Your emails should generate some pretty huge revenue this time of year as your audience in your email list has literally passed on their email address to you - to hear from you - so make it count this BFCM! Brands that come in cold, blasting out huge volumes of promotional emails, risk landing in spam folders, damaging their sender reputation, and losing trust with their audience.

The antidote? List warming. Done right, it’s not just about protecting deliverability. It’s about priming your list, re-engaging dormant subscribers, and building anticipation so that when BFCM hits, your emails actually get seen.

Here’s a 5-step framework and suggested timeline you can follow (adjust to your brand’s cadence and list size).

Step 1: 6–8 Weeks Before - Start Gentle Re-Engagement

The warm-up begins well before BFCM campaigns launch. The goal here is to build healthy engagement signals.

• Segment your list: break down into active, semi-active, and dormant/unengaged.

• Send value-based content: share brand stories, tips, or behind-the-scenes insights with your most active group first.

• Monitor closely: track opens, clicks, and deliverability metrics.

• Expand gradually: reintroduce semi-active subscribers slowly.

• Clean house: remove obvious bounces or invalid addresses.

This stage is all about nurturing, not selling. You’re signalling to inbox providers that your emails are wanted.

Step 2: 4–6 Weeks Before - Time to Increase Your Volume

Now it’s time to add a little fuel to the fire.

• Interactive warm-ups: surveys, polls, or preference centres for less-engaged subscribers.

• Engagement tracking: suppress contacts who consistently ignore emails.

• Behavioural segmentation: split by interest or purchase history (past buyers, browsers, cart abandoners).

The aim: build engagement while still protecting your sender reputation.

Step 3: 2–4 Weeks Before - Ramp Up & Segment Deeply

This is when your list should be feeling warm and ready.

• Full promotions: So even though BFCM is one weekend at the end of November, we all know that everyone seems to go early, 2 weeks out may be your time to provide exclusive offers for your email list.

• Progressive send increases: don’t suddenly triple your send volume, rather ramp it up steadily.

• Deliverability checks: monitor bounce rates, spam complaints, and inbox placement.

• Remove under-performers: suppress non-openers and disengaged contacts.

• Test a “sunset” or re-engagement campaign: but do this carefully - too much activity from unengaged contacts can hurt your inbox placement.

Think of this phase as final conditioning before the sprint.

Step 4: The Week Of - Final Warm-Up & Readiness Check

You’re almost at the start line.

• Send countdown or “last chance before the sale” content to keep anticipation high.

• Launch your first big sends to your most engaged segments.

• Stay flexible: throttle, pause, or reschedule if performance dips.

This stage is about ensuring your campaigns land where they need to — the inbox.

Step 5: During BFCM - Execute, Monitor, Pivot

Now’s the time to put everything into play.

• Stagger sends: We did this at DISSH a lot, stagger what you sent to who and when, avoid blasting the entire list at once.

• Watch dashboards in real time: deliverability, open rates, and click-throughs will guide your next moves.

• Be ready to pivot: suppress a struggling segment, adjust timing, or switch subject line strategy if engagement drops.

• Follow up after the rush: thank your customers, offer upsells, and introduce retention hooks to extend the relationship.

Remember, the work doesn’t end when the sale closes. Post-BFCM campaigns set the tone for customer loyalty going into the new year.

The Takeaway

Winning at BFCM isn’t just about discounts or clever creative. It’s about preparation.
List warming - the disciplined process of re-engaging, segmenting, and gradually scaling - is the foundation that ensures your campaigns are actually delivered and acted on.

Brands that take the time to follow this 5-step framework don’t just sell more during BFCM. They walk away with stronger deliverability, healthier lists, and customers who stay engaged long after the sale is over.

Are You Ready for This?

If all of the above feels overwhelming, I’ve got you covered. Check out my latest workshop on prepping for BFCM - launching early October!

And if you’d prefer not to DIY, reach out. My team and I can build this entire framework out for you - from strategy to execution.