{"id":"mkt-price-increase-loyal-customers","audience":"marketing","category":"writing-emails","technique":"tone","track":"marketing","level":"intermediate","free":true,"title":"Announce a $29 to $39 price increase to loyal customers","task":"Tallybook, a 4-year-old invoicing app, raises its price on Jan 1, and long-time customers are already complaining on social. Write the email that goes to every current customer, from Jo at Tallybook, as plain text under 150 words. Start with a subject line that has both prices. The first two sentences must state the change and the date plainly, with no \"exciting news\" or \"thrilled\". Then give the honest why, what existing customers get, and how to lock the annual price. Legal's rules: no urgency language such as \"limited time\", \"act now\" or \"last chance\", and no promise that the price will never rise again. End with the help link.","materialLabel":"Your brief (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"PRICE CHANGE BRIEF - Tallybook (launched 4 years ago)\n\nThe change: the monthly plan goes from $29 to $39 per month on Jan 1.\n\nWhy, honestly:\n- This is our first price increase in 4 years.\n- We shipped bank sync, multi-currency invoices and recurring billing this year.\n- Our hosting and payment-processing costs are up about 22%.\n\nApproved for existing customers:\n- Anyone subscribed before Dec 1 stays at $29/month until Apr 1. After that it becomes $39.\n- The annual plan is $348 a year, which is $29/month. Customers can switch to it any time and keep that rate for the full 12 months.\n\nWhat people are saying: a customer posted, \"Four years loyal and this is how you thank me?\" Our reply on social so far: \"We hear you.\" Several posts say the product is still worth it, but not at +34%.\n\nOther notes:\n- A rival app, Billwise, charges $45.\n- Revenue target for Q1 is +12%.\n- Support link for questions and plan switches: help.tallybook.example/pricing\n- Email goes out Mon Nov 16.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":150},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Burying the price","why":"The AI opens with warm thanks and news about features, so the price shows up three paragraphs down.","fix":"Say: \"The first two sentences state the change and the date plainly.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Corporate spin","why":"The AI writes \"We're excited to announce\" about a price people will not like.","fix":"Add: \"No exciting, thrilled or pleased. Give the honest why with the real facts.\"","checks":["r0","r1"]},{"title":"Inventing urgency","why":"The AI adds \"limited time\" or \"act now\" to push the annual plan.","fix":"Add: \"No urgency language. Only the real date, Apr 1, for the monthly lock.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Forgetting what loyal customers get","why":"The AI mentions the new price but skips the $29 until Apr 1 and the $348 annual lock.","fix":"Add: \"Say existing customers stay at $29 until Apr 1 and can lock $29/month with the $348 annual plan.\"","checks":["r1","r2"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI runs long when you only give a total, and adds markdown.","fix":"Say \"under 120 words, plain text\" and cap the parts, like \"6 short sentences\".","checks":["maxWords","plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Price and date first","patterns":["first (two )?sentences?","plainly","up front","start with","jan 1"]},{"label":"Honest why, no spin","patterns":["honest","why","no spin","exciting","thrilled"]},{"label":"What loyal customers get","patterns":["existing","loyal","apr(il)? 1","\\$29"]},{"label":"Annual lock","patterns":["annual","\\$348","lock"]},{"label":"No fake urgency","patterns":["urgency","limited time","act now","pressure"]}],"hint":"Customers are already upset. Say where the price and date go, ask for the honest why instead of spin, name what existing customers get and how to lock the annual rate, and ban urgency.","mission":"Tell loyal customers about the new price, plainly and honestly.","musts":["Price and date in the first two sentences","Honest why, no spin; what loyal customers get","Annual lock, no fake urgency"],"rubricLabels":["The subject line includes both $29 and $39, and the first two sentences state that the price rises from $29 to $39 per month on Jan 1, without \"exciting\", \"thrilled\" or \"we're pleased\"","It gives the honest why using real facts (first increase in 4 years, new features such as bank sync, or hosting costs up) and says existing customers stay at $29 until Apr 1, not forever","It explains the annual plan locks $29/month at $348 a year, ends with the help.tallybook.example/pricing link, and has no \"limited time\", \"act now\", \"last chance\" or \"hurry\" and no promise the price will never rise again, and does not mention Billwise or the revenue target"]}