We’ve been running Black Friday sales since 2017. Was every version the BEST it could be? I have no clue.
I do believe every version was a success because each taught us something useful. When you approach business with a spirit of experimentation, you’ll stop seeing things as “mistakes” and instead, see everything as “information.”
So here’s the recap, through various plan and pricing changes, discount styles, bonuses, sale lengths. Each one shaped our understanding of how creators make buying decisions and where the juice is (and is not) worth the squeeze.
TLDR;
- Your pricing model matters way more than your Black Friday plan.
- For software, the sites that gain traction renew, (almost) irrespective of the price.
- Honor legacy pricing.
- Experiments compound so try to learn something every year.
— 2017: The scrappy beginning
Three emails. A simple 50%-off-for-life offer. $17k in revenue and our first taste of seasonal demand. Proof that BFCM works for us, even without polish.
— 2018: The long sale
We tried a 9-day sale. Revenue increased a bit. We learned that extending the timeline doesn’t meaningfully increase conversions, which saves future us from overworking.
— 2019: The pre–Black Friday experiment
We tested a pre-sale in October, and it performed very well. The traditional Black Friday sale still hit even harder. My gut tells me this was a win – that not all of those early buyers would have shown up for the actual BFCM weekend.
— 2020: The pandemic spike
Record year, record sale revenue. External circumstances put our business at the right place at the right time. My gut says we left money on the table for this one and could’ve done a smaller discount.
— 2021: First time not locking in lifetime discounts
We switched to 50% off year-one only. Revenue increased again. This was an early learning that, with PMPro, long-term retention comes from value, not locked-in discounts. If a membership site succeeds, people keep paying.
— 2022: Three-tier pricing
New product structure. New pricing logic. Slightly lower sale revenue, but a healthier business direction, with pricing that reflects who our product had become.
— 2023: Simpler everything
No special landing page, just our pricing page with slashed prices. Revenue held steady with zero downside. Effortless and just as effective.
— 2024: Bonuses + intro pricing
We switched to intro pricing earlier in the year, raised prices, AND offered bonuses for Black Friday. Revenue remained solid.
— 2025: This year’s experiment
A one-day-only 60% Cyber Monday sale. Concise. High urgency. Excited to keep learning, adjusting, and responding to buyer behavior, not guesses.
