Black Friday Prep: Start Your Social Media Checklist Now

Black Friday is no longer just one day, it’s a global shopping season. For small businesses, it’s both an opportunity and a challenge. Competition is fierce, attention spans are short, and your audience is flooded with offers.

The brands that win? Are the ones that prepare early and show up consistently on social media. The good news: you don’t need a massive budget to compete. You just need a clear checklist.

This guide will walk you through the essential social media steps to take now so you’re ready to make the most of Black Friday.

Why Social Media Is Crucial for Black Friday

• Shoppers scroll before they spend - And social media is where people discover deals and check out brands.

• Impulse decisions happen online - So eye-catching Reels, Stories, and carousels drive purchases fast.

• Your competitors are there - If you’re silent, you will be forgotten.

• It amplifies offers - Paid boosts can push your deals beyond your followers.

Social media is no longer optional for Black Friday, it has become a battleground.

The Black Friday Social Media Checklist

Here’s exactly what I feel you need to do now to get ready:

✅ Step 1: Define Your Black Friday Offer

Before you think about posts, decide:

• What are you discounting (products, services, bundles)?

• How big is the offer (percentage, bonus, free gift)?

• What’s your profit margin, can you afford to scale with ads?

Tip: AI can help brainstorm irresistible offer ideas that feel unique, not generic.

✅ Step 2: Build Anticipation Early

Don’t wait until the day itself. Start creating buzz weeks in advance.

• Teaser posts: “Something big is coming…”

• Countdown Stories: Daily reminders.

• Behind the scenes: Preparing stock, packaging, or your campaign.

The earlier you warm up your audience, the more ready they’ll be to buy.

✅ Step 3: Create a Content Plan

Your social calendar should cover:

• Pre-Black Friday - Teasers, value posts, FAQs.

• Black Friday itself - Announcement Reels, Stories, pinned posts.

• Post-Black Friday - Thank-you content, testimonials, upsells.

AI can map this out in minutes with prompts.

✅ Step 4: Optimise Visuals

Black Friday posts need to pop.

• Bold visuals (contrast colours, simple text overlays).

• Short, punchy captions with urgency.

• Consistent branding (so people recognise you across posts).

Canva templates & AI captions = fast turnaround.

✅ Step 5: Test Paid Boosts Early

Don’t wait until Black Friday to test boosting. Run small £10–£20 boosts now to see:

• Which content formats perform best.

• Which audiences engage most.

• What messaging gets clicks.

Then scale winners on the big day.

✅ Step 6: Engage Like Crazy

Black Friday is about speed and responsiveness.

• Reply to comments fast.

• Answer DMs instantly.

• Use Stories for live updates (“Only 10 left!”).

Engagement builds trust and urgency.

✅ Step 7: Measure and Repurpose

After Black Friday:

• Save your best-performing posts for next year.

• Repurpose winning formats into evergreen sales content.

• Review metrics (clicks, conversions, CPC) to improve Christmas campaigns.

Case Study: A Boutique Clothing Brand

A small boutique I worked with in Liverpool prepped their Black Friday strategy with a simple checklist:

• Teased offers 2 weeks ahead.

• Posted daily countdown Stories.

• Ran £15 test boosts to identify their top-performing ad creative.

• Boosted the winner with £100 on Black Friday itself.

Result? Their Black Friday weekend sales were 3x higher than the previous year, without hiring an agency or spending thousands.

Advanced AI Prompt (Copy & Paste)

Here’s an AI prompt to plan your Black Friday social strategy:

“Act as my social media strategist. My business is [insert business type]. I want to prepare for Black Friday. Please:

1. Suggest 10 Black Friday offer ideas tailored to my business.

2. Create a 3-week content calendar: teasers, engagement posts, launch-day announcements, and post-event follow-ups.

3. Write draft captions for 5 teaser posts and 5 announcement posts.

4. Suggest visual ideas for Reels, Stories, and carousels.

5. Recommend a small £20 boost-testing plan to identify best-performing posts before Black Friday.

6. Provide engagement strategies for launch day (Stories, comments, DMs).”

This gives you a complete Black Friday plan in minutes.

Mistakes to Avoid on Black Friday

• ❌ Posting last-minute - By the time you post, your audience has already spent elsewhere.

• ❌ Being too generic - “10% off everything” blends into the noise. Make it specific.

• ❌ Overloading text - Keep visuals simple; let urgency speak.

• ❌ Ignoring engagement - Posts alone won’t convert; conversations do.

Tools to Make Black Friday Prep Easier

• ChatGPT / Claude - Run the advanced AI prompt.

• Canva - Create bold, eye-catching visuals.

• Meta Ads Manager - For test boosts and scaling.

• Later / Buffer - Schedule posts in advance so you can focus on engagement.

Why Preparation Pays Off

Black Friday is overwhelming if you leave it to the last minute. But if you start now:

• You’ll have a steady stream of posts.

• You’ll know which boosts perform.

• You’ll stand out with consistent branding.

Preparation means confidence, and confidence means conversions.

Final Thoughts: Black Friday Starts Now

Black Friday isn’t won on the day itself. It’s won weeks earlier, when you plan, test, and engage.

With this checklist, you can:

• Craft a compelling offer.

• Build anticipation early.

• Create a content calendar.

• Test boosts before launch.

• Engage fast and convert followers into buyers.

And here’s the truth: while AI and checklists make it simple, most business owners don’t have time to plan and execute consistently. That’s where I come in.

📩 If you’ve read this and thought “This is exactly what I need, but I don’t have time to do it”… I can help.

I help businesses:

• Use AI to plan Black Friday campaigns.

• Create social calendars that build anticipation.

• Run boosts that deliver sales, not just likes.

If you’re ready to make this Black Friday your best yet, send me a message today. Let’s start your prep now.