📜 Flash Sales Work! Here’s Why (and How to Run One with AI)

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Hey, it’s Dr. Marcella Wilson!

Memorial Day is right around the corner — and yes, you can still run a promo that makes sales.

Inside today’s issue:
✅ A quick-start flash sale strategy the converts like crazy
✅ A step-by-step plan to launch it this Memorial Day (yes, you still have time)
✅ A ChatGPT prompt to create your content fast

Cuz BBQs are cool …
But so is getting paid while everyone’s scrolling.

👇 Let’s make it happen.

In this issue, I’m focusing on flash sales but if you want all 5 promo ideas done for you, check out the Red, White & Ready-to-Sell Kit — with captions, Canva templates, images and AI prompts delivered to your inbox → Learn more

PROMPT OF THE WEEK

Here’s a ChatGPT prompt to try:

🧠 “Write 3 Instagram captions and 1 email announcing a 24-hour Memorial Day flash sale on [your product]. Use urgency, patriotic language, and end with a strong CTA.”

BEHIND THE PROMPT

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BEYOND THE SCROLL

Memorial Day weekend is coming fast — and if you’ve been too busy to plan a sale, don’t worry. A flash sale might be the easiest and most effective thing you can run right now.

What is a flash sale, really?

A flash sale is a limited-time promotional campaign designed to activate your audience — especially people who know about your products but haven’t bought yet.  You’re not targeting people who’ve never heard of you before.

Flash sales work best on warm leads:

• People who follow you

• People on your list

• People who’ve almost bought before

Your goal is simple: Activate them.  Get them to whip out their credit card and buy from you. 

At its core, a flash sale is a short, focused sales blitz that turns browsers into buyers — fast.  It removes hesitation by putting a deadline on top of a great deal. You’re not giving them time to debate. You’re making it easy to say yes.

Here’s why flash sales work so well…

It’s not about showcasing every detail of what you sell. It’s about giving people a reason to act right now.

That’s why holidays like Memorial Day are the perfect excuse to run a flash sale.

Here’s what makes flash sales work:

✅ They create urgency (limited time, limited quantity)
✅ They focus attention on the deal, not the product
✅ They push fence-sitters to finally say yes - a good flash sale will stop the scrolling!
✅ They direct attention to the deal, not the details

You don’t need to explain your product in depth.
You don’t need a big funnel.
You don’t need to discount everything.

You just need a compelling reason — like Memorial Day — and a clear offer that ends soon.

That’s it.

Timing Matters

The great thing about flash sales? They don’t last long.
And that’s exactly the point.

Ideally, they should run for 3 to 5 days. No more.  Personally, 3 days is my sweet spot.  It’s long enough to generate excitement, but short enough to feel urgent.

And it’s fast. That means you don’t need to do tons of pre-work to get one up and running.

A Plan for Memorial Day

Take Memorial Day, for example — it’s on Monday, May 26.  You could run a 4-day flash sale starting the Friday before (May 23) and end it at midnight on Memorial Day.  And if you want to build even more excitement, you could use Thursday (May 22) to tease what’s coming.  Through email and social media, you could drop a hint that something big is launching tomorrow. It creates curiosity, urgency, and gives your audience a reason to keep watching.

✅ No long, drawn-out promotions
✅ No complex prep
✅ Just a short, sharp, focused offer that drives action

Plus, social media use spikes during holidays. Everyone’s scrolling.  So take advantage of that attention and show up with an offer they can’t ignore.

And when you’re running your flash sale, understand that most sales don’t come at the beginning of a flash sale — they come near the end.

That’s when urgency peaks.
That’s when people open emails.
That’s when "I'll think about it" turns into "Wait, how much longer do I have?"

Your content should build toward that final push. So plan for at least 1–2 emails or posts that go out just before the flash sale ends. They will convert.

Want 4 more promo ideas like this — already done for you?

I created the Red, White & Ready-to-Sell Kit (with ChatGPT Prompts) for ecommerce store sellers like you who want to show up for the holiday — without spending hours creating content.

Here’s what’s inside:
✅ 5 proven promo campaign ideas (flash sale, BOGO, bundle, etc.)
✅ ChatGPT prompts to create social posts, emails, and product descriptions
✅ Copy/paste captions and emails
✅ Matching Canva templates and images so your posts look great, fast
✅ Delivery by May 22 — just in time for Memorial Day Weekend

👉 Click here to grab it 

It’s the shortcut you need if you want to sell something this Memorial Day without stress, burnout, or a last-minute scramble.

Scroll-Stopping Takeaway

Flash sales work because they cut through the noise. They create urgency, focus attention, and give people a reason to say yes — fast. And Memorial Day weekend is a golden opportunity to turn passive followers into paying customers with a flash sale.

Everyone’s online and in spending mode, so the timing couldn’t be better. Even a simple offer, delivered with confidence and clarity, can lead to big results.

So don’t sit this one out — show up, keep it simple, and get those coins!

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SCROLL TO THE END

Here’s how I can help you launch your own flash sale this weekend:

📦 New to AI? Kick things off with my free email course → ChatGPT 101
📊 Need help writing content fast? Grab 50+ prompts, images & captions → AI Content Kit
🧨 Ready to sell this weekend? Snag the Red, White & Ready-to-Sell Kit with 5 plug-and-play holiday promos → Get it 

See ya next week!

Dr. Marcella Wilson

P.S. - Thanks to all the time I saved using AI last week, I finished watching Andor — and I’m calling it now… best Star Wars series ever. Period.
If you know, you know. 😏