Black Friday is right around the corner! This time of year represents an opportunity for course creators to drive sales and increase revenue, as well as launch new online courses and acquire new students. The sheer level of interest surrounding this promotional period paired with the potential to attract large volumes of traffic from consumers makes Black Friday hard to ignore.
Despite its evident benefits, Black Friday can present some tricky choices for course creators who aren’t convinced of the value of seasonal promotions. Various concerns have been raised about devaluing your course through discounts and teaching your followers that they can wait for sales.
“I never do anything for Black Friday. I’d never discount my courses anyway; it just devalues them in your potential customers’ eyes.”
member of Thinkific’s FACEBOOK COMMUNITY
These are fair points, but what if we told you that you CAN participate in Black Friday and other seasonal sales without devaluing your content, or training your customers that they can wait for discounts?
In this article, we’ll respond to various concerns course creators have about running Black Friday specials, as well as offer valuable tips from course creators who have run successful Black Friday specials in the past. (Hint: You don’t need to give away the farm!)
Related: The Only Black Friday Checklist You Need To Sell More Courses
Skip ahead:
The promising statistics
Here at Thinkific, we’ve observed that every year, like clockwork, people search Google for Black Friday Online Course Deals en masse! Don’t believe us? Check Google Trends!
Every year, searches for online course deals during Black Friday spike in Google during the November holiday (see above). Not only this, in recent years, the adoption of Black Friday has become more prevalent globally. Currently, 50-60% of countries around the world celebrate Black Friday in some form or another.
Additionally, the consumer psychology surrounding Black Friday can be used to course creators’ advantage through various marketing tactics and strategies.
Aaron Morin, a Customer Education Lead at Thinkific, explains:
Black Friday is a powerful incentive for the price-sensitive to help customers ease into a decision that might change their lives for the better. Discounting should never happen as a blanket strategy for selling a course. But when used strategically, it can definitely help a business grow faster and help more people achieve their desired transformations.
Aaron Morin, Customer Education Lead @ Thinkific
Let’s explore a few ways that course creators are approaching Black Friday and other seasonal sales.
Alternatives to discounting
Instead of discounting your online courses in preparation for Black Friday, you can enrich your core offering with additional value–or bonuses, as we say. These bonuses can include anything from downloadable resources and exclusive modules to membership access to a private learning community or ongoing support forums.
This approach not only attracts more customers by boosting the perceived value of your offerings but also encourages quicker decision-making. When potential students see that they’re getting more than just the course itself–especially when these additional resources are offered only during Black Friday–they’re more likely to take advantage of the offer before it expires.
This sense of urgency combined with increased value can significantly drive up your course enrollment during the Black Friday sales period.
When Eli Itzhaki, the founder and CEO of Keyzoo, realized that slashing prices could diminish the perceived value of his courses, he focused instead on creating a compelling offer that included additional value. “I bundled my course with exclusive resources, such as a complimentary e-book on home security upgrades and downloadable checklists for homeowners. These bonuses were more than just add-ons; they were carefully designed tools to enhance the value of the main course and to ensure that participants could apply what they learned.”
Eli kicked off his promotion a week before Black Friday to build anticipation, using email marketing to share sneak peeks of the extra resources and encouraging his audience to act quickly. On Black Friday, the promotional emails and social media posts he shared led to a noticeable spike in enrollments.
“Many students who purchased the course highlighted how the extra resources were exactly what they needed to implement new security measures in their homes. I received feedback that my approach not only kept the perceived value high but also made customers feel they were getting a special deal that went beyond a simple discount.”
Pro tip: There’s a way to offer a discount on your course(s) without actually offering a discount. Leigh McKenzie, a community advocate for Traffic Think Tank, does this through a price lock-in feature.
“Users who sign up are guaranteed always to pay the same membership rate, even when our prices increase,” Leigh explains. “In that sense, there’s more of a draw to buy today rather than wait.”
The appeal of the price lock-in is that it makes potential students realize that they’re getting a ‘delayed discount.’ So you get to sell your courses (or membership) at their regular price on Black Friday while they save money in the future when prices go up.
Another way to create value for prospective customers is to bundle multiple courses and offer them collectively. This gives customers the sense of getting more for their money without compromising the perceived value of the individual courses.
For example, you can bundle complementary courses that enhance each other’s learning outcomes. Pairing a foundational course with an advanced one allows learners to deepen their knowledge in a particular field, creating a more comprehensive experience.
Riccardo Ocleppo, the founder and CEO of OPIT, has found this strategy successful. “Last year, we bundled our AI and Data Science courses, attracting a surge of students interested in both areas but unwilling to purchase separately. This resulted in a significant increase in course subscriptions compared to the previous year without having to discount each course.”
Usually, you’d have to implement a discount for the bundle to incentivize people to buy it rather than the standalone courses. But if you don’t want to go that route, you can simply include bonuses like access to exclusive content, eBooks, or even a live Q&A session to add extra value and attract customers who seek something beyond just the course materials.
Here’s how Linda Reed-Enever, founder of the Enever Group Business Academy, approaches bundling.
It’s important to add value like a bundle rather than discount. You can do this through creating a bundle of courses, adding in a live session, adding extra resources like ebooks, or partnering with other businesses to create a group bundle together
Linda Reed-Enever, Enever Group Business Academy
“We have to do what is right for our business. If it doesn’t feel right then don’t do it. But if you want to try a promo, you can do it without discounting or devaluing your course,” explains Reed-Enever.
For this Black Friday, Reed-Enever is planning on trialing a bundle launch with three of their popular courses for $197, which is the price of one course.
“Our plan is to send an email blast out to students who are not enrolled in our courses and include the offer with the Black Friday round-up live which is popular, as well as market some Facebook posts in groups that might be keen.”
“We know people are ready to buy at Black Friday, and they are looking for a deal, which is why we are testing a bundle launch. From our experience, our audience is keen to pick up an offer at this time of year and we can often save to buy the tech they need in a Black Friday sale or Cyber Monday promo.”
Pro tip: When promoting course bundles, emphasize the added value, not the price (unless you’re offering a discount). Highlight how the course bundle (and bonuses) will accelerate their learning or provide value that would otherwise take extra time and money to acquire separately. This way, customers see the offer as an investment rather than a discount-driven deal.
This is a subset of bonuses, but instead of content like downloadable eBooks and checklists, you’re hosting events like live webinars, workshops, Q&A sessions, 1:1 coaching sessions, or behind-the-scenes previews that provide a unique opportunity for engagement and learning. By offering limited-time access to these events, you can create a sense of exclusivity for your Black Friday deals.
For example, hosting a live Q&A session with an industry expert can create value beyond the course material. Attendees get real-time answers to their questions and insights that might not be available elsewhere. Similarly, offering a free mini-course or a specialized webinar during the limited-time event can showcase your expertise and give participants a taste of what they can expect from your full course.
Riccardo Ocleppo of OPIT has found much success with limited-period offerings. “We provided exclusive access to mentorship and networking sessions with acclaimed professionals in the tech industry for individuals who signed up during the Black Friday period. This not only incentivized sign-ups but also added significant value to the student’s learning journey.”
Pro tip: To maximize the impact, promote these events with a clear messaging around their exclusivity and time sensitivity. Emphasize that this is a rare opportunity to engage directly with you or gain access to valuable insights that will only be available for a limited time (in this case, Black Friday).
Instead of a one-time course purchase, you can offer a subscription model where students pay a recurring fee to access a broad range of content. This can include everything from a series of courses to ongoing new content, such as monthly webinars, exclusive articles, or interactive Q&A sessions with experts.
If you don’t yet offer a membership, you can start setting one up and promoting it before Black Friday, so you can launch it at the start of that period. But if you already have a membership, you can offer special subscription rates available only during Black Friday.
For example, you might offer the first month at a reduced rate, a discounted annual subscription, or perks like free access to special events or extra resources. This makes the offer more attractive and helps lock in revenue for a longer period, increasing customer lifetime value.
Memberships/subscriptions ensure that learners stay engaged with your platform over time, which can lead to better learning outcomes and higher satisfaction. It also creates a community around your content, cultivating loyalty and word-of-mouth promotion, which are invaluable for sustained business growth.
Just like Riccardo collaborated with tech experts to offer exclusive mentorship and networking access to OPIT’s audience during Black Friday, you too can collaborate with influencers, partners, or brands in your niche to promote your online courses.
Influencers and industry partners come with their own audiences, often filled with engaged followers who trust their recommendations. By partnering with these influencers, you can tap into their networks and introduce your course to a broader audience that might not have discovered you otherwise.
The content you create through these collaborations can vary widely. For instance, you might co-create a webinar or a workshop with an influencer, where they can share their insights while incorporating lessons from your course. Influencers/partners can also produce exclusive content such as guest lectures, interviews, or even co-authored eBooks that provide a deeper look into your course’s subject matter.
You can also partner with physical businesses like Tien Chu, founder of Warp and Weave, did. Tien launched her highly successful Thinkific course on Black Friday last year. She explains that it’s possible to run holiday promos without devaluing your course.
“What I typically do is run a Black Friday special where I don’t do discounts, rather I add value through offering bonuses,” explains Chu. Last year, she struck up a deal with a yarn shop where they offered a 10% store discount to students in her class as a Black Friday special. And then she emailed all the other students who had purchased before and said, ‘We offered this as a Black Friday bonus and we’re going to offer it to all of you as well.’
So I don’t discount my classes, I offer bonuses. This means I’m not training my students to wait for the discount — it’s more of a motivation tactic rather than actually discounting the product that I’m already offering.
Tien Chu, Warp and Weave
By marketing and promoting this bonus, Chu was able to successfully run a Black Friday special without devaluing her course. Rather she added an element of exclusivity by partnering with other businesses in her industry.
A smart way to generate interest and increase sales without offering discounts is to share free previews or trials of your online course exclusively for Black Friday. This strategy works because it reduces the perceived risk for buyers.
By giving folks a glimpse of your course content, you can help them experience firsthand the value and quality of your course before committing to a purchase. They can assess whether the course meets their learning needs and style and whether it’s a worthwhile investment.
It also creates a sense of urgency since the preview or free trial is available only during Black Friday. This way, you can drive immediate action from interested buyers who don’t want to miss out.
June Escalada, founder, designer, and content creator at IllustratorHow, is a big fan of offering limited-time sneak peeks of her courses during Black Friday. “Last Black Friday, I introduced a sneak peek into an in-depth Adobe Illustrator course still in development. This strategy not only provided a sense of novelty but also allowed us to gather invaluable early feedback. The result was a 30% spike in course sign-ups compared to the week before–all without resorting to discounts.”
Like June, you might be able to collect feedback about your course when you share free trials or previews with potential students. This is especially helpful if you’re just beginning your course creation journey and trying to figure out what your target audience needs and expects from you.
People like free stuff. That’s why running a contest or giveaway during Black Friday is an effective way to generate sales for your course without discounting. A contest/giveaway encourages audience engagement and excitement, which, in turn, increases visibility and attracts new students to your course.
To launch a successful contest, start promoting it a few weeks before Black Friday. This will give you enough time to build anticipation and allow participants to engage with the contest.
Since the goal of the contest/giveaway is to reach more people and mobilize your target audience to boost visibility, you could ask participants to enter the contest by signing up for your newsletter, sharing a post about your course on social media, or tagging friends who might benefit from your course. You can announce the winners on Black Friday itself, making it the peak of your promotion.
As for the prizes, offer gifts that align with the theme of your course to maintain relevance. You could give away digital resources like eBooks, templates, and checklists. You can also offer events like a 1:1 coaching session or free attendance at a paid webinar hosted by industry experts.
If you want to reach a broader audience, consider offering tech gadgets, gift cards, or subscriptions to software tools that align with the skills you teach in your course.
Check: The Ultimate Social Media Guide for Online Course Creators
One of the reasons discounts work is because they help people with a tight budget afford something they want. But since you’re not offering discounts on your course, you can reach budget-conscious people on Black Friday by giving them the option to buy your course and pay later.
If you use Thinkific to host your online courses, we have a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) feature that allows learners to access your courses immediately while spreading out their payments over time through interest-free installments. With this feature, you receive full payment upfront while the BNPL provider handles the installments.
We’ve found that Thinkific transactions made with BNPL have an average order value (AOV) of over three times higher than traditional card payments. Here’s why: By offering the BNPL option, you remove the financial barrier for many buyers. Customers who might be hesitant to invest in your course due to tight finances will feel more comfortable purchasing because they can pay later.
As a result, your course becomes an attractive option for a wider audience, and you’ll see a surge in enrollments as students take advantage of this flexible payment plan.
To use Thinkific’s BNPL option, set up your account with Thinkific Payments, which will give you access to TCommerce’s suite of features, including Buy Now, Pay Later. During checkout, students can complete their purchase with a BNPL provider (the supported providers include Affirm, Afterpay/Clearpay, and Klarna).
When they choose a BNPL provider, they’ll be directed to the provider’s website to create an account using their phone number or email address before completing the purchase. Once they do, you’ll receive the full transaction amount in your bank account via Thinkific Payments.
Want to learn more about running effective seasonal campaigns for Black Friday, back-to-school, or other timely opportunities? Enjoy this video:
This blog was originally published in August 2022, it’s since been updated in September 2024 to include the most valuable information for this year.
