Episode Overview

Main Theme:
In this actionable, workshop-style episode, host Jacqueline Snyder lays out a step-by-step, week-by-week Black Friday marketing and sales plan tailored for female entrepreneurs with product-based businesses. Jacqueline walks listeners through prepping offers, building email lists, creating content, running promotions across platforms (Etsy, Shopify, in-person, social media), and capitalizing on the full "Cyber 5" weekend through to December holiday shipping cutoffs. Her goal: to help product bosses ditch last-minute scrambling, plan effectively, and maximize both sales and sanity for the holiday retail rush.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Understanding the "Cyber 5" (Black Friday through Cyber Monday)

• Origin & Significance:
  • Black Friday: Retail originated to move brands “into the black” (profitable) before the holidays.
  • Small Business Saturday: Created by American Express to drive shoppers to small/local businesses (07:25).
  • Cyber Monday: Developed to encourage online shopping after the weekend.
  • Now, "Cyber 5" means promotions run from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, with omnichannel buying.

"Consumers are expecting the discounts. They are expecting a massive deal that weekend because it's just what the culture is bringing to us."
— Jacqueline (11:18)

2. Do You Have to Offer Discounts?

• Strategic Participation:
  • Black Friday discounts can drive crucial visibility and sales, especially for less established brands.
  • Some advanced brands opt out or run sales at different times, but significant deals are expected by most consumers.
• What's Significant?
  • Typical welcome offers are 10-15%. Holiday/weekend deals should be 20%-30%+.
  • “Up to” discounts are a common tactic (not everything is 70% off!).

“Your job this season outside of selling is actually to start to pay attention to your inbox and to the emails you're getting sent and to if you're shopping looking at what the promotions and discounts are, that is your job as a business owner in this realm, selling products. You're a marketer. You sell. Your job is to pay attention to what's happening in the market. But you've also got me, so I'm going to support you through it.”
— Jacqueline (13:57)

Week-by-Week Black Friday Plan

Week 1: Offer & Prep (23:20)

• Key Tasks:
  • Decide your single main offer—sitewide discount, “buy more/save more,” or specials on bestsellers.
  • Consider differing deals for online vs in-person (markets).
  • Prep: Graphics, updated product listings, photos, banners, anything visual for sale messaging.
  • Keep it simple: “Pick 1 to 2 Black Friday/Cyber Monday offers... not 10. Keep it simple, seller.”

Week 2: Build VIP/Exclusive List (28:40)

• Key Tasks:
  • Start a VIP or “early access” list, inviting social, in-person, and website visitors.
  • Use email as your “out of the algorithm” control channel.
  • Offer early access or a private (pre) sale to generate excitement and email sign-ups.

“Exclusivity can create conversion. So when someone feels like they're part of an in group, when they feel like, ooh, I'm on the in and I better buy it before it sells out, they're actually more likely to buy...”
— Jacqueline (31:10)

Week 3: Warm-up, Tease, & Educate (35:10)

• Key Tasks:
  • Start to “seed” your offer—sneak peeks, educational posts, building desire.
  • Announce or preview packages, gift bundles, or exclusive items.
  • If selling in-person or through markets, consider an early kickoff sale.
  • Build urgency, social proof, answer FAQs—make customers anticipate the deal.

"...these sneak peeks, these urgencies, social proof, questions and answers, you get to have something to talk about and get people really excited."
— Jacqueline (36:37)

Week 4: Execution – The Cyber 5 Weekend (38:30)

• Key Tasks:
  • Email Marketing:
    • Send at least ONE email per day from Thursday (Thanksgiving) through Monday (Cyber Monday); more is better!
    • Early, mid-day, and “last call”/reminder emails work, especially with changed subject lines.
    • Promotional emails (not just newsletters): highlight urgency, scarcity, and the deal.
    • Collect and leverage last-minute email opt-ins.

“One of my students a few years back sells candles and wanted to make $8,000 in that weekend. ... He said, I sent emails. I said, how many emails did you send? He's like, I sent five on Friday. Awesome.”
— Jacqueline (42:46)

• Social Media:
  • Consistently post carousels, countdowns, stories, link-in-bio, and reminders that tie back to your promotion.
  • Leverage highlights and real-time posts throughout the weekend.
  • Don't worry about annoying followers—those turned off by frequency aren’t your ideal buyers.

Post-Cyber Monday: Extension & Last-Minute Promotions (49:15)

• Giving Tuesday Option: Some brands may choose to participate if mission-aligned.
• Extended Sales: Trend to email, “Sale extended!” Offers for those who missed out, often without a declared end-date (e.g. “through Thursday”).
• Shipping Deadlines as Scarcity: Promote “last day to order for Christmas delivery” as the next deadline/urgency driver.
• Digital Products for Procrastinators:
  • Gift cards are a great way to make sales when shipping time is over.
  • Pitch last-minute, instantly redeemable digital gifts (53:55).

“Imagine you have, you're having a holiday dinner and your uncle tells you he's bringing his new girlfriend. Oops, I didn't get anything. And we're doing a gift exchange. Let me hop online and buy a gift card—so easy. It doesn't need to be shipped, it's downloadable.”
— Jacqueline (54:43)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I'm going to walk you through a week by week plan for the month of November. And it's something that I share with my coaching students...and you can steal it.”
  (04:09)

• “If you try and do 12 days of Christmas or 12 days of promotions, or every single day you change it, just stick with one.”
  (24:15)

• “Emails are just a reminder. They can choose to open them or not open them. But guess what you get to do? You get to do an early morning email: Black Friday sale is on. Shop now. Later in the day... Next day...”
  (43:15)

• “You're not bothering people. You're just leading them to what they want to buy. You're just telling them what to buy. That's what your job is.”
  (46:12)

• “What you really need is a plan. What you really need is a rhythm. What you really need is support. When you have that and you pair it with focus, you pair it with strategy, you pair it with support, that's when you become unstoppable.”
  (56:00)

Practical Takeaways

For Each Sales Channel:

• Etsy/Shopify/Website: Prep listings, banner images, and ramp up your VIP list.
• In-person Markets: Promote your email list to market visitors; offer “in person only” perks for urgency.
• Social Media: Use consistent, clear promotional content with urgency. Always point back to your offer or email list.
• Email Marketing: Start early, mail often, and don’t be afraid of frequency!

Planning Mantra:
"The product boss who plans wins." (57:31)

Resource Mentioned

• Free Download: Black Friday Playbook – Detailed week-by-week guide, available via show notes.
• Jacqueline’s programs: The Collective, Sales Accelerator

Listener Next Steps

• Start now: It’s not too late—simple, focused planning trumps perfection.
• Download the playbook: Get your checklist and templates.
• Grow your email list: Even a late push can make a difference.
• Keep it simple: 1-2 strong offers across all channels.
• Connect with Jacqueline: DM her your planned promotion on Instagram.

Episode Structure with Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------|------------| | Origin and significance of Black Friday | 06:30 | | Do you need to discount? | 11:00 | | Week 1: Plan and prep your offer | 23:20 | | Week 2: Build your VIP/exclusive list | 28:40 | | Week 3: Warm-up, teaser content | 35:10 | | Week 4: Execute the Cyber 5 plan | 38:30 | | Email: how often and why | 42:00 | | Social content strategies | 47:20 | | Post-Cyber Monday: Extensions & shipping | 49:15 | | Late sales: Digital products/gift cards | 53:30 | | Final thoughts/mantras | 56:00 |

Tone & Style

• Encouraging, practical, no-nonsense, and empowering—ideal for both beginners and experienced entrepreneurs.
• Reiterates the importance of taking imperfect action and embracing the "boss" mindset.
• Provides real student examples and an "I've got your back" coaching feel.

Summary

Whether you’re a seasoned product seller or launching your very first holiday promotion, Jacqueline’s methodical, supportive guidance takes the stress out of Black Friday. By acting now, keeping the marketing plan simple, maximizing email/SMS touchpoints, and leveraging urgency and exclusive access, you’ll be positioned for your most profitable season yet. “The product boss who plans wins.”