Module 13

Promotions, launches and big sales

11 lessons, 43 stepsOne instruction at a time, each with the result to expect. Tick steps as you go; Helix remembers.

Outcome: a year of sales peaks that are planned, profitable and easy to repeat, and a step-by-step plan for every big sale, from setting the target to the weeks after.

Related SOP: 15 Promo calendar and sales

In plain words

Stage: Convert (turn visits into sales). Every lesson below is tagged with its stage; see Attract, Convert, Grow.

What it is: How to plan sales and launches so they make money, not just noise.

Why it matters: Busy periods can make your year. Planned sales are far more profitable than last-minute ones.

Do this:

Mark your big dates for the year.

For each sale, set a profit target and the discount you can afford.

Warm up your list and audiences before the sale starts.

Words to know:

Warm audience: People who know you: they visited, followed or watched your videos.

Margin: The share of each sale you keep after product cost. A $100 sale with $40 product cost is a 60% margin.

All words are explained in the glossary.

Lesson 13.1: The promotional rhythmConvert

Why this matters

A year of promotions works best as a rhythm, so customers learn when to look and you are never scrambling. Four kinds of promotion cover the year, and only one of them needs deep discounts, as a last resort.

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Step 1 of 4

Pick a regular day and time for new product releases (for example the first Thursday of each month, 7pm) and put the next 6 on your calendar.

Expected result

Your release dates are set and repeat monthly.

Add it to your calendar

Lesson 13.2: Launch phasesConvert

Why this matters

A launch has four phases, and each needs its own message. Skipping the build-up or the follow-up leaves most of the sales on the table.

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Step 1 of 4

Before launch, tease the product and open a waitlist and early-access sign-up.

Expected result

People are signing up before the product is out.

Lesson 13.3: New product drop campaign structureConvert

Why this matters

How you structure a product drop depends on your spend. Either way, your warm audiences and email list should get first access while normal campaigns keep running.

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Step 1 of 2

If you spend a lot (roughly $1,000 a day or more), make a separate launch campaign; if less, add launch ads to your normal cold and warm campaigns.

Expected result

Launch ads have a home that fits your budget.

Lesson 13.4: The big sale, step by stepConvert

Why this matters

A big sale is a project with eight parts, from the target to the shipping cut-offs. Planning each part in order is what makes a sale profitable and repeatable.

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Set the target: last year's sales for this event times your growth rate, checked against list size, budget and stock.

Expected result

You have a sales target you can resource.

Open your monthly goals

Lesson 13.5: Hype phaseConvert

Why this matters

The hype phase builds excitement before the sale starts, so launch day begins with a crowd. Moving budget across slowly protects the campaigns that bring new customers every day.

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Step 1 of 3

Run sign-up ads and teasers for 3 to 5 days before the sale.

Expected result

Your early-access list grows each day.

Lesson 13.6: Running the saleConvert

Why this matters

Running the sale is a daily routine: the right campaigns, spending limits, a daily check and a strong finish. Judge the whole event, not single days.

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Step 1 of 5

Set up sale campaigns: a copy of your best cold campaign, a cold campaign with combined audiences and exclusions, a mixed campaign with no exclusions, warm campaigns, and hot campaigns (add to cart and checkout).

Expected result

All sale campaigns are built and paused before launch.

Lesson 13.7: After the saleGrow

Why this matters

After a sale there is always a slow period, and how you handle it decides how many new buyers you keep. A short review makes the next event better.

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Turn normal campaigns back up in steps over a week, not all at once.

Expected result

Campaigns recover without a spending shock.

Lesson 13.8: If the sale is failingConvert

Why this matters

When a sale is behind plan, the cause is usually one of five things. Find it fast, then use a rescue move that does not damage trust.

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Step 1 of 2

Check the five causes: an offer weaker than competitors', an offer that is not clear in the first seconds of ads, a site problem, a list that is too small, or bad timing.

Expected result

You have named the likely cause.

Lesson 13.9: Experience levelsConvert

Why this matters

Your sale plan should grow with your experience. Starting simple and adding layers each time keeps sales profitable while you learn.

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Step 1 of 2

Find your level: starter (one offer, simple schedule, sale versions of flows), seasoned (gift levels, hype phase, mid-sale release, separate sale campaigns) or advanced (daily budget plan, every channel planned, product sales targets).

Expected result

You know your level.

Lesson 13.10: Key dates and beyond Black FridayGrow

Why this matters

Plan the whole busy season, not one weekend. For many stores Black Friday and Cyber Monday is the biggest window of the year, and it is won months before November. Helix adds the staged plan to your calendar from 1 August.

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Step 1 of 5

Year-round, test ad angles and offers and grow your list, so you know what works before the busy season.

Expected result

You have proven ads and a bigger list by August.

Lesson 13.11: Cross-channel checklistConvert

Why this matters

Big sales use every channel at once, and one missed setting can cost a day of sales. Tick this list a week before launch.

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Confirm Meta and Google sale campaigns are built and switched off.

Expected result

Campaigns are ready to switch on.

Self-check

How many big sales peaks should you plan each year?
What do you try before deep discounts to clear stock?
Why not cut normal ad spend to zero during the hype phase?

Answers

Three to four.
A free gift with purchase, bundles, VIP codes or gift cards.
Campaigns lose what they have learned and you lose the flow of new customers. Move budget across slowly instead.

Words to know in this module

Profit: What is left from sales after product cost, shipping, payment fees, discounts, refunds and ads. This is the number Helix cares about most.
Warm audience: People who know you: they visited, followed or watched your videos.
Margin: The share of each sale you keep after product cost. A $100 sale with $40 product cost is a 60% margin.
Product cost: What one item costs you to make or buy, including freight to your warehouse.
Bundle: Two or more products sold together, often with a small saving.
Campaign: The top level in an ad account. It holds the goal, like getting sales.
Flow: An email or text series that sends by itself when something happens, like a new sign-up.
Theme: The design template for your Shopify store. It controls how every page looks.
Creative: The ad itself: the picture or video plus the words.
Landing page: The page someone lands on after clicking an ad.
MER: All ad spend divided by all sales, as a percentage. MER 25% means $25 of ads for every $100 of sales.
Product feed: The list of your products, prices and photos that Google and Meta read to make shopping ads.
Creator: A person who makes social content and can feature your product.
Test order: A pretend order you place yourself to check payments, emails and tracking work.

All words to know