Here's How Much I Made During My Black Friday Campaign

Let’s just say my first Black Friday campaign didn’t go quite the way I expected.

I had the plan. The structure. The mentor guidance. A product lineup. And fresh email list full of leads who’d opted in just the month before.

But as the emails rolled out and the sales... didn’t, I realized this wasn’t going to be one of those “wake up to endless Stripe notifications” kind of weeks.

Sometimes the best marketing lesson isn’t “here’s what worked.” 

It’s “here’s what absolutely did not—and why.”

So if you’re planning to launch during Black Friday (or honestly, ever), this post is for you.

Let’s break down the data, the decisions, and the shifts I’m making in 2026 so you can apply the parts that work without wasting a week writing 12 sales emails for three sales.

So What Did I Actually Do For My Black Friday Campaign?

Here was the setup:

• One new deal each day, Monday through Friday

• Each deal ran for 18 hours (6am–midnight)

• On Cyber Monday, all five came back for one day only

• Promotion was 100% email-based (no social, no ads)

• Two emails per day: one in the morning with the offer, one in the evening as a reminder

I had a small-but-mighty email list (as Amy Porterfield would say)—some new from a recent summit, others long-time readers—and I was offering a mix of mini-courses, templates, and coaching.

Notably, I did not include my most popular service, The Shortcut, because I don’t discount it.

So... what happened?

Something Was Off—and The Numbers Told Me So

I’ll spare you the spreadsheet screenshots, but here are the key stats:

• Average open rate: 42% (a little lower than normal, but overall pretty standard for me)

• Average click rate (of opens): 1.3%

• Overall click-through rate: 0.5%

• Unsubscribe rate: 0.4% (peaked at 0.7%)

TL;DR? People opened the emails. They just didn’t click.

And if they didn’t click, they didn’t see the sales pages.

And if they didn’t see the pages, they obviously didn’t buy.

Well, most of them didn’t.

One of the offers that did sell had a 25% conversion rate... once someone landed on the page. But getting people there was the real bottleneck.

So... Why Didn’t It Work?

Here’s where we get into the meat of this post. Because this wasn’t a “I forgot to send the emails” kind of flop. This was a slow drip of missed signals, misaligned timing, and some harsh (but helpful) truths.

Let’s break it down.

1. High Opens, Low Clicks = Offer Misfire

If someone opens your email but doesn’t click, that’s not a tech issue. That’s a message issue. Or an offer issue. Or both.

The subject lines worked. The interest was there. The content was skimmed. But the CTA didn’t land.

That could mean:

• The offer wasn’t relevant

• The price wasn’t compelling

• The product didn’t solve an immediate problem

• Or the list wasn’t ready to buy

Or all of the above! The only way to know? To talk directly to your audience. Ask them! Why didn't you buy? What would have made this an easy yes for you?

Post-launch survey questions like these can give real insight into why something didn't land.

2. New People Need Time

This is probably the biggest factor—I had just brought in a big wave of new subscribers from a summit I ran in October. They were warm-ish, but not ready-to-buy warm.

The people who did purchase? Every single one was a repeat customer or long-time subscriber.

That makes total sense. These are people who already trust me, have experienced my work, and don’t need to be convinced I know what I’m doing.

Sadly, trust is becoming harder to build these days. People are easily distracted, overwhelmed by all the content out there, and many have been burned before, so those just-found-you-here's-my-credit-card moments are few and far between.

Lesson: List size ≠ list readiness. Launching to cold leads is a long game—not a flash sale.

3. Discounted Info Products Are Not the Vibe Right Now

This one kind of hurts, because I love creating products. But what I saw—both in my own promo and in conversations inside my mastermind—is that:

• Mini-courses? Meh.

• Templates? Mild interest.

• Coaching or done-for-you? Way more traction.

What people want isn’t more information. They want support.

Especially in a high-stress, low-capacity season like Q4.

And with AI spitting out content left and right, your $47 PDF doesn’t feel quite as valuable... unless it's paired with actual help.

4. You Can’t (Fully) Blame the Economy—But You Should Acknowledge It

Listen, the economy’s weird right now. Layoffs, inflation, healthcare premiums through the roof. People are hesitant to spend, especially on things that feel optional.

That doesn’t mean they’re not spending. It just means you need to be crystal clear on why your offer matters right now.

I talked to friends who had their worst Black Friday in years. I also talked to someone who made $100K that week. So clearly, money’s still moving.

What separates the wins from the whiffs? Relevance. Timing. Trust. Offer strength.

5. People Need to Opt In to Sales Mode

I sent 12 emails in 6 days.

That’s a lot. Especially if you're not interested in the topic.

So I made it super easy for people to opt out of just the Black Friday emails without unsubscribing from everything.

And you know what? 25 people took me up on it.

That’s 25 people who might’ve unsubscribed entirely—but instead said, “Not this promo, but I still want to hear from you.”

Let your people self-select. Selling doesn’t have to mean burning your list to the ground.

For what it’s worth, I also had a slightly higher-than-normal unsubscribe rate. That’s okay. If my selling turns you off, we’re not a fit.

What I’m Doing Differently in 2026

I’m not throwing out Black Friday entirely—but I am going to reconsider the blueprint I used this year. Here’s how I’m shifting:

1. Tweak the Strategy

I haven't decided if I'll do 5 days of deals again next year for Black Friday (although I will likely repeat this strategy at another time of year just to play with it!)

I’m also considering:

• One high-value offer for the whole week

• Or one powerful 24-hour deal

• Leaving it as-is, and spending more time nurturing my audience beforehand

This is the most fun part of being an entrepreneur to me—experimenting, trying something new, and then improving bit by bit.

2. Focused on What’s Selling: Support, Not Stuff

My best offer isn’t ever on sale—and that’s by design.

But I've said it before and I'll say it again: with the rise of AI, I think there's a real opportunity for human-to-human services over yet-another course.

So in 2026, I’ll be doubling down on:

• The Shortcut: done-for-you coaching business setups

• Up and Running: a new program launching in 2026 that combines coaching + implementation support (it's like a DIY version of The Shortcut)

These are higher-touch, higher-impact, and what people are seemingly buying right now.

3. Refocusing My Energy

Here’s what’s not giving me a strong return right now:

• This podcast (don’t worry, it MIGHT return in 2026—what do you think?)

• Social media

• Content-heavy tasks with no clear ROI

Here’s what is working:

• Guest teaching in other people’s groups

• Freebie swaps

• Referral partnerships

• Email list collaborations

Reminder: Just because it works for someone else doesn’t mean it’s working for you.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Or NOT doing the same thing over and over THAT'S ACTUALLY WORKING FOR YOU.

Here's to staying sane in 2026!

Planning Your Next Launch? Start Here.

Whether your last promo flopped or flew, now’s the time to reflect. I’m using December to step back, and January to build a real plan using my Plan Like a CEO Playbook.

It’s a visual calendar tool + strategy GPT combo that helps you map your year by quarter, month, and week—so you can stop guessing and start leading.

Final Thoughts

Every campaign teaches you something. If this year’s Black Friday didn’t perform the way you hoped, it’s not a failure. It’s feedback.

Take what you need, leave the rest, and build smarter next time.