Would you love to finally unlock real ROI from your Black Friday marketing, without last-minute chaos, confused influencers, and messy tracking? This guide is here to show you exactly how.
Most brands and creators freeze up when asked, “How do I build a Black Friday influencer campaign that actually converts?” The truth is, running a strategic, airtight influencer campaign for BFCM (Black Friday/Cyber Monday) is easier—and more profitable—than you think.
By the end, you’ll know every tactic the pros rely on, discover the right tools, and see how brandID takes the tech pain out—so you launch faster and smarter.
Why Black Friday Influencer Campaigns Are Your Biggest 2025 Opportunity
Most expert marketers strongly believe Black Friday and Cyber Monday have been the biggest days for digital creators to boost their sales volume over the past decades. In fact, online sales on Black Friday alone reached $10.8 billion in 2024, making it one of the most lucrative days for creators to connect with buyers and grow their revenue.
However, without a proper strategy, you can’t expect perfect, measurable results—otherwise, it’s just wishful thinking. And here’s what’s even more interesting: contrary to what many believe, you don’t necessarily need to run a big store to launch a Black Friday campaign.
All you need is to partner with a few influencers, and you can make good money by running effective influencer campaigns.
Top 15 Steps to Build a Killer Black Friday Influencer Campaign in 2025
Whether you’re a brand founder, marketing pro, agency owner, or content creator looking to level up, there are proven frameworks designed to help you dominate the busiest shopping weekend of the year.
Below are the 15 smartest, most essential steps to launch your Black Friday influencer campaign—and every single one can be executed in advance, even if you’re starting from scratch.
1. Define Your Black Friday Offer (Most People Skip This)
You can’t hit a target you haven’t defined; Before you reach out to a single creator, before you draft a brief, before you even think about discount codes—answer this: What does success actually look like?
Not vague aspirations like “boost sales” or “increase brand awareness.” I’m talking specific, measurable, track-until-you-hit-them targets.
2- Research Your Audience
Here’s the deal: You wouldn’t throw a party and invite random strangers from the street, right? The same principle applies to influencer marketing.
Black Friday shoppers aren’t a generic blob. Understanding who they are, where they hang out, and what makes them click “buy now”—that’s the difference between campaigns that flop and campaigns that print money.
3- Design Offers They Can’t Refuse
You’re not just another brand; you’re the one finally offering what people want. Picture an influencer’s audience going wild as a code drops for a bundle that’s “only available till midnight.” Combine urgency (clock’s ticking), exclusivity (not everyone gets in), and real value. If your offer feels “meh,” keep brainstorming.
4- Analyze Last Year’s BFCM Results and Lessons
Did you know that the smartest brands don’t just launch campaigns, they study what worked and double down?
If you ran any kind of Black Friday promotion last year (or even a smaller sale), pull up the data:
- Which products sold best?
- Which channels drove the most traffic?
- What time of day saw peak conversions?
- Which creators or posts performed above average?
This analysis is gold. It tells you where to invest more energy and where to cut the fat.
5- Build Your Budget and Timeline
Let me be 100 percent straightforward with you: launching a Black Friday influencer campaign without a budget and timeline is like trying to build a house with no blueprint.
Start by mapping out:
- Total campaign budget (influencer fees, ad spend, tools, discounts)
- Timeline milestones (outreach begins 6 weeks out, content shoots 4 weeks out, launch week)
Break it down week by week. Assign responsibilities. Set deadlines. Stick to them.
6- Finalize Campaign Budget and Resource Allocation
Generally speaking, your campaign budget isn’t just about how much you pay influencers—it’s about allocating resources across content creation, platform fees, ad boosts, and tracking tools.
Here’s a typical example:
- 50% Influencer fees (flat rates, gifting, or commission)
- 20% Paid ads (boosting top posts or retargeting)
- 15% Tools and software (analytics, link tracking, automation)
- 15% Creative assets (photo shoots, video editing, graphic design)
The beauty of this approach is that you’re not guessing where your money goes—you’re investing strategically in the areas that drive the highest ROI.
Pro Tip: If you want to stretch your budget and avoid paying for multiple platforms, brandID can replace several tools at once. Instead of paying separately for link tracking, affiliate dashboards, digital product delivery, and creator analytics, brandID puts all of that into one clean system
7- Set Pricing, Discounts, and Bundles
To put it simply, pricing during Black Friday is both an art and a science. You want to be competitive, but you also want to protect your margins.
Map out all your deals—main offers, upsells, bundles. Stack value so buyers feel like winners, not bargain hunters.
8- Find the Right Influencers
Believe it or not, finding the perfect influencer partners is one of the most critical steps—and it’s where most brands blow it. That’s why tools like an Instagram Audit Tool can help you spot the right accounts and avoid fake followers.
Additionally, you don’t need mega-influencers with millions of followers. You need engaged creators whose audiences align with your product and values.
What I’m trying to tell you is that a micro-influencer with 10,000 loyal followers who trust their recommendations will outperform a vanity celebrity with 1 million disengaged followers every single time.
9- Design and Prep Eye-Catching Content Assets
Designs matter a lot. I know it may sound like an unpopular opinion, but based on the historical data from the various campaigns I’ve launched, what every high-performing campaign has in common is the use of the right content creation tools to achieve strong, aesthetic, and elegant design.
Think about it: when you’re scrolling through Instagram during Black Friday, what grabs your attention first? If you’re honest with yourself, the answer is a beautiful, well-structured banner, thumbnail, or photo that sparks curiosity.
This is exactly why influencers need a lot of high-quality images, templates, and videos to share. So it’s safe to say that the more you support them with great creative assets, the better their posts will perform—and the more sales you’ll generate.
10- Build a Landing Hub With ALL Your Links
If there’s one thing all successful Black Friday campaigns have in common, it’s a central hub where audiences can find everything instantly.
Imagine someone clicking your influencer’s link and landing on a clean, branded page with:
- Your best BFCM offers
- Discount codes
- Product links
- Social proof (reviews, testimonials)
- Countdown timer (urgency!)
This isn’t just convenient—it’s conversion magic.
Pro tip: Most brands lose sales on Black Friday simply because customers can’t find everything fast enough. With brandID, you can create a fully branded landing hub, complete with product links, discount codes, countdown timers, and creator affiliate tracking — in under 5 minutes.
11- Plan Email Campaigns & Newsletter Sequences
You’ve got an email list—why not put it to work? Email is one of the highest-ROI channels during BFCM, and when combined with influencer content, it’s a one-two punch.
If you want to maximize your black Friday campaign, consider these tips for how to build an email list without a website and put it to work with smart Black Friday campaigns.
12- Schedule Paid Ads
Having explored various ways to amplify your campaign, there’s something truly unique about paid ads during Black Friday—everyone’s attention is already on shopping.
Whether you’re running:
- Instagram Story ads
- YouTube pre-roll ads
- Google Shopping campaigns
…now’s the time to boost your top-performing influencer content with a few hundred (or thousand) dollars in ad spend.
Target lookalike audiences based on your existing customers, retarget website visitors, and watch your ROAS climb.
13- Build Scarcity and Urgency Messaging
As unbelievable as it may sound, scarcity and urgency are the secret weapons that turn “maybe later” into “buy now.” Here’s how you can make it work:
- Limited quantity: “Only 50 bundles available”
- Time-bound: “Sale ends in 24 hours”
- Exclusive access: “Creator code expires at midnight”
Remember, providing real value and creating genuine urgency is essential. Don’t fake it—people can smell dishonesty from a mile away.
14- Real-Time Engagement: Watch Like a Hawk
The moment your campaign goes live, it’s game time, no more sitting back and crossing your fingers. Imagine every like, reply, and comment as an open door to making real connections and closing sales.
Instead of letting your posts drift in the feed, jump in and join the conversation: reply to questions, hype up your best deals, and give spontaneous shoutouts to your top-performing influencers.
15- Launch Day—Monitor, Optimize, and Dominate in Real-Time
When launch day finally hits, don’t disappear behind a dashboard—this is where the fun begins. Track every sale, redemption, and click like you’re following the scoreboard at a championship game. Double down on posts that instantly fire up engagement; adjust your messaging or offers on the fly if something stalls.
Conclusion
In this detailed article, we’ve covered the ultimate 15-step checklist to launch a killer Black Friday influencer campaign, from defining your offer to real-time optimization on launch day. You’ve seen how these strategies work and how they can drive serious sales without needing a massive budget or a giant team.
That’s where brandID steps in. It’s your all-in-one platform to host landing pages, manage affiliate links, track conversions, accept payments, and much more—all from one simple dashboard.
FAQs
Start at least 6–8 weeks before Black Friday to secure the best influencers, create content, and build momentum. The earlier you plan, the smoother your execution.
It varies. Micro-influencers (10K–50K followers) often charge $100–$500 per post, while mid-tier creators (50K–500K) can range from $500–$5,000+. Consider offering commission-based deals or free products to stretch your budget.
