Summary: <br> What do these phrases have in common?<br> <br> <br> <br> * Limited-time offer! * Closeout sale. * Inventory liquidation.<br> <br> <br> <br> In two or three words we learn there is an impending date<br> when something will no longer be available. <br> <br> <br> <br> * The store will close. * The inventory will disappear. * The offer will expire. <br> <br> <br> <br> Customers hurry to purchase so they don’t miss out.<br> <br> <br> <br> Marketing psychologists call this a “social trigger.” Social triggers are powerful techniques used to influence customers. <br> <br> <br> <br> In the examples above, marketers create a sense of urgency. Customers feel their time is running out. They worry about losing out, missing out, or spending more than necessary. Getting rid of that feeling becomes a high priority, and it moves them into action.<br> <br> <br> <br> Why Urgency Works<br> <br> <br> <br> Why is urgency so powerful? Because most people will only act with an urgent deadline. <br> <br> <br> <br> In education, students are moved to study<br> because of an impending date on the calendar labeled “Exam.” Students attend study<br> groups and review sessions for two days prior to the test date, but rarely<br> before then.<br> <br> <br> <br> In matters of personal health, people are more<br> likely to modify diet and exercise when they have a reunion or wedding coming<br> up. On the other hand, people are often unmotivated to improve their habits<br> until their doctor lays out a few statistics regarding mortality. <br> <br> <br> <br> For most of us, there has to be “blood in the<br> water” to move us from a state of apathy into action. <br> <br> <br> <br> Urgency is why deadlines are so motivating for writers. We are so desperate for urgency that indie authors, who generally don’t have concrete due dates, create self-imposed deadlines to make themselves finish. <br> <br> <br> <br> So, if a reader can put off buying your book until tomorrow, they will never buy your book. <br> <br> <br> <br> If a reader can put off reading your book until tomorrow, they will never read your book. <br> <br> <br> <br> Since “tomorrow” never comes, authors must<br> create a sense of urgency for customers and readers to move them from thinking<br> about your book to purchasing it.<br> <br> <br> <br> How to Create Urgency for a Book<br> <br> <br> <br> Here are seven ways to create urgency. <br> <br> <br> <br> Method #1 Launch Window<br> Bonus <br> <br> <br> <br> Create a bonus that is<br> only available for a limited time. <br> <br> <br> <br> When Michael Hyatt released his book <a href="https://amzn.to/2NoJyJ5">Platform</a> (affiliate link), he created a bonus bundle worth hundreds of dollars. He partnered with other authors and businesses who had products related to building a platform and digitally packaged them together. Anyone who purchased his book in the first two weeks of launch received that valuable bundle for free. <br> <br> <br> <br> With your book launch<br> date in view, you can create bonuses or prizes to giveaway to early buyers. <br> <br> <br> <br> Prizes can include:<br> <br> <br> <br> * Short stories* Guides* Tip Sheets* Courses* Discount Coupons* A piece of music that goes along with the book.<br> <br> <br> <br> You don’t have to create all the prizes yourself. Partner with other authors to create compelling bundles. But make sure your bonuses are actually valuable to your readers. Bonuses need not be expensive, but they must have a high perceived value for your reader. <br> <br> <br> <br> Printable bookmarks,<br> screensavers, or lock screen images are easy to create and distribute, but they<br> rarely provide a high enough value for readers to purchase today rather than
