Skip to main content
Black Friday Email Strategies That Actually Convert for Small Businesses
News | | 5 min read

Black Friday Email Strategies That Actually Convert for Small Businesses

Your customers’ inboxes are about to get hammered. Between now and Black Friday on November 28, the average consumer will receive hundreds of promotional emails. Big brands will shout louder, send more frequently, and spend more on design than you ever could.

So how does a small business compete? By being smarter, more personal, and more intentional with every send.

Start Earlier Than You Think

The biggest mistake small businesses make with Black Friday email is waiting until the week of. By then, your customers are overwhelmed and your message gets buried.

Send your first Black Friday email by November 17. This isn’t the full deal announcement. It’s a teaser. Let your subscribers know something is coming and give them a reason to watch their inbox. “Early access for subscribers” or “Our biggest offer of the year drops next week” creates anticipation without giving everything away.

Follow up with the full reveal on November 24 or 25. This is your main event email. Clear subject line, one primary offer, one clear call to action. Don’t try to promote everything you sell. Pick your best offer and make it impossible to miss.

Send a final reminder on Black Friday morning. Keep it short. “Last chance” messaging works because it’s true. If your offer expires at midnight, say so.

Subject Lines That Get Opened

In a sea of “BLACK FRIDAY BLOWOUT” subject lines, subtlety wins for small businesses. Your subscribers chose to hear from you because you’re not a faceless corporation. Lean into that.

Lines that perform well for small businesses:

  • “I picked our best deal of the year for you”
  • “This Friday only (and I mean it)”
  • “Our small way of saying thanks”
  • “You’ll want to see this before Friday”
Avoid ALL CAPS and excessive emoji in subject lines. They trigger spam filters and feel impersonal. One emoji max, and only if it fits your brand voice.

The Anatomy of a Converting Black Friday Email

Keep it short. Your email should take less than 30 seconds to read. Hero image, headline, one to two sentences about the offer, and a button. That’s it.

One offer, one CTA. Don’t list twelve different discounts. Feature your strongest promotion and link to a dedicated landing page where customers can browse everything else.

Create genuine urgency. If your offer is truly limited (limited inventory, limited time, first 50 customers), say so. Manufactured urgency erodes trust. Real scarcity drives action.

Mobile first. Over 60% of emails are opened on mobile devices. If your email doesn’t look good on a phone, it doesn’t look good.

Segmentation Makes the Difference

This is where small businesses can outperform the big players. You know your customers. Use that knowledge.

  • Past purchasers get a loyalty bonus on top of the main offer
  • Browsers who never bought get a stronger discount to push them over the edge
  • Your best customers get early access 24 hours before everyone else

If you’re using a CRM to track customer interactions, you already have the data to segment effectively. Tools like SMBcrm make it straightforward to tag and segment contacts based on purchase history and engagement.

After Black Friday: The Follow-Up

Send a thank-you email on Saturday or Sunday. Not a sales pitch. A genuine thank you. Mention Small Business Saturday if you have a physical location. This is how you turn a one-time Black Friday buyer into a long-term customer.

The businesses that win Black Friday aren’t the ones with the biggest discounts. They’re the ones that make their customers feel like more than just a transaction.