Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Every year, I write dozens of Black Friday emails and quite a few sales funnels for multiple courses creators in different niches. And after doing this for several years (sometimes writing, sometimes coaching) I’ve had to develop systems that make the process easier, faster, and way more strategic.
So now that I’ve just wrapped the first Black Friday campaign of the season, I want to share two things I always do, especially when I’m working with course creators.
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But before we dive in, I want to mention this:
Black Friday isn’t just about offering a discount.
Everyone is already doing that. It’s not enough to compete on the lowest price anymore. So the question is how you make sure your offer doesn’t get lost in a sea of “best deal ever” emails.
Tip #1: Start by Writing the FAQ Email
I know, I know. Most people start with the announcement or the early bird teaser. But I don’t.
The first email I write for every Black Friday campaign—before anything else—is the FAQ.
Why? Because it’s strategic. And it forces you to think the way your audience thinks.
You have to understand that Black Friday is not a normal promotion – it’s chaos. You’re not just competing with similar offers in your niche, you’re competing with everyone who’s trying to sell anything that week.
From mugs to mattresses to mentorship programs, so your FAQ needs to do more than reassure. It answers this question your reader is asking in their mind:
“Why should I prioritize your course over everything else in my inbox right now?”
The FAQ Email Does Two Important Things To Your Mindset:
1. It helps you surface and address all potential objections your audience might have about your offer, your method, your pricing, your timing, or your promise.
2. It shifts you out of “hey look, big discount!” mode and into strategic copywriting mode.
So writing an FAQ email forces you to get clear on what really matters to your potential buyers.
It makes you answer questions like:
- “Why this course and not someone else’s?”
- “Why now?”
- “What is the risk I’m taking?”
- “Is the value/transformation for real?”
- “Is this even for me?”
- “Can I get a refund in case I don’t like it?”
These questions aren’t random though, you should have done proper research before. If there’s little time (I know most of you write your Black Friday emails the week before), upload your sales page and customer avatar into Chat GPT and make it role play your ideal customer looking at that offer:
- What are the questions that come to mind?
- What is answered and what isn’t?
- What is implied but not stated?
- Are the benefits clear?
- Is the money-back guarantee clear?
- etc
And here’s the key thing: this email doesn’t need to persuade the entire list. It’s written for the segment that’s already 80% there: they’re comparing between multiple offers, they just need answers.
So your FAQ is 80% rational, the 20% is emotional copy strategically placed in the beginning, middle and bottom of your email.
While it’s easy, it’s also the longest email you’ll probably have in your Black Friday promotion. So don’t be afraid to include multiple questions, as long as these answer BIG obstacles or concerns.
How about performance?
This email won’t blow up your open rates, but remember this email isn’t for everyone, it’s for the audience that’s already there, they just need one more push before you drop urgency and scarcity (Aka the last 2 emails in your sequence). CTR is going to be lower compared to other emails, and that’s fine too. Just make sure you are including more than one hyperlink, button or image (and that image should link to the sales page!).
Conversion rate isn’t jaw-dropping, BUT this email goes out before the last 2 emails in the promo – the urgency, scarcity based emails that tell them oh, no, it’s going away. So the FAQ actually lifts conversion for those 2 emails. I know because I’ve tested promos with FAQ and without FAQ. Another interesting aspect is whenever the FAQ is used, the upsell take rate goes up in the funnel as well, particularly if there’s one question that tells them what to expect after getting offer 1.
How about the FAQ email design?
Here are just 2 examples I’ve collected for the Black Friday Playbook, the coaching program where I help course creators strategize and implement successful BFCM campaigns.
I like text-based with minimal imagery, but this might not work for everyone, and since I know many course creators are still using ecom email templates (yes, I know you!), here’s an example from Peloton via ReallyGoodEmails.
As you can probably tell, I could write volumes about the FAQ email (maybe I should?). But for now, if you’re looking to learn more about FAQ emails and Black Friday emails in general (for selling courses!), there are 2 resources below that you might find helpful.
Don’t settle for mediocre emails, get the strategy and templates to make this Black Friday your breakthrough campaign.
How to leverage urgency and scarcity during Black Friday, a free episode from Master The Inbox
Tip #2: Know What You’re Competing With (And Position Accordingly)
During Black Friday, your audience’s inbox becomes a battleground for attention, shopping on impulse and shopping intent.
Here’s what I mean:
Some of your subscribers will buy things they’ve been waiting all year to get. Maybe that’s going to be your course. That’s an intentional purchase.
Others will get distracted by flash sales, random deals, or “3-for-1 mug bundles” they didn’t need—but hey, it looked cute. That’s an impulse buy.
Both behaviors are valid, but you’re not selling mugs, you’re selling a course, something that oftentimes requires a little more thought and trust – particularly since this is not something tangible, that gets shipped, something they can hold.
Which is why your job is to position your offer as a priority—not a commodity. This part usually starts way before Black Friday, but let’s focus on what you can do during this promo:
- Frame your course as a solution to a real, current problem
- Connect the timing of Black Friday to the opportunity to finally fix that problem
- Explain and show how your method, structure, or support makes the difference
- Reinforcing that this is not another shiny object, it’s a decision they’ll thank themselves for
If you want to be the thing they choose instead of the mugs or the makeup or the marketing template bundle, your emails have to do more than sell.
They have to help your reader decide:
“This is what I need right now—and this is why it matters.”
It’s not going to work for everyone, just like I mentioned before, you communicate the specific problem you’re solving and how you’re adding value to the life of people just like your email reader long before you open the cart on a discounted deal.
But I can promise you this: when everyone is shouting, “Look at me, look at me – I’ve got the biggest discount”, you’ll be able to sell during Black Friday without devaluing your brand and work.
In conclusion…
No matter where you are in your Black Friday planning, when it comes to writing your promo emails, start with your FAQ email.
Even if you don’t send it first in your sequence, writing it first will put you in the right frame of mind.
It’s the most strategic, practical, and clarity-boosting exercise you can do to write the rest of your emails with confidence.
And once you’re clear on what questions you need to answer, it becomes so much easier to write every other email that follows.
Listen Now: The Pro Secrets to Running Black Friday Campaigns That Actually Work
You spend weeks planning your Black Friday offer, writing emails, and hoping this time it’ll actually convert… Only to end up with disappointing sales — or worse, silence. This special season of Master the Inbox shows you what to do differently. Each episode breaks down proven strategies, real case studies, and expert insights that help course creators like you turn email subscribers into paying customers — without burning out your list or your brain.
