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The holiday shopping season is approaching, and with it comes one of the biggest opportunities of the year, Black Friday. It’s the moment when small businesses, course creators, and training providers can attract customers, grow enrollments, and boost online sales without losing focus on what matters most: delivering an exceptional customer experience.
This Black Friday checklist is built for creators who treat their online school like an ecommerce store, where clarity, design, and seamless multiple payment methods all shape how learners decide to buy. Whether you’re updating your site for the holiday season, optimizing your checkout, or mapping new marketing campaigns, this guide will help you start preparing early and stay in control.
Follow along to turn your online store into a learning business that’s ready to stand out during Black Friday and beyond.
Should you run a Black Friday offer for courses?
Not every online course needs a Black Friday discount, but every creator needs a plan.
Before launching into Black Friday–Cyber Monday (BFCM) campaigns, take a step back and evaluate whether your offer truly fits your target audience. Some creators use this season to attract customers through early access offers, bundles, or community perks. Others see it as a moment to re-engage existing customers and strengthen loyalty rather than chasing short-term spikes.
Start by reviewing your previous Black Friday data, look at conversion rates, customer behavior, and where engagement may have dropped during past black friday campaigns. Did your black friday marketing efforts generate lasting enrollments, or just quick sign-ups?
Use analytics tools like Google Analytics or LearnWorlds’ built-in reports to track what worked. The insights you gather before the upcoming sales period can help refine your messaging and budget. Remember, more than half of your future buyers might already be in your list, they just need the right timing, clarity, and value to convert.
A successful Black Friday campaign isn’t about competing on price. It’s about clarity, consistency, and confidence. Define what you want to achieve, more enrollments, stronger retention, or deeper loyalty, and align your marketing campaigns to support it throughout the holiday shopping season.
Choose your offer type (discount & no-discount ideas)
Once you’ve decided that a Black Friday campaign fits your business, the next step is shaping the right offer. Discounts can drive visibility fast, but lasting success comes from combining strong value with thoughtful presentation. Here’s how to choose what works for your online store or ecommerce school.
Classic discounts & coupons
Percentage or fixed-amount Black Friday deals are the simplest way to attract attention. Create coupon codes with expiry dates and usage limits to build scarcity and urgency. These quick wins can spark BFCM sales and help lift conversions without hurting your margins.
In LearnWorlds, you can set up site-wide or course-specific coupons directly in your dashboard and track performance using analytics tools. To reach first-time buyers, make sure your offer is easy to access on both desktop and mobile, your checkout process should feel as simple as any online shopping experience.
These tactics help lift conversion rates while keeping control of your margins.
Bundles, subscriptions & BOGO offers
Want to increase your average order value and delight loyal customers? Bundle courses by theme or offer a “Buy One Get One” (BOGO) upgrade that includes bonus content or extended access. You can also experiment with tiered discounts, for example, 10% off one course, 20% off two, or 30% off three.
Highlight these bundles on your product pages and enable multiple payment methods, including Apple Pay and PayPal, to make checkout frictionless. Transparent payment options help repeat customers and new learners alike complete purchases faster, a small detail that adds up during busy holiday shopping season traffic.
Value-add alternatives (no-discount strategies)
If discounting doesn’t fit your pricing model, focus on value-add. Offer early access offers for new courses, bonus resources, or coaching calls that enhance the perceived value of your programs. These tactics strengthen retention among existing customers and encourage more engagement from your audience during Black Friday campaigns.
Creative campaigns
Add energy and urgency with flash sales, giveaways, or referral incentives. Promote your Black Friday–Cyber Monday event with short teasers across email and social to keep your marketing campaigns consistent.
If your courses are aimed at busy professionals or small businesses, make the offers feel time-bound and useful, “learn faster,” “save time,” “plan your next course before the new year.” You can also create dedicated landing pages with popups, countdowns, or visuals to improve customer experience and guide visitors through a clear checkout flow.
LearnWorlds’ no-code Website Builder enables you to customize your online courses’ landing pages to suit any seasonal occasion, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
You can easily create a temporary Black Friday template with just a few clicks! You can configure a plethora of sections to adjust your Black Friday landing page offers, like:
Customizing your landing pages for BFCM can help you create a better user experience for your customers, improving your checkout process as a whole.
Pre-launch plan for course creators (T-4 to T-1 weeks)
A successful Black Friday campaign starts long before launch day. The weeks leading up to the sale are when small tasks, like testing checkout or refining your landing pages, can make or break your results. Follow this pre-launch plan to build confidence before your BFCM campaigns go live.
Decide your scope and timeline
Start by defining how long your campaign will run. The most effective BFCM campaigns last between 4–7 days, often from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday.
If you’re targeting learners in multiple regions, note local holidays and time zones to adjust launch timing.
Use previous Black Friday data to project sales, set realistic goals, and shape your messaging. Whether you’re running a flash sale or a full-week event, lock in your contingency plans early, from team schedules to backup links.
Build your sales assets
Your course pages, banners, and checkout screens should reflect the campaign theme.
Create dedicated landing pages for your offers, and make sure your product pages clearly communicate what’s included, price, bonuses, and any early access offer.
Add engaging media. Any visual element (including photos, graphics, infographics, or other persuasive media) that presents the result your courses achieve can get people right into your sales funnel.
Pop-ups and countdown timers can drive urgency while saving time by automating lead capture. Test them on both desktop and mobile to ensure a smooth user behavior flow.
Include an opt-in form. This is the ultimate medium serving your page end-result point. The purpose of this form is to capture email addresses and other important information of people visiting your site, including contact names, company names, etc. so that you can further communicate your offers to them.
Tech & payments
Before the sale starts, confirm that every transaction method works flawlessly.
Test your checkout flow from start to finish, apply coupons, complete purchases, and verify confirmation emails. Offer multiple payment methods such as credit/debit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay to accommodate first-time buyers and reduce drop-offs.
For your online school, LearnWorlds supports:
You can even have two or more payment options if you are going to combine, for example, PayPal payments with a Stripe Checkout.
Just remember, Stripe is the only payment gateway that supports subscriptions and payment plans.
LearnWorlds is also the only one adding local payment gateways for specific European countries such as:
You can read more about these local payment gateways that work using Stripe here.
If you are selling e-commerce products on top of your online courses, you can also use Shopify as your payment gateway. With it, you can add a shopping cart to your website and sell your products directly from there.
For this, it’s best to come up with an effective return policy in place to deal with any potential customer complaints effectively.
If possible, enable tiered discounts or free trials to encourage upgrades and higher basket values.
And don’t forget to prepare your customer support team to handle spikes in inquiries quickly and clearly.
Integrations & tracking
Set up your analytics tools early. Connect LearnWorlds with Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or other integrations to monitor customer behavior, traffic sources, and conversion rates in real time.
LearnWorlds integrates with your favorite apps and tools, whether that’s the software you are using to send mass emails, track visits to your website, or add a chat bubble.
You can see all the integrations here or visit your school to check them out.
With the LearnWorlds integration for Zapier, you can practically automate anything you want, which will save you dozens of hours of work.
Tracking these metrics from day one gives you actionable insights for mid-sale adjustments, and a foundation for smarter campaigns next year.
Email timeline template for your Black Friday campaign
A strong Black Friday campaign doesn’t rely on one big announcement, it builds anticipation, momentum, and trust through a clear sequence of emails.
Below is a timeline you can adapt to your audience, offer type, and sales window. Each touchpoint has a purpose: awareness, action, or reassurance.
T-7 days — Teaser email
Goal: Build curiosity and early sign-ups.
Let subscribers know something big is coming and invite them to join your early access list.
Add a countdown, a short preview of your offer, and a link to your dedicated landing page.
T-2 days — Warm-up reminder
Goal: Keep interest high and segment engaged readers.
Share a behind-the-scenes look or a testimonial from previous learners.
Encourage readers to whitelist your address so launch-day emails don’t get lost.
Launch day — Black Friday
Goal: Announce your offer clearly and confidently.
Subject line: direct and outcome-led → Try something like: “Black Friday starts now: save time and learn faster.”
Include one strong CTA, highlight multiple payment options, and make the checkout link impossible to miss.
Monitor site speed and customer support inbox to handle the surge in questions.
Mid-sale — Saturday/Sunday
Goal: Sustain momentum and prevent lost sales.
Send a short reminder to anyone who clicked but didn’t buy.
Use analytics tools to identify cart-abandoners and trigger automated follow-ups.
Offer an optional flash sale or bonus for returning customers.
Last chance — Cyber Monday
Goal: Close decisively.
Remind readers that your BFCM deals end tonight.
Use time-based subject lines and reinforce value (not just discount).
Keep tone factual and calm, confidence converts better than panic.
Thank-you & follow-up
Goal: Turn buyers into loyal advocates.
Send thank-you emails within 24 hours of purchase.
Share access details, quick-start tips, and ask for feedback on their experience.
Later in the week, send a follow-up email with next-step recommendations or a loyalty-program invite.
Traffic and conversion boosters for your Black Friday course sales
Your Black Friday offer is only as strong as the attention it earns, and the experience that follows. Once your campaigns go live, focus on creating a smooth path from discovery to checkout.
On-site tactics
Every click counts during Black Friday promotions.
Use popups to capture emails from new visitors, and place countdown timers on key pages to increase urgency. Add a short FAQ section to your sales or product pages, clear answers can stop hesitation and reduce lost sales.
Visual consistency also matters. Keep your landing page, checkout, and email banners aligned so learners know exactly what to expect at every step.
If you’re running flash sales or tiered discounts, make them visible in your popups or banner copy.
Finally, test your site speed before launch. A slow website can cost conversions, especially during mobile shopping peaks.
Paid & organic channels
Once your on-site setup is ready, drive targeted traffic from the channels that already perform best for your business. Double down on proven marketing campaigns and repurpose content from earlier promotions.
Run retargeting ads to reach visitors who viewed your product pages but didn’t buy. Segment your audiences.
For instance, for first-time buyers versus repeat customers tailor your creative and spend efficiently.
For organic visibility, schedule posts across your most active platforms and link directly to your dedicated landing pages. Track everything using analytics tools or Google Analytics so you can adjust bids, timing, and creative in real time.
Master Black Friday checklist for course creators
Here’s your step-by-step plan to prepare, launch, and analyze your Black Friday campaign, all in one place.
Use this checklist to stay focused, save time, and ensure every part of your online school is ready for peak sales.
1. Define your campaign
2. Build your offer
3. Prepare your assets
4. Set up payments and tech
5. Plan your emails
6. Go live
7. After the sale
After the Black Friday sale: nurture and analyze
Black Friday might end on Monday, but your customer relationships, and your insights, start here.
The way you follow up determines whether those new students become long-term learners or one-time buyers.
1. Deliver an outstanding onboarding experience
Make sure new customers can access their purchases instantly.
Send a thank-you email with clear next steps: login details, course access links, and bonus materials if applicable.
Follow up with a short welcome message that reinforces value, not just what they bought, but what they’ll achieve.
2. Keep momentum with repeat customers
Reach out to your repeat buyers or returning customers after the campaign with exclusive updates or early access to future content.
Consider offering a small loyalty reward, like a free template or early enrollment window, to keep them engaged beyond the sale.
Create space for community connection too. Invite them to join your online group, discussion board, or social channel to share progress.
3. Review your campaign analytics
Before moving on to the next big project, take time to measure what happened. Use analytics tools and Google Analytics to review:
Compare results against your previous Black Friday data to identify trends and refine your marketing strategies for next year.
4. Capture testimonials and insights
Ask satisfied learners for short feedback or reviews you can feature later in your campaigns.
Authentic testimonials help convert seasonal shoppers into loyal advocates.
Then, note your key learnings, what worked, what didn’t, and what to test next time, and save them as part of your contingency plans for the following year’s BFCM campaigns.
Ready to maximize your Black Friday sales?
Black Friday is fast approaching, and the best campaigns are built, not rushed. You’ve got the framework: a clear offer, a pre-launch plan, a tested checkout flow, and a post-sale strategy that turns new learners into loyal customers.
Now it’s time to put it into motion. Use the checklist above to guide your next steps, track your progress, and refine your approach using real performance data. Small, deliberate improvements, from better payment options to sharper email timing, can make a measurable impact on your results.
If you haven’t started yet, there’s still time. Create your LearnWorlds account today and get everything you need to build, market, and sell your online courses, all in one platform. Start your free 30-day trial and be ready when the biggest sale of the year begins.
Further reading for your online school’s Black Friday marketing
Rosemary is LearnWorlds’ Content Marketing Manager. She has over 2 decades of experience in omnichannel marketing and content writing for the IT and SaaS industry. Her expertise lies in crafting effective content marketing strategies that attract, engage, and nurture customers, enabling LearnWorlds to reach its target audiences with precision.
Kyriaki is the SEO Content Manager at LearnWorlds, where she writes and edits content about marketing and e-learning, helping course creators build, market, and sell successful online courses. With a degree in Career Guidance and a solid background in education management and career development, she combines strategic insight with a passion for lifelong learning. Outside of work, she enjoys expressing her creativity through music.
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FAQ
Everything you have ever wondered, but were too afraid to ask...
Plan a sequence of five to six touchpoints:
This structure keeps your brand visible throughout the week without overwhelming inboxes. You can automate these steps directly in LearnWorlds or sync with your email service provider to save time.