The Instagram-to-email funnel, two-upsell strategy, and four-touch promo plan they run in Kit Commerce to boost every order.
Ten years ago, Jessica Beacom and her co-founder Stacey launched The Real Food Dietitians with a meal plan membership. They refunded everyone within weeks.
“The tech was glitchy, we had no recipes created, and we were creating 10 to 12 new recipes every month to put out into these meal plans,” Jessica remembers. “So we refunded everyone their money. We’re like, sorry, this isn’t going to work for us.”
They focused on what they knew best: creating healthy, approachable recipes that busy people could actually make. Today, The Real Food Dietitians is a team of three registered dietitian nutritionists with two full-time support staff, serving over 105,000 email subscribers with a 60% open rate.
Their mission is simple—solve the “what’s for dinner?” question with recipes that are short on ingredients and big on flavor. Between the five team members, they have 14 children ranging from one to 18 years old. They test every recipe with allergy modifications because they understand that people want to eat well without spending hours in the kitchen.
While ad revenue drives their business, followed by affiliate income, digital products have become their third revenue stream, generating tens of thousands of dollars in ebooks annually. Their product line includes six-week meal plans, high-protein guides, freezer-friendly recipe collections, and make-ahead breakfast ebooks.
And when it comes to selling those products, email is their foundation. “We always say that. Like if, you know, Instagram shut down tomorrow or Facebook closed, which is a reality, like we own our list,” Jessica emphasizes. “Those are our people.”
They’ll ride social media waves as long as they last. But if algorithms change or platforms disappear, they can still reach their audience, drive traffic to their website, sell ebooks, and promote affiliate products. That’s the power of owning your audience relationship.
Why Kit Commerce: Simplicity meets profitability
Before Kit Commerce, The Real Food Dietitians used Gumroad. It worked, but it meant sending subscribers to a third-party platform, customizing pages to match their brand, and managing yet another system.
Simply put: it was complicated and expensive.
“We just found that having our developer add WooCommerce or something to our site or a Stripe portal was just expensive,” Jessica explains. “And then there was the maintenance and it was always glitchy.”
Kit Commerce changed that. Now they list products, set prices, and promote directly from their emails all in one platform. With fees of just 0.6% plus credit card transaction fees, they keep more of what they earn.
Jessica notes it’s easier for the team to add products with Kit Commerce, and more importantly, it’s a seamless process for subscribers going from email to product.
That simplicity has allowed Jessica, who runs all backend email and website operations, to manage everything without technical headaches. She can add tags, create sequences, and see exactly where people are coming from and going—all without developer support or complex integrations.
Seven strategies that drive tens of thousands in revenue
With Kit Commerce handling the technical side, Jessica has focused on developing strategies that consistently turn subscribers into customers. Over 10 years of selling digital products, she’s refined an approach that removes friction at every step and maximizes revenue from every product launch.
Here’s exactly what she does.
Strategy 1: Build a full funnel from Instagram to inbox to purchase
The Real Food Dietitians don’t wait for people to find them. They create multiple entry points to capture subscribers wherever they’re already spending time.
Someone might find them through a website pop-up offering 30 fall crockpot recipes. Or they might see a recipe on Instagram, comment “recipe” on the post, and enter through a Manychat funnel. Either way, new subscribers immediately enter an automation sequence.
Here’s how their funnel works:
- Entry point: Users enter via a site pop-up, Instagram/Manychat, blog post, or land directly on a Kit landing page.
- Welcome sequence: Users fill out their email to access the content and enter a three- to five-email sequence with recipes on a specific topic, e.g. crockpot timing tips, freezer breakfast hacks, meal prep strategies.
- Thank you page: After entering the sequence, users land on a thank you page with a purchase prompt: “While you’re waiting, these are our top five recipes. Also check out all of our ebooks.”
- Product page: From there, the team takes users to a page listing all their ebooks, with each one linking to its Kit Commerce landing page.
Jessica notes the team created a storefront page on their site that lists all their offers, then drives customers to the individual Kit landing pages to complete the purchase.
Your action step: Map your full funnel from first touch to purchase. Where are your entry points? What sequences nurture new subscribers? How do people discover your products?
Get this strategy and more in our Kit Creators’ Top Selling Secrets playbook. You’ll get Jessica’s best tips as well as two other profitable Kit Creators—all for free. Download the playbook now.
Strategy 2: Always attach two upsells to boost order value
Jessica never sells just one product. Every Kit Commerce product includes two strategic upsells that appear immediately after purchase.
“Most people are buying an upsell,” Jessica says. For example, she notes if a user buys the team’s six-week real food menu number two, they’re more likely to purchase volume one because they get $4 off with the upsell offer. The strategy works particularly well with new subscribers who don’t already own The Real Food Dietitian’s full library.
The two-upsell “recipe” that lifts AOV for ebooks:
- Volume two buyers see volume one at $4 off
- Related product bundles get deeper discounts (like $8 off instead of $4)
- Upsells feature complementary products, not random offerings
Why this works: The buyer is already in purchase mode. They’ve decided you’re worth paying for. Offering a logical next step while they’re still in that mindset dramatically increases order value.
Your action step: Go into Kit right now and add two upsells to each of your products. Think about what someone who just bought your product would naturally want next.
Strategy 3: Give value freely, then promote without guilt
One of Jessica’s biggest mindset shifts has been around promotion frequency.
“I used to think, ‘oh, we’re being annoying’,” she admits.
But now, her sales strategies follow a “jab, jab, jab, right hook” framework—give three free things, then ask for something. An email about favorite baking essentials. Another about the best crockpots. A third with meal prep tips. Then lastly, “By the way, we have an ebook for this.”
The Real Food Dietitians send five to six broadcasts per week, maintaining that 60% open rate because people genuinely want to see what they have.
“I think the key to why our content is always well received is that we give a lot,” Jessica says. She explains that when you first mention an offer in an email, people may not notice it. And that’s ok.
“They’re not going to scroll down far enough,” she says. “They’re not going to read it or they’re going to read it and be like, oh, I don’t need it right now. But you mention it again at a different time of the year and they’re like, oh, I really do need that.”
If you only offer something once, you miss the chance to reach your audience when they are ready to purchase.
Your action step: Audit your last 10 emails. What’s your ratio of giving value versus asking for a purchase? Aim for at least 3:1.
Strategy 4: Use link triggers to identify high-intent buyers before your sale
For big sales moments like Black Friday, Jessica’s strategy doesn’t start on Black Friday. It starts weeks earlier with a simple technique that tags subscribers based on interest level.
She sends an email teasing the upcoming sale with a link: “We’re going to be having a big sale on this ebook on Black Friday. If you’re interested, go ahead and click here.”
When someone clicks, Kit automatically adds a tag using a link trigger.
Then, when Black Friday arrives, she sends two emails. The first goes to everyone. The second goes only to people who clicked that link weeks earlier. This strategy allows you to reach your high intent audience with a special offer, exclusive first access, or even simply a personal message.
“We’ll send them a little extra note and say, ‘Hey, our Black Friday just started, and I wanted to personally let you know that our ebook is 50% off right now’,” Jessica explains. “And that sees really good conversions.”
How to set this up in Kit:
- Create a tag called “Interested in [Black Friday Sale]”.
- In your warm-up email, add a link to learn more about the product and sale.
- Set up a rule for when someone clicks that link, to add the tag.
- The day before the sale, segment your launch email to that tagged group first.
Your action step: For your next product launch or sale, send a “teaser” email two weeks in advance with a link trigger so you can segment your most interested subscribers. You’ll know exactly who to prioritize on launch day.
Strategy 5: Think of promotions in four touches, not one
Jessica learned this framework from her college chemistry professor: “Everything is Greek, muddy, cloudy, and clear,” she explains. “The first time you hear it, see it, or do it, it’s going to be Greek. Next time it’s muddy, then it’s cloudy. It’s becoming a little bit more clear. And then finally, the fourth time you see it, it’s clear.”
She applies this principle to product promotions. The first mention might tease the problem the product solves. The second gets more specific about the solution. The third includes that pre-sale link trigger. The fourth is the actual sale.
Her selling sequence:
- Touch 1 (3-4 weeks before): Surface the problem. “Don’t you hate when you come home and you have nothing planned? You haven’t gone to the grocery store. Your kids are hungry. There’s no leftovers.”
- Touch 2 (2 weeks before): Show the solution exists. “We created this meal plan to solve exactly that problem.”
- Touch 3 (1 week before): Add the link trigger. “We’re going to be having a big sale on this ebook next week. Click here if you’re interested.”
- Touch 4 (Sale day): Make the offer. “It’s here: 50% off right now.”
“We don’t necessarily hard sell on day one,” Jessica says. “We kind of soft-sell and then a little softer sell. And that fourth time we’re like, ‘Hey, it’s here! It’s time!’'”
Your action step: Map out your next product launch using four distinct emails. Each one should move the buyer closer without overwhelming them on day one.
Strategy 6: Run strategic flash sales throughout the year
The Real Food Dietitians don’t just wait for big selling days like Black Friday. They create multiple opportunities to discount and promote their products:
Example sale calendar:
- New product launch: One- to two-week discount code, promoted on social and email
- Black Friday: 50% off everything
- Anniversary/milestones: 24-hour flash sales (like their upcoming 10th anniversary)
- Regular promotions: Discount codes exclusive for email list
A flash sale strategy isn’t just about offering a discount. It’s about urgency combined with volume. Lower price point, higher volume, still profitable.
Your action step: Plan your next flash sale. Give it a tight timeline (24-48 hours), a clear reason (milestone, holiday, season), and promote it repeatedly during that window.
Strategy 7: Partner with complementary creators on discount code swaps
Here’s a revenue strategy most creators overlook: code swaps with other creators who serve the same audience but aren’t direct competitors.
The Real Food Dietitians identify creators with complementary products—maybe someone who teaches meal prep organization while they focus on recipes.
Partner code swaps: grow ebook sales without ads
“We’ll make a code for them, and they’ll make a code for us in Kit, and then we’ll just switch codes,” she says of the tried-and-true strategy.
Both creators get exposure to warm audiences who already value educational content. Nobody has to pay for ads. Everyone wins.
How to find partnership opportunities:
- Look for creators serving your audience but solving different problems
- Propose a simple code exchange (not a complex affiliate setup)
- Create unique discount codes in Kit Commerce for each partner
- Promote to your respective audiences on the same timeline
Your action step: Identify three creators who serve your audience but aren’t competitors. Reach out this week with a simple code swap proposal.
Bonus action step: Leverage Kit Recommendations to grow your email list with credible subscribers from other Kit creators.
Putting it all together: your Black Friday action plan
These strategies work year-round, but they’re particularly powerful during high-stakes selling moments like Black Friday. Jessica’s approach combines all seven strategies into a cohesive plan that warms up subscribers, identifies serious buyers, and maximizes revenue during peak selling periods.
If you’re gearing up for your first Black Friday (or want to improve upon last year), here’s how to apply everything Jessica does:
- Four weeks before: Start talking about the problem your product solves. No selling yet, just surfacing the pain point. This is your first touch—making the offer “Greek” to your audience.
- Two to three weeks before: Introduce your product as the solution. Still not selling, just educating. This makes it “muddy”—they’re starting to understand.
- One week before: Send a “heads up” email with a link trigger. Let people opt into hearing about your sale. Anyone who clicks gets tagged. This is “cloudy”—they can see where you’re going.
- Sale day: Email everyone, but segment your most interested buyers (those with the tag) for an early or exclusive offer. This is “clear”—it’s time to buy. Don’t forget your upsells here.
- Throughout the sale: Send reminder emails. Use your four-touch framework. Remember that people are busy and genuinely appreciate being reminded about opportunities they care about.
- Consider partnerships: Reach out to complementary creators before your sale. A well-timed code swap can expose your products to entirely new audiences right when you’re running your promotion.
“Don’t think of Black Friday as one day,” Jessica advises. “Think about it like leading into it.”
Do you still need to get your Black Friday selling strategy in order? Download our Black Friday Automations Power Playbook to get four automations and templates to use right now.
The Real Food Dietitians have built a digital product business generating tens of thousands in annual revenue by following these exact strategies. They started with a failed meal plan membership and refunded everyone. Now they have a profitable ebook business all because they simplified their tech with Kit Commerce, built strategic funnels, and promoted without guilt.
Ready to sell your digital products with less friction and more revenue? Kit Commerce makes it simple to set up products, create upsells, run promotions, and deliver everything automatically.
