The D-Day of the ecommerce calendar is around the corner. It brings in a ton of excitement and potential sales. Amidst the intense preparation to face it, it is easy to lose sight of simple yet impactful elements – like crafting Black Friday email subject lines.
Getting the subject lines spot-on is half of the job done when you are taking the email marketing route. The numbers say so, too – 64% of email recipients decide whether or not to open an email based on the subject line alone.
So, we have got you covered. In this blog, learn what goes into making subject lines that stand out in crowded – no, overcrowded, inboxes, and get inspired from our curated list of best subject lines for Black Friday.
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Black Friday Email Subject Lines – A secret formula to get them right.
Black Friday is not the time to play around with subject lines. With everyone competing for customer attention, you should bring your A-game. Every email you send has to be well-planned and strategic. The trick is to stick to the formula and improvise them. But is there one?
Yes. When you pick apart and analyze what the leading email subject lines have in common, you would end up with specificity and urgency.
In other words, your subject lines should be specific about your offer and evoke urgency in the customer’s mind.
Hits the mark: “Last 4 Hours: Get 50% Off All Items – Black Friday Blowout!”
Doesn’t hit the mark: “Black Friday Deals Inside!!”
The first Black Friday email subject line is specific about the offer and creates urgency by including the hours left. The second one lacks both and looks bland and unattractive.
Different Phases of Black Friday Sales
Black Friday is more than just a single day of sales. It usually spans across different phases, like
- Pre-Launch Teasers – To create buzz and anticipation.
- Early Access/Pre-Friday Sales – To reward loyalty and drive early conversions.
- The Black Friday Main Event – Launch all major deals and drive the bulk of sales.
- Extended / Weekend phase – To cater to late shoppers and extend the sales window.
- Cyber Monday – To focus on online channels and clear the remaining inventory.
- Retargeting phase – To catch hesitant customers with special deals
These phases are designed to create anticipation, drive urgency, and extend the potential for sales. This allows the marketers to keep the momentum for several days and maximize their revenue.
As part of your Black Friday email marketing strategy, you can develop specific strategies for each period and craft Black Friday Subject Lines that adapt to trends and customer behavior.
Battle of Words – Which one engages more?
We are lucked out with the help of data to know which strategies work better than others and even which words drive more engagement for your Black Friday email subject lines.
Some of the words are more effective for your subject line than others. The words you choose should be direct and to the point, like – “Sale,” “Discount,” “Deal,” or “Offers.”
Everybody loves a bargain, and mentioning exactly how much someone can save can lead to higher open rates. According to Experian, subject lines that include “money-off” or “% off” can increase open rates by 28%.
Better-performing subject lines contained scarcity and time reference: “now,” “while they last,” “until midnight,” “limited time,” “hurry,” “last chance,” etc.
According to HubSpot, “free” can increase open rates but can also risk being flagged as spam. So, be wary of using it.
50+ Irresistible Black Friday Email Subject Lines
Here comes the part. To save you from searching the internet ocean for inspiration, we have curated some of the innovative and best Black Friday Email Subject Lines.
Pre-Black Friday Email Subject Lines
These emails should serve as a teaser driving anticipation, excitement, and urgency. These emails are usually sent a few weeks or even a month before the actual Black Friday event.
It should create hype around products and offers without revealing too much about them.
Let’s see 10 of the well-performing Pre-Black Friday email subject lines to inspire your own.
- “Black Friday Sneak Peek: Get Ready to Save Big!”
- “Stay Tuned: Black Friday Deals You Won’t Want to Miss!”
- “Something BIG is Coming This Black Friday!”
- “Black Friday Alert: Deals So Good, We Couldn’t Wait!”
- “Unlock Exclusive Black Friday Deals – Coming Soon!”
- “Guess What’s Coming? Hint: 🖤🛒”
- “The Biggest Sale of the Year is Almost Here!”
- “Be First in Line: Black Friday Teaser Deals Await!”
- “Tick-Tock, the Black Friday Countdown Begins!”
- “Black Friday is Near, Are You Ready?”
Why these work?
Let’s look at what these Pre-Black Friday subject lines have done right and why you should emulate them.
Every subject line listed hits the mark – creating curiosity and intrigue. Phrases like “Tick-Tock,” “Almost Here,” and “Get Ready” evoke a sense of urgency, encouraging the reader to act quickly or pay attention.
If you want to create a sense of exclusivity and priority, use phrases like “Unlock Exclusive Black Friday Deals” and “Be First in Line” and give the impression that the reader will have early access to deals.
If you want to give a glimpse of a great deal, use words like “Save Big” and tap into the reader’s desire.
Crafting subject lines for email open rate involves implementing these ideas in your own way and making the emails compelling.
Early-Access Black Friday Email Subject Lines
The purpose of the Early Access Email Subject Lines is to hint at the exclusive deals you have for your loyal customers and reward them for their loyalty.
Crafting subject lines that indicate the customers are prioritized and get exclusive deals before everyone makes the emails engaging and irresistible.
Here are some of the creative Early Access Email Subject Lines to inspire your own:
- “You’re Invited: Early Black Friday Access Starts NOW!”
- “Insider Alert: Shop Black Friday Before the Masses!”
- “Members-Only: Early Access to All Black Friday Deals!”
- “Get Ahead of the Game: Early Access to Black Friday Deals!”
- “Exclusive: 24-Hour Pre-Access to Black Friday Deals!”
- “Shhh… Here’s Your Exclusive Early Access to Black Friday!”
- “VIPs Only: 48-Hour Black Friday Pre-Access Event!”
- “Score BIG: Black Friday Comes Early for VIPs!”
- “Avoid the Rush: Secure Top Black Friday Deals Today!”
- “Jump the Queue: Exclusive Black Friday Deals Inside!”
Why these work?
Let’s pick apart these Black Friday subject lines and see what we can learn from them.
Words like “Exclusive,” “VIPs Only,” “Members-Only,” and “Insider Alert” make the recipient feel special and privileged, increasing the likelihood of customers opening the email to see what exclusive access or deals they are receiving.
Phrases like “Score BIG,” “Avoid the Rush,” and “Jump the Queue” emphasize the benefits of taking immediate action, making the email more compelling.
Phrases like “Starts NOW,” “24-Hour,” and “48-Hour” create a sense of urgency, encouraging the recipient to act quickly.
Tweak these Black Friday subject lines for email open rate by creating urgency, exclusivity, or incentivizing immediate action.
Black Friday Sales Email Subject Lines
But how can we encounter the main event itself? It is the occasion when the customer is willing to spend more money and also when everybody is vying for their attention through emails.
It is challenging to stand out when the competition is immense, but not impossible.
Let’s look at some of the Black Friday sales email subject lines to beat out the competition.
- “Black Friday Madness: Up to 75% OFF Storewide!”
- “It’s Now or Never: Grab Black Friday’s Best Deals!”
- “Unlock Exclusive 70% Off – Black Friday Mega Sale!”
- “Unbelievable Savings: Black Friday Edition!”
- “It’s Go Time: Black Friday Starts NOW!”
- “Your Black Friday Deal: 50% Off Everything!”
- “Score Big: Black Friday Deals are LIVE!”
- “Unmasking the Ultimate Black Friday Savings!”
- “Double the Joy: BOGO Black Friday Special!”
- “Tick-Tock: Your Black Friday Savings Are Melting!”
Why these work?
Mentioning the exact discounts (“Up to 75% OFF,” “50% Off Everything”) provides clarity on what the customers are in for and evokes immediate excitement.
By mentioning different types of deals like “BOGO” (Buy One, Get One), “Storewide,” or “Everything,” you can appeal to a wider audience with varied shopping needs.
Phrases like “Now or Never,” “Starts NOW,” and “Tick-Tock” create a sense of urgency, encouraging readers to take immediate action.
You can throw in some powerful words like “Madness,” “Mega,” “Unbelievable,” and “Ultimate” to evoke strong emotions.
Phrases like “Grab,” “Unlock,” “Score,” and “Dive into” act like Call-to-action, encouraging the reader to indulge in the email.
Related reading: Discover some of the best-performing Black Friday Email Examples in this blog.
Discount-based Black Friday Email Subject Lines
The Black Friday sale is all about discounts. If you want to make your offers the hero of the email subject line, here are some inspirations.
- “Black Friday Blowout: Flat 50% OFF on Everything!”
- “Double Discount: 20% OFF + Free Gift this Black Friday!”
- “Today Only: 40% OFF Storewide Black Friday Sale!”
- “Black Friday Exclusive: 75% OFF + Free Shipping!”
- “Your Black Friday Savings Code: 35% OFF Inside!”
- “Last Chance: 25% OFF Black Friday Ends Soon!”
- “VIP Black Friday: Extra 15% OFF Your Purchase!”
- “Unbelievable! Up to 80% OFF – Black Friday Exclusive”
- “Once-a-Year 65% OFF – Dive Into Black Friday Deals”
- “Black Friday Savings Spree: Up to 70% OFF!”
Why these work?
Various studies indicate that email subject lines with numbers have higher open rates. So, adding a discount percentage would be the best bet.
Why stop at discounts? Including an added value such as “Free Shipping” and “Free Gift” increases the offer’s attractiveness.
You can also craft multi-offer subject lines like “Double Discount: 20% OFF + Free Gift this Black Friday!” to pack multiple incentives into a single subject line.
Spice up your Black Friday Emails with Retainful’s dynamic coupon codes effortlessly.
Extended Black Friday Email Subject Lines
To cater to the late shoppers, continue some of the Black Friday deals over the weekend. Promote this phase as the “last chance” before Cyber Monday.
Here are some of the Extended Black Friday Email Subject Lines to inspire your own.
- “Final Countdown: Last Day of Extended Black Friday Deals!”
- “Missed Out? Grab Extended Black Friday Deals Now!”
- “Oops! Missed Black Friday? We’ve Got You Covered!”
- “Last Chance: Black Friday Extended for 24 Hours!”
- “Bonus Round: Extra Day Added to Black Friday Sale!”
- “The Party’s Not Over: Black Friday Extended!”
- “Act Fast: Final Hours of Extended Black Friday Sale!”
- “Last Chance: Black Friday Deals Extended Just For You!”
- “The Sale Continues: Black Friday Extended Specials!”
- “Act Fast: Final Hours of Extended Black Friday Sale!”
Why these work?
Extended Black Friday subject lines are about second chances. So, make sure you highlight this in them.
Use of phrases like “Missed Out? Grab Extended Black Friday Deals Now!” and “Oops! Missed Black Friday? We’ve Got You Covered!” acknowledges that some consumers may have missed the initial sale, giving them a feeling of a second chance.
Some subject lines mention the duration of the extension to set expectations and create a sense of urgency.
If you stayed all the way through, here is a bonus for you.
Bonus: Cyber Monday Email Subject Lines
Cyber Monday is a marketing term for Monday that follows Black Friday and focuses only on online sales. As part of your Black Friday email marketing strategy, you can see this as an extended window to capitalize on the customer interest.
Here are some of the Cyber Monday Email Subject Lines to inspire your own.
- “Cyber Monday Special: FREE Shipping + Big Savings!”
- “Your Cyber Monday Wishlist: Fulfilled at 60% Off!”
- “Once-a-Year Cyber Monday Deals: Grab Them Now!”
- “Cyber Monday Madness: Last Chance for 70% OFF!”
- “Cyber Monday Special: FREE Shipping + Big Savings!”
Use Retainful and choose from numerous Black Friday templates to craft engaging emails in minutes.
There you have it. We have placed the best Black Friday email subject lines at your disposal.
Wrapping up!!
Subject lines are one of the ultimate deciders in your email’s success. Crafting them can be challenging, but this blog has provided you with a plethora of high-performing subject lines tailored for various phases of the Black Friday season.
Whether generating anticipation with a teaser, granting exclusive early access, or creating urgency during the main event, a banging subject line can make all the difference.
Also, read
- Encouraging Black Friday Email Examples For Boosting Sales
- 21-Point Checklist to Prepare Your Store for Black Friday Cyber Monday
You have to keep it short and sweet. Subject lines with 6-10 words tend to have the highest open rates. However, make sure the subject line is descriptive enough to convey the message too.
Emojis can make your subject lines more engaging and visually appealing, but use them sparingly and appropriately. One or two relevant emojis can be effective.
Monitor key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to measure the effectiveness of your subject lines. Make adjustments as needed based on that.
It’s advisable to start your Black Friday email marketing campaign at least a week in advance. You can begin with teaser emails to build anticipation.
