How to run a Black Friday sale on digital products (2026 plan)

This guide is for creators who sell courses, templates, guides, coaching, or memberships and want a sale that brings in money without making the full price look fake. Full disclosure: we make Eden, a creator workspace with a store. Dates and rules were checked in September 2026.

The 2026 dates

Thanksgiving in the US is the fourth Thursday of November, which falls on November 26 in 2026. So:

• Black Friday: Friday, November 27
• Cyber Monday: Monday, November 30

Most creator sales run Friday through Monday, with a few days of early access before. That gives you one clear window and one clear end.

What to discount (and what not to)

Not every product should go on sale. A sale works best on products where more buyers means more money, and a lower price doesn't hurt the work you have to do.

Good to discount:

• Evergreen courses and guides. You made them once. Each extra sale costs you almost nothing.
• Templates and downloads. Same reason.
• Your entry product. A cheaper first buy brings in new customers you can sell to later.

Think twice before you discount:

• Coaching. Your time is fixed. A cheaper call means more calls for less money. Add a bonus instead.
• Memberships. A discount often only helps the first payment, and it can bring in members who leave after one month.
• Something you launched last month. Recent buyers who paid full price will notice.
• High-ticket offers. A big discount can make buyers wonder what the real price is.

Four sale types that work

Sale type	How it works	Best for
Percent off	20% to 40% off for the weekend	Courses, guides, templates
Bundle	Two or more products together for less than apart	Sellers with three or more products
Bonus instead of a cut	Full price, plus something extra only this weekend	Coaching, high-ticket, and premium products
Price rises after	Buy now at today's price before it goes up for good	New products and products you just improved

Percent off is the easiest to explain. "40% off, ends Monday" needs no extra words.

A bundle raises what each buyer spends. It also gives past buyers a reason to buy again, since they get the products they don't own yet.

A bonus keeps your price whole. Add a live Q&A, a template pack, or a short review call. It works best when the bonus solves the next problem the buyer will hit.

Price rises after is the most honest sale of all, because it's true. If you plan to raise your price in December anyway, say so, and sell at the current price until Monday.

How deep should the discount go?

Deep enough to matter, not so deep that the full price looks made up.

• 20% to 30% fits most courses and templates. It feels like a real deal without looking like a clearance.
• 40% to 50% is for a yearly event you only run once. Go this deep often and buyers learn to wait.
• Do the math first. A 30% discount means you need more buyers just to make the same money. Our guide on how to price digital products walks through the numbers.

Whatever you pick, use the same discount for everyone in the public sale. Early access for your list can be the same price or a little better.

The timeline

When	2026 date	What to do
3 to 4 weeks out	Nov 2 to 6	Pick the products, the sale type, and the discount. Build any bonus.
2 weeks out	Nov 9 to 13	Set up the sale and codes in your store, scheduled ahead. Test checkout.
Teaser week	Nov 16 to 23	Tell people a sale is coming. Ask them to join your list for early access.
Early access	Nov 24 to 26	Email your list the early link. Only they get the price.
Open	Nov 27 (Fri)	Open to everyone. Post, email, and pin the offer everywhere.
Middle	Nov 28 to 29	Share proof: buyer results, questions answered, what's inside.
Last day	Nov 30 (Mon)	Email in the morning and a few hours before close. Say the exact end time.
After	Dec 1	Price goes back up. Thank buyers, deliver bonuses, and look at your numbers.

Emails and content

You don't need a lot of content. You need a few clear messages at the right times.

Emails (about six to eight in total):

1. Teaser: "A sale is coming on Friday. My list gets it first."
2. Early access open: the offer, the price, the end date, and the link.
3. Early access closing: "Public price opens Friday."
4. Open to everyone: the offer in one line, then what's inside.
5. Proof: a buyer's result or your best testimonial.
6. Questions: answer the three things people ask most.
7. Last day, morning: "Ends tonight at 11:59 PM Eastern."
8. Last few hours: short. One line and the link.

Posts:

• Show the product. A walkthrough of the course or template beats a graphic that says "40% OFF."
• Share a result. One buyer's before and after.
• Pin the offer at the top of your profiles, and put the product first on your link-in-bio page.
• Use a link with the code on it, so nobody has to type a code on their phone.

If you don't have an email list yet, start now. Even 100 people who asked for early access will buy at a higher rate than a cold feed. See how to grow an email list from your link in bio.

Keep your deadlines honest

A fake deadline works once. Then your audience stops believing you.

• No fake timers. A countdown should count down to a real end. When it hits zero, the price should go up.
• The price really goes back. If you "extend" every sale, buyers learn to wait for the extension.
• The crossed-out price must be real. In the US, the FTC's pricing guides say a former price should be one you openly charged for a real stretch of time, not a price you made up to make the discount look bigger (16 CFR 233.1).
• Say the exact end time and time zone. "Monday at 11:59 PM Eastern" is clearer than "Monday."

This matters most for creators, because you'll sell to the same people again in the spring.

What to do after the sale

• Thank every buyer. One short email with where to start.
• Deliver bonuses fast. Anything you promised should arrive within a day or two.
• Ask for testimonials in a week or two, once buyers have used the product.
• Look at the numbers. Which product sold? Which post or email sent the most buyers?
• Offer the next step. Buyers of your entry product are your best leads for the course or coaching. An order bump or upsell on the sale product can do this in the same checkout.
• Don't run another sale soon. Wait a few months. Let the full price be the price.

How to run a Black Friday sale on Eden

Eden has timed sales, discount codes, and bundles on its $29 Starter plan. See the store, courses, and digital downloads pages for the full tour.

• Timed sales. In Your store → Promotions, click New sale, or click Black Friday to fill in the name and dates. Pick the products, the percent or dollar amount off, and when it starts and ends. A sale can run up to 30 days and take up to 90% off. You can set it up weeks ahead, and it turns on and off by itself. See Run a sale.
• A real countdown and crossed-out price. Buyers see a banner like "Black Friday: 40% off" with "Ends in 2d 4h 12m", and the old price crossed out next to the sale price. When the countdown ends, the price goes back up and checkout refuses the sale price. Someone already paying gets 30 minutes to finish.
• Early access with a code. Make a discount code that ends the day before your public sale starts (set Ends on), copy its link, and send it to your list. Only people with the link get the early price. A sale can also be set to With a code if you want a code-only sale with a countdown.
• Discount code links. On any paid product, add codes on the Offer step (with optional Max uses and Ends on), then click the link icon to copy a link that applies the code. You can also add ?code=YOURCODE to your checkout link. See Offer discount codes.
• Bundles. Put two to 20 paid, one-time products together at one price. Leave Was price empty and the page shows what the products cost one by one. See Sell a bundle.
• Order bumps. Add a checkbox above Pay that adds a second product, like a bonus pack, to the same payment. See Add an order bump.
• See what worked. Each sale shows its orders and money made. Your store's Overview lists each sale under Where sales come from.

Rules to know before you plan:

• Sales and codes never stack. If a buyer has both, they get whichever price is lower.
• Sales skip bundles, order bumps, and upsells. So do codes for bundles. To put a bundle on sale, lower its price for the weekend and raise it back by hand after.
• Memberships: a sale or code only comes off the first payment.
• Free products and products sold through your own checkout aren't included.

Where Eden falls short: Eden doesn't send email broadcasts yet, so you'll send your sale emails from your email tool (Kit, beehiiv, and GoHighLevel connect directly for new buyers and signups). There are no split-pay plans. Eden isn't the merchant of record, so sales tax through Stripe is yours to handle. Selling needs the Starter plan, and Eden takes 5% per sale.

Frequently asked questions

When is Black Friday 2026?

Friday, November 27, 2026. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, and Cyber Monday is Monday, November 30.

How much should I discount a digital product for Black Friday?

For most courses and templates, 20% to 30% feels like a real deal. Go to 40% or 50% only if this is your one big sale of the year.

Should I discount coaching on Black Friday?

Usually not. Your time is limited, so a cheaper call means more work for less money. Add a bonus instead, like an extra session or a template pack.

Is it OK to extend a Black Friday sale?

It's your call, but every extension teaches buyers that deadlines don't mean much. If you want a second chance to buy, plan it from the start and say so, like a separate Cyber Monday offer.

Ready to plan your sale? Start Eden free and set it up weeks ahead.