Every year, Black Friday creeps up on someone. The emails get written the week before, the designs get rushed, and a list that should have been warmed up for weeks suddenly gets a burst of promotions. It works — just not as well as it could.
Black Friday lands on the day after American Thanksgiving, in late November, and the weekend through Cyber Monday is the busiest stretch of the year for most online stores. Here's the timeline we use, working back from it.
September: decide what you're saying
- Pick your offer — or decide not to discount at all. A gift with purchase, a bundle or early access can work just as well and protect your margins.
- Choose the products you'll lead with, and check you'll have the stock.
- Sketch the campaign calendar: teaser, early access, launch, reminders, last chance.
October: grow and warm up your list
- Promote your sign-up form so new subscribers go through your welcome series before the rush. The list growth guide covers how.
- Keep sending your regular campaigns on a steady schedule. Inbox providers trust consistent senders; a list that goes quiet and then sends five emails in a week looks suspicious (more in the deliverability guide).
- Invite your best customers to a VIP list for early access.
Early November: build and test
- Write and design every email in the sequence.
- Test them on phones, in dark mode, and in the major inboxes.
- Schedule the sends and set up segments, so VIPs, recent buyers and new subscribers each get the right version.
The week itself
- Watch clicks and sales daily. Resend your main offer to people who didn't click, with a new subject line. (Judge it by clicks, not opens: the metrics guide explains why open counts can't be trusted.)
- Keep SMS for the moments that matter: early access going live, the last few hours.
- Leave room for one unplanned email — there's always something.
After the weekend
Don't go quiet. New customers from the sale are the start of next year's repeat revenue. Make sure your post-purchase flow is ready to welcome them, and plan a January campaign that gives them a reason to come back.
If you'd like help planning this year's calendar, book a strategy call — the earlier, the calmer.
