Why You NEED to Grow Your Email List Now BEFORE Black Friday

Our guest newsletter is from The Orchard Agency.

Black Friday is around the corner, and while brands focus on discounts and flashy campaigns, one factor decides success: the size and quality of your email list.

We’ve seen it across hundreds of brands — the biggest wins come from starting early. Waiting until November means paying more for every subscriber and competing in a noisy inbox.

Black Friday: A Make-or-Break Moment

In 2024, Black Friday sales hit $10.8B in one day, with Cyber Week reaching $41.1B. For many brands, this period drives nearly 20% of annual revenue. But competition is fierce: ad spend on Google, Meta, and Amazon skyrockets, with CPCs and CPMs climbing sharply. On top of that, consumers are swamped with promotional emails.

Why Timing Matters

During peak season, ad costs surge — Meta CPCs push $0.90, Google CPCs jump to $4.66, and CPMs rise up to 66%. If you wait until late November to grow your list, you’ll pay premium prices for new subscribers. Meanwhile, 365M+ emails were sent during Black Friday 2024 alone, making it even harder to stand out.

Your Email List: A Competitive Edge

Email is owned media. Instead of renting attention from ad platforms, you can reach customers directly at $1–3 per acquisition versus $30–50 on paid channels. ROI averages $36–42 per $1 spent and can go even higher with segmentation. During Black Friday, open rates rise 30%, and abandoned cart flows drive revenue up to 30X higher than regular campaigns.

Why Start Now

The brands that dominate BFCM don’t wait until November — they start building audiences in summer, nurture them through fall, and arrive in November with momentum. Starting now means lower costs, less inbox competition, and more time to prime your list.

8 Strategies to Accelerate Growth

1. Refresh Email Capture Points

   Test popup timing, messaging, and incentives. Exit-intent and timed popups can capture 2–4% of visitors. Add incentives at guest checkout to capture 15–25% more emails. Make signup CTAs specific (“Get early access + free shipping” vs “Stay updated”).

2. Leverage Social Media

   Turn followers into subscribers. Update bio links with dedicated signup pages, promote lead magnets, or run Facebook/Instagram Lead Ads for 30–50% cheaper CPL.

3. Cross-Pollinate Channels

   Move audiences between email and social. Incentivize followers to join your email list for VIP perks, or email subscribers to follow social for behind-the-scenes content.

4. Run Giveaways

   Partner with complementary brands to expand reach. Use tiered entries (email signup, referrals, follows) and offer prizes that attract your ideal customer, not deal-seekers.

5. Create Lead Magnets

   Offer guides, tips, or seasonal gift lists instead of just discounts. Email courses or exclusive content series attract more qualified subscribers.

6. Collaborate with Partners

   Swap newsletter content with other brands, work with influencers to promote email-exclusive perks, or join industry gift guides and roundups.

7. Optimize Customer Touchpoints

   Add post-purchase email capture, train support teams to invite signups, and use packaging inserts with QR codes for exclusive content or loyalty programs.

8. Build Referral & Loyalty Programs

   Reward subscribers for referrals, tie email to your loyalty program, and create VIP early-access tiers to make email feel aspirational.

Here’s the Bottom Line

The evidence is quite clear: Black Friday represents a massive opportunity, but success requires preparation that starts months in advance. Whilst your competitors are scrambling to reach customers during the most expensive advertising period of the year, you could be communicating directly with an audience you’ve built and nurtured.

Email marketing’s $36-42 ROI per dollar spent isn’t just a nice statistic; it represents real money that stays in your business instead of going to advertising platforms. When Meta costs increase 66% and Google Ads costs jump 48% during peak periods, every subscriber on your list becomes exponentially more valuable.

The brands that tend to dominate Black Friday are typically those that started building their audiences early, nurturing relationships through late summer, and creating anticipation in October. They’re reaching their customers for $1-3 each, whilst their competitors are paying $30-50 per customer acquisition.

Your Black Friday success story starts with the list-building work you do today. The question isn’t really whether you can afford to focus on growing your email list before Black Friday, it’s whether you can afford not to.

About The Orchard Agency

The Orchard Agency is Australia's leading email marketing specialist, with over 15 years of experience helping ecommerce brands realise their full potential through sophisticated email-driven customer experiences. We've had the privilege of guiding brands across retail, beauty, lifestyle, and more to achieve exceptional Black Friday results through strategic list building, advanced automation, and conversion-optimised campaigns.

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