Don't plan one Black Friday video, plan a short series: teaser, early access, Black Friday, weekend and Cyber Monday. Every video uses the same structure, only the text and the numbers change. Use 9:16, show the offer in the first two seconds and keep the price inside the safe zone Meta recommends for Reels. With one video prompt you can build the whole series from a single template.
A Black Friday video ad has one job: show what's on offer and until when, in two seconds, in a crowded feed. In 2026, Black Friday is on Friday, November 27, and Cyber Monday is on Monday, November 30. If you start on your video that same week, you usually end up with one discount banner and nothing else. A short series works better: five videos with the same structure that only differ in text and numbers. Below you'll find the plan, the structure of a 15-second ad, the right place for prices in a vertical video and prompt ideas for apps and shops.
The video above isn't a Black Friday ad, but it has the structure a good ad needs. "Dropla" is an 11-second product film in 9:16 for an invented link-in-bio shop. It opens with comments like "price??" and "where can I buy?", then shows the shop, a purchase at 19 dollars and, at the end, the day's sales. Problem, product, proof, then the name and one line. A discount ad works the same way. The only difference is that the offer comes even earlier.
Five videos instead of one: the plan up to Cyber Monday
Black Friday week is loud and expensive because everybody advertises at once. A single video wears out fast. With five short videos you have the right message for every phase. The plan below is a suggestion for 2026, so move the dates to fit your offer:
2026 calendar: Thanksgiving on Nov 26, Black Friday on Nov 27, Cyber Monday on Nov 30. The other dates are a suggestion.
- Teaser: No price yet, just a date and a promise, like "Something big drops on Nov 27". The goal is that people remember your profile.
- Early access: A deal for people who already follow you or read your newsletter. The video tells them where to get in.
- Black Friday: The main video. Discount, product and end date in the first two seconds.
- Weekend: The same deal with a new opening, for example your best seller first or a gift angle.
- Cyber Monday: Last chance. Same video, but with "Today only" and a time.
Leave time for review, too. Meta reviews ads before they start running, and in Black Friday week you don't want to wait for approval on Friday morning. Upload your videos a few days early and schedule them with a start time. What makes a strong ad in general is covered in AI video ads.
How to structure a 15-second Black Friday video ad
A discount video doesn't sell through a story. It sells through clarity. People should get what's on offer, why it's worth it and until when, right away. A simple structure for 15 seconds:
- 0 to 2 seconds: The offer as a big number, like "30% off" or "Buy one, get one". No logo intro, no slow fade-in.
- 2 to 6 seconds: The product or the app in motion. For an app, the one feature people pay for. For a shop, two or three best sellers.
- 6 to 11 seconds: The reason to buy now. A new price next to the old one, a bonus or a limited stock, but only if it's true.
- 11 to 15 seconds: Name, end date and one call to action, like "Ends Monday, 11:59 PM".
Meta says sound is on by default for Reels ads. Your offer should still work without it, because people can turn sound off. Put everything that matters on screen as text, and use sound and voice only to back it up.
Where the price has to sit in a 9:16 video
In 9:16, part of the frame sits under the app's interface. If your discount is there, many people won't be able to read it. That's why Meta's ads guide for Reels names areas that should stay free of text and logos:
- Top 14% stays freeThe app can show names, labels and buttons here.
- 6% on each side stays freeText near the edges gets cut off or covered.
- Bottom 35% stays freeCaption, call to action button and icons sit here.
- The middle is for the offerNumber, product and end date belong in this area.
As of October 29, 2026, per Meta's ads guide for Reels (9:16, keep about 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side free).
Meta also recommends 9:16 video with sound for Reels ads, with the key message inside that safe zone. In Meta's own analysis of 15 split tests, these video ads had a 34.5% lower cost per result than image ads. You'll find the numbers on Meta's page about Reels ads. That's an average from Meta's tests, not a promise for your ad, but it shows a real video can be worth more than a static banner.
Why prices often look wrong in AI-generated video
Many people try to make a Black Friday video with a video model that paints every frame pixel by pixel. That works for mood, but often not for prices. These models don't know what a digit is. "30% off" can easily turn into "38% off" or a blurry shape, and a logo can turn into something that only looks similar. In a discount ad that's not a small flaw: a wrong price on screen is a wrong offer. The reasons are explained in AI video garbled text.
When Claude builds the animation as code, every number is real text. "30% off" stays "30% off" in every frame and at every size. For a Black Friday series there's another upside: for the Cyber Monday video you only change the text and the date, and the rest of the video stays exactly the same. That's how you get five videos from one template without generating each one from scratch.
Prompt ideas for apps and shops
A good video prompt is a small script with format, timing, colours and every movement. For a Black Friday ad, it could start like this:
Create a 12-second animation in 9:16 for a Black Friday ad. Near-black background, one orange accent colour. Keep all text in the middle: leave 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side free. Scene 1 (0 to 2 s): the words "30% off" drop in from the top and bounce once. Scene 2 (2 to 6 s): three product cards slide in, one after another …
It continues scene by scene, all the way to the end date. What a full prompt needs is covered in how to write AI video prompts. For the content, these ideas help:
- Subscription app: The yearly plan at a Black Friday price. Show the one feature people pay for and the new price per month next to it.
- App with a bonus: A counter runs down to the end of the deal, and below it appears the feature you add for free this week only.
- Shop with best sellers: Three product cards, each with the old and the new price, arriving one after another. For a shop film built as a 3D animation, see Shopfly.
- Shop with a gift angle: "Who are you shopping for?" as a question, then three answers with one product each.
- Shop with service: Longer returns or fast shipping as the reason to buy now. For a film that explains a returns flow, see Parcelo.
More videos for shops and retailers are in AI video prompts for e-commerce.
Showing discounts correctly: the 30-day rule
One thing is often forgotten in Black Friday ads. In the EU, when you announce a price reduction on goods, you have to show the prior price, which is the lowest price you charged in at least the 30 days before the reduction. That rule comes from Directive (EU) 2019/2161. A crossed-out price you made up is not a good idea. According to the European Commission's guidance, the rule does not apply to services and digital content, which often includes apps. A made-up old price is still misleading there, too. Check which comparison price your video is allowed to show, and if in doubt, show only the new price and the end date.
Checklist before you upload
- Is the offer clear after two seconds, even without sound?
- Are price, discount and logo in the middle, not in the top 14% or the bottom 35%?
- Does every number on screen match the offer in your shop?
- Is there an end date with a time and one single call to action?
- Are all five videos uploaded and scheduled a few days before launch?
You don't have to start that series from a blank page. The DrillUp library has ready-made video prompts, each with the video it produced. Pick a video that fits your product, copy the prompt and let Claude turn it into your own Black Friday video ad: a different product, a different offer, different text. All plans are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
When is Black Friday 2026?
Black Friday is on Friday, November 27, 2026, the day after Thanksgiving in the US. Cyber Monday follows on Monday, November 30, 2026. Many brands start their deals a few days earlier.
What is the best format for Black Friday video ads?
For Reels, Stories and TikTok, 9:16 is the standard. Meta recommends 9:16 video with sound for Reels ads and wants the key message inside the safe zone. For the feed you can also run 4:5 or 1:1.
How long should a Black Friday video ad be?
For Reels and Stories, 6 to 15 seconds is a good range. Length matters less than clarity: the offer has to be clear in the first two seconds, and the video should end with one single call to action.
Can I show any old price crossed out next to my Black Friday price?
Not in the EU. When you announce a price reduction on goods, EU rules require you to show the lowest price you charged in the 30 days before the reduction. According to the European Commission, this rule does not cover services and digital content, but a made-up old price is still misleading.