Use of Urgency from 2012 Obama Campaign

Key Takeaways

• Having a deadline is always going to encourage faster decision-making by the prospect, as would mention of a limited quantity. In this instance, the deadline is the main point of focus though, invoking the fear of missing out using language like "Before It's Too Late" to encourage quicker action.
• There's a reason why most product launches have a specific deadline. The goal is to gradually build up desire for the product & then only offer it for a short amount of time. Without a deadline, less people would act as quickly and may even put off buying completely.
• If you do place a deadline on availability, make sure you stick to it. People will eventually pick up on what you're doing and won't trust you next time you say there's a deadline.
• With that said, if you have a store with products that you intend to always sell, using strict deadlines maybe not be good idea. There are other ways to create urgency & use deadlines, such as having special sales or promotions, instead of either "selling or not selling at all".
• A variation you could use is to place a deadline and than re-release the product at a later date with a deadline again. However, I wouldn't re-release too quickly after the previous deadline. Otherwise, the deadline has little purpose.

Analyst Spotlight

Mike Schaueris the founder of Swiped.co and the main analyst in the swipes section. After intently studying & building conversion-focused websites for 6+ years, he started Swiped to help others master marketing & copywriting through the analysis of great examples!