How Brands Can Maximize Influencer ROI During Black Friday & Cyber Monday

Written By Gabriela Cuautle

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) are the biggest online shopping days of the year and influencer marketing can make or break your results. With competition at an all-time high and consumers drowning in promotions, brands need more than a simple discount code and a few posts. They need a strategic, high-ROI influencer plan designed specifically for BFCM behavior.

Here’s how to build an influencer strategy that cuts through the chaos and drives real sales.

1. Start Earlier Than Everyone Else

Brands often wait until the week of Black Friday to activate creators—but shoppers start researching deals weeks in advance. Getting creators involved early:

  • Builds anticipation

  • Warms up audiences before they’re ready to buy

  • Gives you time to optimize codes, landing pages, and creative

Early teasing content (“my favorite brand’s Black Friday deal is coming…”) primes conversion long before the sale goes live.

Pro tip: Use creators for wishlist and gift guide content in early November to seed product awareness.

2. Create Exclusive & Irresistible Offers

Influencer audiences convert better when they feel like they’re getting VIP access. Consider:

  • Creator-exclusive discount codes

  • Early access for influencer audiences

  • Bundle deals curated by the influencer

  • “Only for followers” flash deals during BFCM weekend

The more personalized the offer feels, the stronger the conversion.

3. Prioritize High-Trust Creators (Not Just High Reach)

Holiday shoppers buy from creators they already trust. That makes micro-influencers and niche creators incredibly valuable during BFCM.

Why?
Because their communities trust their recommendations and during BFCM, trust beats virality.

Look for creators who:

  • Have high saves, shares, or comment quality

  • Already talk about your category

  • Create holiday or gift content organically

  • Have an audience that mirrors your target buyer

This is the time to double down on your top performers.

4. Give Creators Clear Direction + Creative Freedom

The most effective holiday influencer campaigns find the right balance: clear messaging, but creative freedom to keep the content authentic.

Make sure your brief includes:

  • Sale dates + exact discount

  • What's in it for the audience

  • Key products to feature

  • Talking points (but not a script)

  • Required links and tracking

  • Approved visuals or packaging updates

Then let the creator do what they do best: sell in their own voice.

5. Leverage Multi-Touch Content Throughout the Weekend

A single post won’t cut it not during BFCM. You need multiple touchpoints to move followers through awareness → consideration → purchase.

Use a mix of:

  • Instagram Reels + TikToks

  • Stories with swipe-ups

  • Countdown reminders

  • Unboxing or GRWM-style demos

  • Static posts for carousel storytelling

  • LTK or Amazon Storefront additions

Campaigns that include stories + video + a feed post drive significantly higher ROI during sale periods.

6. Whitelist Top Performers to Amplify Sales

If you want scale during BFCM weekend, whitelist your best creators and run ads through their profiles.

Influencer whitelisting helps you:

  • Outperform branded ads

  • Retarget warm audiences

  • Test creators against one another

  • Get lower CPMs due to creator trust

  • Drive urgent purchase behavior during the sale

Pair whitelisted posts with countdown CTAs, urgency messaging, and “offer expiring soon” creative.

7. Measure What Actually Matters

Don’t get distracted by vanity metrics. During BFCM, prioritize:

  • Link clicks

  • Discount code redemptions

  • Landing page visits

  • Cost per acquisition

  • Return on ad spend (if whitelisting)

  • Revenue per creator

Use this data to re-engage creators who crushed it and cut the ones who didn’t.

8. Keep the Momentum Going After the Weekend

Your relationship with creators shouldn’t end Monday at midnight. BFCM is a massive opportunity to:

  • Upsell the new customers you acquired

  • Continue working with top performers

  • Turn one-time shoppers into repeat buyers

  • Run post-sale “thank you” campaigns

  • Collect UGC for evergreen ads

The brands that win BFCM are the ones that maintain always-on influencer momentum.

Final Thoughts

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are crowded, but the right influencer strategy can help your brand stand out, build trust fast, and drive record-breaking sales. By planning early, partnering with high-trust creators, leveraging multi-touch content, and optimizing campaigns in real-time, your brand can maximize ROI during the busiest shopping weekend of the year.

Gabriela Cuautle
Next

The Complete Influencer Guide to Black Friday & Cyber Monday Partnerships