Queue psychology & copywriting

How's your sales messaging about waiting?

Aug 28, 2023

If you’ve spent any time at the airport recently, no doubt you’ll have been corralled into a snaking queue.

Maybe you’ve wondered why there’s one long, snaking line for check-in or security, instead of individual straight lines behind a desk or security belt?

Naturally, there’s queue psychology behind this behaviour management.

Airport staff use queue psychology to manage your behaviour and expectations while you wait for your flight or baggage.

Queue psychology also explains the mirrors and illuminating floor buttons in lifts. They exist to keep you occupied as you travel (and wait).

So what’s an airport queue got to do with copywriting? Well, your sales copy might also need to -

Minimise uncertainty
Keep us occupied while we wait (eg for a launch)
Make sure we don’t feel at a disadvantage compared to those around us

Two types of discomfort while we wait

Psychologically, there are at least two types of brain-pain when we queue. Here are the two main issues. We don’t like -

The feeling of being in last place.
If we can’t see the end goal or finish line.

One long, snaking line helps overcome those two unspoken frustrations.

Last place? No thanks

A snaking queue reduces the period of time you stand in last place.

In a busy waiting area, people constantly join the queue behind you. That minimises those uncomfortable ‘last place’ feelings. Someone else replaces you in last place far more quickly in a single, snaking line than in those multiple lines you see at supermarket checkouts. (Read more about Last Place Aversion in this article about standing in line.)

Decisions, decisions

Our brains prefer a long, single, snaking line to shorter, individual lines for another reason too.

Individual lines offer choice, which goes hand-in-hand with uncertainty.

Will you choose the fastest-moving line? Or will one person hold up your queue, while every other line moves swiftly?

How many times have you eyed up the lines beside you, reconsidering your choice or lamenting that you always seem to choose the slowest queue?

A snaking line also helps you see the finish line more easily while you wait. One hundred people queuing snake-style will feel closer (and actually be closer physically) to the finish than fifty people in a single-line queue. That’s why waiting time appears to pass more quickly when you join a snaking queue.

Here’s a queue psychology challenge for you.

If you join a snaking queue on your travels, use your waiting time to think about how you can apply queue psychology to marketing your business.

REMEMBER: the length of time we wait in any kind of queue is less important than how we feel while we wait.

In copywriting, you’ve got two obvious places to apply queue psychology for better results -

User experience copy
Conversion or sales copy

Queuing, waiting & UX

UX and virtual queue management is the most obvious place to consider queue psychology in copywriting. It’s why we see progress bars, spinning cogs and "‘just a second” messages while we wait online.

If you write UX microcopy, tell users where they are in the queue (you might even specify how many people are behind or in front of them).
Reinforce feelings of progress by specifying the number of minutes left until they reach their goal.
Allow users to book a callback, instead of waiting in a queue. This gives a quick win (a booking confirmation), and also takes away the pain of losing time.

How to apply queue psychology to sales copy

Queues aren’t all bad in marketing. They also signify high demand. It’s why we peek inside an unfamiliar restaurant to make sure it’s reassuringly busy, rather than choosing one with no wait at all.

Remember - the length of time we wait in any kind of queue is less important than how we feel while we wait.

Waiting brings uncertainty. So can you ground your language in certainty or fact, for example, by mentioning specific milestones in numbers?

Use your copy to keep readers busy while they wait for your product or service. For example, if you create a waiting list, is there a way to keep subscribers involved in the process until launch?

You could keep in touch with some useful information, like product or service recommendations.

Can you get people started on a small project right now, quickly and easily, then do a gradual reveal of the bigger thing they’re waiting for?

Could you create a community from the people waiting and give them a name? It’s less painful to wait for something in a group than it is to wait alone.

In conversion copy, you’ve also got a great opportunity to reflect on your readers’ progress. Think of that reassuring visual progress bar. How can you bring that feeling to your copy?

Are your prospective buyers tantalising close to their end goal? If so, it’s powerfully motivating to point this out.
Can you make readers feel smart as they pursue their goals or desires?
Can you use words to help them visualise their ‘finish line’ easily?
Can you talk about their progress positively in comparison to others? For example, you could mention how long it usually takes to solve this problem.

Waiting word choice ideas

By using language that’s familiar to us from queuing, you can appeal to your buyers’ instincts. This tactic is particularly useful in launch or conversion copy, for example on a sales page.

Here’s a list of options for your word bank -

Save my space.
Get in line.
Join the waiting list.
Claim your Priority Pass.
It’s nearly your turn.
Limited spots available.
Fast-track your progress.
Be the first to know.
Skip the line.
Reserve your spot.
Get front-of-the-line access.
Join the early arrivals.
Beat the rush.
Claim early access.
Grab your exclusive pre-order.

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