Skip to content

Subject lines

Updated

Black Friday email subject lines

On Black Friday, every inbox is full of discounts. A subject line that states the offer clearly, or does something different, beats another "HUGE SALE". These lines cover the run-up, the weekend and Cyber Monday.

Subject lines
50
Subject lines
40 characters or fewer
45
40 characters or fewer
Styles
5
Styles

Start with these three

  1. 1

    [X]% off everything until Monday

    The offer and the deadline in one line. Nothing to decode.

  2. 2

    Our only sale of the year starts now

    If it is true, scarcity of the event itself is more credible than a countdown.

  3. 3

    Early access: Black Friday starts now for you

    Rewards subscribers and gets you into the inbox before the rush.

Replace everything in [square brackets]. Text like {{name | 'Hey'}} is a Lumail variable: it shows the subscriber's name, or the fallback after the pipe when the name is empty. Character counts below use the fallback.

Curiosity

Useful in the run-up, when you want attention before the offer is public.

  1. 1Our Black Friday plan (it's different this year)48 characters
  2. 2We're doing Black Friday differently36 characters
  3. 3Not another Black Friday email30 characters
  4. 4What's behind the black box?28 characters
  5. 5Our biggest offer, with one condition37 characters
  6. 6Something we've never discounted before39 characters
  7. 7Mark your calendar for Friday29 characters
  8. 8A hint about Friday19 characters
  9. 9Why we almost skipped Black Friday34 characters
  10. 10We're not shouting this year28 characters

Benefit-led

State the offer plainly. In a crowded inbox, clarity is the differentiator.

  1. 11[X]% off everything until Monday32 characters
  2. 12Black Friday: [X]% off [Product]32 characters
  3. 13Get [plan] for [price] this weekend35 characters
  4. 14Our only sale of the year starts now36 characters
  5. 15Save [amount] on [product] today32 characters
  6. 16Buy one, give one: our Black Friday offer41 characters
  7. 17Black Friday: [X] months free on annual plans45 characters
  8. 18Your Black Friday price: [price]32 characters
  9. 19The lowest price we'll offer this year38 characters
  10. 20Cyber Monday: [X]% off [category]33 characters

Urgency

The Black Friday window is real, so urgency is honest here. State the actual end time.

  1. 21Final hours: [X]% off ends at midnight38 characters
  2. 22Last day of Black Friday pricing32 characters
  3. 23Ends tonight: [offer]21 characters
  4. 24Cyber Monday is your last chance32 characters
  5. 25[Number] hours left19 characters
  6. 26Black Friday ends in 24 hours29 characters
  7. 27Only [number] left at this price32 characters
  8. 28Last call before prices go back up34 characters
  9. 29Extended until [time]: [offer] (final)38 characters
  10. 30Closing at midnight [timezone]30 characters

Personal

For VIPs, past customers and early access lists.

  1. 31Early access: Black Friday starts now for you45 characters
  2. 32{{name | 'Hey'}}, your Black Friday price is ready37 characters
  3. 33For subscribers only: [offer]29 characters
  4. 34{{name | 'Hi'}}, a thank-you before the sale31 characters
  5. 35Your VIP access starts now26 characters
  6. 36{{name | 'Hey'}}, you're in before everyone else35 characters
  7. 37You've been with us since [year]. This is for you49 characters
  8. 38A private Black Friday link for you35 characters
  9. 39{{name | 'Hi'}}, still deciding?19 characters
  10. 40From our team to you: [offer]29 characters

Short

Short lines stand out among the long, capitalized subjects around them.

  1. 41It's on7 characters
  2. 42[X]% off. Everything20 characters
  3. 43Black Friday is here20 characters
  4. 44Doors open10 characters
  5. 45Last chance11 characters
  6. 46Ends tonight12 characters
  7. 47Cyber Monday12 characters
  8. 48You're early12 characters
  9. 49Final hours11 characters
  10. 50Thank you9 characters

What makes these work

  • Put the offer in the subject. Readers scanning a full inbox decide on the offer. "[X]% off everything" beats a clever line that hides the number.
  • Send early access first. Sending to engaged subscribers a day early gets you into the inbox before the volume peaks and rewards your best readers.
  • Avoid all caps and stacks of punctuation. Spam filters and readers both treat "HUGE SALE!!!" with suspicion. Sentence case stands out more on a day when everyone shouts.
  • Keep it under 40 characters when you can. Mobile inboxes often cut subjects at around 30 to 40 characters. Make sure the discount fits before the cutoff.
  • Don't mail people who never engage. Black Friday volume is when complaints spike. Sending only to subscribers who opened or clicked recently protects your inbox placement for the rest of the year.

Before sending, paste your line into the subject line tester to check its length and wording, and run the full email through the spam tester.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a good Black Friday subject line?

A clear offer and a clear deadline: "[X]% off everything until Monday". On a day when every brand is emailing, clarity stands out more than hype.

When should I send Black Friday emails?

A teaser in the week before, early access to engaged subscribers on Thursday, the main offer on Friday, a reminder over the weekend, and a final email on Cyber Monday when the offer ends.

Should I use all caps or emojis in Black Friday subjects?

Avoid all caps and stacked exclamation marks; they look like spam to readers and filters. A single emoji is fine if your brand uses them, but test how it renders first.

How do I protect deliverability during Black Friday?

Send to subscribers who engaged recently rather than your whole list, keep a consistent sender name and domain, and avoid sudden jumps in volume to people you have not emailed in months.

Related

Send your black friday emails with Lumail.

3,000 emails a month free. Unlimited subscribers on every plan. Campaigns, automations and transactional email on one domain.

Start for freeAll subject lines