The following examples are the best performing subject lines as reported by Omnisend for last year’s BFCM. All of these Black Friday email campaigns were sent to at least 6,000 subscribers.

Interestingly only 1 of the top 10 performers used personalisation in the subject line. Most of the merchants used the term Black Friday, however they did not use popular terms such as; “sale,” “%,” “off,” and “holiday. Surprisingly 4 of the above subject lines contained the store’s name. Excluding number 2, all subject lines were punchy, quite short and to the point. As a rule of thumb exclamation marks and all caps are looked down upon, however it seems to have worked for numbers 6, 9 and 10.

10 Best Performing Subject Lines For Your Black Friday Email Campaign

  1. Black Friday Weekend Banger
  2. BLACK FRIDAY SALE / Kendrick Lamar x Reebok Classic CL Luxe Olive / Bedwin x The Heartbreakers x Adidas Originals collection
  3. 50% OFF ENTIRE STORE. BLACK FRIDAY SALE
  4. Save 40% @ [store] Black Friday Sale
  5. Two Day Sale This Weekend
  6. Be prepared for holiday travel with this handy organizer bag!
  7. Black Friday Weekend – save 30% on [store]
  8. {{name}} 25% OFF Main Brands Beginning NOW at [store]
  9. [store] Black Friday—last chance for massive vape savings!
  10. Black Friday Deal!

See the open rates below for each subject line.

#1 Subject line: Black Friday Weekend Banger

  • Product: Jewelry
  • Open rate: 44.85%

#2 Subject line: BLACK FRIDAY SALE / Kendrick Lamar x Reebok Classic CL Luxe Olive / Bedwin x The Heartbreakers x Adidas Originals collection

  • Product: Fashion
  • Open rate: 42.79%

#3 Subject line: 50% OFF ENTIRE STORE. BLACK FRIDAY SALE.

  • Product: Electronics
  • Open rate: 33.51%

#4 Subject line: Save 40% @ [store] Black Friday Sale

  • Product: Fashion/Sports Equipment
  • Open rate: 30.36%

#5 Subject line: Two Day Sale This Weekend

  • Product: Fashion
  • Open rate: 29.58%

#6 Subject line: Be prepared for holiday travel with this handy organizer bag!

  • Product: Electronics
  • Open rate: 28.91%

#7 Subject line: Black Friday Weekend – save 30% on [store]

  • Product: Electronics/Accessories
  • Open rate: 28.89%

#8 Subject line: {{name}} 25% OFF Main Brands Beginning NOW at [store]

  • Product: Sports Clothing/Accessories
  • Open rate: 27.97%

#9 Subject line: [store] Black Friday—last chance for massive vape savings!

  • Product: Electronics/Supplements
  • Open rate: 26.47%

#10 Subject line: Black Friday Deal!

  • Product: Electronics/Supplements
  • Open rate: 26%

For more information on how to improve sales for your Black Friday campaigns contact Digital Fire today.

For the complete article and report by Omnisend click here.