How to create urgency in marketing without being pushy (6 examples)

If you don’t know how to create urgency in your marketing or sales processes, then your prospects will say, “maybe later,”…

…until later becomes NEVER – and you lose the sale.

Give me 30 seconds and I’ll show you 6 ways to create urgency in your marketing and get someone to buy NOW (versus never):

In this article, you’ll learn:

6 urgency triggers to spark more sales

But a word of caution: Don’t overuse or abuse these tactics.

Fake or pushy urgency DAMAGES your brand by eroding your fans’ trust in you…

But used tastefully, urgency drives action. Let’s dive in:


URGENCY TRIGGER #1: “Price increases after X date.”

This type of marketing urgency is great for:

• New product launches (e.g., “early bird pricing”)

• Upcoming price increases on an existing product or service

How to use this tip to create urgency without being pushy:

• Doing this too often might cheapen your brand

• Make sure you ACTUALLY increase the price after X date


URGENCY TRIGGER #2: “I only take on Y clients per month. 1 spot left.”

This type of urgency is great for:

• Service-based businesses (consultants, freelancers…)

• If you want to avoid discounting

How to create urgency in sales without being pushy:

• Make sure you ACTUALLY only have 1 spot left

• Justify WHY you only take on Y clients


URGENCY TRIGGER #3: Create a waitlist.

“I have a one-month waitlist. Book now to claim your spot.”

This sense of urgency is great for:

• Service-based businesses

• Brick & mortar businesses (clinics, spas, etc.)

• Limited edition / frequently out-of-stock products

Why this tip is so great for generating urgency:

This technique is especially powerful because it implies social proof.

That is,

By saying you have a waitlist,

You’re tapping into similar psychology as a nightclub or restaurant with a long line-up outside. (It generates DESIRE!)

Moving on…


URGENCY TRIGGER #4: “Order before Z date and get a FREE bonus.”

When to use this urgency-generating strategy in sales:

• It works if you run ANY type of business (online, offline, and niche-agnostic).

• If you can’t claim scarcity (e.g., you’re selling an e-book)… And you don’t want to discount.. But you want a BURST of sales.

How to use a time-fused bonus to create non-pushy urgency:

Bonus = ANYTHING of value to sweeten the deal.

It could be…

• A free e-book

• A webinar

• A checklist

• A report

• A complimentary or heavily-discounted service

• Or anything else that your ideal buyer would want!


URGENCY TRIGGER #5: “I’m retiring this offer for good… Buy now or never.”

This type of urgency is great for:

• ANY business

How to use this urgency-boosting sales technique:

• If you’re retiring an offer, you might as well run a deadline-based promotion to retire it!

• Best part? You don’t need a discount OR bonus to use this technique.


URGENCY TRIGGER #6: “Get X% off today only.”

Otherwise known as a flash sale.

This type of urgency is great for:

• ANY business that is comfortable running discounts / flash sales.

How to use this urgency-generating strategy in your marketing:

• This is your standard “discount” promo.

• It works well, but it comes at a cost. You forego margin AND set a precedent for price slashing.


TL;DR

6 urgency triggers to make more sales:

1. Price increases after X date.

2. I only take on Y clients per month.

3. There’s a waitlist. Book now to claim your spot.

4. Order before Z date and get a FREE bonus.

5. I’m retiring this offer for good…

6. Get X% off today.


There you have it:

How to create urgency in marketing to knock prospects off the fence and close more sales.

If you liked this article, you’ll LOVE my free newsletter where I share regular tips about email marketing and other marketing topics.

Click here to grab my free email marketing case study and get my best email marketing tips straight to you inbox, for free!