Handle a crisis
When you have one week: borrow other people's crowds instead of building your own.
The move, in one sentence
With seven days you can't grow an audience from scratch, so you don't. Borrowed attention is the only kind fast enough to work this week.
The move is to go where the right people already gather and give someone a reason to point their crowd at you. With seven days you can't grow an audience from scratch, so you don't. Borrowed attention is the only kind fast enough to work this week.
You don't need a thousand new followers by Friday. You need ten regulars to each bring one friend.
Why the obvious reaction backfires
The instinct is to post harder on your own channels and hope it spreads. But your own followers are a small, already-aware pool, and a week isn't long enough to "go viral" on demand.
Do this
- 1List 5 nearby businesses that share your customers but aren't rivals.
- 2Offer them a true win-win cross-promotion, not a favor.
- 3Create one specific reason tied to the date.
- 4Ask your happiest regulars to bring one friend each.
Make it yoursTell us your spot’s name once, and every script on this site rewrites itself for you. Saved on your device only — nothing is sent anywhere.
Cross-promotion message
“Hi [name], I run [your place] just nearby. I think we share a lot of the same customers without competing.”
Real example
A wine bar partners with a cheese shop, offers "first 30 guests get a free pour," and personally invites regulars.
You're done when
You've locked in at least one cross-promotion, created a dated reason to show up, and personally asked regulars to each bring a friend.