Sponsored by PAINKILLER

Find the ouchy pains that drive sales—in under 3 minutes

​People buy painkillers. If you don’t understand the painful problems your target buyers will pay to solve, you’re screwed.

I (Katelyn here 👋) built an AI-powered bot to help you better understand buyers by uncovering the deeper, "ouchier" pains they’re struggling with. It's $0.

​​→ Get your FREE Ouchy Pain Finder bot

Imagine this…

A client’s new welcome sequence is due in two weeks, but you’ve set aside the whole day to knock out the first draft.

So you light an emotional support candle, swirl some oat milk into your iced coffee, and settle into your ergonomic chair.

But when you open your laptop, you immediately get hit with an email notification from your client.

Without even touching your Google Drive, you click the notification bubble and are transported to your inbox.

They’ve got an idea for a new project and want your immediate input.

Thirty minutes later, you’re still wording your response.

Does this sound passive-aggressive? Am I using too many exclamation marks? Oh no, I’ve used three em dashes already—they’re gonna think I used ChatGPT to write this,” you think as you backspace your way through the last sentence.

Why did you prioritize responding to your client instead of making progress on the welcome sequence?

In today’s edition of Why We Buy 🧠 we’ll explore the Mere Urgency Effect—why we choose tasks that feel more urgent.

Let’s get into it.

🧠 The Psychology of the Mere Urgency Effect

Our brains tend to prioritize time-sensitive tasks, even when they’re less important than other tasks on our to-do lists.

And even when the deadline is merely imagined.

Researchers asked participants to choose between two identical tasks.

One would earn them five Hershey’s Kisses (high reward); the other, just three (low reward).

The catch?

The low-reward task was set to “expire” in just 10 minutes, while the high-reward task “expired” in 24 hours.

The result?

In the control group (where neither task had a deadline), only 13.3% chose the low-reward task.

But when a tight deadline was set, 31.3% of participants chose the low-reward task simply because it felt more urgent.

We often choose urgent tasks not because they’re better, but because our brains hone in on “time left” instead of “value gained.”

That’s why smart marketers use urgency ethically: to help buyers make a decision instead of letting them float in Indecision Land.

🤔 How To Apply This

Alright, so how can you apply this right now to sell more?

eCommerce​
Use a countdown timer to make an everyday purchase a priority

Ever notice how Amazon features a countdown timer that says, “Order within 4 hours and 31 minutes to get it by tomorrow”?

That ticking clock screams, “Act now!” Even if browsers don’t need the item by tomorrow (and the only thing at stake is an $8 bottle of conditioner).

​
Psst… This countdown also leverages another science-backed technique to drive conversions. Wanna find out what it is and start writing like a copy scientist (not a stressed-out guesser)? Grab 26.5 proven copywriting tweaks here >​

Opt-in Boxes​
Lead with urgency to boost email opt-ins—before they bounce

Most brands offer 10-20% off for first-time shoppers.

So they dilly-dally around (and likely bounce without making a purchase). Because they know they can always come back and make a discounted purchase when they feel like it.

Not Latico Leathers.

The moment you land on their site, a mystery discount pops up—with a 60-second deadline attached. Now handing over your email feels urgent, especially because you don’t know if the next mystery discount will be better… or worse.

And even if you don’t buy right away, Latico now has a direct line to close the sale later.
​

Travel & Hospitality​
Highlight limited availability to turn dreamers into bookers

Most people hop on a site like Booking.com with dreams of booking a weekend getaway, not actual intentions to do so.

But when they see there’s only one room left at this price (painted in an urgency-boosting color), the brain short-circuits.

That room could be gone in a minute if they don’t act now.

Suddenly, booking a vacation two months from now feels like a top priority, even though they haven’t lined up a pet sitter (and two client invoices are still unpaid).

💥 The Short of It

Time-sensitive tasks hijack our attention.

By strategically sprinkling urgency into your marketing, you can turn a “maybe later” decision into an “I’ve gotta grab this now” purchase.

But always make sure your deadlines are for real.

Because nothing kills trust and credibility faster than fake urgency that sacrifices the buyer for a quick buck.

​
​Until next time, happy selling!