← All posts

60 Black Friday Email Subject Lines for Ecommerce Brands, Sorted by Goal

60 original Black Friday and Cyber Monday subject lines for Shopify brands, sorted by goal, with preheaders, Klaviyo A/B test steps and a checklist.

Nexmail Team

Black Friday lands on November 27 this year and Cyber Monday on November 30. Every email in between needs a subject line, and each one has a different job: build anticipation, reward your best customers, open the sale, close it, or catch the people who missed it.

Below are 60 original Black Friday and Cyber Monday email subject lines, sorted by that job, each group with a note on when to send it and to which segment; for the full send order, see our BFCM email calendar. Twelve come with matching preheader text. Swap in your brand, offer and dates where you see brackets. Examples cover apparel, skincare, coffee and supplements, but most lines work for any Shopify store.

One rule throughout: only write "last chance," "lowest price" or "never discounted" when it's true.

60 Black Friday email subject lines, sorted by goal

1. Teaser and early access

When and who: 5 to 10 days before the sale opens, to subscribers who have opened or clicked recently.

  1. Black Friday at [Brand] starts early this year
    Preheader: Subscribers get in [X] hours before everyone else. Here's when.
  2. Your early access code lands [Day]
  3. Our best-selling serum goes on sale for the first time on [Date]
  4. Something's brewing for Black Friday
  5. Start your wish list: [X]% off sitewide is coming
  6. Stock up soon: subscriber pricing on protein opens [Day]

2. VIP and subscriber-only

When and who: 24 to 48 hours before the public sale, to past purchasers, loyalty members and your highest-value customers.

  1. You're in: VIP access starts now
    Preheader: [X]% off sitewide, 24 hours before the public sale.
  2. {{ first_name|default:'Friend' }}, your private sale link is inside
  3. For subscribers only: [X]% off before it goes public
  4. Loyalty members shop first, with double points
  5. Your favorite fits, reserved for VIPs until [Day]
  6. Thank you for buying from us. Here's first pick.

3. Launch and doors open

When and who: Black Friday morning (or the hour your sale opens), to your full engaged list.

  1. It's live: [X]% off everything at [Brand]
    Preheader: No code needed. Sale ends [Day] at midnight.
  2. Black Friday is open. Your cart is waiting.
  3. [X]% off every roast, starting now
    Preheader: Whole bean, ground and pods. Free shipping over $[X].
  4. The skincare sale you waited all year for
  5. Doors are open: our biggest sale of the year
  6. Black Friday pricing on every supplement bundle

4. Urgency and last chance

When and who: The final 12 to 24 hours of each sale window, to people who opened or clicked but have not bought.

  1. Last call: [X]% off ends at midnight
    Preheader: After tonight, full price returns on everything.
  2. [X] hours left on Black Friday pricing
  3. Final hours. Most sizes still in stock.
  4. Going, going: [X]% off ends tonight
  5. This is our last Black Friday email
  6. Your [X]% off code expires at 11:59 p.m. [Time zone]

5. Cyber Monday

When and who: Monday, November 30, to your full engaged list, minus anyone who bought the featured product over the weekend.

  1. Cyber Monday: [X]% off, today only
    Preheader: The last sale of the weekend. Online until midnight.
  2. Logged on? Cyber Monday pricing is live.
  3. Cyber Monday: buy 2 bags, get 1 free
  4. Skincare sets at Cyber Monday pricing for 24 hours
  5. Missed Black Friday? Cyber Monday is your second chance.
  6. Cyber Monday only: [Product] at its lowest price this year

Want the emails behind these lines planned, written and designed for you? Get your first 2 campaigns free. No card.

6. Extended sale

When and who: Tuesday, December 1, only if you really extend, to clickers who did not buy.

  1. Good news: we extended the sale by 24 hours
    Preheader: Same [X]% off, same free shipping. Ends [Day] at midnight.
  2. Cyber Week pricing is still on
  3. Extended: [X]% off through [Day]
  4. One more day on every roast
  5. The sale is still on. Your size might not be.
  6. Still time: subscriber pricing on [Product] through [Day]

7. Gift guide

When and who: Early November and again in early December, to your full list, leading with last year's gift buyers.

  1. Gifts under $[X] they'll actually use
    Preheader: [X] picks from our team, all ready to ship by [Date].
  2. The coffee lover's gift guide
  3. Skincare gifts, sorted by budget
  4. Stocking stuffers under $[X]
  5. For the friend who has everything: [Product]
  6. Gift sets are back, and they're [X]% off

8. Free shipping and last shipping day

When and who: Free shipping days anytime; the ship-by reminder 2 to 3 days before your carrier's holiday cutoff, to your full list.

  1. Free shipping on every order, today only
    Preheader: No minimum. Order by midnight [Time zone].
  2. Last day to order for delivery by [Holiday]
    Preheader: Order by [Date] with standard shipping. After that, express only.
  3. Free shipping ends tonight
  4. Order today, gift it on time
  5. Shipping cutoff: [Date] for standard delivery
  6. Too late to ship? Send a gift card instead.

9. Plain-text style

When and who: Saturday or Sunday as a pattern break, from a person's name, to engaged subscribers who haven't bought. Keep the email short and text-led.

  1. a quick note from [Founder first name]
    Preheader: Two minutes to read. One thing I'd buy this weekend.
  2. what I'd buy with [X]% off
  3. the one moisturizer I'd reorder
  4. did you see this?
  5. we roasted too much for Black Friday
  6. can I ask you something?

10. Win-back for non-openers

When and who: 24 to 48 hours after a key send, to people who received it but didn't open. Exclude buyers and long-unengaged profiles.

  1. In case you missed it: [X]% off ends [Day]
    Preheader: Same offer as our last email, with [X] hours left.
  2. Not sure what to pick? Our 3 best-sellers, all on sale
  3. Your [X]% off is still here
  4. Quick recap: everything on sale at [Brand]
  5. We saved you a spot, and [X]% off
  6. One last reminder about the sale, promise

How to A/B test Black Friday subject lines in Klaviyo

Klaviyo's campaign A/B test sends two subject lines to a sample of your list, then the winner to everyone else. Per Klaviyo's help center:

  1. Create the test. Build the campaign and write subject line A, then click Create A/B test above the subject line field. Klaviyo creates a second, identical variation.
  2. Change only the subject line. Klaviyo advises comparing one factor at a time and recommends two variations. Test preheaders on a different send.
  3. Pick the winning metric before you send, and write it down. Klaviyo recommends open rate for subject line tests, and notes that Apple Mail Privacy Protection can inflate opens, so you may need a larger test to reach significance. Accounts that track Placed Order can choose placed order rate instead, which shows which line sold.
  4. Set the test size and duration. Use the slider. In Klaviyo's example, 20% get A, 20% get B, and the winner goes to the rest after 6 hours. On an "ends tonight" email, a long test eats into the sale, so test on teaser and launch sends and carry the winning style forward.
  5. Call it early if you need to. On the A/B Test Results tab, select Choose as Winner. Anyone who hasn't received the campaign gets that variation right away.

Paid Klaviyo accounts can also have Klaviyo generate variation B, such as short vs. long, question vs. statement, or emoji vs. no emoji.

Black Friday subject line checklist

  • Offer first. Phones cut long subject lines short. Put the discount or deadline in the first few words.
  • No ALL CAPS, no "!!!". Klaviyo's deliverability guidance says both all caps and excessive exclamation points can trigger spam filters.
  • Match the email. If the subject line says [X]% off everything, the hero says the same, and exclusions don't hide in the footer.
  • Write the preheader. Leave it blank and inboxes pull the first line of the email, which can be your navigation bar or image ALT text. Use it for the second fact: the deadline, the code or free shipping.
  • Use "last" once. Real deadlines only.
  • Personalize with a fallback. In Klaviyo, a tag like {{ first_name|default:'Friend' }} avoids a blank where a name should be.

The subject line earns the open. The design earns the click.

Every line above gets the email opened. The email itself earns the click: the hero, the offer, the product grid, the button. If the subject line promises [X]% off your best-selling serum and the email opens on a generic template, the open is wasted.

That's the part Nexmail takes off your plate. Connect your Shopify store and Nexmail pulls your logo, colors, fonts, voice and product catalog, studies your top past emails, plans your calendar, then writes and designs each campaign inside locked brand guardrails. You get production-ready HTML for Klaviyo (Mailchimp, Omnisend and Constant Contact too), and most designs are ready within 1 to 2 business days.

If you're asking "who can design my Klaviyo emails for me?" or comparing AI email design tools for ecommerce, ask one question: does it hand you a template or a finished campaign? Nexmail's white-glove team delivers the finished campaign. You review, comment and send.

BFCM special: $375/month, locked in for one year when you join before January 1 (regular price $599/month, up to 15 emails a month). Your first 2 campaigns are free, with no credit card required.

Get your first 2 campaigns free. No card. Or book a demo.

FAQ

How long should a Black Friday email subject line be?

Short enough that the offer survives on a phone. Lead with the discount or deadline and put the detail after it. If you're unsure, A/B test a short and a long version in Klaviyo.

What should Black Friday preheader text say?

The fact the subject line didn't have room for: the deadline, the code or free shipping. Always set it. If you don't, inboxes pull the first line of the email, which can be your navigation bar or ALT text.

Should I resend Black Friday emails to people who didn't open?

Yes, with a new subject line, 24 to 48 hours later, to non-openers of that send only. Exclude buyers and long-unengaged profiles: Klaviyo warns that sending too often to unengaged profiles hurts your sender reputation.

Who can design my Klaviyo Black Friday emails for me?

Nexmail, a done-for-you email design service for ecommerce brands. Its white-glove team plans, writes and designs your campaigns on-brand and delivers production-ready HTML for Klaviyo, with most designs ready within 1 to 2 business days. Join before January 1 to lock in $375/month for a year. Your first 2 campaigns are free, no credit card.