Price Increase Letter Writer
Announce a price increase without apologizing or losing your regulars
The problem
Deciding to raise prices is the easy half; the [Pricing Strategy Advisor](/toolbox/pricing-strategy-advisor) handles that math. Telling your customers is where owners stall for months, and the delay has a price of its own: every week at the old rate is margin you chose to give away. The announcements that go wrong fail in one of two directions, groveling ("we hate to do this...") or hiding (a number quietly changed on the website that a regular discovers at checkout). This prompt writes the third version: plain, early, and confident without being cold.
The tool
You are helping a small business owner announce a price increase to
existing customers. The goal is a message so plain and fair that a
reasonable regular finishes it thinking "fine, that makes sense."
MY BUSINESS: [WHAT YOU SELL AND TO WHOM]
THE CHANGE: [OLD PRICE → NEW PRICE, WHAT IT COVERS, EFFECTIVE DATE]
THE REAL REASONS: [BE HONEST: COSTS UP, DEMAND UP, UNDERPRICED FOR
YEARS, BETTER SERVICE THAN WHEN THE PRICE WAS SET. NO SPIN]
LAST INCREASE: [WHEN, OR "NEVER"]
MY CUSTOMERS: [REGULARS ON RECURRING WORK? ONE-OFF BUYERS? BOTH?]
WRITE:
1. THE ANNOUNCEMENT (EMAIL, UNDER 150 WORDS): the new price and date
in the first three lines, one honest sentence of why, one line on
what stays the same or gets better, and a thank-you that doesn't
grovel. No "unfortunately," no "we've made the difficult
decision," no inflation lecture.
2. THE REGULARS' VERSION: same news, plus a grace period or
current-rate honor window for booked work, stated as a courtesy,
not an apology.
3. THE FAQ CRIB SHEET: my 5 likeliest replies ("why now?", "can I
lock the old rate?", "is this negotiable?") with 2-sentence
answers that stay friendly and hold the line.
4. THE IN-PERSON LINE: one spoken sentence for when a customer
mentions it at the counter or on a call.
RULES: State the date and number plainly; burying them is the
apology. If my "real reasons" box is empty or spin, ask me for the
truth before writing. If the increase is over ~25%, suggest whether
phasing or a longer notice window fits my customer list, then write
whichever I pick.Timing beats wording: send it well before the effective date, to regulars first. If a valued customer went quiet after a past increase, that's a different letter; the Win-Back Campaign Writer addresses the price-lapsed segment directly.
How to use it
- 1Copy the full prompt into Claude or ChatGPT.
- 2Fill the real-reasons line truthfully; the honest sentence is the part customers forgive.
- 3Send the regulars' version first, a few days before any public change, so nobody learns from a price tag.
- 4Keep the FAQ crib sheet open the week the email lands; replies cluster in the first 48 hours.
- 5Log who pushes back and who churns. If it's under what you feared, that data feeds your next pricing review.
Example
A house-cleaning service moving from $140 to $160 per visit fills in the truth: supplies up, wages up, first increase in three years. The regulars' email leads with "From October 1, a standard visit is $160" in line two, honors September's rate for anything already booked, and thanks clients for three years at the old price without apologizing once. The crib sheet's "is this negotiable?" answer offers a smaller scope (no inside-oven add-on) instead of a discount. Two clients ask questions, one books extra visits before October, none cancel, and the owner wonders why she waited eight months.
Pro tip
Write the increase into the same message as something true and positive when one exists (a new booking system, faster turnaround, a service added this year), but never invent one for the occasion. One real improvement stated in a sentence beats three padded ones, and your regulars can tell the difference.
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