It’s Almost Black Friday. Here’s How to Prep Your Email Marketing for Real Results

If you run a business, you already know what’s coming: the most competitive email weekend of the year.

In 2024, shoppers spent an eye-popping $41.1 billion online during Cyber Week, an 8% jump from the year before. And Adobe expects this year’s holiday season to cross the $250 billion mark in online sales for the first time ever.

While social feeds are overflowing and ad costs spike during the holidays, email remains the one channel you truly own. The inbox is where your customers stop, open and shop — if your messages make it to them in the first place.

Here’s how to get your email marketing in shape before Black Friday hits.

Related: Online Shoppers Spent More Than Ever on Black Friday — And Now Cyber Monday Is Set to Break Records, Too

1. Warm up your domain (especially if you haven’t been emailing regularly)

If your brand’s been quiet most of the year, don’t go from zero to 100 on Black Friday week. Sending a massive campaign out of the blue can set off every spam filter in sight and crush your deliverability before your first sale even rolls in.

Plan your sending cadence carefully. When you suddenly start emailing thousands of people, your messages look suspicious. So warm up your domain slowly and start sending smaller batches of emails before Black Friday. This helps mailbox providers recognize you as a consistent, legitimate sender again.

2. Clean and validate your list

Here’s the hard truth: no matter how careful you are, email lists decay fast. In fact, 28% of the average email list goes bad every year. People change jobs, abandon inboxes, or mistype their addresses when they sign up.

If you don’t clean your list before the holidays, bounce-backs are just one of the risks. High bounce rates signal to mailbox providers that you could be sending spam. That can drag down your domain reputation and push your future emails to spam.

Run your database through an email validation service to remove inactive and fake addresses. This simple step can improve your deliverability and engagement right away. It protects your domain just when you need it most.

3. Focus on your best segments

Now that you’ve cleaned your list, it’s time to think about how you’ll approach it in the next few weeks. You need different tactics for every segment of your audience, but don’t be intimidated — you can still keep things simple.

First, instead of blasting your full list, focus on the subscribers who actually engage with your brand — the people who open, click and buy. Send them early access to your offers, a sneak peek or a small loyalty reward. When customers feel valued, they respond. You’ll see higher open and conversion rates as a result.

Targeting your most active segments also protects your sender reputation as clicks signal interest. That means more of your emails will go to the inbox. It’s a smarter approach that ensures your messages reach the people who are most likely to convert.

4. Re-engage the people who used to like you

Next, consider warming up your inactive audience so you can gauge where they stand with your brand. Not everyone on your list needs a discount. Some just need a reminder of why they signed up.

Send a simple “Here’s what’s new before the holidays” email to re-engage them. Keep it conversational and light. You’re not pushing a sale yet; you’re rebuilding familiarity.

Those who open and click again can be moved into your “warm” segment ahead of your Black Friday campaign. You’ll head into the holidays with a more responsive list and fewer surprises when it matters most.

5. Keep your tone human (because everyone else sounds like a billboard)

Every inbox will be flooded with “Hurry!” “Final hours!” and “Don’t miss out!” subject lines. It’s the noisiest time of the year, and that’s exactly why sounding human helps you stand out.

Talk to your customers like real people, not prospects in a funnel. Share what you value, tell a quick story about your brand or highlight how your product can make their lives easier this season.

Even a small shift in tone, like swapping “Buy now before it’s gone!” for “We saved something special for you,” can change how people respond. When every other brand sounds robotic, being uniquely you is your biggest differentiator.

Related: 5 Black Friday Strategies to Turn Holiday Browsers into Instant Buyers

Bonus tip: Don’t burn your list for one weekend

A lot of brands go all-in for Black Friday, then disappear until spring. That’s a mistake. Your goal is to earn long-term loyalty.

Send campaigns and newsletters consistently so you can keep your customers engaged beyond Cyber Week. After the sale, you could follow up with a product tip or an educational email. Think of simple gestures to build goodwill and keep prospects opening your emails long after the discounts are gone.

If you run a business, you already know what’s coming: the most competitive email weekend of the year.

In 2024, shoppers spent an eye-popping $41.1 billion online during Cyber Week, an 8% jump from the year before. And Adobe expects this year’s holiday season to cross the $250 billion mark in online sales for the first time ever.