The 2026 dates to plan around
| Day | Date |
|---|---|
| Thanksgiving (US) | Thursday 26 November 2026 |
| Black Friday | Friday 27 November 2026 |
| Cyber Monday | Monday 30 November 2026 |
Work backwards from Black Friday. Have every creative made, reviewed and uploaded at least a few days before, so launch day is about watching numbers, not fixing typos.
Why prep beats day-of scrambling
On Black Friday 2017, Kaleb Phillips, Duggie's founder, ran a campaign that brought in more than $1M in 24 hours. On a day like that, there is no time to make new creative when an ad stops working. What you launch with, and what you have in reserve, decides how the day goes.
How many creatives you need
Count your offers, the angles you want to test for each, and the phases of the sale, then add backups.
If your budget is small, cut angles before you cut phases. A Cyber Monday set that looks new matters more than a fourth angle on Friday.
The BFCM static ad checklist
Check every file before it goes live:
- The discount on the image matches the discount at checkout.
- Start and end dates and the time zone are right, and match the site banner.
- The product shown is in stock in the variants you advertise.
- Exclusions (sale items, bundles, gift cards) are stated where needed.
- The offer reads on a phone at arm's length (the thumb test).
- Story files keep text and logos out of the top 14%, bottom 35% and 6% on each side, per Meta's Ads Guide.
- Headlines fit: Meta recommends 27 characters for Facebook Feed headlines and 40 for Instagram Feed. Check yours with the free copy checker.
- A separate Cyber Monday version is ready, not the Friday file with the word changed.
For the full 10-point list we run on every file, see the static ad QA checklist.
Headline patterns to adapt
Swap in your real offer and dates. Keep one idea per headline.
Cyber Monday: refresh, don't relabel
By Monday, many people in your audience have seen your Friday ads several times. Meta's help page on creative fatigue recommends a new ad "that is materially different from the original creative" when fatigue sets in. Change the image or layout, not only the word "Friday".
December: shipping cutoff ads
After Cyber Monday, the message shifts to "arrives in time". Take your carrier's published holiday cutoff, subtract your handling time, and make that date the offer. Plan a second set for after the cutoff: gift cards, local pickup or "ships in January" offers, whichever you actually support.
Related reading: creative fatigue on Meta ads, Meta static ad sizes and safe zones and what a static Meta ad costs in 2026.
Where Duggie fits
If you subscribe now, your first batch usually arrives the same day, so there is still time to have a checked Black Friday set ready.
Duggie makes static Meta ads for you: 20 custom creatives a month, each in Feed, Square and Story (60 files), with 5 copy variants each, so 100 ads to test. They arrive in 4 weekly batches, the first one the same day your subscription starts, usually within 1 to 2 hours. A person reviews every file, revisions are unlimited and usually back in 1 to 2 hours, and your first payment is covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee. It's $500/month, and you can start with 1 free ad before you pay anything. See pricing.
Duggie may not be the right fit if you need video, or more than 20 new concepts a month for one brand.