5 Tips to Avoid Black Friday Marketing Chaos (and Enjoy the Holidays)

Picture this: it’s Thanksgiving night. You’re balancing a slice of pumpkin pie in one hand and your laptop in the other. Your fingers are flying across the keyboard, resizing images like your life depends on it. Why? Because the Black Friday email you were supposed to schedule weeks ago is still sitting in drafts.

Your subject line says [Insert Subject Line Here] because you forgot to edit the template. The graphics look like they were made in Microsoft Paint circa 1999. And your customer service inbox? Exploding like a string of firecrackers.

Welcome to holiday marketing… if you don’t prep ahead.

But chaos doesn’t have to be your holiday vibe this year. Instead, I want you sipping peppermint mochas with smug confidence, not panic-typing subject lines at 2 a.m. So let’s talk about the five things you can do right now to set yourself up for holiday success.

1. Ask Yourself: Do I Really Want to Play the BFCM Game?

Here’s the first big question: do you actually want to participate in the traditional Black Friday/Cyber Monday madness?

Let’s break it down.

First, Cyber Monday is literally the first day of December this year. That’s right: the holiday shopping season is already a sprint, and this timing makes it even more intense.

Second, the weekend is insanely saturated. Most shoppers already have their budgets and strategies mapped out for the big guys like Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. If you’re a smaller brand, ask yourself, is this the hill you want to climb?

Because if you do want in, you’ve got to be prepared. We’re talking:

• More emails than you’re comfortable with.
• Sharper messaging that cuts through the noise.
• Giftable items that scream “perfect present.”
• A customer-first approach that makes people feel seen, not sold to.

And if you’re not ready for that? Totally fine. Consider skipping the weekend altogether and running your promotion at an off-time. You’ll avoid the noise and might even catch impulse buyers who’ve already blown their big-brand budgets.

Either way, decide intentionally. And keep your expectations realistic. Two emails and a last-minute plan thrown together on Thanksgiving night won’t cut it.

2. Know Your Dates + Map It All Out

Next up: the calendar.

You need to know your shipping cutoffs like the back of your hand. Communicate them everywhere: your website, FAQs, email campaigns, social media posts, and ads. People need to know exactly when they can shop with you and still get their gifts on time. And yes, you’ll have to remind them multiple times because, let’s be real, we’re all last-minute shoppers at heart.

Then, map out your campaigns for October, November, and December. This is actually one of my favorite times of year to plan because the end of the calendar is right there. You can see the finish line, which makes it way less overwhelming.

Here’s how I like to think about it:

• Chunk the calendar by weeks.
• Anchor each week with one core campaign (gift guide, shipping cutoff reminder, self-gifting push, etc.).
• Add extras if you send more often.

And remember: flexibility is key. No brand (not even my clients) sticks to a calendar 100%. You need a structure, but it should bend and evolve as you learn, get feedback, or have new ideas.

The key is knowing your big dates and building around them with confidence.

3. Audit Your Automations (Flows)

Now let’s talk about the silent killers: automations.

Your welcome flow, abandoned cart, post-purchase, browse abandonment, win-back, sunset flow… they don’t get a holiday break.

The problem? They’re often set-and-forget. And that’s dangerous. Over time, automations get messy:

• Old product references that make you look out of touch.
• Conflicting triggers that confuse your customers.
• Weird timing overlaps that make you look spammy.

So give them a spot check. Even better, sign up for your own list with a test email and walk the journey yourself. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this for clients and uncovered total chaos, like subscribers getting multiple emails at once because two flows were firing at the same time.

Think of it like cleaning your kitchen. If you let it go too long, it gets gross. Same with automations; if you never check, you’ll find some funky stuff lurking in there. This is low-hanging fruit. Fix the mistakes now so you’re not leaking revenue during your busiest season.

4. Prep Your Assets (Creative + Copy)

Once your calendar and flows are sorted, it’s time to prep assets.

Here’s where you go pro: write creative briefs for each email. It doesn't have to be fancy. A Google Doc works fine. Just write:

• Send date.
• Subject line + preview text ideas.
• Copy draft.
• Notes on creative concepts.

Why? Because when you see the email stripped down to text, you can tell if it’s too self-focused, too long, or not clear. Plus, it helps you figure out what assets you need before you’re in panic mode.

Say you want a cozy “peppermint mocha café” vibe for your product photography. But when you check your folder, you’ve got… nothing. If you’re planning ahead, you have time to shoot or source that photo. If you’re building the email the night before, you’re slapping a Canva snowflake on it and calling it a day.

Give yourself the freedom to be creative by planning far enough ahead.

5. Test Everything (Seriously, Everything)

Finally: test.

If you’ve prepped your creative briefs and built your campaigns ahead of time, you actually have the space to test thoroughly.

Send test emails to yourself. Check on desktop and mobile. Click every link twice. Pretend you’re Santa making the naughty-and-nice list.

Because nothing ruins holiday spirit like a broken code or a link that goes nowhere. Trust me, you don’t want your inbox blowing up with “Hey, your email doesn’t work” on Black Friday.

So give yourself that gift: test before the madness.

What to Expect After Your Holiday Prep

Will it make December perfectly smooth? Nope. You’ll still have in-laws, and someone will always forget to bring the mashed potatoes. But at least your inbox won’t be the disaster.

So, test your links, schedule your emails, and then go get yourself a giant cup of whatever festive beverage you enjoy the most. Future you will be grateful.