Black Friday is no longer a single chaotic shopping day. It has expanded into a multi-week sales period that influences the entire holiday season. Shoppers are smarter, competition is stronger, and attention spans are shorter than ever. Simple price cuts are no longer enough to stand out.
To succeed in 2025, brands need strategic, consumer-focused campaigns across every major digital channel. At SOUP Agency, our channel specialists have shared their top recommendations across SEO, Paid Search, Paid Social, Organic Social, Influencer Marketing, and Email. These insights come directly from the experts who manage these platforms daily.
Meet the Experts Behind These Insights
Linh Nguyen, SEO Manager
Francesca Mauri, Paid Search Manager
Vanessa Thaler, Social and Content Director
Louise Aw, Social Manager
Adina Berg, Account and Content Manager
Jake Sakr, Marketing and Content Strategy Manager
SEO: Strengthen Visibility Where Shoppers Search Most
Optimize for AI Assistants and Generative Search
Shoppers increasingly ask AI tools like ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, and Perplexity for recommendations such as “What are the best Black Friday laptop offers this year?”. To appear in these answers:
Publish comparison and ranking content such as “Best Black Friday Deals 2025”.
Add structured data so AI systems can understand product details.
Secure placements in authoritative listicles and roundup articles since AI often pulls information from trusted publications.
Prepare for Google AI Overviews
Google’s AI Overviews have reshaped search behavior. Improve your chance of appearing by:
Writing short, clear, and scannable content.
Adding strategic FAQ sections to address common shopper questions.
Ensuring your deals appear in high-ranking articles and deal roundups that Google frequently references.
Strengthen PR and Affiliate Exposure
Well-placed PR and affiliate features on sites like TechRadar, Forbes, and niche blogs can dramatically boost visibility. These sources rank well, appear in AI Overviews, and feed information to chatbots. Reach out to partners early to secure spots before competition spikes.
Paid Search: Scale Smart and Maximize High-Intent Traffic
Ramp Up Early to Build Momentum
Increase activity in early November. Run evergreen campaigns to warm audiences, build remarketing lists, and give Smart Bidding time to learn before the rush begins.
Focus Budgets on Peak Days
Shift more budget into the Black Friday to Cyber Monday window. Avoid flat spending. Monitor impression share and scale up budgets on high-performing campaigns when demand spikes.
Use High-Impact, Urgency-Driven Messaging
Highlight limited-time offers such as “Up to 70 Percent Off, Ends Tonight”.
Add countdown timers using ad customizers.
Activate extensions like sitelinks, price extensions, and promotion extensions.
Build and Leverage Strong Audiences
Create remarketing lists for shoppers who visited key pages.
Use RLSA to increase visibility for previous visitors.
Sync audiences across Search, Display, and YouTube for consistent coverage.
Reward past customers with early access or special offers.
Validate Tracking and Monitor Daily
Confirm GA4, GTM, and Google Ads tracking is firing correctly. Track metrics like ROAS, CTR, conversion rate, and impression share each day. Refresh creatives and adjust budgets as performance shifts.
Paid Social: Capture Attention With Timely and Relevant Content
Start With Evergreen Content and Transition to Urgency
Begin November with storytelling, product benefits, lifestyle visuals, and reviews. Then switch to strong urgency messages as Black Friday approaches. This avoids ad fatigue while increasing conversions when shoppers are ready to buy.
Run Creator-Led Partnership Ads
Authentic, creator-produced content outperforms highly polished brand assets. Provide approved key messages, then allow creators to deliver them in their natural voice. Use Meta Partnership Ads or TikTok Spark Ads to scale reach and conversions.
Segment Retargeting for Precision
Cart abandoners: urgency reminders and limited-time codes.
Product viewers: dynamic ads with gentle nudges.
Past customers: loyalty rewards or exclusive previews.
Organic Social: Build Hype and Drive Engagement
Create Countdown Content
Share countdown posts on Stories, Reels, and carousels. Reveal hints without showing the full offer to build anticipation.
Use Short-Form Video for Deal Reveals
Trendy and quick videos work well for showcasing discounts. Think unboxings, reactions, and deal highlights.
Encourage Sharing
Turn followers into brand advocates. Run contests that reward reposts, tagging friends, or sharing teaser content.
Influencer Marketing: Scale Authentic Reach
Work With Micro-Influencers and UGC Creators
Smaller creators often produce more genuine content at a lower cost. Many are open to product-based collaborations that deliver strong engagement.
Secure Creators Early
November is the peak season for influencers. Booking partnerships early ensures better availability and more strategic execution.
Email Marketing: Personalization That Converts
Personalize Every Message
Use browsing behavior, purchase history, and engagement patterns to tailor every send. Include dynamic recommendations and personalized countdowns.
Improve Abandonment Flows
Optimize browse and cart recovery emails with stronger urgency and limited-stock reminders. Add Black Friday-specific messages for extra impact.
Treat Subscribers as VIPs
Offer early access, exclusive savings, or private previews to your list. Framing your emails as member-only benefits boosts engagement throughout the season.
Final Word
Black Friday 2025 is not about offering the deepest discount. Success comes from delivering the right message to the right audience at exactly the right moment. Brands that understand AI-powered discovery, build anticipation on social, use authentic creators, and personalize every email will outperform their competition and transform seasonal shoppers into lifelong customers.
SOUP Agency is here to help you plan, execute, and optimize your Black Friday strategy. From cross-channel planning to full-scale campaign management, our team is ready to help you create performance-driven campaigns that deliver results during Black Friday and set the foundation for long-term growth.
