8 Black Friday Email Templates for Your Biggest Sale of the Year

Black Friday email subject lines

Before we jump to the email examples, here is an overview of what a typical Black Friday email campaign may look like, from a teaser to the final countdown:

• 🖤 Black Friday is coming – Start adding your favorites to the cart
• 📢 The biggest sale of the year is ON! – Get up to 70% off, plus free shipping
• 🔥 New arrivals just in time for Black Friday – Shop fresh styles for the season
• 🏷️ Save more on Black Friday – 20% off $100 | 30% off $150 | 50% off $200
• ⚡ These items are running out fast – Sneak peek at our bestsellers
• ⌛️ Only a few hours left – Last chance to shop before Black Friday is over
• 🙌🏼 Your cart is waiting – Grab your Black Friday find before it’s gone!

Now that you get a general idea, let’s move on to the details, so you can start crafting your emails.

8 Types of Black Friday emails to include in your campaign

For each email type, you’ll find a template you can fully customize and send to your list via Getsitecontrol – an easy-to-use email marketing platform that allows you to send your first 1000 emails for free.

Countdown to Black Friday sale

Countdowns or teaser emails are all about generating excitement and curiosity. They serve as a reminder that something big is coming, encouraging subscribers to keep an eye on their inboxes, revisit bestsellers, and start building their carts.

Here is how L’occitane did it:

A well-crafted teaser email can increase open rates for your subsequent emails as subscribers look forward to more details about the sale. Including a countdown timer can also add a sense of urgency, encouraging immediate action.

Sending a teaser email is crucial if you’re planning to launch your sale earlier, like Ferko’s did:

To make your teaser email truly efficient, don’t just say that the sale is coming – encourage subscribers to start building their wishlists.

Subject line ideas for your teaser email:

• What are your Black Friday wishes? — Start building your bag now
• Black Friday countdown – Is your wish list ready?
• 🤩 Our Black Friday will start early! — Be among the first ones to shop

Sale start announcement

The announcement email is your grand reveal, where you officially inform your subscribers that your Black Friday sale is live. This email should state the start and end dates of the sale and provide a direct call-to-action to shop.

Here is a sale announcement from a jewelry brand, Mejuri:

Your main objective here is to capture the attention of your subscribers in the time when their inboxes are bombarded with promo emails.

How do you do that? By highlighting the bestsellers or collections on sale and featuring some of the best deals, like Nike did 👇

For this email to work, you want to use bold visuals, craft clear headlines, and specify how deep the discounts are.

Subject lines for the sale announcement email:

• 50% Sitewide starts now – 🛍️ Dive into Black Friday savings!
• 🔥 Black Friday is here – Savings like this happen only once a year
• Let the Black Friday fun begin! – Free shipping on orders above $75

Discount tiers breakdown

Tiered discount emails feature different discount levels based on the amount spent. For example, you might offer 10% off for purchases above $50, 15% off for purchases above $100, and 20% off for purchases over $150.

Here is how Gorjana featured its tiered discount offers:

It’s a common tactic used by many brands on Black Friday to increase their average order value (AOV), and it’s easy to explain in an email.

FootCardigan used the same approach by introducing three tiers of discount codes:

Image source

When drafting this email, make sure to clearly outline the tiers and conditions, including the minimum order amount required to get free shipping.

Subject lines for a discount promo email:

• The more you spend, the more you save – up to 70% off!
• Our deepest discounts of the year — Hurry to get the most out of Black Friday!
• Today’s deals won’t last — Spend more, save more

Savings on specific products

Sometimes, it’s more efficient to show how much a customer will save in dollars, rather than in percents. That’s why another common tactic used in Black Friday emails is highlighting the actual saved amount or showing the before/after pricing.

Here is an example from Nespresso:

Use this approach to showcase major discounts on popular or high-margin items. Highlight these deals with eye-catching graphics and straightforward pricing information to convince subscribers to purchase.

Subject line ideas for discount highlights:

• The biggest discounts on Bianco collection – Don't miss out!
• Black Friday's best deals – Shop before they're gone!
• Save big on the waterproof pieces – Limited time only!

Gifts, gifts, gifts!

It’s no secret that Black Friday is the day when most shoppers start gift hunting. Sure, it may not work for all brands, but if you know that your products make excellent gifts, not curating a gift guide for your email campaign would be a wasted opportunity.

Note that if you’re pressed for time, you don’t have to build a new website page dedicated to gifts. Your email, if designed right, can serve as a gift guide on its own.

For this email to be efficient, consider curating gift categories by budget, gender, or personality. For example, you can have sections like “Gifts under $50,” “Gifts for Him,” or “Gifts for the Cozy Homebody.”

Subject line ideas for the gift guide:

• 🎁 Black Friday Gift Guide: Presents for Everyone on Your List
• Gift Ideas for Everyone – Shop Our Black Friday Sale
• Gift Deals You Don’t Want to Miss – Black Friday Edition

Launch of a new product or collection

It wasn’t until recent years that it became popular to launch new products right before or during Black Friday. This approach will be particularly effective if you're launching a limited-edition collection that coincides with the sale.

For instance, Mejuri launched a collection of Black Friday exclusives:

New arrivals can attract both new and returning customers eager to see what’s fresh and exciting. So, even if you aren’t launching a new collection, it’s still worth highlighting the latest arrivals in your Black Friday emails, like Banana Republic did in the example below.

Subject lines for the new arrivals email:

• New arrivals just in time for Black Friday – Explore now!
• Fresh styles for the season – Shop our new arrivals at 30% off
• Black Friday exclusive – New collections available now

Countdown to the end of sale

As the sale period draws to a close, remind your customers that they need to act fast to take advantage of your deals. Featuring a countdown timer and emphasizing the finality of the sale can push hesitant shoppers to make a purchase decision.

Your countdown email can be concise, like the example from reMarkable below.

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However, it’s also a good idea to highlight your bestsellers or items that are running low on stock to add to the urgency.

A jewelry brand, Oradina did exactly that in their final Black Friday emails.

Subject line ideas for the final countdown:

• Final hours of Black Friday – Last chance to save!
• Time is running out – Don't miss these deals!
• Hurry! Only a few hours left to shop Black Friday deals

Abandoned cart email reminder

The last email type we’d like to feature is one of the most often overlooked tactics. Yet, it’s also the one that can recover otherwise potentially lost revenue for your brand.

After Black Friday, send an automated email to those who abandoned their carts during the sale, saying they can still get the discount on their orders.

This email should gently remind them of the items left in their cart and encourage them to complete their purchase.

Here is a simple example of a cart abandonment email by Lululemon:

Ensure the email includes clear visuals of the abandoned products and an easy-to-find checkout button to simplify the process for the customer. If you’re on Shopify, you can use Getsitecontrol – an email marketing app with cart abandonment email automation already built-in.

Subject line ideas for your cart abandonment email:

• Don't miss out – Complete your Black Friday purchase now!
• Still thinking about it? Here's a little extra to help
• Your cart is waiting – Grab your Black Friday find before it’s gone

Make use of ready-to-go Black Friday email templates

At Getsitecontrol, we understand that crafting the perfect email from scratch can be time-consuming, especially during such a busy season. That’s why we’ve added a collection of pre-designed Black Friday email templates.

Whether you’re planning a pre-sale teaser, a sale announcement, or a countdown email, these templates have you covered.

Once you register an account, you can easily access the gallery, pick a template, and start customizing it. Just swap out the images with your own, update the copy to match your brand’s tone and offer, and adjust the layout as needed.

Use countdown timers, product cards, and scrolling text to make your emails truly engaging.

You can preview and test your email by sending it to your inbox or to your team before it goes live.

It’s that simple. And the best part? You can send your first 1000 emails for free.

Black Friday email best practices

Hopefully, by now, we’ve got your creative juices flowing. Let’s recap this guide by covering the best practices for crafting Black Friday emails. Since you’ll be competing with dozens if not hundreds of other brands in your customers’ inboxes, every detail counts.

1. Start your email marketing campaign early

One of the most crucial steps for a successful Black Friday email campaign is to start early. By beginning your campaign well before Black Friday, you can build anticipation and keep your brand at the forefront of your customers’ minds.

Early teaser emails and countdowns can create a sense of excitement and ensure that your subscribers are primed for your sale.

Starting early also gives you ample time to test and optimize your emails, refine your strategy, and address any issues that may arise.

2. Incorporate urgency using countdown timers

Countdown timers are the best tool to instill urgency, as they visually represent the limited time your customers have to take advantage of your offers. You can use countdown timers in various stages of your campaign, from the teaser emails to the final hours of your sale.

By featuring a countdown timer in your emails, you can encourage immediate action, whether it’s adding items to the cart or completing a purchase.

3. Use GIFs to capture attention and showcase products

GIFs are a dynamic and engaging way to capture attention in crowded inboxes. They can be used to highlight special promotions, showcase products, or simply add an element of fun to your emails.

GIFs are particularly effective in Black Friday emails because they can convey a lot of information in a short amount of time without overwhelming the reader with text.

For example, you can use a GIF to display multiple products in a slideshow format, show a product in use, or animate your discounts to make them stand out. Just be sure to keep your GIFs relevant and aligned with your brand’s visual identity.

4. Use product cards to encourage exploration

Featuring specific products in your emails is a great way to encourage customers to start exploring your offerings.

Product-focused emails can also help guide customers who may be unsure of what to buy. Whether you’re highlighting bestsellers, new arrivals, or items with significant discounts, including product images and details can entice customers to click through to your website.

5. Consider building gift guides for early holiday shoppers

Black Friday marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season for many consumers. Creating and featuring gift guides in your emails can help you cater to early holiday shoppers looking for the perfect presents.

Gift guides not only help your customers make purchasing decisions but also increase the chances of multiple-item purchases. Your guide can be organized by category, recipient (e.g., gifts for him, gifts for her, gifts for kids), or price range, making it easy for customers to find what they need.

6. Focus on mobile optimization

With a significant portion of consumers checking their emails on mobile devices, ensuring that your Black Friday emails are mobile-friendly is non-negotiable. A mobile-optimized email should have a responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes, making it easy to read and navigate on smartphones and tablets.

Key elements to consider include:

• Readable fonts: Use large, legible fonts that don’t require zooming in.
• Single-column layouts: Simplify your email structure to avoid complicated, multi-column layouts that may not render well on smaller screens.
• Touch-friendly buttons: Ensure your CTA buttons are large enough to be easily tapped with a finger.

By optimizing your emails for mobile, you can provide a seamless experience for your audience, regardless of how they choose to view your messages.

7. Use email personalization when possible

Personalization can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your Black Friday emails. Tailoring your messages to recipients based on their preferences or past interactions can make your emails more relevant and engaging.

Your options will depend heavily on your email marketing service, but here are some ideas:

• Dynamic content: Use customer data to personalize product recommendations, such as suggesting items based on previous purchases or browsing history.
• Personalized subject lines: Include the recipient’s name or reference specific products they’ve shown interest in.
• Segmentation: Segment your email list based on demographics, purchase history, or engagement level, and send targeted messages to each group.

Personalized emails can significantly improve engagement rates because they show that you understand and value your customers’ needs and preferences.

8. Build your cart abandonment email automation in advance

Cart abandonment is a common issue in ecommerce, and it can be especially frustrating during major sales events like Black Friday.

By setting up cart abandonment email automation in advance, you can automatically reach out to customers who leave items in their cart before checking out.

These emails should remind customers of what they left behind and encourage them to complete their purchase, often by offering a small incentive like a discount or free shipping. Include clear visuals of the abandoned products, a compelling CTA, and, if possible, add a sense of urgency by highlighting limited stock or the impending end of your sale.

Time to start crafting your Black Friday emails

Don’t wait until the last minute — start planning your campaign now and ensure your emails are ready to go when the Black Friday frenzy begins.

By following the best practices outlined above, you can create a seamless, engaging customer experience and maximize your sales potential. Now is the perfect time to get started.

Make this Black Friday your best one yet!