Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday is the biggest shopping weekend of the year - and also the most competitive. To cut through the noise, your Meta ads need to be strategic, creative, and timed just right. 

At StoreLab, our Meta ad experts (as part of our Shopify Growth Service) have worked with numerous brands to maximise their success across multiple BFCM seasons. So these aren’t just theories or guesswork - they’re tried and tested best practices that we know drive real results. 

In this blog, we’ll share 7 proven ways to set up your Meta ads for BFCM, so you can capture attention, increase conversions, and turn browsers into loyal buyers.

Let’s jump in! 

1 - Start building warm audiences early 

One of the biggest mistakes brands make during Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday is waiting until the sales weekend to launch ads. By then, competition is fierce, ad inventory is saturated, and costs are at their peak. The smarter move is to start building momentum weeks in advance - not by running your BFCM ads way too early, but by focusing on audience-building - so when your actual sale begins, you have a pool of engaged prospects ready to convert.

Use Meta’s campaign objectives to your advantage: run video view campaigns, engagement ads, and traffic campaigns to grow warm audiences. Focus on driving add-to-cart events, organic social interactions, and email signups - even small actions like these send strong signals to Meta’s algorithm and help you build custom audiences you can later retarget with high-intent conversion ads once BFCM officially kicks off. 

This early window is also perfect for teasing your promotions.  Highlight your upcoming deals in ads, stories, and reels, and play around with different creative variations to see what resonates most before you scale them up.

You could also consider offering “early bird” discounts or VIP-only access through lead ads to create a sense of exclusivity and anticipation. 

By starting early with your Meta ads, you’ll enter Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday with an engaged audience, stronger relevance, and lower acquisition costs, giving you a serious edge over brands that wait until the last minute.

2 - Use high-converting creative formats 

During BFCM, the right creative can make or break your Meta ads. Carousel and collection ads are perfect for highlighting product bundles, gift ideas, or limited-edition items, giving shoppers multiple options to explore. 

Short, mobile-first videos are also key - especially when paired with clear, action-oriented CTAs like “Shop Now” or “Limited Time Offer”. User-generated content (UGC) can also be a powerful addition here, showcasing real customers enjoying your products. 84% of people are more likely to trust a brand if they use UGC - so this builds confidence, demonstrates value, and naturally creates a sense of urgency.

Speaking of urgency, incorporating copy and visuals that emphasise scarcity - like “Buy before it’s gone” or countdown-style graphics - can motivate quicker decision-making. The combination of strong CTAs, social proof, and urgency signals helps you optimise for conversions, while keeping your audience intrigued and engaged. 

The takeaway: don’t just show your products - show them in a way that captures attention, inspires confidence, and gently nudges shoppers toward action. During Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday, every scroll counts, so your creative needs to stand out and convert. 

3 - Make the most of retargeting & lookalikes 

Retargeting and lookalike audiences are some of the most powerful tools to utilise for your Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday Meta ads. Start by retargeting people who’ve already shown interest - abandoned carts, website visitors, or past customers. 

For example, a skincare brand could show someone who browsed a popular serum a carousel ad featuring that exact product with a limited-time bundle discount or a “buy one, get one” offer. 66% of shoppers expect a personalised experience across Black Friday, so being specific and personal here is key. 

Lookalike audiences help you scale reach by finding new people similar to your best customers. A Shopify clothing brand, for instance, could create a lookalike based on high-value shoppers who purchased last year’s holiday collection and target them with BFCM offers. 

One thing to remember here is to keep your Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday campaigns separate from your prospecting campaigns. This makes it easier to see what’s working, control budgets, and avoid overlapping audiences. 

By combining smart retargeting with carefully built lookalikes, you can maximise conversions from people already interested while efficiently finding new shoppers ready to jump in during BFCM.

4 - Highlight offers with clear messaging

During BFCM, shoppers scroll fast, so your offers need to jump off the screen - so always put the discount front and center. 

For example, if you’re running a sitewide promotion, use copy like “30% Off Sitewide - Black Friday Only. If you’re promoting a specific collection, something like “25% Off Coats this BFCM Weekend” works well. For individual products, show the original price and the discounted price so the value is instantly clear. 

Scarcity is another key tactic. Phrases like “While supplies last” or “Ends midnight Cyber Monday” create urgency and encourage shoppers to grab the deal before it’s gone for good. 

Make sure your ad copy is short, bold, and easy for people to scan quickly on their phones - your audience shouldn’t have to hunt for the deal. 

Strong, clear messaging captures attention quickly and also improves ad performance by making it obvious what’s on offer and why shoppers should act now. Over such a crowded and busy shopping event, clarity can make the difference between a scroll past and a click.

5 - Test & optimise creatives ahead of BFCM

One of the smartest ways to stay ahead during Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday is to test your creatives early. Start A/B testing ad variations in September or October, so when November rolls around, you’re ready to promote your offers without scrambling at the last minute. 

Experiment with different formats to see what resonates with your audience. Compare images vs. videos, or even more specific creative choices like product photography vs. lifestyle shots. This testing helps you understand which types of creatives drive the most engagement and conversions. 

Once you’ve identified the bread winners, pause underperforming ads so your budget focuses on the top performers. During peak BFCM competition, this ensures you’re running ads that work, reducing wasted ad spend, and improving overall ROI. 

6 - Boost budget strategically

Timing your Meta ad spend is just as important as the amount you invest. Rather than suddenly ramping up budgets on Black Friday itself, start gradually increasing your ad spend 5-7 days before. This gives Meta’s algorithm time to learn and optimise, so your ads are fully dialed in by the time shoppers are ready to buy.

During the 4-day BFCM window, it’s smart to allocate higher daily budgets to retargeting campaigns. These audiences are already warm - think cart abandoners or recent site visitors - so giving them more visibility can translate to quick conversions. 

To keep things efficient, use Campaign Budget Optimisation (CBO). This allows Meta to automatically distribute your budget across ad sets based on performance, giving your top ads more room to scale without you having to micromanage. 

By scaling steadily, prioritising warm audiences, and letting Meta optimise as it goes, you’ll stretch your budget further and make sure your ads show up when it matters most. 

7 - Partner with a Shopify Growth Service 

Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday is one of the most competitive times of the year for ecommerce businesses. And managing Meta ads on top of running your store can quickly become overwhelming. 

Partnering with a Shopify Growth Service like StoreLab means you don’t have to figure it all out alone - you get a team of experts who know exactly how to plan, launch, and optimise BFCM campaigns that convert. 

As mentioned previously in this article, successful BFCM campaigns don’t start on Black Friday - they’re built weeks in advance. The biggest advantage of partnering with us now is timing.

From warming up audiences with teaser ads to testing creatives and setting up retargeting, the prep work is what makes the difference once the sales go live. Waiting until the last minute means you risk higher costs, weaker results, and missed opportunities.

By making the most of our Shopify Growth Service, you’ll benefit from expert support at every stage - from strategy and creative testing to campaign management and optimisation. Instead of juggling everything yourself, you’ll have a dedicated team making sure your ads perform at their best.

Even better, we tailor every strategy to your business, your audience, and your goals - so you know the approach isn’t generic, it’s built to work for you. The result? Less stress, smarter use of your budget, and stronger results.

Get in touch with our friendly team today to get started. Spots fill up fast - last year we were fully booked for Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday - so the sooner you move, the better.

We don’t just want to run your ads; we want to take the time to really understand your brand, your goals, and your customers. That way, we can tailor a strategy that maximises your success and sets you up for your best BFCM yet.