A few years ago, I worked with an agency that built monthly promotions/launches for their clients.
When you write that many, patterns start to emerge quickly. I realized early on that we followed the same basic skeleton every time.
And it wasn’t “forced.” It was the most logical way you’d expect a launch or promotion to flow:
- Announce/open
- Sustain interest through the middle
- Close/last call
I also noticed that sales followed a predictable “barbell” pattern — the Announcement and Last Call did most of the sales, while things dipped and stayed consistent through the promo’s middle.
Makes a barbell shape. Heavy on the ends, light in the middle.
Once I had that skeleton and those patterns clearly in my head, planning campaigns got way easier.
Instead of staring at a blank calendar wondering how to structure the whole thing, I could split up my promo planning/strategy into those three sections.
Every campaign I’ve written since follows some version of this structure:
- Product launches
- Seasonal sales
- Price hikes
- Flash promos
It sounds almost too simple.
But knowing it makes you faster, more intentional, and a lot more likely to run a campaign that rings the register repeatedly.
Here’s how each part works.
| Table of Contents |
| The Announcement The Middle The Last Call BONUS: The Teaser Simple Structure, Serious Results What To Do Next |
The Announcement
For a campaign to be successful, people need to hear about it.
The Announcement portion opens the campaign by introducing:
- The offer (such as BOGO, gift with purchase, new product launch, etc)
- The reason for the campaign
- The deadline/other logistical information
And any other info they need to decide.
Ready buyers will buy in spades here. They’re already on the verge of buying, and just need a push from you to do it. The novelty alone will carry a lot of weight.
Speaking of that…
Send the announcement to your full engaged list. This is the widest net you’ll cast during the campaign, so you want as many of the right people seeing it as possible.
Depending on the length and nature of the campaign, you might send more than one email at this stage. One announcement email will make the register ring, but a follow-up will only add to your earnings.
One other note: Some brands exclude customers who bought in the last X days from emails at this point and beyond.
You don’t want to annoy or overwhelm them when they already took advantage, as the logic goes.
The upside is a lower likelihood of causing them to unsubscribe, but the downside is losing another opportunity to make a repeat sale. Up to you.
The Middle
Between the start and end of the campaign lies, well… the dreaded Middle.
You don’t get to coast on the novelty of the Announcement nor the urgency of the Last Call. The subs who bought then won’t necessarily be back to buy again for a bit.
Your revenue lives and dies by the quality of the emails (and the offer).
The good news is you have plenty of tools. Things like:
- Customer stories/storymonials (stories with bits of the customer testimonial sprinkled throughout)
- Educational emails
- Product usage guidance
- Belief-shifters
- FAQs
In other words, the same kinds of emails you’d write to your list OUTSIDE of promos… but with heavier emphasis on what the promo is.
Do it right, and you could defy the “barbell” shape promos usually have.
I know so, because I did.
My “Behind-The-Scenes Story” email example in my 21-Email Swipe Vault was one of these emails.
I told an obviously satirical story of the founder’s accountant freaking out that the company would go under because the promo deal was too valuable.
That email did almost as well as the first announcement email, far exceeding the other Middle emails.
Goes to show that if you get creative, it can pay off.
The Last Call
The Last Call portion closes down the campaign… but it’s where you catch a ton more sales — especially from those who haven’t bought yet.
The urgency is most real here, so you lean heavily into it to shake those skeptics off the fence.
Your copy here should be a bit shorter and more direct, almost like a mirror of the announcement.
I like to do at least two emails:
- One that’s a bit longer (but not long) recapping the offer and driving deadline-based AND problem-based urgency
- A second evening send that’s much shorter and presses the urgency even harder since only a few hours remain
But I’ve seen people do more than that (particularly info product sellers).
BONUS: The Teaser
I love to write a short curiosity-building email before the cart opens. It amplifies the Announcement’s novelty since readers are primed to look for the sale or drop announcement.
Teasers also offer opportunities to:
- Nab some extra sales with recommended product blocks, or even
- Build an SMS list by promising early access
They’re fun and easy to write, too. Test one in your next campaign.
Simple Structure, Serious Results
This 3-part framework is simple on purpose. Announce the offer, sustain momentum through the middle, drive urgency at the close.
Adding complexity is rarely necessary outside of special occasions like Black Friday sales.
But that’s the skeleton. What about the copy you write? Especially in the middle, where you have to keep giving the reader helpful and entertaining content?
My 21-Email Swipe Vault has 21 of my best emails — each a different type — to show you what kinds of ideas you could use.
Personal stories, science-based emails, product care/usage guides, belief-shifters… these and many others are all inside the vault.
What To Do Next
- Share this article with someone who might find it helpful (or entertaining).
- Subscribe to my Substack to get these in your inbox every Friday.
- Learn 10 key email automations that unlock 10-15% more store revenue without extra ad spend.
- Grab my 21 best email templates/frameworks.
- Reach out to me at info(at)bradleyschnitzer.com if you have a sizable email list and make less than 20% of your revenue through email.