Case Study: How I Tripled Her Black Friday Revenue With One Email Campaign

Ann runs one of the most respected pediatric sleep consultant schools in the industry. She has a faculty of experts teaching and supporting her students, which means her margins are tighter than a typical online course. She refuses to cut corners on quality or support. Her mission is to help women leave jobs that drain them and build real businesses as sleep consultants.

Because of her tight profit margins, she only runs one sale each year. Black Friday is her chance to open the door a little wider for people who otherwise might not be able to join.

Last year she ran a simple Black Friday promotion on her own. She “just sent some emails.” There was no clear strategy, no tagging, and no data to look back on. It worked, but she had a feeling it could do much more.

When we started talking, she was very honest:

• She could not afford to give up much margin

• She did not want a hypey launch that felt out of alignment

• She did not have capacity to figure out a complex funnel

She wanted three things:

1. A Black Friday promotion that felt ethical and values driven.

2. A simple structure that did not confuse buyers.

3. A system she could repeat next year without starting from scratch.

On paper, Ann had everything you would expect from a solid business:

• A flagship Sleep Consultant Certification

• Multiple specialty certifications

• Attractive bundles for growth stage consultants

• A responsive email list and active student communities

The problem was not a lack of offers. The problem was too many offers and not enough structure. Her words in our early emails were very clear: “It is a lot. I am trying to cater to everyone.”

She had:

• Different audiences on one list

• Deals for people who were not yet certified

• Deals for people who were already certified

• Deals for people who wanted bundles

I knew that if she sent everything to everyone, people would be overwhelmed. Because... when buyers are confused, they do not buy. And that means she would miss out on helping these women and thus not reach her impact goals.

We decided to keep it simple, and focus on three things:

1. Clarify the offers so buyers do not have to think

First, we stripped away complexity and wrote a simple structure anyone could understand at a glance. Ann and I went back and forth on this until it felt both generous and sustainable.

2. Segment and warm the list as much as possible

Even though her segmentation was not perfect, we used what she already had and setup tailored versions of the offer to each group. This helped us avoid sending a giant confusing list of deals to everyone. At the same time, we worked on growing and warming the list in the weeks leading up to Black Friday through her social media.

3. Build a simple, high intent email campaign

Once the offers and segments were clear, I created two Black Friday email sequences one for future students and one for existing students with the same structure but different copy and tone. Ann tweaked parts of the copy to match her brand voice and tone, and I then set everything up in her email provider, including tagging, automations, and basic tracking, so we could see what worked and use that data for next year (always think long-term!).

Last year, Ann made $19,925 dollar during her Black Friday sale. This year, after implementing the new strategy and email system, she brought in $58,690 dollar. That is almost three times more revenue from the EXACT same offers.

Beyond the revenue, she now has:

• A clear Black Friday offer structure that feels simple and aligned

• Email sequences that can be reused and refined next year

• Better tagging and basic data to review performance

• A more engaged list who understands that she rarely discounts and why

Perhaps just as important, she did not have to sacrifice her values or turn her brand into a nonstop sales machine. The campaign still reflected her commitment to quality, support, and student outcomes.

If you look closely, the win was not just “better emails.” Three big things came together:

1. Offer clarity
   We reduced cognitive load. People saw exactly which offer was for them, how much they would save, and what to do next.
   
   

2. Audience alignment
   We stopped talking to everyone at once and started talking to specific segments with relevant language and examples.
   
   

3. System thinking
   This was not a one time campaign. It was a system with automations, tagging, and a framework that can be repeated and improved.

Could she have simply sent “more” emails and hoped for the best? Sure. Many people do that every year and leave money on the table. Instead, she chose depth over volume. The result speaks for itself.

This is the kind of work I do with my clients all year long. Whether it’s a course launch, a new offer, a promo window, or building an evergreen sales engine, the process is the same:

• clarify the offer

• map the psychology

• segment the audience

• build the system

• deliver a tight, confident message that converts without pressure

If reading Ann’s story made something in you switch on, that knowing that you and your business are meant for more, then you’re exactly who I opened up my free 30-minute Meant for More Strategy Call for.

It’s a focused, no-fluff session where we look at:

• the bottlenecks you can’t see because you’re too close to the business

• the unused revenue opportunities you’re sitting on

• the systems you need to scale without burning out

• and the exact next steps that would make the biggest difference right now

If you want your next launch (or your entire sales ecosystem) to feel clear, strategic, and actually profitable… let’s talk.