| name | flash-sale-campaign |
| description | Plans flash sale campaigns with countdown messaging, email sequence, and social media coordination. Use when running a short, time-limited promotional event. |
| allowed-tools | Read Write Glob |
| metadata | {"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"} |
Flash Sale Campaign
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when you need to:
- Plan a 24-72 hour flash sale with coordinated messaging
- Write the email sequence, social posts, and landing page copy for a short sale event
- Create genuine urgency around a limited-time discount
- Coordinate multi-channel promotion within a tight timeline
DO NOT use this skill for ongoing promotions, seasonal sales (use black-friday-emails), or evergreen discount strategies. This is for short, intense promotional events.
Core Principle
A FLASH SALE WORKS BECAUSE IT IS RARE AND GENUINELY LIMITED — IF YOU RUN ONE EVERY WEEK, IT IS NOT A FLASH SALE, IT IS YOUR REGULAR PRICE.
Phase 1: Brief
Required Inputs
| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|---|
| Product(s) on sale | "What are you discounting?" | No default — must be provided |
| Discount amount | "What's the discount? (percentage, dollar amount, or bonus)" | No default — must be provided |
| Sale duration | "How long does the sale last?" | 48 hours |
| Reason for the sale | "What's the occasion? (milestone, holiday, inventory, spontaneous)" | Business milestone celebration |
| Channels | "Where will you promote? (email, social, ads)" | Email + social media |
| Sale frequency | "How often do you run flash sales?" | 2-4 times per year max |
GATE: Confirm before building the campaign.
Phase 2: Campaign Plan
Flash Sale Timeline
## Campaign Schedule
**Pre-Sale (24 hours before):**
- Teaser email to VIP/early access list
- Social media teaser post ("Something big coming tomorrow...")
**Sale Launch (Hour 0):**
- Announcement email to full list
- Social media posts (all platforms)
- Update website with sale banner
- Activate countdown timer on sales page
**Mid-Sale (Hour 12-24):**
- Reminder email to non-openers (new subject line)
- Social proof post ("X people have already grabbed this")
- Stories/reels with sale details
**Final Hours (Last 6 hours):**
- Last chance email to full list
- Social media countdown posts (6 hours, 2 hours, 1 hour)
- Final "ending tonight" email (2 hours before close)
**Post-Sale:**
- "Sale ended" email (with waitlist for next one)
- Update website — remove sale pricing
- Social post confirming sale is over
GATE: Approve the campaign plan before writing content.
Phase 3: Write Campaign Content
Email Sequence (3-5 emails)
Email 1 — Launch:
- Subject: direct and specific ("[X]% off [Product] — 48 hours only")
- Body: 100-150 words. Discount, deadline, link. No long setup.
Email 2 — Reminder (non-openers):
- New subject line, same core message, shortened body
Email 3 — Social Proof Mid-Sale:
- Share early buyer count, testimonial, or quick result
Email 4 — Last Chance:
- Subject: urgency-driven ("Ends tonight at midnight")
- Body: 75-100 words. Deadline, link. That's it.
Social Media Posts
Write 5-8 posts across the sale timeline:
- Teaser post (day before)
- Announcement post (sale open)
- Feature/benefit spotlight (mid-sale)
- Testimonial or social proof (mid-sale)
- Countdown post (final hours)
- Sale ended post
Sales Page Edits
Write the sale-specific elements:
- Sale banner headline
- Countdown timer placement
- Crossed-out original price + sale price
- "Sale ends [date/time]" callout
Phase 4: Polish
1. Channel Coordination Checklist
2. Post-Sale Analysis Template
Track these metrics:
- Total revenue during sale period
- Number of sales vs. average period
- Email performance (opens, clicks, conversions per email)
- Social engagement and traffic from social
- Discount redemption rate
- Refund rate within 30 days (compare to non-sale purchases)
Anti-Patterns
- Running flash sales monthly — frequency kills urgency. Maximum 4 per year.
- Weak discount — 5% off is not a flash sale. 20%+ or a meaningful bonus is the minimum to drive action.
- No real deadline — if the sale price stays up after the deadline, you train customers to ignore deadlines.
- Discounting without a reason — "Random sale!" feels desperate. Tie it to a milestone, holiday, or event.
- Not removing the sale afterward — the sale page must revert to full price. If someone sees the sale was extended, trust erodes.
Recovery
- No email list: Focus on social media and direct outreach. But note that flash sales convert best through email.
- User wants to run sales constantly: Explain that frequent discounting trains buyers to wait for sales. Recommend 2-4 per year, well-spaced.
- Small audience: Focus on personal outreach (DMs, personal emails) alongside the broadcast campaign. Even 100 engaged contacts can produce results.
- No countdown timer tool: Include manual countdown language in emails ("expires tonight at 11:59 PM EST") and update the page manually.
