You’ve announced your Black Friday offer. Someone on your list has opened the email, clicked through, and looked at the price. They’re interested enough to leave the tab open, but they’re also thinking, I’ve bought courses before. Will I actually use this one?

Here are four Black Friday emails that try to tackle that question.

1. Vanessa gives learners a reason to believe this course will be different

Subject line: Learn “real” English without wasting time or money

Vanessa opens with a broken vending machine. You put your money in, press the button, and get nothing, then she connects that frustration to English learners who’ve put time and money into studying and still struggle to follow a conversation.

That’s a specific objection. If you’ve already studied hard and still freeze when someone speaks to you, another 235 lessons can sound like more of the same.

Here’s the line I like:

“You’ll learn my Conversation Breakdown Method, which trains you to understand and speak real English used by native speakers every day.”

Vanessa gives readers a way to compare this course with what they’ve tried before. She names the method, says the lessons take 15–30 minutes a day, and points to a built-in study plan. I’d take it one step further and show a tiny example of a conversation breakdown right in the email. Let readers see what they’ll practice and how it connects to the moment they usually get stuck.

Try it in your email. If students tell you they’ve already tried to solve this problem, ask what they tried and where it stopped working. Then show one exercise from your course that handles that moment differently.

2. Henry Gao makes it easier to choose between two courses

Subject line: You’ve got questions, I’ve got answers

Henry’s Black Friday FAQ covers his iPad drawing curriculum, the price of the DIY package, and what comes with VIP. The question I’d pull out is this one:

“What if I pick the wrong master class?”

His answer is specific. Buyers have a 60-day refund window, and they can switch between the Procreate and Morpholio Trace master classes at any time. They can message him if they start one and realize the other fits their workflow better.

The refund and the switch answer different questions. One helps if you decide the training itself is a poor fit. The other helps if you want the training and need to change which class you’re taking. That distinction matters when the thing holding you back is a choice between two plausible options.

Try it in your email. If you sell two tracks, give readers a concrete way to choose. Show who should start with each track and explain what happens if they realize they picked the wrong one. If switching is possible, tell them how to do it.

3. Ali Abdaal tells buyers what would make the course worth it

Subject line: 🤷🏻 Is PTYA worth it?

Ali starts by acknowledging that $675 is a significant purchase. He describes what some students have achieved with their channels, then talks about skills students can take away even if their channels haven’t gained traction yet, like speaking on camera, editing, and telling a story.

The part I’d study is where he tells readers when he thinks they should hold off:

“But if you’re going to buy the course, watch a couple of modules, and then never actually make a video, then no, it’s probably not worth it for you.”

That gives the reader something concrete to decide. Am I ready to make videos, see what happens, and make another one? It’s an easier question to answer than Will I make back the cost of this course?

Try it in your email. Finish this sentence with a behavior you can picture: “You’ll get the most out of this course if you’re ready to ___.” For a copywriting course, that might mean bringing a real sales page to revise. For a language course, it could mean practicing a conversation out loud between lessons.

4. Coffee Break Languages explains what will happen at checkout

Subject line: Questions about our courses? We’ve got answers ☕

Coffee Break’s FAQ answers a question that can come up even after someone has decided to buy:

“Do I need a coupon code?”

For the 60% offer, readers had to go through the linked Black Friday page, and the discount would apply automatically at checkout. If they wanted multiple courses, they had to buy them one at a time because there was no shopping cart. The email explains that the discount would apply each time they followed the links from the sale page.

It’s easy to leave this out because you’ve tested the checkout and know how it works. A reader buying two courses might see that they can only pay for one and wonder whether they’re about to lose the deal on the second.

Try it in your email. Walk through your sale as a buyer. Look for the moment they might pause to ask, “Did I do that right?” If the price changes at checkout, a code applies only to certain courses, or a bundle needs a particular link, explain that before they click.

Before you write another reminder

Open the replies to your announcement, check the questions people asked the last time you sold the course and look for something specific enough that you can answer it in a few sentences.

• If someone asks whether they have time, tell them what a normal week looks like.
• If they worry about picking the wrong track, show them how to choose.
• If they’ve bought something similar before and got stuck, show them what they’ll do differently this time.

Put that question near the top of the email. Give them the answer, then tell them when the offer ends.

Want help writing the rest of your Black Friday campaign?

In Black Friday Emails That Don’t Suck, I walk you through real email examples and share templates you can adapt to your course, your offer, and the questions your buyers actually ask. Get Black Friday Emails That Don’t Suck

Listen next on Master the Inbox

• Planning what to send between the announcement and the last call? I walk through eight email types and where objection handling fits alongside student stories, FAQs, and deadline emails. Listen to 8 Types of Black Friday Emails for Course Creators
• Still figuring out what makes your offer worth buying? Charlotte Sargeant and I talk about using sales conversations, surveys, and testimonials to understand what buyers care about before you build the promotion. Listen to Black Friday Tips: A Discount Isn’t Your Best Selling Point