Guide
Black Friday video ad ideas: 10 ads to film in October
Updated
Here are 10 Black Friday video ads you can film in one day in October. Open each one with the offer, test them in early November and swap them every two or three days during the sale.
In short
- The best Black Friday video ads open with the offer, said out loud and shown on screen in the first 2 seconds.
- This guide lists 10 ad ideas of 30 seconds or less, and you can film eight of them in one day.
- Pick the offer first. A discount, a bundle, a free gift, early access or free shipping all work.
- Film your Black Friday ads in October and test them with small budgets in early November, before ad prices rise.
- Make 10 to 20 versions and put a new opening on your ads every 2 to 3 days during the sale.
- US online spend on Black Friday 2025, per Adobe Analytics
- $11.8B
- Cyber Week, Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday
- 5 days
- Ad creatives that become winners, per Motion's study of 550,000+ Meta ads
- 5-8%
10 Black Friday video ad ideas
Film each idea as its own video of 30 seconds or less. You can record the first eight back to back at one table in October.
- The gift guide gives you three ads from one setup if you film it for three types of person.
- The "why we discount" video answers the suspicion that the old price was made up.
- The shipping deadline ad matters most in the second half of the sale, when people worry about delivery.
- Every idea here needs an offer first. A discount, a bundle, a free gift, early access or free shipping all work.
Ten ads for one sale
Eight are filmed in October. Keep time free during the sale for the last two.
| Idea | What to film | When to film it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The offer | The discount, the product and the end date. Nothing else. | October |
| 2. What is included | The whole bundle in one shot, so people can count the value | October |
| 3. Sold out last year | Only if it is true. People notice made-up scarcity. | October |
| 4. Gift guide | Products grouped by who they are for, one video per type of person | October |
| 5. Why we discount | The real reason: overstock, end of season, or you would rather sell it than store it | October |
| 6. Bundle savings | The numbers, said out loud on camera | October |
| 7. Shipping deadline | The last order date that still arrives in time | October |
| 8. Founder's note | What the sale is, what it is not, and whether the price goes back up | October |
| 9. Restock | Filmed the moment new stock arrives | During the sale |
| 10. Customer reactions | Real customer videos and reviews as they come in | During the sale |
Idea: 1. The offer
- What to film
- The discount, the product and the end date. Nothing else.
- When to film it
- October
Idea: 2. What is included
- What to film
- The whole bundle in one shot, so people can count the value
- When to film it
- October
Idea: 3. Sold out last year
- What to film
- Only if it is true. People notice made-up scarcity.
- When to film it
- October
Idea: 4. Gift guide
- What to film
- Products grouped by who they are for, one video per type of person
- When to film it
- October
Idea: 5. Why we discount
- What to film
- The real reason: overstock, end of season, or you would rather sell it than store it
- When to film it
- October
Idea: 6. Bundle savings
- What to film
- The numbers, said out loud on camera
- When to film it
- October
Idea: 7. Shipping deadline
- What to film
- The last order date that still arrives in time
- When to film it
- October
Idea: 8. Founder's note
- What to film
- What the sale is, what it is not, and whether the price goes back up
- When to film it
- October
Idea: 9. Restock
- What to film
- Filmed the moment new stock arrives
- When to film it
- During the sale
Idea: 10. Customer reactions
- What to film
- Real customer videos and reviews as they come in
- When to film it
- During the sale
Which offer should the ads be about?
Pick the offer before you write the ads, because the offer is what the first two seconds have to say.
- You can combine two, such as a bundle with free shipping, as long as the ad still says one thing in the first two seconds.
- Work out what your margin can afford before you pick a number, because the ads cannot fix an offer you cannot pay for.
- Decide the offer in September, so the October filming day has something to say.
Five Black Friday offers
| Offer | What it is | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| A discount | A percentage or an amount off, with an end date | Stock you want to move, and a margin that can take the cut |
| A bundle | Two or three products together at one lower price | You would rather have a bigger order than a cheaper one |
| A free gift | A small extra product with every order | You want to keep the price of the main product where it is |
| Early access | Your email list buys a day or two before everyone else | You want the list to grow through October and November |
| Free shipping | No delivery charge during the sale | You would rather give away the postage than the margin |
Offer: A discount
- What it is
- A percentage or an amount off, with an end date
- When it fits
- Stock you want to move, and a margin that can take the cut
Offer: A bundle
- What it is
- Two or three products together at one lower price
- When it fits
- You would rather have a bigger order than a cheaper one
Offer: A free gift
- What it is
- A small extra product with every order
- When it fits
- You want to keep the price of the main product where it is
Offer: Early access
- What it is
- Your email list buys a day or two before everyone else
- When it fits
- You want the list to grow through October and November
Offer: Free shipping
- What it is
- No delivery charge during the sale
- When it fits
- You would rather give away the postage than the margin
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
What should a Black Friday ad open with?
In sale week every ad says "sale". What stands out is the offer itself, and how quickly people hear it.
- Say the discount out loud and show it on screen in the first 2 seconds.
- Do both, because many people watch with the sound off.
- Give an end date. A discount with a deadline gives people a reason to buy now.
- The same 30% off can be shown as a bundle, a free gift, early access or a discount on one hero product.
- A video cannot fix a weak offer. If 10% off is not enough to make someone buy, no opening line will be either.
Why film Black Friday ads in October?
In sale week every brand buys ads in the same few days. An ad uploaded that week has no time to prove itself.
- Ad prices rise because every brand with a budget bids in the same days.
- Filming in October lets you test the ads with small budgets in early November, while ads are cheaper.
- Anything you film during the sale goes live untested, in the week when reaching people costs the most.
US online spend, 2025
Source: Adobe Analytics, 2025. These figures show demand, not your results.
| Period | US online spend |
|---|---|
| Black Friday | $11.8 billion, up 9.1% on the year before |
| Cyber Monday | $14.25 billion |
| Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday (5 days) | $44.2 billion |
Period: Black Friday
- US online spend
- $11.8 billion, up 9.1% on the year before
Period: Cyber Monday
- US online spend
- $14.25 billion
Period: Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday (5 days)
- US online spend
- $44.2 billion
When to swap ads during the sale
A five-day sale leaves no time to wait for ads to wear out, so plan the swaps in advance.
- Put a new version live every 2 to 3 days.
- Change only the first few seconds and keep the offer the same. A new opening turns the same video into a new ad at little cost.
- Make 10 to 20 versions, because only 5 to 8% of ads become winners, per Motion's study of 550,000+ Meta ads.
What to lead with, and when
| Part of the sale | Lead with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Start | The plainest version of the offer | People who have never seen you need that first |
| Middle | Bundle and gift guide versions | The easy buyers have already bought |
| Final days | Shipping deadline and one customer reaction | The deadline is the main reason left to buy |
Part of the sale: Start
- Lead with
- The plainest version of the offer
- Why
- People who have never seen you need that first
Part of the sale: Middle
- Lead with
- Bundle and gift guide versions
- Why
- The easy buyers have already bought
Part of the sale: Final days
- Lead with
- Shipping deadline and one customer reaction
- Why
- The deadline is the main reason left to buy
How to film all the ads in one day
Book one day in October at a table by a window, with the ten ideas written on a sheet of paper.
- Record each idea twice, once plainly and once with a different first sentence.
- Check the shipping cut-off date before you say it. A wrong date means pulling the ad and weeks of support emails.
- Name each file as you record, with the idea and a version number, so you can find it in November.
- Keep time free during the sale to film the restock and real customer reactions.
Where Cutroom fits
Editing 15 to 20 versions is where October plans stall. Cutroom does the editing for you.
- You upload each video of you talking, up to 3 minutes long.
- You get a finished 9:16 MP4 with captions, a hook at the start and your product footage on the words that mention it.
- You pick from 40 caption styles, and you change the video by editing its transcript.
Credits for a Black Friday set
| Item | Credits or price |
|---|---|
| One 30-second video | About 110 credits (100 to edit, 20 per minute to export) |
| 15 versions | About 1,650 credits |
| Lite plan | $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 11 videos |
| Basic plan | $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits, enough for 15 to 20 versions |
Item: One 30-second video
- Credits or price
- About 110 credits (100 to edit, 20 per minute to export)
Item: 15 versions
- Credits or price
- About 1,650 credits
Item: Lite plan
- Credits or price
- $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 11 videos
Item: Basic plan
- Credits or price
- $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits, enough for 15 to 20 versions
Questions people ask
- When should I start making Black Friday video ads?
- In October, or late September if you sell gifts. Aim to have the ads finished and tested with small budgets before ad prices rise. Anything filmed during the sale goes out untested in the most expensive week of the year.
- What should a Black Friday video ad start with?
- The offer, in the first two seconds, said out loud and shown on screen. When every ad announces a sale, the number and the deadline are what stand out. The words around them matter much less.
- How many ads do I need for Black Friday?
- Usually 10 to 20 versions, enough to swap every two or three days. Only 5 to 8% of ads become winners, in Motion's study of 550,000+ Meta ads, so three ads tell you very little in a week with no time to adjust.
- Should I discount at all for Black Friday?
- Not automatically. A bundle, a free gift, early access for your email list or free shipping can carry the sale without cutting the price. Work out what your margin can afford before you pick a number, because no video makes a discount worth it if the sums do not work. Decide it in September.
- How often should I swap ads during Black Friday?
- Every two or three days, planned in advance. Keep the offer the same and change only the first few seconds. That is the cheapest new ad you can make, and it tests the opening rather than the deal.
Write the ten ideas down in October and film them in one day. Your first video is free.
Try for freeYour first video is free, no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99/month removes it