70+ best Black Friday email subject lines [backed by data]

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Black Friday email subject lines determine your campaign’s success. When purchase intent peaks in November 2025, the right subject line captures revenue while weak ones leave money on the table and hand it to competitors.

Subject lines typically focus on benefits and clarity, but Black Friday demands urgency. Countdowns, flash sale warnings, and “today only” language perform well because shoppers expect deals to vanish fast and act accordingly.

With Omnisend, you can personalize subject lines with customer names and order information to improve open rates even further.

Join us below to discover data-backed subject lines that generate high open rates to fuel your most successful Black Friday campaigns yet.

Why Black Friday email subject lines matter

Subject lines determine whether your Black Friday campaigns generate revenue or get deleted.

Your subject line must instantly communicate why your offer beats the competition. Weak subject lines waste your entire campaign investment — the perfect offer, beautiful design, and segmentation mean nothing if they go unopened.

Subject lines also control your long-term email success. Poor engagement trains spam filters to block you, creating delivery problems that compound during peak season. High open rates signal value, improving inbox placement for future sends.

According to email research by Zippia, 47% of email recipients open an email based on the subject line alone. What’s more, 69% also report emails as spam based solely on the subject line.

“Black Friday Sale” disappears in the crowd. “40% Off Plus Free Shipping Today” gives customers a reason to stop scrolling. Those extra words encourage opens, providing your email with an opportunity to generate sales and revenue.

For instance, Omnisend provides multiple high-quality pre-built Black Friday email templates, and they’re intuitive to edit using its drag-and-drop editor. But what’s the point of a fantastic email design if it goes unopened?

Check out this Omnisend template as an example:

20 best Black Friday email subject lines you can steal

Steal these proven subject lines that combine urgency, exclusivity, and irresistible offers to encourage high open rates when inbox competition is fiercest:

Black Friday early access subject lines

Early access subject lines create exclusivity and FOMO by making subscribers feel like VIPs. They promise first dibs on deals before the masses, triggering immediate opens from eager shoppers who want the best selection.

Urgency subject lines

Time-sensitive language triggers our fear of missing out, making these subject lines impossible to ignore. When subscribers see countdowns and stock warnings, they open immediately.

Discount-driven subject lines

These subject lines answer the shopper’s first question — “How much can I save?” Putting your discounts upfront gives deal-hunters what they’re scanning for in their inbox.

Fun and creative subject lines

While everyone else shouts “SALE!”, these subject lines start conversations. They stand out by being unexpectedly human, using wit and warmth to make subscribers smile before they even see your offers.

Black Friday email subject lines: Tips and examples

A 2024 survey reported that 75% of consumers across the US plan to do their BF shopping online. So, we expect inboxes to become crowded with all kinds of product recommendations.

However, these email subject line tips can inspire your BF campaigns and capture your target audience’s attention:

Start promoting early

Start promoting early to gain revenue before the rush and clear out old inventory for new product arrivals. Early campaigns reveal which products resonate, helping you stock bestsellers for Black Friday itself.

Test your Black Friday subject lines in October to identify top performers. Early testing provides valuable open-rate data, letting you refine messaging and perfect your approach before the critical shopping weekend when every email counts.

Additionally, early Black Friday campaigns help you segment your audience, such as eager shoppers from bargain hunters. You can then send targeted campaigns to each group.

Our tip for the holidays: Test early subject lines before your main send. A/B test emojis, urgency words, and discount percentages to discover what wins your highest open rates.

Best Black Friday subject lines for early campaigns

(Data is sourced from previous analysis of the best Black Friday email subject lines, focusing on campaigns sent to databases of more than 5,000 subscribers.)

Highlight percentage discounts (as always) 

Perhaps the easiest way to make your store more attractive to your audience is to help them save money using discounts — we all want more for less.

Long before Black Friday even shows up, customers are on the hunt for the best deals of the season, and ecommerce merchants respond in kind.

During past Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekends, the percent sign (%) was used in a significant portion of Black Friday email subject lines sent to more than 5,000 subscribers in English-speaking countries.

Our research has consistently shown that the most popular discounts that retailers offer in their email campaigns are the following:

• 30% discount (16%)
• 50% discount (14%)
• 25% discount (13%)
• 20% discount (13%)
• 40% discount (9%)

Our tip for the holidays: Get the word out about what you’ll be offering in November. Put a banner on your site, send out a few teaser campaigns, and make sure your customers are excited about your sales this holiday season. However, as discounts are prevalent in holiday promotions, it would be wise to combine the trusty discount with another added value this year.

Best Black Friday subject lines for campaigns with discounts

Add a special touch with gifts

Everyone loves a free gift, and everyone gets into the gifting spirit when they’re getting something for themselves, too!

Sometimes, a little extra something to treat your customers or add to their gift can be a great way to make your store more attractive to shop at compared to your competition.

It can be something as simple as free samples added at checkout (but advertised at the cart) or more widespread, such as a BOGO (buy one, get one) sale.

Our tip for the holidays: Offer a free gift with a spending threshold to encourage a higher AOV. This helps make the freebie worth your while and makes your customers feel appreciated.

Also, don’t forget to mention your gift in the subject lines or preheaders — this can help you increase open rates.

Best Black Friday email subject lines for campaigns with gifting

Offer shipping deals

Everyone loves free shipping — and during the holiday season, free and upgraded shipping will be a must-have for many customers.

With bigger retailer giants like Amazon offering free shipping year-round, it’s become a standard in the ecommerce world. Having to pay for shipping today has a bigger negative impact on customers than it did a few years ago.

But offering free shipping year-round isn’t sustainable for some. If you can’t offer it all the time, rope it into your promotions for the holiday season. And if free shipping is something you frequently offer, take it a step further: offer free upgraded shipping.

As mentioned, last-minute shopping happens, and there’s always one gift that slips through the cracks. Offering a last-minute free upgraded shipping option to your customers who reach a certain spending threshold can help them make shopping with your brand a priority.

Our tip for the holidays: Go the extra mile this holiday season. If you don’t normally offer free shipping, this is your chance to promote it to your customers. If you want to add that extra special bit of convenience for last-minute shoppers, offer free expedited shipping.

Best subject lines for Black Friday campaigns with free shipping in focus

Write up to seven words

Less is more when it comes to BFCM email subject lines. Our analysis of BFCM emails has shown that concise subject lines can increase open rates. The sweet spot is between five and seven words. 

Think about how emails appear on mobile devices, where longer texts are cut off. Also, busy shoppers are more likely to engage with concise messages that quickly communicate value.

Plus, short subject lines force you to focus on what matters most: the deal, the urgency, or the exclusive offer. They also entice customers to click without overwhelming them with too much detail upfront.

Our tip for the holidays: During Black Friday, inboxes tend to overflow with promos. So, if you’ve been using lengthy subject lines, now’s the time to start the seven-word secret formula. You can even pair it with a time-sensitive offer. This can make your email stand out and motivate action.

Best subject lines for Black Friday campaigns with up to seven words

Consider adding phrases like “chance to save” and “coupon”

BFCM shoppers are all about one thing — scoring the best deals. They eagerly anticipate these sales because they know it’s their chance to save big on everything from tech gadgets to fashion must-haves.

The excitement goes beyond buying and is all about the thrill of finding unbeatable discounts and exclusive offers that they can’t get any other time of the year.

So, when an email hits their inbox with phrases like “chance to save” or “coupon,” it grabs their attention instantly. Limited-time coupons or surprise discounts are likely an immediate “yes” from many shoppers. 

Our tip for the holidays: Step up your holiday email marketing with subject lines that promote savings opportunities. Focus less on deals like “buy one, get one” (BOGO), and keep the wording broad but enticing. Phrases like “Exclusive Holiday Offer” or “Chance to Save Big” work well.

Best subject lines for Black Friday campaigns with “chance to save” and “coupon”

Bonus: Check out a few extra subject lines that demonstrated great results in previous Black Friday events

The best Black Friday subject lines: Key takeaways

As already mentioned, we carried out research on previous Black Friday email subject lines.

Here are the most interesting tips that we gathered from our Black Friday subject lines analysis:

1. Using customers’ names may not be necessary for your BF subject lines: Our best-performing Black Friday emails thrived without them. Still, consider running an A/B test during the pre-sale to see what resonates most with your audience.
2. Words like “Black Friday,” “deals,” “%,” and “off” still work: You can stick to these classics to signal exactly what bargain-hunting shoppers are looking for on Black Friday. They work perfectly when it comes to sales or offers.
3. Present discounts with percentages, particularly 30%, 50%, and 25%: These offers consistently outperformed other discount formats in subject lines. Just remember to put that percentage sign front and center so subscribers can see it fast.
4. Use short and concise subject lines: Deliver your entire Black Friday message, including that hefty discount, in the first 40 characters. Anything more than that becomes hidden for mobile users.
5. Command attention with active words and calls to action: Phrases like “buy,” “get,” “shop,” and “save” always drive BF open rates. Nothing motivates holiday shoppers like a clear call to action.
6. Emphasize scarcity and time reference: Create FOMO with words like “now,” “until midnight,” and “while they last.” Adding a clear deadline or inventory alert can turn browsers into buyers.
7. Use emojis to stand out in crowded inboxes: Consider testing holiday-themed emojis against shopping-focused ones to see what resonates with your audience. Emojis are fun, eye-catching, and appreciated by many.
8. Write up to seven words: Keeping it short and sweet does wonders for your BF email open rates. Pair it with a time-sensitive offer to make your email stand out even more.
9. Add “chance to save” or “coupon”: These phrases instantly grab your audience’s attention. After all, Black Friday shoppers anticipate bargains during this holiday.

Wrap up

Black Friday email subject lines need these elements to maximize opens:

• Five to seven words with urgency upfront
• Reveal discount amounts (“60% off,” not “huge savings”)
• Time limits, countdowns, or stock warnings
• Early access or exclusive messaging for FOMO
• Personalization using names and purchase history

Test subject line variations in October and November to identify what resonates. Skip vague promises and generic sale announcements. Black Friday shoppers scan fast and buy faster, so give them immediate reasons to click and open your emails.