Behind the Scenes of Our Biggest Week Yet: Black Friday Wins, Misses, and Lessons Learned
In my last blog, I shared how I approach Black Friday in my studios — not as a one-day promo, not as a desperate discount tactic, but as a fully built campaign rooted in segmentation, intentionality, and long-term revenue strategy.
But here’s the part I didn’t share yet:
Even with all that planning and strategy…
one of my offers completely flopped.
And still — we had a record-breaking week.
Our biggest to date.
Because that’s the real truth about marketing that doesn’t get talked about enough:
You can have a brilliant campaign, clear segmentation, a trained team, and still have one offer miss the mark.
That’s not failure. That’s data.
Let’s break it down.
What Worked (And Why It Worked So Well)
Everything I laid out in my previous blog was the foundation of our success this year:
Months of preparation instead of last-minute scrambling
A thoroughly trained team who understood every audience segment
Intentional, curated discounts that aligned with long-term value
Strategic sequencing of emails and SMS for each group
7–11 touchpoints per audience, timed with purpose
Offers designed for exactly who they were meant for
That structure is why our campaign produced our strongest week yet.
The offers didn’t have to be perfect — the system was.
This is what I want studio owners to truly understand:
Record-breaking revenue rarely comes from one magical offer.
It comes from alignment — offer, messaging, timing, and team.
And Then… the Offer That Flopped
Yes, one flopped.
Hard.
Here’s the important part: I’m not sharing this to dramatize anything. I’m sharing it because this is what marketing actually looks like behind the scenes.
We tested something new — a variation we thought would resonate.
We built it intentionally.
We positioned it thoughtfully.
And the response?
Crickets.
No traction.
No momentum.
No lift.
And you know what? I’m glad it happened.
Because failure is not the opposite of success.
It’s part of the strategy.
A flop reveals just as much information as a win — often more.
It teaches you:
What your audience wasn’t looking for
What wasn’t aligned with their buying psychology
What didn’t fit the season
What messaging didn’t land
What to save for a different campaign
Instead of guessing, you now have clarity.
That’s the gift of a flop.
Why We Still Broke Records
Here’s where the lesson becomes powerful:
A single offer didn’t make or break our week — the campaign did.
Because we were segmented.
Because our messaging was consistent.
Because our team was aligned.
Because the rest of our offers were built on months of data and intentionality.
When your strategy is solid, a flop doesn’t derail momentum — it simply informs your next move.
Our highest-converting audiences leaned into what was built for them.
The offers that were aligned with value and demand performed exactly the way we expected.
And the one that didn’t?
It showed us what not to waste time on next year.
That is the difference between high-performing studios and reactive ones:
We don’t chase perfect.
We chase clarity.
The Lesson I Want Studio Owners to Take From This
Your goal is not to avoid mistakes.
Your goal is to avoid guessing.
Marketing is not:
✔️ flawlessly predicting what will land
✔️ crafting the perfect offer every time
✔️ hitting 100% conversion
Marketing is:
✔️ testing intentionally
✔️ reading the data honestly
✔️ adjusting quickly
✔️ staying rooted in your value
✔️ knowing your audience deeply
✔️ building systems that hold even when one idea falls flat
You don’t need every offer to hit.
You need the right offers to hit — and the right structure to support them.
That’s how you break records.
That’s how you grow predictably.
That’s how you sell with confidence instead of pressure.
What I’ll Repeat Next Year — and What I Won’t
Next year, I’ll absolutely repeat:
Segmented early-access lists
Clear loyalty-driven member value
A warm-up week of connection and curiosity
Strategic timing of launches
7–11 touchpoints per audience
Team training + weekly alignment
Clean Cyber Monday close
And what I won’t repeat?
The offer that flopped.
Not because it was bad — but because it wasn’t aligned with what the audience was actually primed for in that specific season.
The data told us that.
And data is what keeps brands from making emotional decisions.
Final Thought: Marketing Isn’t About Perfection — It’s About Precision
Black Friday didn’t succeed because everything worked.
It succeeded because the system worked.
Your ability to plan, segment, train, test, and iterate will always matter more than any single offer.
The win is in the intentionality.
The clarity.
The alignment.
The willingness to test.
The courage to adjust.
And the confidence to say:
“One offer flopped… and we still broke records.”
That’s what strong marketing looks like.
That’s what strong studios do.
And that’s how you create growth that lasts long after Black Friday is over.
I’m rooting for you,
With love and encouragement,
Beth
What’s one offer, campaign, or idea you’ve tested in your business that completely flopped — and what did it teach you?
