It’s that time of year again. Black Friday and Cyber Monday (“BFCM”) are almost upon us! As two of the biggest shopping days of the year, your online game better be on point. As this is the last big event before Christmas, this is a huge opportunity to make some serious dollars. Shoppers are filled up on turkey, browsing the Web, and on the lookout for bargains!
You know what it’s like, though. In the weeks leading up to Black Friday, your inbox is jam-packed with emails from everyone you've subscribed to. It’s difficult to even keep up, right? How many of those emails would you say you actually open?
I’m going to bet…not that many.
This is why as a business you need a strong BFCM subject line to get your customers to open your emails. This sets yourself apart from your competitors.
We’ve put together a list of 15 subject lines for BFCM that work exceptionally well.
Couple these with a strong marketing strategy and you are going to smash those sales this Black Friday!
The importance of a subject line
Not to be too dramatic but your subject line is going to make or break you when it comes to getting your emails opened.
Think of it as a first impression. You only get one shot at it.
You have a brief opportunity for the reader to notice you and decide if it's worth their time to read what you have to say. When we are all receiving so.many.emails every day, you need to make yours stand out from the crowd.
It could ultimately decide whether you make a sale.
Could it get any more important than that?
Okay, so here’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for *drumroll please*…
15 subject lines for BFCM:
Black Friday Sale Starts NOW – Get 25% Off Storewide
Early Black Friday Sale Starts Tomorrow. Save up to 70%
Rise & Shine…Black Friday Deals Are Here
Black Friday Weekend Sale – 40% Off Everything. What Are You Waiting For?
It’s Finally Here! Black Friday Sale Starts Now!
Yes, It’s Here: Our First HUGE Deal Of Black Friday!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Black Friday Early Access: 50% Off Select Styles (Today Only) + Free Shipping
Cyber Monday Savings – Up to 80% Off, Don’t Miss Out
50% OFF ENTIRE STORE. BLACK FRIDAY SALE
Finally, it’s Cyber Monday! GO GO GO!
Be Ready…The Black Friday Sale Is Coming…
Happy Black Friday: 30% Off EVERYTHING!
Black Friday Deals On Deals: Up To 75% Off Everything
The Clock’s Ticking!
What do each of the above have in common?
They spark interest, urgency, and desire in the reader (even that one that’s seemingly an anomaly there at number 7 😉).
Each of these subject lines makes the reader think that there’s going to be goodies to be found inside. So they click to open. Even an email with the words “Happy Thanksgiving” or “The Clock’s Ticking!” your readers are going to know what you’re talking about. They are also useful because they are different from what other companies are going to be sending.
How to write your own BFCM subject lines
If you’re not a marketer, it’s hard to think like one. I think we’ve all been the man above at times! Don’t resort to using your laptop like a hat; let us help you with some tips below.
When you’re thinking about writing your own BCFM subject lines, there are some things it is worth remembering.
Use the words “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday”
I know it seems really stupidly simple but it’s worth mentioning.
Statistically, including these words in your email subject line is going to increase your open rate. The words “Cyber Monday” has also worked increasingly well over the last few years as it builds up popularity.
This is a simple way to almost guarantee an increase in your open rates. Even if your email list is, for lack of a better word…neglected.
By including these words in your subject line, your readers are conditioned to know that you have an offer to give them. This is because they get so many of these e-mails that they know what’s coming.
Using “%” and “off” works well
This is a quick and easy way for your reader to see what kind of discount you’re offering them.
If your email subject reads … “50% off”, you’re going to spark that interest and desire we were talking about above. Every shopper wants to receive a discount on something they are going to buy. And people are going to be interested to hop on over to your website and see what kind of deals they can score.
Use the word “sale”
We all love a good sale. Especially when you’re not in the shops fighting through the crowds (like, seriously? Who wants to do that?)
Using the word sale in your subject line is a quick way to say, “Hey! Open this e-mail and you are going to be able to buy the things you want at a cheaper price”. The word “sale” is universal, and your readers are going to know what you’re giving to them.
It may be old-school…but man, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Don’t labor the point.
Short.
Snappy.
Don’t go on and on in your subject line.
The point is not to give up all the information straight away. If you were to do that, what would be the point in anyone even continuing to read your email if they didn’t need to?
The key is in saying just enough to spark the interest while still getting those conversions over to your website.
If you look at the 15 subject lines above, there’s probably not a single one of them that is longer than 10 words. Try to use this as a benchmark.
Use capital letters and punctuation…but not too much!!!
Adding too many exclamation marks can mean your e-mail ends up in that dreaded place…
Junk.
If you land in junk, someone might find your Black Friday email... a year later. When they’re bored one day clearing out their inbox!
Use just enough punctuation and capital letters to spark the interest and the urgency of the offer. Keep one or two words in capitals and make it the important ones.
Keep those exclamation marks just to the one, even if it is really tempting…
You’ve decided on your email subject line…Now what?
You've got a great e-mail subject line for BFCM.
You’re feeling like a king.
Totally killing it.
That’s it, right? Am I done?
I’m sorry to tell you that there are a few other things you have to be doing. I’m sorry! Don’t come to me! We’ll make it as easy as we can for you, though.
Strategy
You need a good marketing strategy.
Having people open your emails is not going to be enough on its own. You also need people to be clicking over to your website and buying from you.
Email open rates are useless if no one is buying anything, right?
Think about how you are going to spark the interest of your e-mail list in the weeks preceding BFCM. You need to get people excited about what you’re going to be giving away to them for Black Friday.
Let the people know what’s coming.
This is especially important if your list hasn’t heard from you in a while.
Here are some things to think about when planning your strategy out:
Plan in advance what your BFCM offer is going to be and start laying the foundations with your e-mail list to pique their interest.
Work out how many e-mails you want to send to your list before you’re going to send out that e-mail that includes the offer. You should probably be sending at least one e-mail a week.
On the flip side of the above, there’s no need to be e-mailing 5 times a day. This is a sure-fire way to get people to unsubscribe to you before you reach the endgame.
The best thing you can do is to make a frequency and timing plan for these emails. That way you get the most value out of them.
Analyze what works and what doesn’t, what your list likes, and what they aren’t interested in. This is precious time you have to practice what is working best for you. Use this information to determine the contents of your Black Friday e-mail for maximum impact.
Brands who are killing it with their BFCM subject lines…
Barnes & Noble: “Take a Break from Black Friday Shopping”
This works well with the Barnes & Noble brand of taking some time for yourself to relax with a book. It entices the reader of the e-mail to spend some time (and money) on themselves and plays on the busyness of the Thanksgiving period. Barnes & Noble knows you are ready for some alone time!
Etsy: “Here’s a *different* way to save today”
This subject line is going to leave the recipient intrigued if nothing else. They are going to want to read on into the e-mail to see what Etsy has to say. What’s the different way I’m going to be able to save? How could I save in a different way? I wonder what they are offering me…
If the reader is thinking this, you bet they are going to be opening up that e-mail!
Lush: “Open up and you will find…”
This is another email that entices the recipient to want to find out what it is they will find when they open it up.
They can infer that it’s going to probably be a discount code. Or maybe even a free product, but they need to know what's inside, otherwise the suspense will eat them up! That’s the kind of anticipation you want your readers to have…
Fabletics: It's Cyber Monday! We put $35 in your account!
Who doesn’t want to receive an email like this?
Who doesn’t want free money?
Let’s face it. It’s not really going to be free money. And it’s probably going to require them to spend some money first before they get that $35.
But…this e-mail has achieved its goal. They’ve opened it up and probably clicked to the website!
What makes each of these e-mails work? They are different from the others.
These brands have made their customers feel valued because they are treating them to a well-deserved gift.
Let’s wrap things up!
You’ve got this!
If you take one of these 15 subject lines for BFCM, they are going to help you get more people opening up your emails.
Most importantly, get your strategy together now so that you can make the maximum impact when Black Friday rolls around. Don’t be scared to send out a few e-mails in the weeks preceding BFCM to see what works and what doesn’t.
Think of it like a practice run. And use it to test out some of the subject lines and tips we have given you above. If you can personalize them to your brand, even better!
A couple of things to take away is:
Use the words “Black Friday”, “Cyber Monday” and “sale”
Give a “% off” in your subject if you can
Don’t overdo it. Keep the reader’s interest and pique their curiosity, so they read your email
This Black Friday and Cyber Monday are yours for the taking! Use these 15 subject lines for BFCM and make yourself some sales!