103 Cyber Monday Email Subject Lines for High Impact Campaigns

Cyber Monday has become an increasingly significant shopping holiday on Thanksgiving weekend, with Omnisend estimating that 118 million emails went out in 2022 for that year’s big day.

It’s part of an upward trend, with an increase of nearly 30% compared to the number of emails sent in 2021 on Cyber Monday.

Here’s another interesting stat courtesy of DealNews: in 2022, consumers spent $11.3 billion on Cyber Monday online shopping versus $9.12 billion for Black Friday.

Of course, Black Friday is an in-person holiday as much as shopping online, while Cyber Monday is only about the latter. Thus, while we can’t definitively say that Cyber Monday is more popular, it has great potential to bring in sales as the Thanksgiving weekend ends.

A polished email marketing campaign will drive your goals forward, ensuring a healthy boost in traffic, conversions, and sales. Before you jump in with both feet first, pay attention to your Cyber Monday subject lines.

You will struggle to gain much traction in your campaign if they’re not tailored to perfection. For a small business or SMB, wasting thousands to tens of thousands of dollars on an unsuccessful campaign can be a substantial financial hit.

In this blog post, we have 103 Cyber Monday email subject lines, along with A/B testing tips to help you nail the perfect campaign.

Table of Contents

Understanding the Impact of Your Subject Lines

A subject line is such a small part of an overall email. How much influence could it have over your Cyber Monday email marketing campaign success?

A lot! Subject lines are a huge driver of email campaign outcomes, with almost half of the people who receive emails opening them based on the subject line.

That’s right. Zippia’s data found that 47% of recipients will use the subject line to determine whether to open an email.

That’s incredibly telling. If you use generic subject lines, your campaign won’t stand a chance of success. After all, Zippia found that companies get 50% more open when they personalize subject lines.

Here’s another stat that proves careless subject lines won’t do. If your subject line reads spammy, 69% of recipients will report it, notes Zippia.

So, considering how important subject lines are, you must take a careful, conscientious approach to writing yours this Cyber Monday.

While opens on Cyber Monday are generally higher than non-holiday opens, sometimes by as much as 20%, you’re not the only small business owner with that knowledge. All your competitors are also aware, and they’re planning major email marketing campaigns.

If yours doesn’t have elements of differentiation, your campaign can still fall flat, leaving your small business unsatisfied with the results.

However, don’t sweat it. I have plenty of advice to help you nail your next Cyber Monday email marketing campaign.

Key Elements of Successful Cyber Monday Email Subject Lines

Before your campaign gets underway, you must know what makes a subject line effective. Then, you can begin writing them.

Here’s a full breakdown of all the elements your subject lines require.

Branding

You’ve likely spent months (if not longer) creating the perfect small business brand. As you begin writing Cyber Monday subject lines and email content, you can’t let your brand fall by the wayside.

You might have a more urgent tone in some of your messages than usual, but your brand voice must be your compass. If you deviate too much from it, you run the risk of alienating your audience.

If you’re a new startup that’s just building a customer base, you can’t afford to lose paying customers over small, preventable gaffes. Stay true to your brand voice during your email campaign, from the subject lines to the body content.

Alignment between subject line and offer

Speaking of, while your email bodies and Cyber Monday subject lines exist as separate components, they must be in sync.

If you promise a 30% discount in your subject line but the email itself doesn’t say anything about that, or if the offer is only 20%, you risk estranging customers again.

It only takes two minutes to double-check the alignment between your subject line and body content. That two minutes can be the difference between campaign success and failure, so always take the time!

Clarity

Conciseness is a must when writing Cyber Monday email subject lines. However, clarity can get put on the backburner in the quest to achieve a certain character account (generally between 50 and 60 for subject lines).

This is another detrimental mistake. Your offer can be crystal clear, but if it’s worded fuzzily, it won’t come across as intended. As a result, your audience will gravitate more toward your competitors with clearer subject lines.

You must think how many emails the average person receives on Cyber Monday. This is a last-ditch attempt to make sales on Thanksgiving weekend, so any business would be wise to capitalize.

Clarity is the least you owe your audience when writing subject lines for Cyber Monday.

Personalization

Do you want to know how to double your Cyber Monday open rates? It’s quite simple. All you have to do is personalize your subject lines.

Klenty, in a study of more than 100,000 emails sent on its platform, discovered that emails with no traces of personalization had average open rates of 16.67%. Simply put, that’s 17 out of 100 emails people bother to open.

Those aren’t good odds for your Cyber Monday email campaign!

The rate increases to 36 out of 100 emails, or 35.69%, opened by personalizing. Klenty reports that 43.41% more people open emails with their name in the subject line and 35.65% with the company’s name in the subject line.

Adding pain points to a subject line increases the open rate to 28%.

Exclusivity

Your small business likely pulls out some of the greatest deals of the year on this four-day holiday weekend. You know the saying that if you got it, flaunt it? That’s what you’ve got to do with your subject lines.

Make it a point to mention that these deals only come around once a year and that customers can only save this steeply on Cyber Monday. This taps into a person’s fear of missing out, aka FOMO.

No one wants to feel excluded, especially when saving money. By pushing the exclusivity of your deal in your subject line language, you will motivate customers who otherwise would have been reticent to purchase.

Urgency

Cyber Monday is only 24 hours!

You might have already debuted deals for Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday, but those days have passed. Your Cyber Monday sale is your customers’ last chance to save, as you won’t discount your stock this much again during the holiday season.

Convey that with your subject line copy by using the following terms:

Fast
Exclusive
Limited-time
Discount
Sale
Offer expires
Limited edition
Quick
Last chance
Now
Hurry
Don’t wait
Urgent

Unique elements

You have your work cut out, carving a unique edge for your Cyber Monday email marketing campaign. Utilizing unique elements will help you gain an advantage.

What elements are at your disposal? The sparing use of emojis, capitalization to emphasize important words, and punctuation will make your email stand out.

Here are some best practices.

First, when using emojis, you only need about two tops. Using many more than that chews into your subject line character limitations and can be perceived as spammy.

So many emojis suit Cyber Monday savings emails, including:

Rocketship – 🚀
Money bag – 💰
Money stack with wings flying away – 💸
Wrapped gift – 🎁
Santa Claus – 🎅
Christmas tree – 🎄
Turkey – 🦃
Robot – 🤖
Alert – 🚨
Flash – 💥
Fire – 🔥

Capitalization must be implemented carefully, too. Use it to emphasize one word you want to stand out the most in your email. If you use caps too frequently, it can make you seem angry.

As for punctuation, I recommend only one punctuation mark per subject line. However, they don’t all have to be periods. You can use exclamation marks, question marks, and even the odd em dash.

103 Original Cyber Monday Email Subject Lines to Copy and Customize

Would you like to see some subject lines in action? EngageBay created the following Cyber Monday subject lines for you to use the way they are or adjust depending on your brand and campaign goals.

Unlock Cyber Monday Savings! Exclusive Deals Inside 🚀
Your Cyber Monday Preview – Save Big on [your product/service name]
24-Hour Flash Sale! 💥Cyber Monday Steals You Can’t Ignore
Cyber Monday Only: Get 40% Off Everything!
Early Access: VIP Cyber Monday Deals Start Now
Countdown to Savings! Cyber Monday Deals End Soon
[Product/service name] Deals You’ve Waited All Year For – Shop Cyber Monday
Last Chance! Cyber Monday Deals on [your product/service] End Tonight!
Exclusive Cyber Monday Offer – Get [free gift/discount] with Every Purchase! 🎁
Shop Smart, Save Big: Your Guide to Cyber Monday Bargains
Our Cyber Monday Deals Are Now LIVE!
Dive into Exclusive Cyber Monday Deals Now
Get These Hot Cyber Monday Deals Before They’re Gone 🔥
It’s a Cyber Monday Extravaganza!
Save on Your Favorites This Cyber Monday
The Deals Don’t Stop on Cyber Monday
Score Big on Cyber Monday!
Don’t Miss Out on HUGE Cyber Monday Savings
Unlock Exclusive Cyber Monday Savings Now!
We’ve Got What You Want This Cyber Monday
We’re Counting Down to Cyber Monday!
Cyber Monday Is HERE!
Don’t Miss Our Greatest Savings of the Season on Cyber Monday 💰
It’s Cyber Monday! Shop Now!
Last Chance for These Cyber Monday Savings! Act Fast
Final Call! 🚨 Don’t Let These Cyber Monday Savings Slip Away
Your Ultimate Cyber Monday Destination Awaits!
Cyber Monday Fever! Get Ready to Shop and Save
🚨 Last Chance for Our Cyber Monday Bargains 🚨
What Are You Waiting For? Cyber Monday Is Here
[Name], What’s on Your Holiday Wishlist? Shop Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday Savings for Everyone on Your List 🎅
Our Cyber Monday Deal Is ON!
Treat Yourself to Big Savings This Cyber Monday
It’s Shop ‘Til You Drop on Cyber Monday
Shop from the Comfort of Your Chair – It’s Cyber Monday!
Cyber Savings Sent Straight to You
Grab Your Keyboard! Cyber Monday Deals Await You
Tick-Tock! Cyber Monday Savings Countdown Begins
Act Fast! We Can’t Keep These Cyber Monday Deals Going
Cyber Monday Savings at Your Fingertips
End Your Weekend on a High Note This Cyber Monday
Get Fired Up 🔥 Cyber Monday Deals Are Hotter Than Ever
Cyber Monday Mania: Your Chance to Save Big!
The Cyber Monday Savings Frenzy Begins
Your Cyber Monday Shopping Spree Starts Here!
Explosive Savings You Can’t Miss on Cyber Monday 💥
Blasting Off to Big Cyber Monday Deals! 🚀
Byte-Sized Bargains: Cyber Monday Savings Await
Click, Shop, and Save – It’s Cyber Monday!
VIPs, We Have Hot Cyber Monday Deals Just for You 🔥
You Have Items in Your Cart! Save 20% on Cyber Monday
Mouse Clicks and Mega Deals on Cyber Monday
This [product/service] Is Selling Out Fast on Cyber Monday
[Name], We Thought You’d Like This for Cyber Monday
Code Red! 🚨 Our Cyber Monday Savings Are Ending!
URGENT! Last-Minute Cyber Monday Savings
Our Cyber Monday Deal Has Been Extended
Cyber Monday Savings Galore!
The Tech-Tastic Cyber Monday Sale Is Here!
Big Savings Are Just a Click Away This Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday Savings on Deck
Our Cyber Monday Deals REVEALED
HURRY – Our Cyber Monday Deal Is Ending 🚨
35% Off All Cyber Monday
The Last Hours of Our Cyber Monday Sales
Use Code #CYBRMNDAY and SAVE!
Screen Time, Dream Time – Cyber Monday Savings
Cyber Monday Deals to Drool Over
Surf the Savings Wave on Cyber Monday 🏄
It Doesn’t Get Bigger Than This! Shop Cyber Monday Now
Our BIGGEST Sales of the Year on Cyber Monday
The Moment You’ve Been Waiting For! Cyber Monday Arrives
Hundreds of New Items Discounted on Cyber Monday
Load Up on These Black Friday Savings
Cyber Monday Deals That Pack a Punch!
Cyber Monday Discounts You Can’t Miss
Power Up Your Savings This Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday Deals Coming Your Way!
Deals Like This Don’t Come Around Often – Shop Cyber Monday
Your Last Chance of the Year for Deals! It’s Cyber Monday
Join Our Cyber Monday Sales Celebration!
Swipe, Shop, Save This Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday Discounts Inside!
Cyber Monday Madness Begins! Our Biggest Deals Unleashed
Digital Deals Day – Cyber Monday Deals You Can’t Resist
Our Cyber Monday Deals Reign Supreme!
[Company name] Cyber Monday Deals Are Now Available
Swipe Right for Savings: Cyber Monday Is Upon Us
Wow, These Cyber Monday Deals Are Insane!
Cyber Monday Deals | Save 35%
Save 20% Across Our Whole Site with Cyber Monday Code CYBRMNDY
Treat Yourself This Cyber Monday. You Deserve It!
A Sneak Peek of Our Cyber Monday Savings
The Cyber Monday Flash Sale Is Here! 💥
Can You Believe We’re Discounting Stock to 45% on Cyber Monday?
Grab These Savings NOW! Cyber Monday Deals Going Fast
Scratch and Save – Reveal Your Cyber Monday Savings
Thanks for Being a Great Customer! Exclusive Cyber Monday Savings
Add Our Cyber Monday Deal to Your Calendar
Cyber Monday Savings Start in Two Hours!
The Best Deals of the Year Come on Cyber Monday
We’re Lowering Prices Even More for Cyber Monday!

4 Strategies for A/B Testing Cyber Monday Email Subject Lines

Baggu Cyber Monday email subject line example — *Image courtesy of GetResponse*

It’s time to get testing! Let’s take a deep dive into what goes into split testing subject lines for Cyber Monday email campaign success.

Choose a relevant A/B test

You can perform two types of split tests: design or user experience tests.

A design test relies on different elements on the same page, such as one landing page with two different versions of CTA buttons.

The control version should be your standard version, while the second version should be the challenger element. If it performs better, that’s indicative you should switch up your email marketing campaign.

A user experience test uses two versions and compares them. For example, version A of your subject line would differ from version B, with version A being the control and version B the challenger.

If the challenger gets more opens, you should use that; the same goes for the control.

Time your A/B testing

Split testing is a process that takes time. You may need at least two weeks but longer, depending on how many elements you want to test. The more complex or involved the elements, the longer it can take for a clear winner to come to light.

Select a sample size

Your sample size must be large enough to gain valuable data yet not so large that it takes too long to collate the numbers you received. A small sample size can make it harder to find actionable insights.

Gauge your results

Once you get results, how do you make heads or tails of them?

The most successful split tests only focus on one goal at a time. In this case, you would increase the number of emails that open via your subject line. You can’t be married to one subject line, as whatever drives the most results is the one you should use.

EngageBay’s email A/B testing makes it easy to discover the best variant of your subject lines, allowing you to reduce bounces, increase opens and click-throughs, elevate website traffic, and lower abandoned carts.

Key Takeaways for Small Business Owners

The essential components of a Cyber Monday email subject line are personalization, clarity, brevity, urgency, emotional connection (especially FOMO), and elements like emojis and scant use of capitalization.
Use creativity when writing your subject lines, allowing your brand personality to shine.
Always split test subject lines before they go live to maximize email open rates and make your email marketing campaign more cost-effective.

Conclusion

Subject lines are pivotal in a well-received Cyber Monday email marketing campaign. The subject line examples and strategies here should enhance customer engagement and sales.

Your small business will be in it to win it with Cyber Monday email subject lines that achieve more.

EngageBay is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and customer support software for small businesses, startups, and solopreneurs. You get email marketing, marketing automation, landing pages and email templates, sales pipelines, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How far in advance should I start sending Cyber Monday emails?

The Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend is a brief lull in all the shopping and deals, so announcing your Cyber Monday sale then is best if you haven’t already. You could also drop the news the week before, using that Sunday slot as a reminder.

Then, let your emails go live on Monday, either at midnight or in the morning.

2. When is the best time to send Cyber Monday emails?

Noon to 1 p.m. has long been the sweet spot for sending Cyber Monday emails. People work on the Monday after Thanksgiving, but many will check their inboxes during lunch to begin shopping, explaining why this timeslot is so popular.

3. How do I create a sense of urgency in my subject line without sounding spammy?

Using urgent words or power words can help you make an impact without the risk of being spammy. Try these terms: amazing, exciting, announcing, exclusive, quick, and inspiring.

4. What common mistakes should be avoided in Cyber Monday email subject lines?

Not A/B testing is the biggest and most egregious error. Others are overusing capitalization and emojis. Do not use symbols, as they might not appear on the user’s device and can impede your message.

You should always read over your subject lines before sending them, reviewing them for basic grammar and spelling mistakes.