This is Part 2 of my Black Friday Files, where I'm counting down my top 4 Black Friday promos & sharing the behind-the-scenes strategy.

Catch up on Part 1 HERE. ​

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Welcome back to the Black Friday Files.

Yesterday I shared my 4th best Black Friday campaign – the one my team copy-and-pasted while I was on maternity leave.

Today? My 3rd best performer. And this one's full of "what not to do."

It's November 2021...

...And I'm realizing something annoying: I have zero Black Friday plans.

The reason?

I'm knee-deep in running the first live round of Take It To The Bank – a 6-week program all about prepping your Black Friday offer.

As the teacher of over 200 students, I kind of felt I *had* to run a BF promo to not be a total hypocrite 😅

So here's what I did: I dusted off Social Bank, my signature Instagram marketing course that I'd launched that summer and hadn't spoken about since.

And on November 16th, I decided to just... start talking about it again.

No waitlist. No pre-launch runway. Just a heads-up email saying "hey, Social Bank is opening again November 24th – add it to your calendar."

Then, my team and I wrote a 6-part email series around this concept:

(This was the whole premise of Social Bank – which was built on my Seasons Method.)

The emails went out daily from November 24th through December 1st. Peak inbox chaos time. Over Black Friday weekend, Cyber Monday, everything.

My list of 75,000 was still opening at 33-35%, which was normal for us, so I rolled with it.

Re-reading those emails now? They're LONG. Like, really long. Full of stories that take forever to get to the point.

Now I know better – especially during promos when inboxes are exploding, short and sweet is your friend.

But here's where I really broke the rules:

In the middle of my own promotion, I stopped selling Social Bank and sent an email with FIFTY LINKS to my students' Black Friday offers (the ones from Take It To The Bank).

I literally directed my audience to 50 other offers while my own cart was open 😵‍💫

I knew it was a rule break, but giving that spotlight to my students as an incentive for them to get their BF deal DONE was worth it to me.

Now, re-selling an "old" offer is the typical Black Friday dance we all do. Especially by giving it a big discount.

But how do you make it feel fresh, especially during a busy time like Black Friday weekend, when you DON'T want to discount?

I added one new bonus: a live, upcoming workshop called the "Glitch-Free, Double-Whammy Video Marketing Workshop."

(Reels were super glitchy back then, and I was teaching how to make them in other apps and repurpose them. So to get this new training, which many people wanted, you *had* to be in Social Bank.)

I didn't offer a discount either. It was full price at $797 or $180/month on the payment plan.

The only urgency? Get the live workshop bonus and get in before doors closed again.

The results of this last minute dance? *Drum roll please*

✅ 40 new students.
✅ Most chose the payment plan.
✅ $18,923 in cash that week.
✅ Another $16K coming through payment plans.
✅ Total: $34,923.

Not bad for 8 days of prep and breaking some major rules.

The takeaway:

You can sell an "old" offer without a discount when you have some sense of urgency (ie, doors closing), offer highly accessible payment plans, and have a reason to join now (ie, get my new training at the live workshop).

Also, being last-minute can work too when you have:

• An existing asset to sell (that course gathering dust? That program you haven't mentioned lately?)
• One fresh element to make it timely (a new bonus, a live component, something they can't get later)
• The willingness to show up even when it's not perfect (typos, and long-winded emails, and all).

Now this was 2021. Would this same promo work in 2025?

Mayyybeee.

But it's a whole new marketing world out there today – with AI, more users on social media than ever, and a "trust recession."

So if you're planning your own Black Friday promo, it's key that you're up to speed with what's working today.

That's why I've given Take It To The Bank a refresh, including:

• 8 expert trainings on every aspect of Black Friday promotions
• My new A.I. Helpers that can plan your entire promo in hours (not weeks)
• The exact templates and swipe copy from campaigns that have generated millions

It's currently on sale for 75% OFF.

​Take 75% Off Today →​

Tomorrow, I'll reveal my SECOND best Black Friday ever. This one involves a discovery so obvious, I can't believe we missed it for years.

See u tmrw,

– Elise

P.S. Students from this program alone have made a collective $266,158... and counting.

This is my #1 money-making program, hands down.