Black Friday social media plan for an online store (2026)
Black Friday is November 27 and Cyber Monday is November 30. A week-by-week social media plan for a small online store, and what to check before posts go live.
Start your Black Friday social media plan today: build interest for two weeks, open early access the week before, then run a short scheduled series of posts from Thursday, November 26 to Monday, November 30. Black Friday 2026 is November 27 and Cyber Monday is November 30, so you have three weeks. This plan gives a week-by-week outline, a post-by-post schedule for the sale weekend, example captions and a checklist to run before anything goes live.
When are Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday in 2026?
Black Friday is the Friday after US Thanksgiving, which makes it November 27, 2026. Small Business Saturday is the next day and Cyber Monday is the Monday after that.
US Thanksgiving is set by federal law as the fourth Thursday in November, and in 2026 that is November 26. Wikipedia's Black Friday entry defines Black Friday as the day after Thanksgiving and lists November 27, 2026, and its Cyber Monday entry defines Cyber Monday as the Monday after Thanksgiving. Small Business Saturday is an American Express initiative held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which is November 28 this year.
| Day | Date in 2026 | What it means for your posts |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday (Thanksgiving) | November 26 | Calm day for a "starts tomorrow" reminder |
| Friday (Black Friday) | November 27 | The main offer goes live |
| Saturday (Small Business Saturday) | November 28 | A story about your shop and who makes the products |
| Sunday | November 29 | Best sellers so far and a hint of Monday |
| Monday (Cyber Monday) | November 30 | Online-only angle and a last-chance post |
What should an online store post each week?
Post in four phases: build interest, open early access, sell on the sale days and follow up afterwards. Each phase has one job, which keeps every post to one message.
| Dates | Goal | Post ideas |
|---|---|---|
| November 7 to 15 | Build a list | An "early access list is open" post, a first look at products going on sale, a short behind-the-scenes post |
| November 16 to 22 | Reward followers | Early access for subscribers, a gift guide, product comparisons, customer photos |
| November 23 to 26 | Count down | Countdown posts, a "what is in the sale" carousel, answers to shipping questions |
| November 27 to 30 | Sell | The offer, stock updates, best sellers, the Small Business Saturday story, a Monday last-chance post |
| December 1 onward | Keep buyers | A thank-you post, a second-chance offer, gift ideas with delivery dates |
Two or three posts a week in the first two phases is enough for a small shop. The most useful early post asks people to join your email list or follow for early access, because it gives the sale days an audience that is already waiting.
What does a sale-weekend schedule look like, post by post?
Plan about two posts a day on the main days, with one purpose each. The schedule below is a starting point for one Brand with Instagram, a Facebook Page and Pinterest; trim it to what you can keep up.
| Day | Post | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, Nov 25 | Countdown carousel: "Three things in the sale" | Remind people the sale is close |
| Thu, Nov 26 | "Starts tomorrow" image with the start time | Set expectations |
| Fri, Nov 27 | Morning: offer announcement with the code and end date | Open the sale |
| Fri, Nov 27 | Afternoon: a best-seller post with one product and one link | Give shoppers an easy first choice |
| Sat, Nov 28 | Small Business Saturday story about who makes your products | Add a human reason to buy |
| Sat, Nov 28 | Customer photo or review post | Add proof |
| Sun, Nov 29 | "Best sellers so far" and a hint of Monday | Create momentum |
| Mon, Nov 30 | Morning: Cyber Monday online-only post | Reach shoppers who waited |
| Mon, Nov 30 | Evening: last-chance post with the end time | Close the sale |
If you use Pinterest, add your gift guides and sale products there earlier in the plan, in the first two phases, so the pins are in place before the sale days. Give each pin its own image and a link to the exact product page.
What do you write in countdown, early-access and last-chance posts?
Each of these posts states what is happening, who it is for and when it ends, in one or two sentences. The examples below are written for a made-up shop; replace the bracketed parts with your own details and keep the claims true.
Early-access post (week of November 16):
Our email list gets the sale first. From [day and time], subscribers can shop [collection] before everyone else, with the code [CODE]. Join through the link in our bio and we will send the code on [day].
Countdown post (November 25 or 26):
Tomorrow at [time] our Black Friday sale opens. Three things to know: it covers [collection], it runs until [day and time], and shipping for gifts is open until [date]. Save this post so you have the link when it starts.
Offer post (Friday morning):
The sale is live. [Product] is [price or discount] until [day and time] with the code [CODE]. One link, one product, no hunting: [link].
Last-chance post (Monday evening):
Last call. The sale ends tonight at [time]. [Product] and [product] are still available, and the code [CODE] stops working at midnight [time zone]. After this, prices go back to normal.
Put the end date and time in the first lines, because people skim, and name one product instead of the catalog.
How do you choose posting times without guessing?
Pick your times from your own results. The same hour does not suit every audience, and numbers quoted for "the best time" describe other people's accounts, not yours.
Your own data is available at no cost if the account is set up for it. Instagram's help center on account and content insights explains that professional accounts can see insights about their audience and content, and the audience section includes when your followers are active. Menu names move between app versions, so look under Insights or the Professional dashboard if you do not see exactly what the help page names. Pinterest's analytics help page defines impressions, saves and outbound clicks per pin, and the overview defaults to the last 30 days.
Use the next two weeks as a test, since your pre-sale posts are low risk:
- Pick three time slots, for example early morning, lunchtime and evening in your main customers' time zone.
- Schedule similar posts into different slots over the two weeks, so no slot always gets the weakest post.
- After each post has been live for a day or two, write down reach, saves and link clicks next to the time it went out.
- Choose the best slot for each platform as your sale-day default, and keep a second slot as a backup.
If you ran a sale last year, the hours your store received orders are a second clue. A purchase hour is not a scrolling hour, but it is a better guide than a number from a stranger's account.
One timing rule does not need testing: the post that opens the sale must go live when the offer does. Match the scheduled time to the time your store turns the discount on, and double-check the time zone of both.
How do you schedule the sale weekend in Creavily?
Write each post in Create, choose the Brand's Publishing Setup, set the date and time, and confirm. A Publishing Setup is the saved set of accounts and posting defaults a brand usually uses, so you pick it once instead of selecting accounts for every post. Creavily connects Social Accounts through each platform's own sign-in, and Instagram publishing needs a professional account, as the Instagram content publishing guide describes. Instagram, Facebook Pages and Pinterest are examples; check the platform list on the social channels page for what is live.
- Open Create, write the caption and attach the product image from the media library.
- Choose the Publishing Setup so the post goes to the accounts you intended.
- Preview it, pick the date and time, and confirm. Scheduling does not send the post early.
- Repeat for every post whose details are final. Leave anything that depends on stock or a price still being decided.
- Open Calendar and look at the week in Week or Month view. Check the spacing between posts.
If the plan changes, drag a scheduled post to another day or time in Calendar and confirm the move. Posts that have already gone out cannot be moved, and a post that is publishing right now is locked. On the sale days, Publishing Activity shows what was scheduled, what went live and what needs attention. The publishing workflow page shows the path from draft to delivery.
What should you check before a sale post goes live?
Check everything a customer could hold you to. A scheduled post says what you decided last week, which may not match your store on the day.
- The offer. The discount, the code and the end date and time match your store settings exactly.
- The price history. If a post says "was" and "now", the earlier price should be a real one. The FTC's guide on former price comparisons treats a former price as legitimate when it is the actual price the item was offered at on a regular basis, and a price set only to allow a large markdown later does not count. This is a US rule; other countries have their own.
- Stock. Do not schedule "while supplies last" for an item that may be gone on Friday morning.
- Shipping. Give an order cutoff for holiday delivery only after your carrier has confirmed it.
- Links. Open each product link once after scheduling, so a typo does not send shoppers to an error page.
If an AI assistant helps you draft captions, keep the final check with you. The guide on letting ChatGPT post to Instagram safely shows how to keep that step in place.
What should you do if an item sells out?
Say so quickly, stop promoting that item, and move attention to something you can still ship. A sold-out product that keeps appearing in your posts produces disappointed messages.
The FTC's Guides Against Bait Advertising say a seller should keep enough of an advertised product to meet reasonably anticipated demand, unless the advertisement clearly discloses that supply is limited. In practice, that means mentioning limited quantity in the post when you know it is limited. This is US guidance, so check the rules where you sell.
Keep a short plan ready before the sale starts:
- List the three products most likely to sell out and the alternative you would promote for each.
- Write a "sold out, here is a similar one" post in advance and leave it unscheduled.
- When an item sells out, publish that post, then open Calendar and look for scheduled posts that still feature the item.
- Move or remove those posts. Change the caption of any that you keep before they go out.
- Reply to comments asking about the item with a short, honest answer and a link to the alternative. Drafting a reply in Inbox is a separate step from sending it, so you can read it before it goes out.
What do you post after Cyber Monday?
Thank customers, give late shoppers a way to buy, and move to gift content. The sale ending does not end the buying season.
- Tuesday, December 1: a thank-you post that mentions the best sellers and a short note on when orders will ship.
- The first week of December: a second-chance offer or a smaller sale on items that did not sell. Label it clearly so it is not mistaken for the original deal.
- Mid December: gift ideas with delivery dates you have confirmed, grouped by who they suit.
Then write a short review while the details are fresh: which posts brought the most clicks and saves, which time slots worked, and what you wished you had scheduled earlier. Next year's plan starts from that note.
Key takeaways
- Black Friday 2026 is November 27, Small Business Saturday is November 28 and Cyber Monday is November 30, with Thanksgiving on November 26.
- Plan in four phases and give every post one message with the end date near the top.
- Choose posting times by testing slots over the next two weeks and reading your own insights, not by copying a number from another account.
- Schedule the posts whose details are final, and check offers, prices, stock, shipping cutoffs and links before you confirm.
- Prepare a sold-out plan and a follow-up plan before the sale starts, so the weekend does not depend on improvising.
FAQ
How early should I start posting for Black Friday?
Start about three weeks before, which means now. Early posts can build an email list or follower base for early access, so the sale days begin with an audience waiting.
Should I schedule Black Friday posts or post live?
Schedule the posts whose details are final, such as the countdown and the offer announcement. Post live for stock updates, price changes and replies to comments.
What is the best time to post on Black Friday?
It depends on your audience. Test three time slots over the next two weeks, compare reach, saves and clicks, and use the best slot as your default. Make sure the opening post goes live when your discount does.
Can I move a scheduled post after I schedule it?
Yes. In Calendar, drag a scheduled post to another day or time and confirm the move. A post that has already been published cannot be moved.
Do I need a professional Instagram account to schedule posts?
Yes. Instagram's publishing guide covers publishing on professional accounts, so switch the account type before you connect it.