10 Creative Black Friday Marketing Ideas [Contests + Promotions]

Updated: October 29, 2026

A record 202.9 million Americans shopped over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). You know what that means? Black Friday marketing campaigns are essential during the busiest shopping stretch of the year!

And here’s the twist: more of those shoppers bought online (134.9 million) than in stores (129.5 million). Black Friday was still the biggest day of the weekend for both, drawing 80.3 million in-store shoppers and 85.7 million online. Online spending set records, too. Adobe Analytics reported $11.8 billion in Black Friday online sales, up 9.1% from 2024, and $44.2 billion over Cyber Week, the five days from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday.

Those numbers also show that Black Friday isn’t really a single day anymore. Deals start weeks earlier, and shoppers keep going all weekend long. That’s why I’ve organized this year’s ideas into three parts:

• Before the sale: campaigns that build your list and get your store on shoppers’ radar before Thanksgiving (November 26, 2026).
• Black Friday weekend: campaigns for Black Friday (November 27) through Cyber Monday (November 30).
• After the sale: campaigns that keep the momentum going once the deals wind down.

You’ll find ideas for brick-and-mortar stores, online retailers and non-retailers like restaurants and spas. To make things even easier for you, every idea can be built from a ShortStack template, so you can get started as soon as you’re finished reading this post.

Part 1: Before the sale

The biggest retailers start rolling out “Black Friday” deals in early November, so don’t wait until the day after Thanksgiving to get your offer in front of people. These three ideas help you build your list and lock in shoppers before the rush.

#1: Choose Your Early-Access Black Friday Discount

Best for: online and brick-and-mortar retailers

Give your customers the power to choose the deal that best suits them – and give them first dibs on it. Where someone might be stoked about $20 off all sweaters, another shopper might really go crazy for buy-one-get-one scarves. Launch a Pick Your Discount campaign in early November that lets people choose one discount and submit their name and email address to lock it in. I love this idea because it’s a 2-for-1: it helps you grow your email list before Black Friday, and it lets you do a bit of research on what types of deals your customers are most interested in. If everyone picks the scarves, you know which deal to put front and center on the big day.

Plan note: Sending each person a unique coupon code is available on ShortStack’s Scale plan.
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#2: Unlock the Doorbuster

Best for: online retailers

Who says you need doors to have a doorbuster sale? A week or two before Black Friday, set up a campaign where folks sign up for a coupon to some great early-morning Black Friday deals on your website. What’s the catch? People only unlock the coupon if at least, say, 500 people enter. Folks who want the coupon will invite friends to sign up, too – increasing your brand’s reach among potential customers and growing your email list.

Take it to the next level: Add a Refer-a-Friend link so entrants can track how many friends they’ve brought in. Just keep sharing optional – Facebook doesn’t allow you to require or reward shares on its platform.

Plan note: Coupon codes are available on ShortStack’s Scale plan.

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#3: Black Friday Freebie

Best for: brick-and-mortar retailers

You and every other retailer are going to offer a great deal or two on Black Friday. Why not sweeten the incentive to shop at YOUR store by giving folks who stop by a free gift? In the weeks before Black Friday, set up a limited-entry giveaway where people claim one of a limited number of free gifts to pick up on Black Friday. Once the entry limit has been reached, a new form displays, encouraging people to submit their information so they can stay in-the-know about your upcoming sales and giveaways. Claiming early builds buzz, and a limited supply creates a little urgency.

Take it to the next level: Send an email autoresponder after someone submits the form – the customer shows the email in-store to redeem their free gift. This gives people a reason to submit a valid email address, which you can use for remarketing in the future.

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Part 2: Black Friday weekend

From Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, there’s a lot of clutter to break through. These five ideas will help your promotions stand out while shoppers are ready to buy.

#4: Win the Golden Coupon

Best for: online and brick-and-mortar retailers

I like contests where everyone gets a little something (probably because I never win anything). An instant-win game shares the “wealth” with everyone who plays. Every player wins a Black Friday-sized discount, like “$40 off” or “25% off” their purchase. A lucky few uncover the Golden Coupon – think “75% off” or “$100 off.” Since players find out on the spot, it’s the perfect fit for the weekend, when shoppers want their deal right now.

Plan note: Unique coupon codes for each winner are available on ShortStack’s Scale plan.

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#5: Downloadable Coupons

Best for: brick-and-mortar retailers

Want to keep things simple? Try a campaign where folks just click a button and BOOM they have your coupon on their phone. There’s no form to fill out, which gets your coupon into the hands of more people – a solid strategy if your goal is to get as many customers through your door as possible this weekend. Plus, there’s still a chance to collect a bit of data: add an optional form for people who want to hear about future deals.

Plan note: If you want to give each person their own unique coupon code instead of one shared coupon, that’s available on ShortStack’s Scale plan.

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#6: It’s Black Friday All Weekend Long Deal-a-Day Calendar

Best for: online retailers

Surprise folks by unlocking a different deal each day from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday. A Giveaway Calendar is the perfect template for this. Instead of giving away a prize, ask people to submit their information to unlock the day’s deal. You can even give each day its own theme – a shop-local offer for Small Business Saturday (November 28) and an online-only deal for Cyber Monday (November 30). Tease the next day’s deal to keep people coming back.

Take it to the next level: Send folks their deal by triggering an automated email after they submit the form.

Plan note: Coupon codes are available on ShortStack’s Scale plan.

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#7: #GiftGiver Shopping Spree

Best for: brick-and-mortar retailers

The idea behind this hashtag contest is simple: invite shoppers to take a photo with an item in your store, or with something they bought from you over Black Friday weekend, then post it to Instagram with the hashtag #[YOURCOMPANY]GiftGiver. Everyone who posts with the hashtag is entered to win a post-Black Friday shopping spree in your store. Contests where people share photos to enter help spread the word about your brand. And if people need to come into your store to take the photo, there’s a good chance they’ll stick around and make a purchase.

Tip: If you’d like to reuse entrants’ photos in your own marketing, ask for their permission first, and spell out how you’ll use them in your official rules.

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#8: Restaurant Black Friday Specials

Best for: restaurants

Retailers shouldn’t have all the fun on Black Friday! Yes, there are deals to hunt down and gifts to buy, but shoppers need to eat, too. Restaurants have the chance to offer people a timeout from long lines and hectic stores. Build a Black Friday landing page that shows off your meal specials for midday munchies, or drink specials for folks to unwind after a long day. Add a countdown timer to your happy hour to create a little urgency.

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Part 3: After the sale

When Cyber Monday ends, your marketing doesn’t have to. These two ideas reach the people who skipped the frenzy, and they keep your new contacts engaged into December.

#9: “Black Friday Later” Photo Contest

Best for: online and brick-and-mortar retailers

Not everyone wants to shop the day after Thanksgiving. Set up a photo contest for the folks who’d rather spend the holiday weekend doing something else. Ask people what they did instead of shopping, and have them submit a photo along with a description. Entries could range from a busy parent cooking a delicious Thanksgiving feast to a college student catching up on homework, a grandmother volunteering at a soup kitchen to an uncle playing football in the backyard with his nieces and nephews. The winner gets a special coupon code to use in the first few weeks of December, giving them the same deals you gave Black Friday shoppers.

Plan note: Coupon codes are available on ShortStack’s Scale plan.

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#10: Win a Post-Black Friday Relaxation Day

Best for: spas and beauty businesses

Having worked retail on Black Friday myself, I know there are folks out there who would love to put up their feet after the busy weekend. Create a sweepstakes for a free massage or other spa service, and give away a little TLC. Open entries on Cyber Monday and close them a few days later – a short entry window creates a bit of urgency.

Take it to the next level: Send an email after form submission advertising your winter specials, or even a special treat for everyone who entered.

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Ready to plan your Black Friday?

With shoppers starting earlier and spending well past Friday, the best Black Friday plan covers all three stages: build your list before the sale, give shoppers a reason to choose you during the weekend, and keep the conversation going afterward. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get started designing your Black Friday campaigns!

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