AI Prompts for Black Friday and Cyber Monday Email & SMS Marketing

Black Friday and Cyber Monday squeeze weeks of copywriting into days. And as we all know, AI can be a valuable tool for marketing teams looking to streamline first drafts and free up more time for strategy, segmentation, testing, and refinement. This AI prompt library is built around proven retention marketing frameworks designed to help mid-market to enterprise brands create more effective campaigns in Klaviyo.

How to Use This AI Prompt Library

We've designed this prompt library to make BFCM campaign planning and copywriting faster, easier, and more effective. Each prompt is provided in a ready-to-copy format, allowing your team to quickly customize it and generate content tailored to your brand's specific needs.

Throughout the prompts, you'll notice bracketed placeholders such as [Brand Name], [Target Audience], [Brand Voice], and [Offer Details]. These indicate where you'll need to add information unique to your business before submitting the prompt to your preferred AI tool.

The more specific and detailed your inputs, the more relevant and useful your results will be. Consider including details like your audience's purchasing behaviors, key product benefits, promotional exclusions, and the tone you want your messaging to convey.

Don't stop at the first draft. One of the most effective ways to get better results from AI is to iterate within the same conversation. Rather than starting over with each request, build on the context you've already provided and refine the output with specific feedback. Try follow-up instructions like "Make option 2 warmer," "Cut this to 120 characters," or "Give me three more variations like option 4." Each round helps you get closer to messaging that fits your brand, audience, and campaign goals without having to repeat your original instructions.

Remember, AI works best as a starting point, not a finished product. Use the generated content to accelerate brainstorming, explore creative directions, and develop initial drafts, then apply your team's expertise to refine the messaging. Before launching, ensure all copy aligns with your brand guidelines, promotional strategy, and customer expectations. A final human review is especially important during BFCM, when accuracy, consistency, and clear communication can directly impact campaign performance.

Start Here: Set Up Your Brand Voice

Paste this into your AI tool first, at the start of every new conversation, so each prompt below starts from your brand’s voice.

You are writing email and SMS copy for [brand], a [category] brand. Our voice is [3 to 5 voice attributes]. Words and phrases we use often: [list]. Words and phrases that are off-brand for us: [list]. Our core customer is [one-sentence description]. Here are two recent emails that performed well for us: [paste].

Evergreen Email & SMS Prompts (Year-Round)

These cover the flows and campaigns that run all year. They're the foundation your BFCM work builds on.

Welcome

1. Welcome series opener

Write 3 versions of the first email in a welcome series for [brand], each opening with a different hook: brand story, bestseller spotlight, or a customer problem solved. Keep each under 150 words with one CTA, and include a subject line and preview text for each.

Browse & Cart Abandonment

2. Browse abandonment benefit reframes

Suggest 5 ways to reframe [product benefit] for a browse-abandonment flow email, using specific, concrete language in place of generic urgency phrases.

3. Cart abandonment objection handling

Write a cart abandonment email for [product] that addresses the top 3 purchase hesitations our customers report: [list]. Keep the tone reassuring and close with one CTA back to the cart.

Post-Purchase

4. Upsell sequence

Write a 3-email post-purchase upsell sequence for a customer who bought [product], recommending [complementary product] in a helpful, advisory tone. Space the emails [X] days apart and give each one a distinct reason to buy.

5. Replenishment reminders

Write 3 SMS replenishment reminders for customers who bought [product] [X] days ago, each under 160 characters, timed to when they'd typically start running low.

Win-Back

6. Win-back subject lines

Write 6 subject line variations for a [segment name] win-back email, two each for curiosity, direct-offer, and urgency framing, under 45 characters each. Label each variation by framing.

The framing labels make A/B test results easy to map back to the approach behind each line.

Campaigns & VIP

7. VIP SMS announcement

Draft 3 SMS variations announcing [offer] to [VIP segment], each under 160 characters, with one CTA.

8. Subject lines built on your performance data

Here are our 10 highest revenue-per-recipient subject lines from the past 6 months: [paste]. Identify the patterns they share, then write 5 new subject lines for [campaign] that apply those patterns.

This prompt turns your ESP reporting into a creative brief. Rank by revenue per recipient rather than opens, so the patterns reflect what actually sold.

9. Score and sharpen

Write 5 subject lines for [campaign] sent to [segment]. Score each 1 to 5 on clarity, curiosity, and brand fit, then rewrite the two lowest scorers.

10. Customer-language mining

Here are 20 customer reviews: [paste]. Pull the exact phrases customers use to describe [product], then write 3 email headlines built on that language.

BFCM-Specific Prompts

BFCM calls for its own playbook: tighter timelines, more sends per subscriber, and segments that need very different messages. These prompts follow the full campaign arc, from warm-up through post-sale follow-up.

AI Prompts for Black Friday Subject Lines

Inboxes get crowded fast during BFCM, so subject lines carry extra weight.

11. VIP early-access subject lines

Write 5 subject lines for a BFCM early-access email to [VIP segment], emphasizing exclusivity and timing over discount depth.

12. Last-chance Black Friday subject lines

Write 10 last-chance Black Friday subject lines under 40 characters for [product] at [discount], ending [deadline]. Split them across urgency, curiosity, and benefit-led framing, and name the product or offer in at least half. Label each by framing and include a matching preview text line.

13. Weekend send sequence

Map a subject line sequence for [number] BFCM sends from [start date] through Cyber Monday. For each send, give the subject line, preview text, target segment, and the job it does in the sequence (tease, launch, reminder, last call).

14. Sequence fatigue check

Here are the subject lines for every BFCM send we have scheduled: [paste]. Flag repeated words, framings, or openings, and suggest replacements that keep the sequence feeling fresh.

Peak weekend means more sends to the same people. This check catches repetition before your subscribers do.

Warm-Up

15. Early-access signup copy

Write 3 versions of signup form copy for [brand] promising subscribers first access to BFCM deals. Each version includes a headline under 8 words, one supporting line, and button text.

Tease

16. Pre-launch teasers

Write 3 teaser emails for the week before BFCM that build anticipation for [offer] while holding the details until launch day. Give each email a distinct hook.

17. The sneak-peek email

Write a BFCM sneak-peek email for [brand], styled as an early look at [offer] for [segment]. Use a playful, insider tone that rewards subscribers for being on the list. Include an early-access code, a subject line, preview text, and one CTA.

VIP Early Access

Across the three brands in our review, early access for engaged customers ranked among the top-performing sends.

18. Early-access email & SMS pair

Write an early-access email and matching SMS for [VIP segment], announcing that [offer] opens [timeframe] before the public sale. Emphasize being first in line. Keep the SMS under 160 characters.

Launch

19. Segment-specific launch variations

Rewrite this BFCM launch email [paste] three ways: for VIPs, for first-time buyers from the past 90 days, and for lapsed customers. Adjust the opening and CTA for each segment while keeping the offer consistent.

20. Tiered-discount copy

Write 3 versions of tiered-discount email copy for "spend $X, save $Y" offers, each with a different emotional angle (savings, gifting, treat-yourself).

Sustain

21. Gift guide

Draft a BFCM gift guide email organized by recipient ([list recipients]), featuring [products], with a one-line gifting angle for each product.

22. Mystery box launch

Write 3 email concepts announcing a limited BFCM mystery box for [brand]. Each concept builds curiosity about what's inside while making the value clear: [price] for [value or item count]. Include a subject line, preview text, and one CTA for each.

Urgency

23. "Few hours left" SMS

Draft SMS copy for a "few hours left" BFCM urgency message, under 160 characters, for a segment that has browsed [product] but not purchased. The offer is [discount], ending [deadline]. Include one link and opt-out language.

24. Daily drop sequence

Write a 4-day SMS sequence for daily BFCM drops, one new product per day: [products]. Each message stays under 160 characters, names the day's product and price, and teases tomorrow's drop.

Cyber Monday

25. Cyber Monday extension

Write an email and a matching SMS announcing that [offer] is extended through [time] for Cyber Monday. Keep the energy fresh for subscribers who have already received several BFCM sends this week.

Post-BFCM

26. First-time buyer thank-you and win-back pair

Write two post-BFCM emails. Email 1 thanks first-time customers who bought during BFCM, sets shipping expectations, and shares a quick tip for getting the most out of [product]. Email 2 goes to customers who browsed during BFCM but didn't purchase, framed around what's ahead for them, such as new arrivals, restocks, or holiday gifting.

Pairing These Prompts With Klaviyo AI

If your team sends through Klaviyo, its built-in AI picks up where these prompts leave off. The AI subject line generator suggests options inside the campaign builder, and Smart Send Time predicts when each subscriber is most likely to engage. Draft with the prompts above, then let Klaviyo fine-tune the send.

What We've Learned From Real BFCM Campaign Performance

During Black Friday and Cyber Monday, standing out in a crowded inbox is only half the battle. The real goal is turning attention into revenue. Looking at BFCM campaign performance across three brands we work with in the food & beverage, apparel, and beauty industries, we identified two key trends worth considering when building your email strategy.

1. Specificity outperforms generic promotional messaging.

Subject lines highlighting a specific product and price point consistently performed better than broad, sitewide sale announcements. Rather than relying on messaging like "Our Biggest Sale of the Year," communicating a tangible deal gives subscribers a clearer reason to engage.

The takeaway? Test product-specific offers, pricing, and audience-relevant messaging to differentiate your campaigns from the flood of generic BFCM promotions.

2. Higher open rates don't always mean higher revenue.

Some of the most-opened campaigns generated the lowest revenue per recipient, reinforcing that engagement doesn't always translate into purchases. A curiosity-driven subject line might attract attention without motivating customers to convert.

That's why we recommend evaluating subject line performance through revenue per recipient (RPR) alongside click and conversion rates, rather than relying on opens alone.

You can put both findings to work with the prompts above. Prompt 8 turns your highest revenue-per-recipient subject lines into a creative brief, and prompt 12 names the product or offer in at least half of its last-chance subject lines.

Where Prompts Stop and Strategy Starts 

Prompts speed up the first draft, and the audience decides how it performs. In last year's BFCM sends across the brands we reviewed, the same subject line earned dramatically different revenue per recipient depending on the segment that received it.

At Simplistic, we focus on segmentation and flow architecture first in every retention engagement. We’re building them every day in Klaviyo for mid-market to enterprise brands, so the right content reaches the right customer. For the full playbook, read the strategy behind these prompts.

Interested in finding out how your retention strategy is stacking up?

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