Words to send · Selling more than hours
How to announce a group program or course
Say who it’s for, the dates, how many seats and the price, before anything about why it exists. People decide on a course by its dates. A message that leads with the calendar gets booked; one that leads with your story gets saved for later and forgotten.
When to send it: Four to six weeks before the first date, and once more a week before.
The message
Hi Sam, I’m running a four-week course for people in their first year as a manager. It covers the four things everyone asks me about: one-to-ones, feedback, delegation and saying no upward. Four Thursdays, March 5 to 26, 6 to 7.30pm by video. Eight seats. $288 for all four. The link to book a seat is below. Maya
The week before
Hi Sam, the new managers course starts this Thursday at 6pm, and two seats are left. If it’s for you, the link is below. Maya
Why it works
- The subject line has the who and the date, which is what people scan for.
- Seats are a real limit, stated once, not a countdown timer.
- Four topics, named, tell somebody in ten seconds whether it’s for them.
What not to say
- “I’m so excited to announce…” The reader is deciding about Thursday evenings.
- Hiding the price until the booking page.
- Fake scarcity. Say the seats that are really left, or nothing.