DON’T MISS THIS INTERVIEW if you’re planning on doing a Black Friday Sale in 2025!

Allison Hardy is a queen at email marketing and funnels and has doing a Black Friday Sale every year of her business so she knows what works and what absolutely should not be tried.

Here is what we discuss in the YouTube interview:

1. How many years have you run a Black Friday sale?
2. When do you start planning your Black Friday promo?
3. How did you decide what offer to run? Was it something new, or a discount on an existing product?
4. Can you walk us through your email sequence or sales funnel? What did you send, and when?
5. Did you segment your list or do anything special for past customers?
6. Is there anything you’re thinking about doing differently for Black Friday this year?
7. How did Black Friday impact your business beyond just revenue—momentum, confidence, exposure?

If you’re a coach, course creator, VIP Day provider, or digital product seller, now is the time to start thinking about your Black Friday campaign.

Yes, even in August.

In a recent conversation on my YouTube channel, I sat down with email marketing strategist Allison Hardy—who has been running Black Friday sales ever since she started her business—to talk about what’s working now when it comes to creating a profitable Black Friday strategy without burning out your audience (or yourself).

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at Allison’s Black Friday marketing strategy over the years, what worked (and what flopped), and her top tips for creating high-converting Black Friday campaign ideas for 2025.

Why You Need a Black Friday Strategy—Even Months in Advance

Black Friday isn’t just a day anymore—it’s a full-blown season. And while most people are scrambling to put their offer together the week before Thanksgiving, the smartest entrepreneurs are planning 2-3 months in advance.

Allison shared how she starts her planning with a debrief right after Black Friday ends. That’s right—before the leftovers are even gone. She writes out:

• What worked
• What didn’t
• Feedback she received
• Lessons learned
• And key things to try the next year

Then, when summer hits, she revisits those notes and starts crafting her offer, pre-launch content, and email funnel.

Lesson #1: Your Black Friday marketing strategy starts now—not the week of Thanksgiving.

Black Friday Campaign Ideas That Convert

Over the years, Allison has tested everything from:

• $7 digital subscriptions
• Low-ticket mini-courses
• Her monthly membership
• Bundled products at mid-tier pricing
• High-ticket VIP Days

Her biggest takeaway? Low-ticket, high-value digital products win.

Why? Because they’re scalable, discount-friendly, and don’t require your live time or energy.

In her words:

“People are ready to buy on Black Friday. They’re actively looking for deals. But the VIP Day I offered wasn’t enticing because I couldn’t deeply discount it. That type of offer works better other times of year.”

Lesson #2: Focus your Black Friday campaign around digital offers that can be heavily discounted without compromising your time or energy.

What’s Working in 2025: Timeliness Is Everything

One of Allison’s most successful Black Friday campaigns was in 2020, right after Instagram Reels dropped. She launched a Reels mini course, priced affordably, and promoted it for a full month.

It sold like crazy.

Why? It solved a timely problem in a bite-sized way.

In 2025, she’s taking that same approach—but this time, with a fresh offer around using AI to write better sales emails. It’s timely, solves a specific pain point, and has wide appeal for digital business owners.

Lesson #3: Your Black Friday marketing strategy should meet the moment. What are your people struggling with right now—and how can your offer become the go-to solution?

Black Friday Email Marketing Strategy: Build the Hype Early

Your subscribers’ inboxes will be flooded on Black Friday.

The solution? Start warming them up weeks in advance.

Here’s a breakdown of Allison’s Black Friday email strategy:

• 1 month before: Open a waitlist and start teasing what’s coming
• 3 weeks before: Start asking questions and engaging in market research (polls, surveys, etc.)
• 2 weeks before: Share behind-the-scenes of the offer and answer objections
• 1 week before: Drop the full offer details and invite people to mark their calendars
• Black Friday Week: Focus on urgency, last chances, and reminder emails

And here’s the kicker: People don’t just stumble across your sale—they plan their purchases in advance. In Allison’s words:

“I had 100+ emails in my inbox by 8am on Black Friday. I only opened the ones I had already decided to buy from.”

Lesson #4: A successful Black Friday campaign is won before the sale goes live. Use email marketing to prime your list with intention.

Should You Try a 5-Day Black Friday Campaign?

In 2024, Allison experimented with a 5-day rolling offer:
Each day a new offer went live and expired quickly. While it sounded like a great Black Friday campaign idea, the reality?

It was too fast.

Even though she re-opened all the offers at the end of the week, feedback from her audience revealed that buyers didn’t have time to make informed decisions.

This year, she’s choosing one core offer, extending the timeline, and simplifying the buying process.

Lesson #5: Clarity and simplicity convert better than chaos. One focused offer, promoted well, outperforms multiple choices delivered too quickly.

Why 2025 Has Been So Hard for Launching (And What That Means for Your Black Friday Campaign)

If 2025 has felt harder than usual when it comes to launching your offers, you are not alone.

Whether you’re selling digital products, courses, coaching, or VIP days, the last 6–12 months have felt like a collective slog for many online business owners. Launches that once brought in consistent five-figure revenue now feel unpredictable. And even long-time business owners with solid audiences and strategies are seeing their worst launches yet.

So, what does that mean for your upcoming Black Friday campaign?

It might be the perfect season to experiment, innovate, and test new offers—even if your audience feels quieter than usual.

Even seasoned entrepreneurs are seeing a dip. Allison recently spoke with a friend who had her lowest-performing launch ever—even though she didn’t change a thing from the version that previously brought in six figures. That’s both comforting and frustrating. But it points to an important shift: what used to work isn’t working anymore.

People are:

• More skeptical buyers (many were burned by poor-quality digital offers in the boom of 2020)
• Overwhelmed with options
• Tighter with their budgets
• Way more conscious of value and time commitment

So, if you’ve been wondering why your audience isn’t converting the way they used to—it’s not just you. This is a market-wide shift, not a personal failure.

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Your 2025 Black Friday Strategy Needs This Shift

Here’s the good news: awareness is power. Knowing that your audience has changed gives you a head start in adjusting your Black Friday strategy.

Here’s how to stand out with a strategic, buyer-aware Black Friday marketing strategy in 2025:

1. Start Earlier Than You Think

Most business owners wait until November to even mention their Black Friday campaign. But in 2025, that’s too late.

Start talking about your offer weeks—if not months—in advance. Warm up your audience by teaching, nurturing, and showing up around the problem your offer solves.

Example: If you’re selling a course on using AI in business, show up in AI-focused spaces, host a free AI training, or join a summit. Become known for that solution long before your cart opens.

2. Speak to the Skepticism

People aren’t just asking, “What is this?” They’re thinking:

• Will I actually use this in December?
• Will this save me time or add to my to-do list?
• Will this be relevant in January?

Get ahead of those objections. One brilliant tip from Amy Porterfield is to take your audience behind the scenes of your course or digital offer. Show them the exact place inside your product where their question is answered. Help them see how it supports them.

Better yet? Rephrase your Black Friday campaign to focus on 2025 readiness, not end-of-year overwhelm.

Use language like: “This isn’t just a holiday deal. This is your secret weapon for Q1 success.”

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Try Something New

If your go-to sales funnel hasn’t been reworked in over a year, it might be time to shake things up.

This year, I’m revamping my entire funnel—not because it was broken, but because I’m curious to see what new strategy might land better with today’s buyer. That’s the mindset shift we need: launching as testing.

Black Friday is the perfect opportunity to try out a smaller offer, introduce a new mini course, or beta test a concept that’s been sitting in your Google Drive.

4. Use Black Friday to Test, Not Just Sell

Yes, we want revenue. But your Black Friday campaign can do more than that—it can build momentum into the new year.

One of my past mini offers—a $47 Reels course—sold consistently for years after its initial Black Friday launch. Why? Because I used it to test interest, collect testimonials, and expand my email list with qualified leads.

Even if your Black Friday sale doesn’t result in instant profit, it’s still a success if it gives you:

• Data
• Audience insights
• Product-market fit confirmation

Real Talk: What If Your Black Friday Campaign Flops?

Some years, despite your best effort, your Black Friday strategy just won’t hit. Last year, mine didn’t perform as well as I’d hoped—and that was after weeks of prep and what I thought were solid ideas.

But that’s not failure. That’s data.

Your audience might be tapped out.
Your message might need tweaking.
Your pricing might need adjusting.

That’s valuable information. Especially for newer entrepreneurs, understanding that business runs in waves can be freeing. If you can ride the wave, it will get better.

Quick Black Friday Campaign Ideas for Coaches, Course Creators, and Service Providers

Need inspiration? Here are a few proven and creative Black Friday campaign ideas:

• 🎁 Mini course or digital product bundle – Curate existing resources into a limited-time package
• 🚀 VIP Day discount – Offer limited spots for a lower rate or with exclusive bonuses
• 📆 Pay now, start later – Sell a January coaching spot or website project at a discounted price
• 🎓 “2025 Ready” theme – Frame your offer as support for next year’s goals
• 🧠 Live bonus training – Add a bonus workshop to incentivize urgency

Final Word: Get Intentional, Not Just Loud

In 2025, it’s not about shouting louder—it’s about speaking more clearly to your people’s real hesitations and goals.

A powerful Black Friday marketing strategy starts with empathy, clarity, and relevance. Prep early, teach generously, and don’t be afraid to break the mold. Your audience is ready for different. So give them something they haven’t seen before.

And if you’re looking for help writing high-converting sales emails for your campaign, grab Allison’s free $80K Email Template—the exact Madlib-style email that brought in $80,000 in revenue. It’s plug-and-play and ready for your next promotion.

👉 Download the $80K Email Template Here

Recap: The Ultimate Black Friday Strategy for Selling Courses, Digital Products, or Coaching Offers

If you want your Black Friday campaign to actually sell, here’s your game plan:

✅ Plan your offer months in advance
✅ Choose something timely + relevant to current buyer needs
✅ Focus on low-lift, digital offers you can discount significantly
✅ Create a pre-launch runway with intentional email marketing
✅ Keep your campaign simple, clear, and value-packed

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Ready to Build a Black Friday Funnel That Sells on Autopilot?

Whether you’re selling a course, a group program, or a digital product suite, your Black Friday marketing strategy should help you sell while you live your life—not bury you in DMs and deadline stress.

Take a cue from Allison Hardy:
Prep early. Get strategic. And sell smarter.

Want MORE BLACK FRIDAY STRATEGIES from industry experts?! Join our Black Friday Summit August 26-28 only! You’ll learn how to create & launch a profitable Black Friday Offer for 2025 from 18+ experts!