A bigger Black Friday discount won’t tell your audience why your course is worth buying. Monica Badiu and Charlotte “Charlie” Sargeant, founder of The Creative Strategy Lab, unpack the customer research that helps you build a more relevant offer. You’ll learn to identify buying motivations beyond price, turn customer language into messaging, and test your positioning through email before your promotion starts. For course creators, coaches, and consultants who want a stronger reason to buy than “70% off.” Episode Summary Choosing your Black Friday discount is easier than working out what would make someone want your offer. In this conversation, Monica and Charlie explore buyer identity, speed, convenience, and desired outcomes—and explain how testimonials, sales conversations, and email surveys can help you decide what to sell and how to position it. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Following competitors into deeper discounts can attract buyers whose main reason to return is another price cut.Your Black Friday course offer competes for the same budget as purchases outside your industry.Buyers at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels need messaging that reflects their specific challenges and confidence.A faster route or a done-with-you option can appeal to customers who value convenience more than a lower price.Testimonials, Reddit discussions, social comments, DMs, and sales call notes reveal language you can use to explain your offer’s value.Counting recurring customer problems gives you a starting point for testing messaging instead of choosing an angle on instinct.Monica’s two-step email research process connects audience struggles and future goals to the offer she plans to promote. Key Takeaway Before writing your next promotional email, spend 10 minutes reading five customer replies or testimonials. Note one problem that appears more than once, keep the customer’s wording, and identify which part of your offer addresses it. Use that connection to draft your opening paragraph before you mention the discount. About the Guest Charlotte “Charlie” Sargeant began in paid social and moved into creative strategy as customer insight and ad messaging became a bigger part of her work. Her agency leadership experience included overseeing creative strategy across more than £22 million in annual ad spend. She founded The Creative Strategy Lab, where she helps marketers use customer research to shape messaging and offers. Connect with Charlotte on LinkedIn or visit The Creative Strategy Lab for her work and newsletter. Resources Mentioned Build your campaign with the Black Friday podcast seasonCharlotte Sargeant on LinkedInThe Creative Strategy Lab and newsletterMaster The Inbox on LinkedInMaster The Inbox on InstagramReddit — one of the customer research sources discussed.Copyhackers — the company behind Copy School, mentioned in Monica’s buying experience.Kit, ChatGPT, and Claude — tools mentioned in the discussion about email and research support.Google Analytics — mentioned when discussing where traffic and revenue come from.Hi. And welcome. My name is Monica Badiu. I am a marketing consultant turned conversion copywriter and copy coach. I help online course creators and info product businesses sell more through persuasive, non-spammy, no fluff copywriting. I teach about copywriting, digital marketing, and conversion strategies tested in my businesses and with my clients. Other links: Get to know more about Monica Badiu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicabadiuJoin the free Master the Inbox community https://www.skool.com/master-the-inbox-school-4845Visit Monica’s website: https://www.monicabadiu.com Listen more Master the Inbox episodes: https://www.mastertheinbox.com Get your Black Friday resources: https://www.monicabadiu.com/black-friday-resources/ Read Monica’s blogs: https://www.monicabadiu.com/blogGet your freebies: https://www.monicabadiu.com/freebieGet help with your copywriting by scheduling a free discovery call: ...
