Full Funnel Strategy

The DTC Holiday Prep Checklist: What Your Paid Ads, Email, and SMS Need in Place by October 1

May 14, 2026 · 6 min read

Checklist graphic with three sections (Paid Media / Email and SMS / Site and Funnel) each with several items. Some items

BFCM starts earlier every year - for advertisers, if not for consumers. The brands that walk into October with their holiday prep complete outperform those who are still making strategic decisions in November.

This is the full-funnel checklist. Both channels. Everything that needs to be in place before October 1 if you want to maximize your Q4.

Paid media checklist

Creative:

• [ ] At least eight creative concepts tested with meaningful data (50+ conversions each)

• [ ] Winning hook type identified for your audience

• [ ] BFCM offer-specific creative briefed and in production

• [ ] UGC creative assets sourced and edited for BFCM use

• [ ] Video and static variations ready for testing in October

Account structure:

• [ ] Campaign structure simplified - no overlapping ad sets

• [ ] New customer purchase optimization tested against manual approach

• [ ] Incrementality test run and results documented

• [ ] Flex Ads tested and decision made on Q4 use

Audiences:

• [ ] Warm audiences built and growing (website visitors, add-to-cart, initiate-checkout, video viewers)

• [ ] Customer list uploaded and exclusion audiences configured

• [ ] Lookalike audiences seeded from high-LTV customer segments

• [ ] Recent buyers suppressed from prospecting campaigns

Attribution:

• [ ] Blended MER target set for Q4

• [ ] Reporting structure in place to read MER alongside platform ROAS

• [ ] Attribution window reviewed and set appropriately for your AOV and purchase cycle

Email and SMS checklist

List health:

• [ ] Re-engagement campaign sent to 90+ day unengaged subscribers

• [ ] Sunset flow running for 180+ day non-openers

• [ ] Bounce list cleaned

• [ ] Recent buyers suppressed from acquisition campaigns

List growth:

• [ ] Email popup audited and optimized (offer, timing, mobile design)

• [ ] SMS opt-in push run to engaged email subscribers

• [ ] Lead magnet or quiz funnel in place for paid traffic capture

Welcome flow:

• [ ] Five-touch welcome sequence in place (not two-email default)

• [ ] Flow personalized based on opt-in source or ad angle

• [ ] Non-converter path defined at day seven

BFCM campaign calendar:

• [ ] Offer structure decided (discount %, duration, exclusions)

• [ ] VIP early access segment defined and scheduled

• [ ] BFCM campaign calendar mapped (sale launch, reminder, last chance, Cyber Monday)

• [ ] Email templates built and in Klaviyo

• [ ] SMS sends planned and coordinated with email sends

• [ ] Subject lines written and first variations tested in September sends

Flows:

• [ ] All three abandon flows running (browse, cart, checkout)

• [ ] Post-purchase sequence active and running through 30 days

• [ ] Back-in-stock flow in place for key products

• [ ] Post-BFCM new customer flow built and ready to activate November 30

Site and funnel checklist

• [ ] Load test run - site can handle traffic spikes

• [ ] Mobile checkout optimized - majority of BFCM traffic is mobile

• [ ] Landing pages built for BFCM offers

• [ ] Email capture prominent on all high-traffic pages

• [ ] Inventory confirmed and in stock for promoted products

How to use this list

Print it. Check it. Anything unchecked by October 1 is a gap that will either cost you in Q4 or needs to be prioritized immediately.

The paid media items require the longest lead time - creative testing needs six to eight weeks of data to be meaningful. If you haven't started testing creative yet, that's the first thing to address.

The email and SMS items are faster to execute - most can be done in two to four weeks - but they require strategic decisions (offer structure, segmentation, campaign calendar) that take time to align on.

Start with whatever you haven't done yet. The checklist exists to find the gaps before November does.

The DTC Holiday Prep Checklist: What Your Paid Ads, Email, and SMS Need in Place by October 1

Paid media checklist

Email and SMS checklist

Site and funnel checklist

How to use this list

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