Hey hey, Nik here.
I have a confession to make: I don't like Black Friday. I really don't.
I've been a cautious consumer for years. I don't like buying stuff. I'm wary that it might just take up space — physical but mostly mental — that would otherwise be reserved for the important things in life: relationships, work, contemplation, and fun.
I especially don't like the in-store-shopping-madness. People go crazy for these discounts. I mean, who tackles an 11-year-old and a 60-year-old lady for an Xbox? Seriously. That really happened.
However, no matter how cautious, I still am a consumer, like all of us. And, thankfully, over the years, more and more of the Black Friday madness has moved online. At least now, we can comfortably browse deals on our couch. No need to run around, and, thanks to email alerts and services going digital, no need to worry about supplies running out either, at least in many cases.
All in all, I've arranged myself with it. And yes, I too wait for Black Friday deals on certain things if I can afford to wait.
The one thing I'd never have expected is that I'd be on the other side of the fence. That I would be promoting things on Black Friday. I never planned on doing so. But then, in the fall of 2016, Blinkist* sent me a message. I had been promoting them on Four Minute Books already, and they said: "Look, we have this deal. Wanna give it a go?"
I honestly wasn't sure, but I thought, "Okay, why not?" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Only 900 people opened that first email (and even in that one I complained about Black Friday), but it turned out to be the most successful day of the year in terms of revenue. I was sitting in college class, watching the sales roll in. It was maybe $500 or so, and I thought: "Wow, this is amazing!"
And, honestly, it was hard to feel bad about it. This was the highest discount Blinkist offered all year. There were no better terms, and thus no better day for people to get it.
It was also a product I believed in. It's not a new TV, or toy, or smartphone, or some other junk that'll only distract you from what really matters. This was a tool to read. To learn. To get a little bit better every day and have fun while doing it. And it was cheap too. Less than 10 cents a day! Most people spend 20 times as much on coffee.
And so, somehow, six years later, here we are. The Blinkist Black Friday Deal* has become an annual tradition, and despite my concerns about where this ever-extending sales event will end (have you noticed we're now in mid-November for most deals starting?), I'm also proud that Four Minute Books has become one of Blinkist's biggest and most loyal partners.
Because you know what's also remarkable? That in those 6 years, Blinkist's product has gotten 10x better, and yet, it is now cheaper than it was back then.
In 2016, Blinkist offered 50% off. You ended up paying $40/year, and you got access to 1,800 book summaries.
Today, you can get Blinkist for $32/year at 60% off* — but Blinkist now has over 5,500 summaries! They've also added podcast summaries, discounts for full-length audiobooks, and even a free second account to share so every member can have a learning buddy.
They've also added a free 7-day trial, so now, everyone can sample the full Blinkist experience risk-free before deciding whether to stick around. And the discount still applies, of course. So, I said it in 2016, and I still stand by it in 2022: Blinkist's Black Friday Deal* is one of the few things truly worth getting — or at least trying out — on this weird day we've somehow all arranged ourselves with.
If you're wondering how else Blinkist will help you cement a daily learning habit and make you smarter in less time, here are some bullets:
- You can consume all the main takeaways of a book in just 15 minutes — every day.
- It's great for picking up new skills on the go, like better productivity or meditation techniques.
- You could listen to audio summaries while working out or running errands.
- Shortcasts will teach you lots of fun facts while you're bored in line or on the subway, for example in the fields of psychology, health, and history.
- For better memorization, you can sync your highlights to Evernote and read offline to keep reviewing what you've learned and better remember all the lessons.
- If you export summaries to your Kindle, you can keep them forever, even after you cancel.
| Try Blinkist Free & Lock In 60% Off » |
I know Black Friday isn't perfect. In fact, it's thanks to books and their summaries — the kind you might read on Blinkist — that I've started reflecting about things like this more carefully, and, as always, the world is neither black nor white.
If you just waste a lot of money on Black Friday, that's bad. But if you deliberately make a few purchases you'll actually use and that truly make your life better, getting a deal can be a wonderful thing.
I hope you'll consider this one*, and I'm as thankful as I was six years ago that you're (still) allowing me to share it with you.
Thank you!
Happy reading,
-Nik
PS: By getting Blinkist's Black Friday Deal or even just starting a free trial*, you're supporting Four Minute Books at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
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