How to Design and conceive your Black Friday marketing emails?

After Christmas, Black Friday is the most anticipated shopping event for consumers, and it also generates the most revenue for many advertisers. In 2022, Black Friday marketing emails campaigns generated nearly $4.5 billion in revenue in the U.S. alone, with an average open rate of 26%.

If there’s one event you don’t want to miss to boost your year-end sales, it’s Black Friday. And Marketing and CRM teams know this well! Influencer marketing, flash sales, exclusive offers, unboxing, contests, referrals, in-store events: there’s no shortage of creative ideas to capitalize on the occasion.

But to ensure a successful Black Friday, brands are unanimous: your email strategy is your best ally for engaging customers and driving sales. To help you enhance the performance of your Black Friday email campaigns, here are the expert tips from the Dartagnan Email Builder team.

A fully black email, when handled with the right contrasts, can create a striking visual impact. “Full black” grabs attention and offers an immersive experience that is even more captivating. Play with contrasts by incorporating white or colored elements to highlight your products or call-to-actions. This creates a strong visual dynamic that captures attention the moment the email is opened.

Black Friday is the perfect opportunity to energize the tone of your emails and revisit your editorial style, just as you did with your graphic design. This special moment calls for impactful copywriting that immediately grabs your subscribers’ attention while creating a sense of urgency. Thoughtful, specific copywriting will help you stand out during Black Friday and maximize your audience’s engagement.

The subject line is the first impression you make, and it should reflect the intensity of Black Friday. Highlight your promotional offers right from the start with direct and catchy phrases: “Exclusive Black Friday Offer,” “Last Chance: Limited Discounts,” or “Don’t Miss Our Hot Deal.” Use strong action verbs, and where appropriate, include event-specific emojis to catch the eye in an overcrowded inbox. A well-crafted and personalized subject line can increase your open rates by 50%.

Adapt your messaging to emphasize the urgency and exclusivity of Black Friday by using language that conveys scarcity and immediacy. Terms like “limited-time offer,” “hurry,” “low stock,” or “only a few hours left” enhance the need for immediate action. Feel free to play with puns, use playful hooks, and make event-specific references. This makes your emails more memorable and engaging while staying aligned with the promotional spirit of Black Friday.

During Black Friday, your subscribers are bombarded with emails, making differentiation essential. Your email needs to grab attention at first glance, even before the subscriber reads your message. The Black Friday look offers a unique chance to experiment with more immersive, bold, and memorable templates. Here are some tips to stand out and create eye-catching visual effects:

Opt for full-width images or background colors to instantly immerse the reader in the Black Friday atmosphere. You can also incorporate animated gifs or micro-animations to draw attention to your offers without overloading your design.

Your CTA buttons should be more than just a simple call to action. Opt for interactive effects, such as color changes or animations on hover, to add dynamism to your emails. Bright colors on a dark background (or vice versa) create striking contrast, highlighting the urgency of your Black Friday promotions.

With black, you can create beautiful continuity effects and give the impression of full immersion throughout the email.

Choose large, impactful fonts that reflect the importance of the event. Ensure they remain legible, even on mobile, and that they reinforce the urgency and exclusivity of your offers. Contrasting fonts with your black or white background will help create additional visual impact.

With over 60% of purchases made on smartphones during Black Friday 2022, it’s essential that your emails are perfectly adapted to mobile display. A poor mobile experience could cause you to lose valuable sales, especially when the immediacy of promotions is crucial. Here are some key tips to ensure a smooth and effective mobile experience:

Some dynamic features, like animations or carousels, may not be supported on certain smartphones or email applications. If you use this type of content, ensure that you provide static fallback versions so that your email remains readable and functional across all devices.

On mobile, clarity and conciseness are essential. Avoid long emails that require endless scrolling. Focus on short, direct messages centered on the offer or desired action, so that the user quickly understands the value of your proposition. Each content section should have a clear and specific goal.

Ensure that the text in your emails is easily readable on mobile devices. The recommended minimum size is 14 pixels for standard text and 22 pixels for headings. This ensures optimal readability without requiring your subscribers to zoom in to read the content.