Member-only story
3 Strategies To Add Authentic Urgency in Your Copy
You need urgency in your sales copy if you want to sell.
The big problem is, people use fake scarcity tactics. I get emails every day saying the sale is ending in 24 hours, and then the next day it’s been extended. Or I only have 7 days to get a reward, but I get the emails every week.
I’ve visited those landing pages that have a big timer counting down. I refresh the page and the timer resets.
Fake scarcity is a nicer way of saying you’re lying to your customers.
Scarcity is a very effective sales tactic. If the scarcity isn’t truthful, you run the risk of losing customer trust forever.
Authentic scarcity isn’t as easy as the fake gimmicks. But, you’ll get the benefits of scarcity (more sales) without the downsides of lying to your audience.
Build your reputation for truth
The first step you need to take is to tell the truth.
The simplest form of scarcity is to limit the time, or spots available.
If you send an email saying your sale ends on Tuesday, the sale needs to end on Tuesday. Don’t send an email Wednesday morning proudly announcing the sale is extended.
If you post a freebie that’s available for 24 hours, cut it off at 24 hours.
If you say you only have 10 spots available for your program, only let 10 people into the program. When person #11 shows up waving their credit card, asking to be let in, you need to politely decline.
Sorry. You need to wait until the next one.
This isn’t easy — which is why most people lie about their limited offers. People will be offering you what you want, and you’ll need to turn them away. Plus, most people would never know if you let an extra person or two into the program or leave the discount active for a few extra days.
When you build your reputation as someone who tells the truth, people will trust you more and they’ll pay attention when you announce a limited offer.
You can build a waitlist and have a community of people excited to buy when you reopen the door.
