How many times have you been reading a sales letter for a digital product, only to be distracted by an obvious scarcity ploy?
If your experience is anything like mine, it’s probably happened too many times to count.
I’ll explain why scarcity ploys may actually be hurting your sales, as well as how you can legitimately create urgency for your digital products.
First, let’s take a look at…
Some Examples of Common Scarcity Ploys
Have you seen this one before?
“You can get this ebook for $27, but only if you order by 12 midnight, tonight!” (This technique will often include today’s date, which is automatically inserted at the end of the sentence.)
Another variation:
“This offer is only good until midnight on (Today’s Date +2 Days).” (In this technique, the script tacks on two days to today’s date so it appears that you “just happened” to stumble onto the offer right before it expires.)
And a third variation based on quantity instead of time…
“For the next 50 buyers only, I’ll give you an extra $20 off! That means you’ll pay only…” (This is a common technique which can be legitimate — but almost always isn’t.)
How Scarcity Ploys Hurt Sales
The artificial scarcity created by these techniques does work for a little while… at least until buyers catch on. When consumers finally wise up to what you’re doing, chances are they will react negatively.
First, some will see the use of fake scarcity for what it is: being dishonest. Second, nobody likes to be manipulated.
These factors are actually going to work against you. You will lose sales, and your reputation may suffer permanent damage.
The good news is you don’t have to be dishonest to create urgency for your digital products.
How to Create Legitimate Urgency for Digital Products
Urgency is created by a fear of loss. With that in mind, ask yourself: “What might a person lose by not buying my product right now?”
If you are selling a way to achieve a tangible result (like making money or losing weight), a person may actually be losing good opportunities to make progress towards their goal.
You can dramatize this by comparing the cost of lost opportunities to the cost of buying your product now. Obviously, you will want to make your product seem inexpensive compared to what your customer might be losing through procrastination.
Another way to create urgency is to create doubt in the prospect’s mind.
So, for instance, you might say something like, “I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold the line on this offer. I reserve the right to increase the price at any time, whether that’s this week, next month, or next year.”
When I make a statement like this in my sales copy, it is 100% true. And I have changed prices on my products. So for me it’s not a ploy.
And yet it creates just enough “mental insecurity” that a potential prospect may feel the urgency to buy now instead of later.
Always Give a Believable “Reason Why”
One of the best ways to create scarcity is to limit the number of units sold at a certain price. The trick to making this work is twofold:
1. You have to do exactly what you say you’re going to do.
2. You have to provide a believable reason for why you’re doing it.
Example:
Since this special report is brand new, and it’s the first time I’ve ever offered it for sale, I’m going to sell it for half price. That’s right. Instead of $50, you’ll pay just $25.
The catch? This offer is good for the next 30 buyers only. After that, the price will go up to $50.
Now, you may wonder why I’m doing this. The answer is really quite simple. Since this is a new product, I’m looking for feedback. Get my report, then tell me what you like, what you don’t like, and how I can make it better.
So if you’re one of the 30 people who takes advantage of this offer, I expect to hear from you!
Of course, you must raise the price after 30 sales. You have to do what you say you’re going to do.
Tip: In the example above, you could make the offer even more legitimate if you emailed a feedback form to those 30 buyers who got your special report for half price.
Legitimate Scarcity Works!
Are you beginning to see how you can create urgency without being dishonest? And are you beginning to see how this would actually work better than the common scarcity ploys that litter the Internet?
I hope so. Because by using some of the legitimate scarcity techniques I’ve suggested here, you’ll be acting ethically and building an online business that lasts for the long haul.
- Ryan
P.S. Want more in-depth copywriting lessons like these? Then check out Copywriting Code here.
Tags:
Scarcity,
Copywriting,
Digital Products,
Fear,
Ebook,
Reputation,
permanent damage
