Guides

Reason-why discounts.

By Adrian Ludek, founder of Strategist Club Updated

A reason-why discount is a sale with a stated, true reason behind it: you made too many, a color is retiring, the packaging is changing, the brand turns five. The reason makes the price believable, gives the ad a story beyond the number and stops your brand from looking like it's always on sale.

A discount tag with a handwritten note explaining the reason: 400 too many in navy -30% 400 too many in navy. BECAUSE. A SALE PEOPLE BELIEVE

Why does a discount need a reason?

Because a price cut with no explanation makes people suspicious. Was the old price inflated? Is something wrong with the product? Will it be cheaper next week? A buyer who wonders about any of these doesn't buy now. They wait or they leave.

A reason closes those questions. "We made 400 too many in navy" tells the buyer three things at once: the product is fine, the discount is real and it ends when the navy runs out. That's more work than "30% off" does on its own.

The idea is old. Copywriters at the start of the 20th century called it reason-why advertising: tell people why, and they believe the claim. There's also a well-known 1978 study by psychologist Ellen Langer, in which people asked to skip the line at a copy machine. With no reason, about 60% were let through. With "because I'm in a rush", about 94%. With "because I have to make copies", a reason that says nothing at all, still 93%. Ads aren't copy machines, but the pattern holds up in feeds too. People want a because.

What are good reasons for a discount?

Ten that work, roughly from most to least convincing. Use only the ones that are true for you.

  1. We made too many. Specific overstock in one size, color or batch. Hook: "We ordered 400 too many in navy. They're 30% off until they're gone."
  2. A color or scent is retiring. Last chance, and a reason it's cheaper. Hook: "Sage is leaving the range in January. Last 200, 25% off."
  3. The price goes up in January. Only if you've decided it. Hook: "Our price goes up $8 on January 1. Buy at the old price until December 31."
  4. The packaging is changing. Same product, old box. Hook: "Same serum, old bottle. We're clearing the old design at 20% off."
  5. Small cosmetic flaws. Seconds with a visible scratch or a misprint. Show the flaw. Hook: "A scratch on the lid. Nothing else. $35 instead of $50."
  6. A birthday or milestone. Five years, 100,000 orders. Hook: "We shipped order 100,000 this week. Everything's 20% off for 3 days."
  7. A thank-you to existing customers. Strongest when it goes to the list first. Hook: "You kept us going this year. Here's 25% off, list only, for 48 hours."
  8. We discount once a year. The reason is the rarity. Hook: "One sale a year. It starts Monday and ends Sunday."
  9. A cause. Part of every order goes to a named partner. Hook: "20% off, and $5 from every order goes to [partner]."
  10. It's Black Friday. A reason, but the weakest one, because everyone in the feed has it. Use it as the deadline, not as the story.
Reasons for a discount, by strength Red reasons explain both the price and the deadline. Black explain the price. Grey only explain the timing.
  1. Too many made400 too many in navy.
  2. Retiring colorSage leaves the range in January.
  3. Price goes upOld price until December 31.
  4. New packagingSame serum, old bottle.
  5. Cosmetic flawA scratch on the lid. Nothing else.
  6. MilestoneOrder 100,000 shipped.
  7. Thank-youList only, for 48 hours.
  8. Once a yearOne sale. Monday to Sunday.
  9. It's Black FridayEveryone has this one.

What makes a reason believable?

  • It's true. This is the whole thing. A "moving sale" that runs every quarter gets called out in the comments. In the EU and UK, falsely claiming you're closing down or moving is a banned practice outright, and in the US the FTC treats made-up sale claims as deceptive.
  • It has a number. "We made too many" is a claim. "We made 400 too many in navy" is a fact. Numbers read as true because they could be checked.
  • It explains the size of the cut. A 10% birthday discount is believable. A 60% birthday discount makes people wonder what the full price was for.
  • It sets the end. The best reasons carry their own deadline: until the navy runs out, until January 1, for 3 days. That's urgency without a fake timer.
  • It doesn't scare. "Seconds" and "old packaging" need the reassurance next to them: "same formula", "only the lid". Otherwise the reason creates the doubt it was meant to remove.

How do you put the reason in an ad?

Lead with the reason, follow with the number. The reason is the part people haven't heard ten times today.

[The reason] + [so] + [the offer] + [the end]

Example: "We made 400 too many in navy, so they're 30% off until they're gone."

Formats that suit it:

  • Founder or team video, 15-20 seconds. Someone from the brand stands next to the boxes and says what happened. The most natural format for a reason, and cheap to film on a phone.
  • Static with a note. The product, the offer and a short handwritten-style line with the reason. Easy to make five versions.
  • Show the proof. The stack of navy boxes, the old bottle next to the new one, the scratch up close. If the reason can be filmed, film it.

Test the reason as an angle against the same discount without one: same product, same number, two ads. If the reason wins, keep it for the whole sale. Looking for offers that aren't a discount at all? See 7 Black Friday offers beyond % off.

What mistakes make a reason-why discount backfire?

  • A reason that never ends. The "last chance" that comes back every month. Regular customers notice first, and they're the ones you can't afford to lose.
  • A long story. The reason is one sentence. If it takes 20 seconds to explain, it's a brand film, not a sale ad.
  • The reason only in the caption. Most people never open it. The reason goes on screen, in the first frame or the first line of voiceover.
  • A reason that doesn't fit the brand. A luxury brand selling "seconds" can cheapen everything else it sells. Pick the reason your best customers would be happy to see.

Reason-why discount FAQ

What is reason-why advertising?

An approach from early 20th-century copywriting: give the buyer a concrete reason to believe the claim or to act now. In sale ads it means saying why the price is lower, for example overstock or a retiring color, instead of showing a bare percentage.

Is "Black Friday" a good enough reason for a discount?

It works as a deadline, but it's the weakest story, because every other ad in the feed has the same one. Pair it with a reason of your own: "Our one sale a year, and this year we also made too many in navy."

Can I say prices are going up to sell now?

Only if the increase is decided and will happen on the date you say. Then it's one of the strongest reasons you have, because it gives a real deadline. If the price doesn't go up, people who check will notice.

Does a reason-why discount work for small brands?

It often works better for them. A founder on camera explaining why the sale exists is more believable than a big retailer saying the same. Small brands also tend to have the most real reasons: a batch that sold slowly, a test color, a packaging change.

How do I test a reason against a plain discount?

Run two ads with the same product, format and discount. One leads with the reason, the other with the number only. Give them equal budget for 3 to 4 days and compare cost per purchase. Our creative testing guide has the rules for calling a winner.

Terms used here are defined in the Glossary.