Your Black Friday offer is boring (here are 3 that aren't)

Hey,

It's Black Friday week.

Your inbox is full of "20% OFF EVERYTHING!!!!" emails.

Your customers' inboxes are too.

Here's the problem:

When you discount, you train people to wait for discounts.

When you do what everyone else does, you disappear into the noise.

So here are 3 Black Friday offers that are different and make you stand out:

1. A Math Offer That Makes Them Feel Smart

Don't discount your current plan.

Make upgrading irresistible.

Example:

"You're on our Starter plan at $49/month.

Black Friday deal:

• Renew Starter at 20% off = $39/month (don’t show this number though)

• Upgrade to Pro at 50% off = $55/month

That's $16 more for 7 features you've been wanting.

Less than 2 coffees. Lock it in for 12 months."

Show them what they are paying now.

Show them what they will be paying if they upgrade with a discount.

And show them how, its barely increasing..

But features on the other hand, will explode.

Why this works:

→ You're not devaluing your product
→ The math makes upgrading feel like a no-brainer
→ You move customers UP, not sideways
→ Annual lock-in = predictable revenue

The formula:

Small discount on current tier (10-20%)
Massive discount on upgrade (40-50%)
Frame the difference as "just $X more"

People don't want deals. They want to feel smart.

2. The Viral Social Campaign (Attention > Discounts)

Forget discounts entirely.

Do something so interesting people HAVE to talk about it.

Option A: Philanthropic (Feel-Good Viral)

"For every Black Friday sale, we're funding 3 months of our tool for a bootstrapped founder who can't afford it yet."

Then:

• Create a simple form for founders to nominate themselves

• Post winner announcements on Twitter/LinkedIn

• Your customers share it because it feels good

• PR writes itself

A Shop SaaS, I think…Gumroad did this. They funded creators.

Got 10x the coverage of any discount campaign.

Option B: Chaotic Energy (Can't-Look-Away Viral)

"For every Pro plan sold this week, we're mailing a glitter bomb to a VC who passed on us in 2022."

Or:

"Every sale = $10 to a fund that buys billboards roasting overpriced enterprise software."

Or:

"We're donating $50 per sale to plant trees in the parking lot of our biggest competitor."

Why this works:

→ It's unusual enough to screenshot and share
→ It shows personality (people buy from people)
→ It's a story, not a transaction
→ You stand out in a sea of "25% OFF" emails

The formula:

Pick something tied to your brand story
Make it specific and visual (people need to picture it)
Give people a reason to share (funny/good/chaotic)

3. The Anti-Black Friday Play (Position Against the Chaos)

Forget discounts.

Take a stand AGAINST Black Friday.

Sounds crazy, but it worked.

Example: Cards Against Humanity (2023)

They RAISED prices on Black Friday instead of lowering them.

Then created a social media platform called "Yowza" where users could only post the word "yowza."

It was absurd. It mocked consumerism AND social media culture.

But their visibility exploded.

They stayed 100% on-brand: irreverent, anti-establishment, hilarious.

Example: IKEA's "Keep Good Things Going" (2023)

Ikea did a Black Friday campaign about NOT buying new furniture.

Instead: "Upgrade or repair what you have." They highlighted their 4,000+ FREE assembly parts (nuts, bolts, screws).

Message: Repair instead of replace.

Hit a chord with price-conscious AND environmentally-conscious shoppers.

No discounts. Just values.

Specific ideas you can steal:

Option A: "We're Closed on Black Friday"

Announce you're shutting down your site on Black Friday.

"While everyone else is racing to the bottom with discounts, we're giving our team a day off. Our product is worth full price 365 days a year. If you disagree, we're not your SaaS."

Post about it. Make it a statement.

The audacity gets attention.

Option B: "Fix Friday"

Instead of selling NEW subscriptions, help existing customers.

"This Black Friday, we're fixing your biggest pain points—not chasing new customers.

Book a free onboarding session. Get priority support. We'll migrate your data for free. Current customers only."

Shows you value retention over acquisition.

Option C: "Pay What You Want (But We're Donating It)"

"Black Friday special: Pay what you think is fair for our annual plan. 100% goes to [cause your audience cares about]."

For SaaS founders: Maybe it's funding a bootstrapped founder's first year of tools.

Why anti-Black Friday works:

→ Differentiation in a sea of "20% OFF" (everyone discounts, you stand out by not)
→ Attracts values-aligned customers (the ones who stay longest)
→ PR magnet (journalists love contrarian stories)
→ Shows confidence ("Our product doesn't need a discount to sell")

Every other SaaS is doing "20% off annual plans."

You don't need to compete with that.

You need to do something your customers will REMEMBER.

Something they'll screenshot.

Something they'll tell their founder friends about.

Pick one of these.

Or steal the concept and make it yours.

Just don't be boring.

Because boring disappears.

And Black Friday is too good an opportunity to waste on "same discount, different year."

Hope this helps!

Arunima