Home / Guides

Black Friday email template for Mailchimp and Klaviyo (2026)

You have the copy for your Black Friday emails. Now you need to get it into your email platform without breaking anything. This guide shows how to adapt a written run for Mailchimp or Klaviyo. Black Friday is Friday, November 27, 2026, and Cyber Monday is November 30.

Updated October 27, 2026 · By Doorbuster Studio

Both platforms update their interfaces often, so the steps below stay general. Check each platform’s help center for current menu names.

Step 1: Lay out the run on paper first

Write down every email with its send date, audience, subject, preview text, offer and button link. A simple version might be: a heads-up the week before, an early-access email, the Friday announcement, a Saturday thank-you, and a Cyber Monday last-chance email. The send schedule guide has a suggested order.

Step 2: Use campaigns for the sale emails

One-time sale emails are usually built as campaigns (a message sent once to a chosen audience at a chosen time). Flows (Klaviyo) or automations (Mailchimp) are for messages that trigger from behavior, like a welcome series or an abandoned cart. For Black Friday, campaigns are the usual choice. If you already have an abandoned-cart automation, review its copy so it does not contradict your sale.

Step 3: Convert your placeholders into merge tags

Your written copy probably has placeholders like {first name}. Each platform has its own syntax, and the exact format can vary with your setup, so confirm in the platform’s tag picker or help pages. Common patterns look like this:

Always set a fallback such as “there,” so a contact with no name does not see a blank or a raw tag. Then send a test to a contact with no first name.

Step 4: Build the email

• Use a single-column layout and one main button.
• Fill in the preview text field, not just the subject.
• Link the button to the exact collection or product page where the discount applies.
• Keep the platform’s required footer (address and unsubscribe link).

Step 5: Choose the audience and segments

Decide who receives each email. Typical splits for a small shop:

• Everyone subscribed for the main announcement.
• Past customers or VIPs for early access.
• People who did not open the earlier email, for a short reminder later the same day or the next.

Only email contacts who have agreed to receive marketing. If you are building segments from open or click activity, remember that some email apps hide or pre-load opens, so treat those numbers as a rough guide.

Step 6: Test, then schedule

• Send a test to yourself and a colleague, and open it on a phone.
• Click every link and place a test order to confirm the discount works.
• Check merge tag fallbacks and image alt text.
• Confirm the send time and your account’s time zone.
• Schedule rather than sending by hand, so a busy Friday morning does not decide your timing.

Step 7: Duplicate, don’t rebuild

After the first email is finished, duplicate it for the reminder and last-chance emails, then change the subject, headline and offer lines. It saves time and keeps your branding consistent. Use the setup checklist before anything goes live, and see the Shopify Email version of this guide if you use Shopify’s own tool.