Before you offer 70% off, find out why people buy, interview with Charlotte Sargeant

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Before you offer 70% off, find out why people buy, interview with Charlotte Sargeant

Your course can be 70% off and still feel like the wrong purchase.

Maybe your subscriber thinks it’s too advanced. Maybe they’ve bought courses they never finished. Maybe they want help implementing, and you’re offering another bundle of lessons.

A lower price doesn’t necessarily address any of those concerns.

I recently sat down with Charlotte “Charlie” Sargeant, founder of The Creative Strategy Lab, whose agency experience included overseeing creative strategy across more than £22 million in annual ad spend.

We talked about what gives people a reason to buy during Black Friday—and how to find that reason before writing your campaign.

TIMESTAMP

00:00 — What if price isn’t the reason customers choose you?

02:00 — Why deep discounts became the default

04:00 — Monica’s campaign: 20% off and five emails

10:00 — Giving people a strong reason to buy

16:00 — Buyer identity and experience levels

20:00 — Speed, convenience, and a faster route to support

24:00 — The Copy School email that matched Monica’s mindset

28:00 — Finding customer language in testimonials and Reddit

36:00 — Connecting research to your offer and email surveys

49:00 — Where to find Charlie and keep learning

In this episode

1. Your competition goes beyond other courses

Your subscriber’s Black Friday budget might also need to cover Christmas gifts, a laptop, or something for their home. Explaining what your course teaches is only part of the job. They also need to understand why that outcome matters enough to prioritise now.

2. The same offer can attract different buyers

Charlie shared an example of two customers buying the same fragrance for completely different reasons: one loved finding a bargain, while the other wanted to feel polished and put together. For course creators, experience level creates a similar distinction—the message that reassures a beginner can make an advanced learner lose interest.

3. Some buyers want a faster route

If someone’s biggest frustration is the time they’re spending figuring things out alone, support might matter more than savings. We discuss how speed, convenience, and a done-with-you option can shape a more useful Black Friday offer.

4. Your customers already have some of the words you need

Testimonials, email replies, sales calls, and even Reddit discussions can reveal how people describe their problems. Charlie shares a research example that became effective ad copy—and why she wouldn’t have come up with that language herself.

5. Research needs to influence the offer

Finding a recurring frustration is a starting point. You still need to check whether your offer can address it and whether your own subscribers recognise it. In the episode, I explain the two-step email research process I use to make that connection before positioning a Black Friday campaign.

Before choosing your discount, ask yourself: What reason have I given someone to want this course in the first place?

For the examples and our full conversation:

→ Listen to the full episode of Master The Inbox: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2299008/episodes/19886385-black-friday-tips-a-discount-isn-t-your-best-selling-point-with-charlotte-sargeant

Enjoyed This Episode?

Share it with a course creator or marketer who’s heading into Q4 without a plan for their nervous system — not just their campaigns. And if you have a minute, a review on Apple Podcasts helps more course creators find the show.

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.

What to do next

Explore the conversation with Charlotte Sargeant on Master The Inbox.
Plan your next campaign with the Black Friday podcast season.
Join the community → If you want to stay close to everything Monica is sharing on Q4 — offers, funnels, what to send your subscribers, copy teardowns, the full Black Friday strategy — the Master The Inbox Skool Community is free to join and active throughout the season.
If you’d rather not guess your way through Black Friday this year, check out the Black Friday Playbook for Course Creators. It has everything: the exact strategy to implement, the templates and even the swipe files to help you strategize and implement without guesswork and the last minute overwhelm.
Listen to the full episode → on Buzzsprout, on Spotify.