What are the key phases of running a proper sale campaign?

A proper sale has six phases over three to four weeks. Phase one is the warm-up (weeks three and two before launch): share non-salesy, engaging content—funny posts, behind-the-scenes, memes, vulnerability—to build goodwill and charge your engagement battery. Phase two is launch day: staggered announcements across all your channels—email, then Facebook, Instagram stories, TikTok, SMS, etc.—with the same core message and imagery, tuned to each platform. Phase three is mid-sale (the sale week): stay active daily, don’t go quiet; keep the story going with fresh angles, resend emails to people who didn’t open, and maintain momentum. Phase four is the twenty-four-hours-left push: announce the imminent deadline across all channels to create urgency. Phase five is the optional extension: extend the sale briefly to catch fence-sitters and procrastinators—this often drives significant additional sales. Phase six is post-sale follow-up: thank buyers, follow up on abandoned carts, send personalized shipping confirmations, and look for upsell opportunities.

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Asked by synthesized from teaching · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2026-04-23