Magnificent Publications specializes in persuasive publications. We just read an excellent book on the subject, Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion, so far distributed only in the United Kingdom. Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing some of its insights with you.
If something is rare, difficult to obtain, or disappearing, we value it more highly than otherwise. It follows that your audience is far more likely to do what you want if you tell them they might not get a chance unless they act now.
The authors call this the “scarcity principle,” and cite several examples including the fact that ticket sales for the Concorde shot up in February 2003 after British Airways announced it would be ending the supersonic service.
And in October 2003 the notion of losing something caused many thousands of people to stop their cars and block a major motorway just to see Concorde’s final take-off, a sight, it should be pointed out, that had been visible every single day for the previous thirty years or so.
That last bit of the example points not only to the scarcity principle but a similar impulse as well: loss aversion. People are more likely to take action to avoid a loss than to realize a gain.
[R]esearchers from the University of California found that one group of homeowners were up to 300 per cent more likely to carry out recommended energy efficiency improvements in their home when they were told that they would continue to lose an average of 50 cents a day than homeowners who were told they could save 50 cents a day.
The authors recommend that rather than appealing to your audience’s hopes for growth or savings, then, you should caution them against missed chances and lost opportunities.
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[...] we’ve discussed, research shows fear of loss to be the more powerful motivator. So be sure to emphasize benefits [...]