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In this episode, Jeremy breaks down one of the most overlooked—but most profitable—windows in the entire sports marketing calendar: Q5, the five-to-seven-day stretch between Christmas and New Year’s. While big advertisers shut down campaigns and CPMs plummet, fans are at home scrolling with gift cards, holiday cash, and a “treat yourself” mindset. Jeremy explains why Q5 consistently delivers cheaper traffic, higher conversions, and a massive edge for teams who prepare simple, compelling offers. You’ll walk away with tactical ideas, best practices, and pitfalls to avoid so you can win that week without increasing your budget.

Key Topics Covered

• What Q5 is and why marketers consider it the “hidden fifth quarter.”
• Why ad costs drop 20–50% and how sports teams can capitalize
• The psychological mindset of fans between Christmas and New Year’s
• The four big benefits of Q5: cheaper ads, impulse buying, treat-yourself energy, and better-performing creative
• Tactical promos perfect for Q5: mystery packs, January/February packs, flash offers, family-focused bundles
• Why storytelling ads and light content crush during this window
• What NOT to do during Q5 (complicated offers, pausing spend, ignoring warm audiences)
• How Q5 builds momentum for January–March ticket sales

Suggested Timestamps

00:00 — What is Q5 and why sports teams ignore it
01:06 — Why advertisers disappear (and why that's good for you)
03:33 — Cheaper CPMs, CPCs, and conversions: the Q5 advantage
05:55 — The “treat yourself” mindset and holiday buyer psychology
08:15 — Q5 offer ideas: mystery packs, winter ticket packs, flash promos
10:27 — Using content to cheaply warm audiences
11:38 — Q5 cautions and best practices
12:49 — Final thoughts + why Q5 is the easiest win of the year

Call to Action

Got a Q5 idea you want to pressure test? Want help shaping an offer, promotion, or ad angle for that week? Send Jeremy a message or schedule a quick 10–20 minute call to brainstorm your Q5 plan and set up your January–March sales for a major lift.

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Buyout nights are one of the most misunderstood tools in sports marketing. Some teams swear by them — others won’t touch them with a ten-foot pole. In this episode, Jeremy breaks down exactly why buyout nights can be a revenue machine and a sponsor slam dunk… but also how they can quietly erode your ticketing strategy, overwhelm your operations, and reposition your brand as the “free entertainment option” in your community.

You’ll learn the financial upside, the hidden dangers, the operational realities, and a step-by-step framework for running buyout nights with intention — including the essential data capture, segmentation, bounce-back offers, and sponsor recaps that turn a one-night giveaway into long-term revenue.

Whether you’ve done buyout nights for years or you’re debating your first one, this episode gives you the guardrails you need to do them right.

Key Topics Covered

✔ What Buyout Nights Are (and the Two Main Formats Teams Use)

• Full buyout: A sponsor pays a lump sum so the entire community gets in free
• Partial buyout: A sponsor buys a block of deeply discounted tickets (e.g., $2–$4 each) for employees or a defined segment

✔ Why Buyout Nights Work — When They Work

• Guaranteed revenue upfront, regardless of opponent, weather, or win-loss record
• Perfect for teams in unpredictable climates or with volatile attendance rhythms
• Creates a “manufactured” packed house that directly enhances game entertainment
• Strengthens sponsor relationships through visibility, goodwill, and community impact
• Functions as a massive sampling event for new or casual fans
• Acts as one of the cheapest fan acquisition channels when data is captured properly

✔ The Hidden Downsides Most Teams Ignore

• Training your market to wait for free tickets (the “coupon culture” problem)
• Risk of season ticket holders questioning their investment
• Free/discounted attendees spend less, engage less, and convert less
• Turning your brand into the low-price entertainment option in town
• Sponsor expectations ballooning after their first successful buyout night
• Operational meltdowns when attendance jumps from 2,000 to 7,000 unexpectedly
• Lost marketing value if fan data isn’t collected every single time

✔ Why Email & Contact Capture Is Non-Negotiable

• Turning “visitors” into “buyers” starts with having their information
• Free ticket = free lead… only if you set the system up correctly
• Simple Google Form strategy: name, email, phone, zip, and one qualifying question
• How these leads power future meta audiences, family offers, and retargeting campaigns
• Why collecting data turns buyout night into one of your highest ROI events of the season

✔ The Guardrails That Make Buyout Nights Actually Work

1. Have a clear bounce-back offer ready within 24–48 hours
   A simple, low-friction “Come back for $10 next week” offer turns the spike into repeat revenue.
2. Segment your messaging for higher conversions
   Families, young adults, and potential group leads should each get their own targeted follow-up.
3. Deliver a premium sponsor recap
   Include impressions, attendance, photos, social metrics, and activation highlights.
   This is what turns one buyout ni

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In this episode, Jeremy breaks down one of the strangest ticket offers he’s ever seen—a “mystery pack” that moved nearly 700 opening day tickets months before first pitch. He unpacks why fans lined up to buy something they couldn’t fully see, using four key levers: price, surprise, giftability, and game-specific demand. You’ll walk away with plug-and-play mystery pack ideas you can adapt for your team this season.

Key Topics Covered

• The “Mystery Pack” Breakdown – How a minor league team sold 100 packs at $50 and 70 more at $40, pre-selling almost 700 opening day tickets in November.
• The 4 Levers That Make It Work – Price, surprise, giftability, and game-specific demand—and how each one lowers friction and boosts perceived value.
• The No-Brainer Floor Test – Why your base offer (even without the mystery items) has to pass a simple, “Would I buy this anyway?” sniff test.
• Designing Smart Surprise – How to keep the experience known and only make the extras mysterious so the offer feels fun, not risky.
• Turning Packs into Perfect Gifts – Structuring bundles that can go under the tree, into a stocking, or become an easy “one and done” gift for families, dads, or grandparents.
• Game-Specific Demand & Early Momentum – Using mystery packs to pre-sell your keystone nights (Opening Night, fireworks, theme nights, etc.) and build urgency months in advance.
• Ready-to-Use Mystery Pack Templates – Kids Holiday Pack, Father’s Day Dad Box, Theme Night Mystery Pack, and National Ice Cream Day bundle you can copy and customize.
• Guardrails So It Doesn’t Backfire – Avoiding junky merch, setting quantity limits, nailing fulfillment, and tracking new buyers, usage, and per caps to prove ROI.

Episode Chapters & Timestamps

• 00:00 – Introduction to the Mystery Pack Promotion
• 01:21 – The Offer That “Shouldn’t Work”… But Does
• 07:06 – The Four Key Levers: Price, Surprise, Giftability, Game Demand
• 13:53 – Pre-Selling Opening Night & Keystone Games
• 19:54 – Plug-and-Play Mystery Pack Ideas You Can Steal
• 23:37 – Guardrails, Metrics, and Final Checklist

Call to Action

Testing a mystery pack this season—holiday, Father’s Day, theme night, or something wild your GM dreamed up? Jeremy wants to see it. Send your offer, pricing, and results his way, or head to SportsMarketingMachine.com to schedule a call and workshop your own mystery bundle that makes fans say, “I don’t totally know what’s in it, but I’d be dumb not to buy it.”

Episodes Mentioned:

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n this episode, Jeremy breaks down Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) in the simplest, most actionable way for sports teams. You’ll learn what CRO actually means, which parts of the process you can control, and how small tweaks to your copy, creative, and landing pages can turn more fans into ticket buyers. If you’ve ever wondered why your ads get clicks but not sales, this episode gives you the clarity you’ve been missing.

Key Topics Covered

• What CRO really means for sports teams and why it matters
• The difference between controllable and uncontrollable factors (hint: your ticketing software isn’t one of them)
• How to improve conversion rates through stronger copy, visuals, and offer clarity
• Why “Buy Tickets” beats “Click Here to Learn More” every time
• The importance of landing page congruency with your ads
• Tracking the right metrics: website visitors → buyers
• How email simplicity boosts conversions
• Why CRO isn’t magic—it’s math, momentum, and message clarity

Timestamps

00:00 — Introduction: What CRO is (and what it isn’t)
01:06 — Breaking down conversion rate basics
03:30 — What you can’t control (ticketing software headaches)
04:00 — What you can control: copy, creative, CTAs, and layout
05:49 — Metrics that matter: website traffic → single-game sales
07:00 — Email mistakes teams make and how to fix them
08:11 — Seasonal conversion rate trends and how to optimize
09:45 — Final thoughts + how to get help diagnosing your sales and marketing performance

Sound Bite Pulls

• “You only have one offer.”
• “One offer per landing page.”
• “They want to buy now.”
• “CRO isn’t magic. It’s math.”

Social Teaser Hooks

• “If your ads get clicks but not sales, the problem isn’t the targeting—it’s what happens after the click.”
• “Sports teams don’t need more traffic. They need more conversion.”
• “Stop overwhelming fans. One page. One offer. One clear next step.”

Call to Action

If this episode helped you understand CRO in a new light, share it with someone on your team who’s trying to sell more tickets or sharpen their digital marketing. If you want Jeremy to review your sales + marketing performance and uncover growth opportunities, you can always connect at SportsMarketingMachine.com.

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Not all surveys are created equal. In this episode, Jeremy breaks down the crucial difference between community surveys (awareness audits) and fan surveys (experience audits)—and how using both strategically can turn feedback into real ticket sales. Learn when to deploy each, what questions to ask, and how to connect survey results directly to your CRM to uncover actionable insights that boost revenue and fan loyalty.

Key Topics Covered

• The real difference between a community survey and a fan survey
• How to use surveys to uncover brand awareness gaps and fan experience issues
• Why perception (community) and behavior (fans) require different approaches
• How to segment survey data by purchase history and fan type
• Turning survey results into ticket sales, renewals, and sponsorship leads
• How attention and retention work together to build community momentum
• Common mistakes teams make when collecting and analyzing survey data
• Practical examples of survey insights driving smarter marketing and ad placement

Chapters & Highlights

00:00 – Understanding surveys in sports marketing
01:00 – What a community survey really measures (perception, not performance)
03:20 – The fan survey: your experience audit
05:40 – When and how to deploy each type of survey
08:00 – Turning raw feedback into an actionable ticket sales strategy
10:30 – How to segment and analyze survey data to uncover buying intent
12:00 – Final takeaways: attention + retention = community momentum

Quote Pulls

Call to Action

If this episode got you thinking about how your team collects feedback, don’t wait until the end of the season—start now. Learn more about building smart, segmented survey dashboards at sportsmarketingmachine.com
under the Fan+ Survey service.

And if you found this helpful, share it with a fellow marketer or GM who wants to use their data better and sell more tickets.

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Black Friday and Cyber Monday are no longer about slashing prices — they’re about stacking value. In this episode, Jeremy Neisser breaks down how sports teams can create irresistible, high-perceived-value bundles that fans can’t resist. Using Alex Hormozi’s “Value Equation” as a foundation, Jeremy shows you exactly how to build, time, and promote a Black Friday offer that feels too good to pass up — without cheapening your brand.

Key Topics Covered

• Why Black Friday isn’t a clearance sale — and how to stop competing on price
• The Value Equation for sports teams: dream outcome, effort, and likelihood of success
• How to “stack value, not slash price” when building your ticket bundle
• The secret power of abundance framing (“Buy 3, Get 1 Free” beats “25% off”)
• Adding risk reversal and scarcity to drive urgency and trust
• A three-phase launch plan (Tease → Reveal → Drop) for maximum conversion
• The Five Ad Apocalypse strategy to warm up your audience before launch
• Copy, email, and landing page templates that make your offer a no-brainer
• Common conversion killers to avoid — and how to track what really worked

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Why most Black Friday offers flop
01:20 – The “Value Equation” for ticket sales
03:40 – Stack value, don’t slash price
06:05 – Competing on experience, not discounts
08:20 – The 3-phase launch plan (Tease → Reveal → Drop)
10:50 – The Five Ad Apocalypse for Meta ads
14:00 – Landing page & email copy that converts
16:20 – Measuring success & analyzing what worked
18:40 – Common pitfalls that kill conversions
21:00 – Final takeaways & challenge to listeners

Main Takeaways

1. Stack value. Bonuses beat discounts every time.
2. Follow the three-phase plan: tease, reveal, and drop.
3. Warm your audience with five ad types to build anticipation.
4. Show the math and the deadline in every message.
5. Document your results to double down next year.

Call to Action

If you create a killer Black Friday bundle, send it to Jeremy on LinkedIn
or via his website — he’ll be featuring standout examples in December. And don’t forget to rate and review the show to help more teams turn their marketing into ticket sales.

Alex Hormozi's - 100M Launch Book (AMAZON LINK)

Showpage - LINK

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Minor league veteran and Game Day Advising founder Mike Van Hise breaks down how teams can squeeze more revenue from the same building—without gutting budgets or fan experience. We talk menu engineering, speed vs. margin at concessions, season-seat strategy, staffing math, and a simple “3% better” rule that compounds into real profit. If you lead marketing, ticketing, or operations, this is a tactical roadmap you can use this homestand.

Key Topics Covered

• Clarity over cuts: Why operational efficiency starts with knowing where money flows (and leaks), not slashing line items.
• Concessions that move: Menu simplification, bottles/cans vs. fountain, and designing for speed so fans buy twice, not once.
• Presentation = price: “Cook to order” stations (grill, tacos/nachos) that lift perceived value and per caps.
• Ticketing mix that protects you from weather: Targeting a 33/33/33 revenue blend (season seats / groups / singles) and pushing pre-sold to 55–66%.
• Season seats the right way: Focus on business buyers; don’t waste cycles trying to jump a single-game fan to 70 games.
• Change management: Killing “this is how we’ve always done it” by building trust and showing a clear plan.
• Smart staffing: Use entry-gate data, cross-train roles, and cut idle time early to avoid morale hits later.
• The 3% Rule: Micro-efficiencies across 150–200 budget lines, vendor prepay discounts, and compounding gains.
• Per-cap wins: Right number of beer taps, local SKUs for pricing power, and distributor intel (what’s actually selling).
• Fail small, learn fast: Encourage $100–$500 tests; avoid the $10,000 mistake. Keep a “Book of Bad Ideas.”

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Why operational efficiency = clarity, not cuts
• 02:53 – Defining operational efficiency for sports teams
• 06:01 – Concessions: menu design, SKUs, and speed vs. margin
• 08:59 – Ticketing strategy: groups vs. season seats (and when to push each)
• 11:57 – Overcoming “we’ve always done it this way”
• 15:03 – Baseball’s timing reality: build for 90–130 sec windows
• 17:53 – Game entertainment efficiency (and why fireworks always work)
• 20:56 – The “Book of Bad Ideas”: inventory, concerts, and learning loops
• 21:21 – Over-prep vs. under-prep: where margins die
• 23:22 – Culture: allow small mistakes; forbid big ones
• 28:12 – The 3% improvement rule (and vendor discount plays)
• 33:11 – Per-cap levers: cook-to-order, local beer, the right number of taps
• 37:40 – What Game Day Advising actually does (and how to engage)

Call to Action

• Book a 30-minute consultation with Mike and the Game Day Advising team to map your top efficiency wins for next season.
• Check out Mike’s article on season seat strategy and grab his full-club assessment overview. (Links in episode description.)

Resources Mentioned

• Game Day Advising – Operational efficiency, ticketing, F&B support (link)
• Season Seat Strategy article by Mike - (link)

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In this episode of The Sports Marketing Machine, Jeremy Neisser breaks down a simple, data-driven way to build — and defend — your marketing budget. Forget complicated spreadsheets and vague “awareness goals.” Jeremy shows how using your single game ROI as your north star can turn every budget request into a business case. Learn how to project spend, justify investment, and track your performance with a system built specifically for sports teams.

Key Topics Covered

• The easiest way to calculate single game ROI (and why it’s your strongest budget tool)
• How to project next year’s budget using last year’s data
• Proving efficiency gains to leadership with small, measurable improvements
• The 70-30 rule for smart budget allocation (sales vs. awareness)
• Why simplicity sells: how to make your budget “bulletproof” in one conversation
• Tracking ROI month-by-month like an investor — not a guesser
• Turning your marketing budget into an investment plan

Chapters

00:00 – Building a Marketing Budget Framework
01:01 – Understanding Single Game ROI
04:05 – Projecting Future Budgets with Historical Data
07:53 – Improving Marketing Efficiency
10:10 – The 70-30 Rule for Budget Allocation
12:35 – Tracking ROI and Adjusting Strategies
14:54 – Key Takeaways for Marketing Directors

Call to Action

Want help connecting your ad data to your ticketing results so your next budget meeting is a breeze? Head to SportsMarketingMachine.com
to grab time with Jeremy and build your marketing ROI dashboard.

View Episode age with details

Episodes mentioned:

Episode 67 – Why Your Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) is WRONG – Case Study

Episode 111 – Building Your Marketing Budget Like a Funnel: Awareness to Action

Episode 125 – “I Saw Your Ad—But Didn’t Buy”: Fixing the Fan Follow-Up Funnel

Episode 121 – How Video Content Makes Paid Traffic Easier (and Cheaper)

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