Black Friday isn’t just noisy, it’s crowded. And in 2025, it’s only going to get harder to stand out.
Most businesses are still focused on discount codes and ad spend, but that’s not where the real impact happens. By the time November rolls around, your customers have already made up their minds. They’re comparing brands, watching for specific offers, and deciding who they trust to deliver.
If you’re waiting until the sale week to start promoting, you’re already behind. The brands that build momentum early are the ones that stay front of mind and get the click when it counts.
Here’s how to do that without burning your budget or overwhelming your audience.
Tease Early Across Your Channels
You don’t need to run your full campaign yet, but you should already be getting your audience’s attention.
Start small. A few teaser posts on social media. A short email letting your list know that something’s coming. A homepage banner that hints at early access or a major reveal. The goal isn’t to show everything, it’s to get people curious.
This works because it shifts the timing of your audience’s awareness. If they’re already thinking about your brand before the rest of the market launches their campaigns, you’ve won their attention early.
We often help businesses plan out this early phase as part of broader digital campaigns, making sure each channel (social, email, paid) is aligned and consistent. You don’t need a big idea, but you do need to keep showing up in the right places.
If you’re already running paid Google ads or working with a social media schedule, you’re halfway there. It’s just about being more intentional with the lead-up.
Grow Your Email List With Purpose
Your list doesn’t need to be big, but it does need to be engaged. If you want to drive strong results from your Black Friday offer, growing your list now is one of the smartest moves you can make.
The earlier someone signs up, the more time you have to warm them up with value-driven content. And when the offer does land in their inbox, it’s not coming from a brand they barely know, it’s coming from one they’ve already heard from.
Create a clear sign-up journey:
- Add a pop-up or embedded form with a short message about early access
- Use a landing page for any paid traffic you’re driving
- Avoid vague CTAs like “subscribe for updates”; you need to give people a reason to join now
This kind of simple sign-up flow works best when paired with clear copy and a fast, user-friendly page.
If you’re thinking about optimising your website in the lead-up to Black Friday, this is one of the first places to start.
Create Urgency Before Your Offer Even Launches
A lot of businesses save urgency for the final week of November. The issue here is that by then, everyone’s using the same tricks and audiences are desensitised to them.
Creating urgency early gives you a different edge. It helps you prime your audience and get early conversions from people who are already ready to buy.
Try things like:
- Countdown timers that start ticking before the main event
- A limited early access offer for email subscribers
- A short flash sale in October to test the waters
These kinds of tactics give you data to work with, whilst also building that momentum. You can see who engages early, what products draw the most interest, and how your audience reacts to different types of messaging.
When businesses are refining their conversion strategies, a smaller, earlier campaign can provide exactly the insights you need to make your main event stronger.
Use What You Know About Your Customers
You don’t need to guess what your audience wants, you’ve probably already got the data.
If someone viewed a product a few weeks ago, or abandoned their cart last month, they’re a strong candidate for a personalised message in the lead-up to Black Friday. Same goes for returning customers who bought during last year’s sale.
You can start by reminding people what they’ve already looked at, especially if it’s likely to go on sale. Bring back products that performed well last year and promote them to customers who’ve shown interest before. Even small touches, like tailoring your email content or ad messaging based on what someone’s browsed, can help make your campaign feel more personal, and more effective.
It’s really just all about using what you already know to create a better experience. When we work with clients on digital strategy, this is often where we start, connecting simple insights to smart actions.
Make Sure Your Website Can Handle The Spike
You’ve built the buzz. People are ready to buy. But if your website slows down, breaks at checkout or throws an error at the wrong moment, all the hard work you’ve put in until now is wasted. It’s a common error for businesses, but one that’s completely preventable.
Now’s the time to run through your site and spot the gaps. Check how fast it loads, especially on mobile, and go through your checkout experience like a real customer. If anything feels clunky or unclear, fix it now. Make sure your tracking is working properly so you can actually measure what’s working. And take a fresh look at your site navigation and banners, is anything out of date, broken, or just getting in the way?
Even simple updates can make a big difference. Replacing last year’s messaging, tightening up your homepage layout, or removing an unnecessary step at checkout can be the difference between a sale and a bounce.
We help clients run through this kind of check all the time, not just in the lead-up to sales periods, but as part of regular site maintenance. And the earlier you do it, the less stress you’ll be dealing with in November.
Start Early, Stay Ahead
Black Friday’s always going to be a competitive window. But the advantage doesn’t go to the business with the biggest discount, it goes to the one that’s already top of mind.
You don’t need to launch your full campaign yet. But if you start teasing your offer, growing your list, and cleaning up your site now, you’ll be ready when it matters most.
If you’d like to talk through any of the ideas above, or explore where your existing strategy could be improved, we’re always happy to chat. The work we do across our agency is full-service, and is designed to help businesses get ahead and stay there.
Get in touch with our team or explore more of what we do to start planning for a more confident Black Friday.
