Black Friday email and SMS ideas for small brands, without discounting everything

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Quick answer

A Black Friday email does not have to enquiry with a percentage. Start with the people who already buy from you, give them a reason to open that is not only a discount, and keep any sale offer small enough to test. Klaviyo, an email and SMS platform, reported that during Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024 the offers that converted best were 10 to 15 percent or 20 to 25 percent off, not the deepest discounts. Use SMS for two or three short, time-bound messages, and only to people who opted in for your business.

Most shoppers will see a Black Friday email from a brand they do not know this year. Klaviyo's guide to the 2024 season found that by the Monday before Thanksgiving, over 40 percent of email campaigns already carried a Black Friday discount. Your message will land in the same inbox as all of them, so the question is what it offers besides the price.

Why a discount-only email gets lost

Adobe Analytics, as summarised by Klaviyo, put US online Black Friday spending in 2024 at a record $10.8 billion, up 10.2 percent on 2023. A subject line that says "50% off everything" is one of many that day.

Timing matters too. Klaviyo's 2025 forecast found that 40 percent of consumers shop during Black Friday sales, but 24 percent start their holiday shopping earlier. A small brand can reach that second group in the two weeks before the sale, when nobody else is sending a discount yet.

Which offers are worth testing before you cut prices

Klaviyo's advice for the season is to test offers before committing to a deep cut, because a bigger discount does not always convert better. Its data for 2024 showed the best conversion rates in the 10 to 15 percent and 20 to 25 percent ranges. Those are the numbers to test first, against your own margin.

A few other offers Klaviyo describes can protect margin while still giving the customer something:

• A dollar amount instead of a percentage, such as $10, $20 or $50 off items priced at $100 or more. The customer can see the saving clearly, and you decide the cost.
• A gift with purchase above a set order value. Klaviyo describes a brand that offered a $96 product bundle on orders over $150, aimed at lifting the average order.
• Early access for subscribers only, with the public sale starting a day or two later.

Whichever you pick, put the real end date in the email and on the page it links to. A deadline that resets on reload teaches shoppers to ignore the next one.

Email ideas that do not need a discount

Some of the best holiday emails have no price in them at all. These work for product, service and food businesses alike:

1. A gift guide by person or budget. "Gifts under $40 for the person who has everything" gives the reader a reason to click that is about their list, not your sale.
2. Early access for your list. Send the subscribers the new arrivals or the booking dates a day before anyone else, and say so plainly.
3. A behind-the-scenes note. Show how an item is made, packed or prepared. It builds trust, which matters when the shopper is comparing you with three other brands.
4. A restock or last-chance-in-stock notice. Only send it when the stock is real. A true "only six left in this size" is useful; a fake one is the fastest way to lose a subscriber.
5. A how-to email. Show one way to use the product in a holiday setting, such as a table setting for a dinner, or a room refresh for guests.

For subject lines, keep the message readable on a phone before it is clever. A plain subject that names the thing inside usually earns more trust than a line built around urgency.

How to text customers without breaking the rules

Klaviyo reported that brands which added SMS to their marketing mix saw a 20 percent year-on-year increase in ecommerce revenue during Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024. SMS is strong because it is seen quickly, but it is also the channel where a bad send costs the most goodwill.

In the United States, marketing texts need the recipient's prior express written consent under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The FCC's one-to-one consent rule took effect on 27 January 2025. It means the consent has to be for a single seller at a time, given in response to a clear disclosure that the person will get texts from that seller, and the texts have to relate to the place where they signed up. A shared list from a enquiry form that names many sellers does not meet it.

This is general information, not legal advice. The rules for the UK and India are different, so check the current requirements there before you start.

If your rules allow it, a small SMS plan works well:

• One text on the first morning of the offer, with one link to the page.
• One text on the last day, with the real end time.
• One text if stock runs low on a product people asked about.

Keep each message to a sentence or two, and do not send a text from a list you cannot prove opted in.

A three-week plan for a small brand

• November 10 to 16: Clean the list. Remove bounced addresses, check the signup forms say what the subscriber is agreeing to, and write three email ideas, at least one with no discount.
• November 17 to 22: Send the gift guide and the early-access email. Add an SMS opt-in to checkout if your rules allow it.
• November 23 to 26: Put the offer live with its real dates. Schedule the first text for the morning it starts.
• November 27 to 30: Black Friday is on 27 November and Cyber Monday on 30 November. Send one reminder and one final notice with the end time, then stop.

The sale page should match the email. If the email promises a gift with purchase, the cart has to show it. The same logic applies to the holiday pages that ads and texts send people to, which we covered in our Black Friday website checklist.

Does this work outside the US?

Yes. The timing is the same in India and the UK, with Diwali or Boxing Day in place of Thanksgiving weekend. The approach is the same too: give the list something worth opening, keep the offer honest, and text only people who asked.

If you want a second opinion before the holiday sends go out, Krishva Growth offers a free audit of your site, forms and tracking. You can also look at our WhatsApp marketing service and our e-commerce development service. Message us on WhatsApp at +91 77376 08231 or use the contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Should every Black Friday email include a discount?

No. Some of the best-performing holiday emails are gift guides, early-access notices and how-tos. Use one discounted email for the offer itself, and let the rest of the sequence earn attention without a price.

How many texts should a small brand send during the sale?

Two or three is enough for most small brands: one at the start, one on the last day and, if stock is low, one about that product. More than that tends to train people to ignore the number.

Can I text customers I already have?

Only if they opted in for texts from your business, and in the United States the consent has to meet the FCC's one-to-one rule. A shared list from another seller's form is not enough. Check the current rules for your country before you send.

When should the first Black Friday email go out?

Klaviyo's 2025 forecast found that 24 percent of consumers start shopping earlier than the sale itself. Mid-November is a reasonable start for a no-discount email, with the offer following a week later.