Executive summary
The most successful Black Friday creator campaigns last season came from three fashion brands: Peppermayo, Edikted, and Princess Polly. Their creators’ posts earned the highest engagement per view, 4.5% to 5.4%, of the nine brands with the most creators posting. SHEIN ran the largest, with 2,128 US creators posting for it.
The winners had two things in common: mostly small creators, under 100,000 followers, and try-on, outfit, or haul videos rather than plain deal announcements.
We looked at about 508,000 Black Friday posts by US creators on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, published from 1 November to 2 December 2025. Our Black Friday data study adds the worldwide picture, from 1.2 million creator posts, with its full method.
Below are ten Black Friday campaign ideas, five from last season and five classics, each with top creator posts and what to copy.
Last Black Friday in numbers
2,128 US creators tagged SHEIN in Black Friday posts last season
1.7x the engagement per view for SHEIN creators under 100K followers vs. those above
508,000 Black Friday posts by US creators analyzed
Source · Upfluence proprietary data. Method: our Black Friday data study
Key takeaways
- Peppermayo (5.4%), Edikted (4.9%), and Princess Polly (4.5%) earned the highest median engagement per view of the nine brands with the most US creators posting about Black Friday.
- Small creators won on attention. Across those nine brands, posts by creators with 10,000 to 100,000 followers had a median engagement per view of 4.0%, against 3.1% for creators with 100,000 or more.
- Content type mattered as much as creator size. 28% to 36% of the top three brands’ posts were try-ons, outfits, or hauls, and hauls led every format on TikTok (5.9%, against 2.7% for all Black Friday posts).
- TikTok Shop pushes from Halara, Medicube, and Tarte also used small creators but earned the least engagement (1.7% to 2.1%): 11% or fewer of their posts were try-ons or hauls.
- Timing split the winners. Gymshark had 84% of its creator posts live before Black Friday week, while 81% of Edikted’s came in or after that week.
In this article
- What were the best Black Friday campaigns with creators?
- Which Black Friday campaign ideas can you copy from last season?
- Which classic Black Friday campaigns still hold up?
- Which Black Friday content formats get the most engagement?
- How do you plan your own Black Friday campaign with creators?
What were the best Black Friday campaigns with creators?
The best Black Friday creator campaigns last season paired small creators with content that showed the product worn or used. Peppermayo, Edikted, and Princess Polly did both and led on engagement. SHEIN led on scale.
Which brands had the most creators posting?
SHEIN led by a wide margin. 2,128 US creators tagged it in a Black Friday post on Instagram or TikTok, almost three times as many as the next brand. Halara (771 creators), Fashion Nova (756), Medicube (626), and Edikted (532) followed.
Reach and results were not the same thing. The brands with the most creators were not the ones whose posts held attention best, as the last column shows.
| Brand | US creators tagging it | Black Friday posts | Share on TikTok | Median engagement per view |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHEIN | 2,128 | 4,818 | 29% | 3.7% |
| Halara | 771 | 2,319 | 99% | 2.1% |
| Fashion Nova | 756 | 1,182 | 63% | 3.8% |
| Medicube | 626 | 1,406 | 98% | 2.1% |
| Edikted | 532 | 829 | 56% | 4.9% |
| Tarte | 426 | 1,169 | 99% | 1.7% |
| Peppermayo | 382 | 505 | 60% | 5.4% |
| Gymshark | 251 | 690 | 34% | 3.9% |
| Princess Polly | 211 | 314 | 70% | 4.5% |
We counted posts by US creators with at least 1,000 followers whose caption mentions Black Friday or BFCM, published from 1 November to 2 December 2025. Each brand’s regional and shop accounts count as one brand. Engagement per view is likes and comments (plus shares on TikTok) divided by views, as a median across posts.
What kind of creators and content drove the best results?
Small creators and try-on content. 82% of the creators posting for Peppermayo and Edikted had fewer than 100,000 followers, and about a third of the top three brands’ posts were try-ons, outfits, or hauls.
| Brand | Creators under 100K followers | Try-on, outfit, or haul posts (by caption) | Median engagement per view |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peppermayo | 82% | 34% | 5.4% |
| Edikted | 82% | 28% | 4.9% |
| Princess Polly | 74% | 36% | 4.5% |
| SHEIN | 55% | 66% | 3.7% |
| Halara | 89% | 11% | 2.1% |
| Medicube | 86% | 1% | 2.1% |
| Tarte | 83% | under 1% | 1.7% |
Creator size made the biggest difference for SHEIN. Its creators under 100,000 followers earned a median engagement per view of 4.5%, against 2.7% for those above, so its many larger creators pulled its average down. Gymshark was the exception: its fitness creators with 100,000 or more followers did better (4.5%) than its smaller ones (3.1%).
Small creators alone were not enough. Halara, Medicube, and Tarte also worked mostly with creators under 100,000 followers, but their posts were mostly TikTok Shop listings, 11% or fewer were try-ons or hauls, and they earned the least.
How brands tracked sales followed the same split. Edikted and Princess Polly gave creators personal discount codes, mentioned in 63% and 74% of their posts. Halara, Medicube, and Tarte ran on TikTok Shop affiliate links.
What this means for your team
Brief for content, not just a deal. Recruit creators under 100,000 followers whose audience trusts their taste, ask them for a try-on, outfit, or haul video, and give each one a code.
Which Black Friday campaign ideas can you copy from last season?
Five campaigns from last season stand out, each for one decision you can reuse: a single hashtag, an ambassador program, a late code push, a creator challenge, and a TikTok Shop sale day.
1. SHEIN: one campaign hashtag on every post
AL
STSHEIN gave its creators the same three hashtags, and they used them. Of 4,818 Black Friday posts that tagged SHEIN, 93% carried #sheinbigsale, 88% #sheinsaveinstyle, and 79% #sheinblackfriday. 59% mentioned a haul.
75% of the posts also carried #ad, and 70% went live before Black Friday week, so the hashtag was familiar by the time the sale peaked.
What to copy: pick one campaign hashtag, put it in every brief, and check it on every post. It makes the campaign easy to find and to measure.
2. Princess Polly: an ambassador program with its own hashtag
EM
@embreighcourtlyn
GRPrincess Polly ran Black Friday through its ambassadors. 80% of the posts that tagged it used #princesspollyblackfriday, and 77% used #pp_partner, the tag for its partner program.
Codes did the selling: 74% of those posts mentioned one, the highest share among the top brands, and 36% were try-ons, outfits, or hauls.
What to copy: if you already have an ambassador or affiliate program, run Black Friday through it. Those creators know the products, and a partner tag shows followers the relationship.
3. Edikted: a short, code-heavy push in Black Friday week
@pretty_cool_chick
SOEdikted went late. Only 19% of the creator posts that tagged it went up before Black Friday week, and 63% mentioned a discount code.
The posts still held attention, at a median engagement per view of 4.9%. 82% of its creators had fewer than 100,000 followers, and 69% of posts carried its ad tag, #ediktedad.
What to copy: a late push can work when creators each have a code and a clear deadline. It suits brands whose shoppers wait for the best price.
4. Tarte: a creator challenge that tied into the sale
IT
@itsmekelsc
EMTarte gave creators a challenge, not just a deal. 37% of the posts that tagged Tarte used #tarteholidaychallenge, 89% mentioned TikTok Shop, and 74% went live before Black Friday week.
What to copy: a challenge gives creators a reason to post more than once. Start it in early November and let the sale arrive as the payoff, but ask creators to show the product on camera: Tarte’s median engagement per view was 1.7%.
5. Medicube and Halara: a TikTok Shop sale day
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WH
Medicube tied Black Friday to a TikTok Shop “Super Brand Day”, tagged #medicubesuperbrandday and #superbranddaybfcm. Halara ran a similar push across 771 creators, often by product (#halaraleggings).
Both brands posted at volume and earned 2.1%. Their most-liked posts showed the product in use, like the leggings try-on above.
What to copy: TikTok Shop works for reach and fast affiliate sales. Ask for try-ons and demos, not product listings, and add a smaller group of code-led creators.
What this means for your team
Give each Black Friday campaign one tracking device creators can’t forget, whether that’s a hashtag, a partner tag, or a code, and write it into the brief.
Which classic Black Friday campaigns still hold up?
These five classics still hold up because each rests on a format last season’s data backs: gift guides, personal codes, unboxings, hype content, and hauls.
6. L’Occitane’s holiday gift guides, curated by influencers
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MAL’Occitane’s Black Friday campaign ran through creator gift guides and product picks, shared as Reels, TikToks, and YouTube Shorts.
Hattie Kolp’s Short shows the format: one product she loves, the 20% Black Friday discount, and a #loccitanepartner tag. No countdown, no hard sell.
Gift guides still earn their place: on Instagram last season, they had a median engagement per view of 2.6%, above the 2.1% for all Black Friday posts there.
7. MyProtein’s personalized discount code play
FI
BIView this post by @bigboybake on Instagram
MyProtein gave fitness creators personal codes that stacked on its sitewide sale. In Fiona Simpson’s TikTok, the sale took up to 80% off, and her code FIONA added another 20%.
A stacked code gives followers a reason to buy through the creator, and it tells the brand which creator sold what. Last season, posts with a creator code had a median engagement per view of 4.7% on TikTok, against 2.7% for all Black Friday posts there.
8. Dior’s advent calendar unboxings
LE
@lenasituations
For Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024, Dior’s creator content sold a product, not a price: the Le 30 Montaigne Advent Calendar. Léna Situations unboxed hers on TikTok six days before Black Friday, marked as a paid collaboration.
Unboxings still beat the platform average on Instagram (2.8% vs. 2.1%), TikTok (4.3% vs. 2.7%), and YouTube (3.7% vs. 3.2%).
9. Gymshark’s #BigDealEnergy
ZA
ANFor an earlier Black Friday, Gymshark worked with creators such as KSI and Behzinga under #BigDealEnergy, building anticipation before the sale opened.
It still runs Black Friday through creators, and starts early. Last season, 84% of its US creator posts went live before Black Friday week, and 43% mentioned a discount code. Its bigger fitness creators earned the most engagement, which is why the two recent posts above come from accounts with over 500,000 followers.
10. NA-KD’s Black Friday showcases
DO
WHView this post by @whatemwore on Instagram
NA-KD sent clothing hauls to creators in several countries. DonaMaria Mbassat’s TikTok went up a week before Black Friday with a simple hook: the sale had already started.
Gifting a haul gives the creator something to film and followers a reason to look early. Black Friday hauls had a median engagement per view of 5.9% on TikTok, 4.7% on YouTube, and 2.9% on Instagram last season.
Which Black Friday content formats get the most engagement?
Hauls, try-ons, unboxings, giveaways, and posts with a creator code earned the most engagement per view last Black Friday. TikTok Shop posts earned the least on every platform.
| Format (in the caption) | TikTok | YouTube | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Black Friday posts | 2.1% | 2.7% | 3.2% |
| Haul | 2.9% | 5.9% | 4.7% |
| Try-on | 3.0% | 4.9% | 3.8% |
| Unboxing | 2.8% | 4.3% | 3.7% |
| Creator code | 2.3% | 4.7% | 4.2% |
| Giveaway | 3.0% | 4.0% | 3.8% |
| Gift guide | 2.6% | 2.3% | 3.9% |
| Bundle | 2.0% | 2.7% | 3.3% |
| TikTok Shop | 1.6% | 1.7% | 1.5% |
Formats that show the product worn, opened, or tested hold attention better than a deal announcement. 76% of TikTok Black Friday posts mentioned TikTok Shop, often several posts per creator: it buys volume, not attention.
On Instagram, engagement covers Reels only, the format with a view count. Formats come from words in the caption, so a post can count in more than one.
How do you plan your own Black Friday campaign with creators?
Recruit the right creators, brief one format, and give each creator one way to track sales. The campaigns above did all three.
- Recruit small creators first. Most of the top campaigns’ creators had under 100,000 followers. Add bigger names only where, as with Gymshark, they have earned engagement in your category.
- Brief a format, not a script. Ask for a haul, a try-on, or an unboxing, and let creators film it their way.
- Choose the tracking device. A personal code, one campaign hashtag, or a TikTok Shop affiliate link: write it into the brief and check it on every post.
- Set the dates. Gymshark and SHEIN had 84% and 70% of posts live before Black Friday week, and Edikted showed a late push can work with codes and a deadline.
- Disclose every post. SHEIN’s creators marked 75% of their posts #ad, and partner tags like #pp_partner show followers the relationship.
For the full timeline, see our Black Friday marketing strategy guide. Before launch, run through the Black Friday influencer campaign checklist, and for more formats, browse our Black Friday marketing ideas.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best promotions for Black Friday?
The best Black Friday promotions for creator campaigns are personal discount codes, giveaways, and early access. Last season, Black Friday posts mentioning a creator code had a median engagement per view of 4.7% on TikTok, against 2.7% for all Black Friday posts there. Giveaway posts reached 3.0% on Instagram, against 2.1%.
Which Black Friday campaigns work best for clothing brands?
Clothing brands did best with small creators, try-on or haul content, and personal codes. Peppermayo, Edikted, and Princess Polly, whose creators were mostly under 100,000 followers, earned 4.5% to 5.4% median engagement per view. Haul posts reached 5.9% on TikTok, more than twice the Black Friday average there.
What is an alternative Black Friday campaign?
An alternative Black Friday campaign leads with the product instead of the discount, selling on exclusivity, purpose, or timing. For the 2024 holidays, Dior’s creators put the advent calendar on screen and left the price out of it. Premium brands that would rather not cut prices can take the same route.
Do Black Friday influencer posts need an #ad disclosure?
Yes. In the US, the FTC’s disclosure guidance applies as soon as a creator is paid, sent a free product, or earns commission. Last season, 75% of Black Friday posts tagging SHEIN carried #ad. Put the disclosure rule in every brief and check it before posts go live.
How can Upfluence help you run your Black Friday campaigns?
Upfluence runs your Black Friday creator campaign from one platform, from finding creators to paying them.
- Find creators who already love your products with creator matching and the Creator Marketplace.
- Reach them in bulk with automated outreach.
- Send out gifted products and give every creator their own discount code at the same time.
- Watch sales come in as they happen, whether your store runs on Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or Magento.
- Once the posts are live, Upfluence Pay settles every creator’s payment in one click.
