Black Friday Email Sequence: 5 Emails to Send (and When)

Black Friday falls on November 27 this year, with Cyber Monday on November 30. That means your customers’ inboxes are about to get very, very busy.

The businesses that win in the inbox aren’t usually the ones who send the most emails. They’re the ones who send the right emails, in the right order, to people who are already expecting to hear from them.

This guide gives you a simple five-email Black Friday sequence you can copy, with timing, subject line ideas and what to put in each one. It works just as well for a Diwali sale, a year-end clearance or any short holiday promotion.

In this post:

• Before you write: three things to set up
• The 5-email Black Friday sequence at a glance
• Email 1: The teaser
• Email 2: Early access
• Email 3: The launch
• Email 4: The mid-sale reminder
• Email 5: Last chance
• Mistakes that send holiday emails to spam

Before you write your Black Friday emails

A great sequence can still flop if the basics aren’t in place. Spend an hour on these first.

Clean your list

Remove addresses that bounce and people who haven’t opened anything in a long time. Sending to an unengaged list can hurt your sender reputation, which affects whether your emails land in the inbox at all.

Check your sender settings

Make sure your domain is set up properly with SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. Gmail’s email sender guidelines require bulk senders to set these up and to offer one-click unsubscribe on marketing emails. Most email platforms walk you through this, and your web host or developer can help.

Segment your audience

At minimum, split your list into two groups:

• Past customers: People who have bought from you before
• Subscribers who haven’t bought yet: People who signed up but haven’t purchased

Past customers often respond best to early access and loyalty perks. New subscribers may need a little more convincing about why your product is worth it.

Pro tip: If you only have time for one segment, give past customers the early-access email first. They already trust you, and they’re usually your easiest sales.

The 5-email Black Friday sequence at a glance

Adjust the dates if your sale runs longer or shorter. The order matters more than the exact day.

Email 1: The teaser

When: 5 to 7 days before your sale starts

Goal: Let people know something is coming, so they watch for your next email.

Keep this one short. You don’t need to reveal the full offer. A hint is enough.

Subject line ideas:

• “Something’s coming on Friday 👀”
• “Mark your calendar: our biggest sale of the year”
• “You’ll want to open our next email”

What to include:

• The date your sale starts
• A hint at what’s on offer (for example, “our best-sellers, at prices we only do once a year”)
• An invitation to add the date to their calendar or follow you on Instagram for sneak peeks

Email 2: Early access

When: 1 to 2 days before the public launch

Goal: Reward your subscribers and capture sales before your competitors’ emails hit the inbox.

This is often the most effective email in the sequence. People love feeling like insiders.

Subject line ideas:

• “You’re in: early access starts now”
• “Shop our Black Friday sale before everyone else”
• “[First name], your early access is open”

What to include:

• A clear statement that this is subscriber-only early access
• The offer itself, with a big, obvious button
• How long early access lasts before the sale goes public
• A unique code or link if you want to track early-access sales separately

Email 3: The launch

When: Black Friday morning

Goal: Drive your first big wave of sales.

Send this early in the day so you’re at the top of the inbox when people start browsing.

Subject line ideas:

• “It’s here: [X]% off everything”
• “Black Friday is live 🎉”
• “Our biggest sale of the year starts now”

What to include:

• The offer in the first line and in the main image
• Your top three to five products, with photos and prices
• The end date and time of the sale
• One main call-to-action button, repeated once or twice

Keep the design simple. Many people will open this on their phone, so use large text, short paragraphs and buttons that are easy to tap.

Email 4: The mid-sale reminder

When: Saturday or Sunday of the sale weekend

Goal: Reach people who opened but didn’t buy, or didn’t open at all.

This email should feel different from the launch, so it doesn’t look like a repeat.

Subject line ideas:

• “Our best-sellers are going fast”
• “Did you miss this?”
• “Still thinking about it? Here’s what everyone’s buying”

What to include:

• Products that are selling well or running low (only if it’s true)
• A customer review or two for social proof
• A reminder of when the sale ends

Pro tip: If your email platform supports it, send this only to people who haven’t purchased yet. Nobody likes getting a “don’t miss out” email for something they already bought.

Email 5: Last chance

When: Cyber Monday, ideally in the afternoon or evening

Goal: Turn fence-sitters into buyers with a real deadline.

Subject line ideas:

• “Last chance: sale ends at midnight”
• “⏰ Final hours to save”
• “Going, going…”

What to include:

• The exact end time, including the time zone
• A short recap of the offer
• One big button

Urgency only works when it’s genuine. If you say the sale ends at midnight, end it at midnight. Extending a “final” sale teaches customers to ignore your deadlines next time.

Mistakes that send holiday emails to spam (or the bin)

• Sending to an old, unengaged list. It can hurt your sender reputation for every email that follows.
• Overusing spammy words and symbols. Subject lines full of “FREE!!!”, all caps and dollar or rupee signs look like spam to filters and to people.
• Making it hard to unsubscribe. A clear unsubscribe link protects your reputation. People who want to leave will mark you as spam if they can’t find it.
• One giant image with no text. Some inboxes block images by default, and image-only emails can trigger spam filters. Always include real text.
• Forgetting mobile. Preview every email on your phone before sending.
• Not testing links and codes. Click every link and try every discount code before you hit send.

Key takeaways

• ✅ Clean your list and check your sender settings before the sale
• ✅ Segment past customers and new subscribers
• ✅ Send five emails: teaser, early access, launch, reminder and last chance
• ✅ Give subscribers early access before the public launch
• ✅ Only send reminders to people who haven’t bought yet
• ✅ Keep your deadlines real and your emails mobile-friendly

Want your holiday emails written and set up for you?

Planning, writing, designing and scheduling a holiday email sequence takes time you probably don’t have right now.

BananaBlocks Solutions helps small and growing businesses plan and run email campaigns and automations, from list clean-up and design to holiday sequences that actually get opened.

Book a free 30-minute strategy call and we’ll help you plan an email sequence that fits your offer, your audience and your timeline.