The Black Friday email checklist: get your list ready

Black Friday and the weeks around it bring the highest email volumes of the year. Inboxes are crowded, providers are watching closely and any weakness in your list gets exposed. Do this preparation now, while there is still time to fix things.

Four weeks out: audit

• Check your authentication. SPF, DKIM and DMARC should all pass (plain-English guide).
• Review your last three campaigns. Note bounce, complaint and unsubscribe rates, and look for a trend.
• Check your reputation in Google Postmaster Tools and any similar dashboards.
• List your segments. Who is engaged, who is lapsed and who is new?

Three weeks out: clean

• Verify the whole list, especially any segment you haven't mailed since last year (how-to).
• Remove hard-bounced addresses and keep them suppressed.
• Fix typos from suggestions instead of discarding the contacts.
• Retire the long-silent with a short win-back sequence (sunset policy).

Two weeks out: warm up and plan

• Start mailing your engaged segment more regularly, so volume doesn't jump on the day (warm-up principles).
• Plan the sending schedule, with larger lists split across hours rather than sent all at once.
• Prepare suppression rules so people who have just bought aren't told about the sale they already used.

One week out: test

• Send test messages to addresses on the major providers and look at where they land.
• Check every link and the unsubscribe flow, including one-click unsubscribe.
• Look at mobile rendering, since most of this mail is opened on phones.
• Confirm your sending limits with your email platform.

Black Friday itself

• Send to your engaged group first, then widen if the numbers look healthy.
• Watch bounce and complaint rates live. If one spikes, pause and investigate.
• Keep transactional mail separate from promotional mail so receipts still get through.

After the rush

• Review the results campaign by campaign.
• Verify any new signups collected during the sale, since discount popups attract throwaway addresses (e-commerce tips).
• Fold what you learned into next year's plan.

A clean list won't make a weak offer succeed, but it makes sure a good one actually arrives.