The Ultimate Meta Ads BFCM Checklist: Set Yourself Up for Record Sales

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) aren’t just another shopping weekend—they’re the biggest sales events of the year.

But if you’re not properly prepared, you risk missing out on huge revenue opportunities.

Whether you’re a small business looking to break through or an established brand aiming to outshine the competition, your Meta Ads strategy plays a critical role in maximizing your BFCM success.

In this issue, we’ll walk through a comprehensive BFCM To-Do List to help you optimize your Meta Ads campaigns and avoid the common pitfalls many businesses make during the holiday rush.

Let’s get you ready to crush BFCM this year!

Common Mistakes When It Comes to BFCM:

1. Not Starting Early Enough

Most small businesses wait until the last minute to promote their Black Friday deals, which can significantly impact campaign performance.

The key to a successful BFCM strategy is starting early—both in building awareness and warming up your audiences.

By kicking off your campaigns a few weeks before the big day, you create anticipation and prime your audience for conversion.

2. Short Promotion Period

From this first mistake stems the second, which is having just a one-day or one-weekend-long BFCM promotion.

Most of the time, Facebook campaigns need a few days to get started, so when the campaign exits the 'Learning Phase,' it’s already over.

Plus, during this period, CPMs and CPAs are at their highest because everyone is spending money on Meta Ads.

3. Not Creating a Compelling Offer

With every brand fighting for attention during BFCM, simply offering a small discount isn’t going to cut it.

Many businesses make the mistake of crafting generic deals that fail to stand out.

Instead, focus on creating compelling offers that highlight value, urgency, and exclusivity—whether through bundled products, significant discounts, or limited-time deals.

BFCM is about volume, so you can have bigger discounts than usual.

4. Not Using Retargeting Channels Alongside Ads

Ads are great for driving traffic, but without retargeting through email and SMS, you’re leaving money on the table.

Many brands neglect to integrate these retargeting channels into their BFCM strategy, missing out on the chance to reconnect with visitors and push them to convert.

Combining Meta Ads with strategic retargeting efforts can dramatically improve your sales.

BFCM Meta Ads Tips

1. Refresh Your Meta Audiences

This is the perfect time to upload fresh email and customer lists to give Meta’s algorithm more data.

The more data you feed Facebook, the better it can optimize your ads and target the right people.

Make sure to re-upload your custom audiences—like email subscribers and past customers—to ensure you reach your highest-value audience when it matters most.

2. Start Promoting BFCM 2–3 Weeks Before the Sale

Most businesses make the mistake of waiting until the last minute to promote BFCM offers. You need to start your campaigns early—ideally, 2 to 3 weeks before the actual sale.

This gives you ample time to build anticipation and reach your existing audience while also expanding to new prospects.

You can use Lead Generation campaigns to capture emails and build your retargeting pool before the event.

Pro Tip: I recommend you spend between 20-50% of your budget in the weeks prior to BFCM.

The actual sale period is short (typically just a weekend), and Meta often won't spend an entire monthly budget in that time.

Plus, CPMs will be sky-high during the sale weekend.

3. Communicate the Exact BFCM Dates

Embed the BFCM dates into your audience’s mind. Repetition is key here.

Make sure your potential customers know exactly when your sale will begin and end.

You can use Page Post Engagement (PPE) with simple, bold messaging around dates to ensure your audience is crystal clear on when to shop.

Pro Tip: Teasers or countdown ads can help build urgency and anticipation for the sale day.

4. Be the “Annoying” Salesperson

This is the one time of year when it’s acceptable—actually, expected—to push harder than usual with your ads.

You can be more aggressive with frequency because people are ready to spend money during BFCM.

They’re waiting for great deals, and seeing your ad multiple times just reinforces that they should take action.

Pro Tip: Use retargeting campaigns to show your offers multiple times across different formats—carousel ads, stories, and video.

5. Create an Irresistible Offer

Let’s face it: a 10% discount won’t cut it during BFCM. Consumers are expecting major deals or something truly unique. It’s not just about slashing prices—it’s about value.

Consider bundling products/services, offering a free gift with purchase, or even a "buy one, get one" offer.

Pro Tip: Get creative with offers that make your audience feel like they’re getting something truly special, even if it’s not the biggest price cut.

6. Use Simple, Clear Ad Creatives and Copy

BFCM isn’t the time to overcomplicate things. Keep your ad creatives straightforward and focused entirely on the offer. Your copy should be concise, to the point, and laser-focused on the sale.

Even for cold audiences, you don’t need to sell a solution—you need to sell the deal. This is a high-volume time, and consumers are primed for fast, easy decisions.

Pro Tip: Let the visuals speak for themselves. Bold “SALE” text, simple product images, and a clear call-to-action work best.

7. Leverage Advantage+ Shopping

Advantage+ Shopping campaigns allow you to automatically promote relevant products to people who have shown interest, leveraging Meta's AI targeting features to the fullest.

This is incredibly effective during BFCM when you want to retarget visitors but also target cold audiences.

Create a BFCM frame that you can add to your catalog in Commerce Manager.

This makes sure that every product has information about the event, so you don't need to create individual ads for each product.

If the offer only applies to certain products/categories, create a new Product Set in Commerce Manager and apply a frame like “30% Off between 20-23 Nov.” for a consistent, straightforward approach.

8. Use Facebook’s New Features

Take advantage of two new features that can help guide visitors toward completing your goals:

A. Promo Code Highlighter:

Shows your promo code right in the ad. If someone clicks your ad and lands on your website through an in-app browser, the promo code can be automatically applied at checkout.

Otherwise, they can easily copy and paste the code. While this feature is still a bit buggy, it's worth trying for BFCM.

B. Sitelinks:

This feature allows you to showcase additional sub-pages from your website. If you're running a BFCM across multiple categories, sitelinks are essential.

However, I recommend sticking with one primary link in your ads, redirecting to either the BFCM landing page or the homepage where the promo code is already applied via the URL.

This keeps the customer journey simple and focused.

9. Use Other Channels

Email and SMS are must-use channels to maximize your BFCM performance. Set up daily reminders during the event period to stay top of mind with your audience.

Additionally, don’t overlook on-page optimization with pop-ups.

Tools like OptiMonk can direct visitors to your offers from any page they land on. In the preparation phase, use pop-ups to collect a database of potential buyers ahead of the BFCM event.

10. BONUS Tip: Have Two Black Fridays

Running two BFCM weekends has proven to be highly profitable for many of our clients.

We’ve tested this strategy over the past two years with great success—people often can’t resist a second exclusive offer, and some customers even come back to buy again.

Here’s how to do it:

The first BFCM weekend should coincide with the official Black Friday date, aligning with most offline and online retailers.

Then, you can organize a BFCM 2.0 either one week before or after Black Friday. Either way, this should be a surprise for your audience, and a 'Premiere' for your brand. 

Share it with your warmest audience first (via email/SMS), then go all out in ads, just like a classic BFCM campaign.

Test this out and let me know how it goes! While it might not work for every business, you never know until you test it.

Conclusion

BFCM is a critical time for driving revenue, and with the right strategy, you can capitalize on the immense buying potential of this season.

From refreshing your audiences to crafting a compelling offer and leveraging Meta’s latest features, every step matters in creating a successful BFCM campaign.

The key is to start early, focus on your messaging, and don’t be afraid to push the boundaries with creative offers and promotions.

Ready to dominate this BFCM season?

Start implementing these strategies now to ensure your campaigns are primed for success.