By now, you are probably starting to plan each email for the Black Friday promotional period. Whether you are running a promo over the weekend only or all month long, you will quickly find there is a lot of competition for email space in November. For this reason, standing out and doing something a little different is critical.

Simple emails sharing discount and savings values may generate some revenue, but they can feel boring, especially for customers who need a little convincing. Yet when inboxes are overflowing, long-winded educational emails also miss the mark. Finding the sweet spot is essential, and a staff picks email is the perfect medium.

What Is a Staff Picks Email?

This type of email looks very similar to your regular sales campaigns, but it has a personal touch other brands neglect during Black Friday. You still have a hero banner, short body copy and product recommendations (with prices and savings). The difference is why those products are recommended. Instead of "Our Best Sellers," you give customers a reason to shop by adding a staff member's expertise to the mix.

How Do They Keep Content Engaging?

During Black Friday, a lot of the same content comes from every brand. The idea is to get customers to shop, but with so many extended sales and large offers, customers can end up stuck in decision fatigue. Adding a staff picks section, or leading with curated recommendations, makes your email feel more helpful and guided. It takes the thinking out of the transaction and can push customers to purchase quicker through trust-building.

Who Should the Staff Member Be?

A staff picks email can work from any team member, but adding personality beyond the business owner adds more value. Customers expect owners to have favourites, which does not always make it the most convincing piece. It is a great start, but with a larger team, try integrating a few different picks, or run a staff picks mini-series.

This gives people insight from various team members, so they can connect with whoever best fits their goals. To accelerate the trust-building, drop in a few fun facts about your staff member's background. Maybe your marketing guru loves sport on the weekend, or has a young family. Those little additions make customers instantly think "they're like me," which opens avenues for purchase.

If you run a mini-series, remember you do not need to recommend every product in your range. Keep it authentic, allow overlap, and genuinely ask your staff. That will yield the best results.

See it in action

A real staff picks mini-series

Washi Gang nailed this with their "What's in our carts? Shop staff picks" email. Rather than one person's favourites, they ran a mini-series within a single send: Shannon's Picks, Emily's Picks and Tiana's Picks, each team member sharing a handful of products with prices and a clear "Shop now." It feels like three friends passing on their favourites, not a hard sell.

Washi Gang's "What's in our carts?" email, three team members, a few picks each.

Multiple team members 3 picks each Personal and scannable

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