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3 Strategies To Add Authentic Urgency in Your Copy

Nick Nolan
Copywriter’s Handbook
5 min readDec 14, 2023
Photo by Wilhelm Gunkel on Unsplash

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.

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Copywriter’s Handbook
Copywriter’s Handbook

Published in Copywriter’s Handbook

The Copywriter’s Handbook gives you the resources you need to write clear, compelling copy.

Nick Nolan
Nick Nolan

Written by Nick Nolan

Freelance marketing consultant | Writing about Copywriting, SEO, and Social Media

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