Addressing COVID-19 with Your Clients: COVID Messaging Swipe Copy & Content

Times are crazy, kids.

Listen—everyone is overwhelmed right now. We don’t know what the future holds. Personally, as both a small business owner (whose business relies on other small businesses succeeding)—and someone who loves a good white-knuckled stranglehold on control, that terrifies me. But the one thing we do have is control over is how we respond—especially as it relates to how we message on behalf of our brands right now.

Whether you’re a wedding photographer working with clients to reschedule or a small business letting people know you’ve restricted your hours or offerings, there’s probably a chance you need some sort of COVID messaging (think: a note about delayed response times on your contact page or an announcement about a temporary closure to post on social).

Today, then, I wanted to offer up complimentary swipe COVID messaging for your website and social channels as you work through talking with potential and current clients about COVID-19. Some samples are more playful, while others are soft and sympathetic—I wanted to give you an array of tones to choose from so you can find options in line with your brand voice.

Pull and personalize any of the below COVID messaging samples that speak to you. They’re free. They’re yours. I hope they help.

Or, print out this post (on recycled paper—goes without saying), rip it into a million tiny pieces, and use it as confetti for an at-home dance party. Either way, let’s stay sane and safe together. 

I. Website Headlines and Email Subject Lines: For helping clients navigate the next step

Personalize the below based on your business and the needs you’re addressing. PRO TIP: Choose one from each group and combine them for a longer headline. Use these to introduce longer content—I.e., as a website headline or an email subject line.

Group 1:

Cancelling doesn’t have to be chaos.

Cancelling [your room/your celebration/your booking] doesn’t have to be chaos.

Rescheduling doesn’t have to mean stress.

Postponing can be seamless. We promise.

Rebook. Postpone. Cancel. Just stay safe.

You worry about staying healthy. We’ll worry about getting you rescheduled seamlessly.

You were just about to do the damn thing. And then sh*t hit the fan. 

You were planning something perfect. And then this happened.

We had something great going. And then this happened.

Group 2:

The team at [company name] is here to help.

Our team is here to help you navigate it all. 

We’ll make sure you’re taken care of.

Fear not, friends—we’re here to help you through.

Let us shoulder this one. You worry about staying healthy.

II. CTA Button Copy: To Encourage Users to Take Action

Use the below COVID messaging samples for call-to-action buttons or hyperlinks that lead to your contact page or a form clients should fill out. 

We’re here for you.

You’ve got this. 

Let’s get this figured out. 

Let’s figure this out, together.

We’re still going strong. 

Reach out today.

Rebook with ease.

Reschedule seamlessly.

III. COVID Messaging for Closure Announcements: When You’ve Had to Shut Your Doors for the Time Being

Choose options that sound like your brand voice. Combine different sentences for longer announcements.

You are the heart of [our events/our brand/our business/our team].

Keeping our community safe is everything. 

We’ve closed our doors in the name of keeping our community safe.

Let’s weather this storm and get through to the sunshine once more.

We’ve closed our doors [temporarily/indefinitely/until the time is right to reopen] in the name of keeping our community safe and healthy. 

We can’t wait to serve you and yours once more.

We will be here waiting when the time is right.

Safety first. We’ll worry about celebrating later.

Safety first. We’ll worry about going strong later.

We’ll be back. Until then, we’re here for you from afar.

Your health first—hunger second. We’ll be closed for dine-in service until the time is right to reopen.

IV. COVID Messaging Announcing Service Changes: For Altered Hours, Restricted Offerings, or Slower Response Times

Choose options below that sound like your brand voice and personalize them based on your offerings and the needs you’re addressing. Combine different sentences for longer paragraphs, or use a single sentence as a website headline or email subject line.

It’s (almost) business as usual.

It’s business as usual (sort of).

In the name of keeping the community we love safe, we’ve altered our [offerings/services/approach] a bit. Here’s what to expect: [insert instructions/what customer can expect]

Keeping you healthy comes first. Great [food/coffee/etc.] comes second. We will be open [for delivery only/with restricted hours, etc.] until further notice.

Fear not, friends and family. Creative problem solving is what we’re all about. While we can’t serve you in person for the time being—here’s what we’ve cooked up instead: [insert instructions/what customer can expect]

We’re working hard to help our couples reschedule their celebrations. Please note this may slow our response times just a bit.

We’re so glad you reached out. Please note we’ve been hard at work rescheduling and postponing events—which has slowed our response times just a bit.

We appreciate your patience as we get through this, together. 

Times are crazy. Our team is hard at work communicating with customers and finding seamless solutions. We appreciate your patience.

Above all, we’re taking every measure possible to keep the community we so deeply care for (that’s, ahem, you) healthy.

V. Longer Content Blocks: Add to Your Website or Post on Social

Mix-and-match sentences from different COVID messaging options below, inject the content with your favorite brand words for added voice, and personalize it based on the needs you’re addressing and the questions that need answering. These are great to use in email messaging, as pop-ups on your home page, added to the top of your services page, or shared as longer social captions.

It’s not exactly business as usual around here. What a year it’s been. If anything, these unsettling times have reinforced just how much this incredible community means to us. While we unfortunately have to close our doors for the time being, know that we’ll be here waiting for you and yours when the time is right. Until then, you worry about staying safe and #vegasstrong. We can’t wait to welcome you again the near future.

As if planning a wedding wasn’t stressful enough. Your venue was booked. Your digs were picked out (and they probably looked fabulous). And then sh*t hit the fan. Whether you’re worrying about contracts or wondering how and when to postpone, the team at [company name] is here to bring you a bit of calm amongst all of the chaos. Reach out today and we’ll develop a personalized plan to get you—and your celebration—back on track.

You were ready for your dream [vacation/spa day/getaway]. And then this happened. Like you, we’re incredibly disappointed you won’t be joining us for your [scheduled booking/upcoming stay, etc.]—but our team is working hard (remotely from each of our own homes, of course #ironingboarddesks) to make re-booking, postponing, or cancelling a breeze. You worry about staying safe—we’ll worry about making things right. We can’t wait to welcome you once more when the time is right.

Your bag was packed. Your room was booked. What happens now? These aren’t exactly the plans you had in mind for [booking information: i.e. “your March 27th getaway”]—but, right now, the only thing you need to worry about is staying healthy. Within the next 48 hours, someone from our team will reach out to you directly to help you reschedule seamlessly (and with a little added-bonus to boot). Don’t get rid of that sunscreen and swimsuit just yet—our sandy shores will be here waiting for you when the time is right.

This wasn’t what we expected—but here’s what we’re cooking up to help. Nothing fuels us like seeing [our tiny, 10-year old restaurant/our humble coffee shop, etc.] full of our community members catching up with friends, chasing little ones around, or simply unwinding over an Americano. That said, your health and safety mean more to us than anything—which is why we’ll be closed for dine-in service for the time being. Instead, we’ll be offering [discounted take-out options, brand-new boxed meals, and freezable family-style plates for curbside pickup]. Head to our ordering page for more information.

How many drawers have you organized so far? We’re on 12. This is a far cry from what our community had in mind for 2020, but we’re rolling with the punches and taking steps to stay safe, sane, and spring-cleaned. While we can’t connect in person, we thought you’d enjoy [this free resource for rescheduling your event/this super-sweet Spotify list our team put together, etc.] as you slay the quarantine game. We’ll catch you on the flip-side, friends.

We had something great going. Let’s not end it just yet. Friends—while we’re no longer able to serve you in person, we’re happy to deliver some joy [curbside, to your doorstep, via our all-new online services, etc.] while we wait this thing out together. We’re offering [complimentary shipping, discounted take-out options, etc.] through [December 15].

---

I hope these samples help alleviate a small amount of the stress you’re feeling as a small business owner. Let’s get through through this sh*tstorm together—with stronger brands, clearer communication, and our sanity in-tact on the other side.