weeks before Black Friday is ideal, making this email type perfect if your offers aren’t finalized.

Peel offers a ‘sneak peek’ of upcoming deals, even though the full sale hasn’t launched.

This creates a sense of exclusivity, and framing it as an invitation encourages customer engagement and fosters brand loyalty.

2) Sale Announcement

Formally announce your sale details at least a week before Black Friday, drawing inspiration from successful Black Friday email examples.

While announcements should be made on your website and social media, send a concise sale email to your subscribers.

This email should outline your sale, including offers, start and end dates (e.g., Friday only, the entire weekend and Cyber Monday, or an early start).

Consider incorporating a countdown timer for your sale launch to heighten excitement and anticipation, as seen in Zagg’s email below.

Some email service providers offer countdown timer features. If yours doesn’t, explore custom HTML options.

3) Gift Guide Emails

Following your sale announcement, send a couple of follow-up emails to maintain customer awareness. However, avoid repetition to prevent annoyance.

One way to achieve this is by emailing a gift guide.

Many shoppers leverage Black Friday sales to buy holiday gifts, making this email type highly relevant.

Structure your gift guide by creating product collections based on price, like Bed Bath & Beyond did in their email, or categorize them by recipient (men, women, children, etc.).

4) Reminder Email

Send a final reminder email the day before your [Black Friday sale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping) (Thursday, if following tradition).

Keep it simple: remind people about the sale’s imminent start in less than 24 hours and reiterate the key points of your offer(s). Urban Barn’s email below is a prime example.

5) Black Friday Emails

These emails are for Black Friday itself.

Considering the day’s importance and competition, it might be the only day you can send multiple emails without negative consequences.

In addition to a morning email announcing the sale’s start, send a ‘final chance’ email later in the afternoon. This creates urgency and triggers the fear of missing out (FOMO).

One effective method is using another countdown timer, as seen in Christopher and Banks’s example. Ensure your subject line conveys the same urgency to boost open rates.

If your sale spans the entire weekend, delay this email until the final day.

Conclusion: Emails Leading Up to Black Friday

Black Friday and email marketing are a potent combination.

While Black Friday emails already excel in driving sales and increasing average order values compared to other marketing channels, a well-structured campaign with multiple emails amplifies performance.

With Black Friday rapidly approaching, start crafting your emails now.

For further inspiration, explore Black Friday email examples or analyze your competitors’ strategies.

The sooner you start, the sooner you can launch your campaign!