The short version
- A price increase announcement should say what is changing, by how much, from which date, why, and what customers can do before then.
- Tell existing customers directly, usually by email, before you post the change publicly, so loyal customers never learn it from a stranger's comment.
- Give as much notice as you reasonably can, and check your own terms and local consumer rules for any minimum notice on subscriptions or contracts.
- A price increase post should look calm and like the rest of your brand, without apology graphics, warning colours or dramatic headlines.
- Honest, brief reasons work better than long justifications, and you should never blame customers or exaggerate costs.
On this page
A good price increase announcement is early, specific and honest. In a few sentences it tells customers what is changing, by how much, from what date, the real reason, and what they can do before the change, such as book at the old price or renew early. Tell existing customers directly first, then post publicly in your normal, calm style. Grace here is mostly clarity: people forgive higher prices far more easily than they forgive feeling ambushed.
What to say: the five parts of the message
Every good price change message, from a hair salon's Instagram post to a software company's email, contains the same five parts. Leave one out and customers fill the gap with guesses, which are usually worse than the truth.
Why it matters
Example
Example
Why it matters
Example
Example
Why it matters
Example
Here is the same structure as a message you can adapt. It works as an email, a caption or the text on a carousel slide.
A note about our prices
From Monday 2 November, our prices for cuts and colour will change.
A women's cut will be [new price] (currently [old price]), and our full
price list is on our website.
We haven't changed prices in two years. Since then our product,
energy and rent costs have all risen, and we want to keep paying
our team fairly.
Anything you book before 2 November stays at today's price, even if
the appointment is later.
Thank you for coming back to us. Any questions, just reply.
Maya and the teamWhen to announce a price increase
Earlier is kinder. Customers who rely on you need time to budget, and notice turns a price rise from a surprise into information. Check your own terms of service and any consumer rules where you trade: subscriptions and contracts often carry a required minimum notice, and that is the floor, not the target.
- 1
Decide the date and the new prices
Update your price list, booking system and checkout first, so the moment people look, everything agrees.
- 2
Tell existing customers directly
Email, a message to regulars, or a note to subscribers. People who pay you every month should hear it from you, not from a public post.
- 3
Post publicly a few days later
A single calm announcement post in the feed and a story, linked to the full price list. Pin it until the change takes effect.
- 4
Remind once, near the date
If you offered to honour the old price for bookings made beforehand, a reminder is a genuine service, not pressure.
- 5
Answer every comment plainly
Thank people who are supportive, and give anyone upset the same honest reason, without arguing in public.
How to design a price increase post
The design should look like any other post you make, because a price change is ordinary business, not an emergency. Skip warning colours, red arrows, apology cartoons and "IMPORTANT UPDATE" in capitals. Those make a modest change feel like bad news and invite the reaction you were hoping to avoid.
The feed post: a calm headline, the date, and the customer's choice on one line.
A second carousel slide that answers the first question everyone has: what exactly is affected.
A two or three slide carousel works well: the note, what changes, and what you can do. Keep the full price table on your website or booking page rather than on the image, where small numbers are hard to read. If you are reworking your menu at the same time, restaurant menu design and digital menu board cover the price list itself.
Wording that helps and wording that hurts
Avoid
- "Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control..."
- A paragraph of apology before the actual news
- "Slight adjustment" for a noticeable rise
- Blaming customers, staff or competitors
- Hiding the new figure behind a link only
- Announcing the day it takes effect
Do
- Lead with the change and the date
- One honest reason, in a sentence or two
- The real number, or a link to the full list
- Something customers can choose to do
- A thank you that sounds like you
- Weeks of notice where you can give it
Your tone should match how you usually talk. A playful bakery can be warm and a little funny; a law firm should be brief and formal. Brand voice explains how to keep that voice steady, especially in harder messages like this one.
Sizes for each channel
Most businesses need the same note in three or four places. Use 1080×1350 for the Instagram or Facebook feed post, 1080×1920 for stories and WhatsApp status, 1200×600 for an email header and 1200×900 for a Google Business Profile post, which is often what local customers see first when they search for you.
Feed post 1080×1350
1080 × 1350
Story 1080×1920
1080 × 1920
Email header 1200×600
1200 × 600
Google Business 1200×900
1200 × 900
If writing the note is the hard part, Gradiently's Designer can draft it from your brand kit in your own voice, lay it out on your Mark and make each of these sizes. You check the figures and the date; it handles the layout.
Questions people ask
How do you announce a price increase to customers?
Tell existing customers directly first, usually by email, then post publicly. Say what changes, by how much, from when, why, and what they can do before the date.
How much notice should I give for a price increase?
As much as you reasonably can. Check your terms and local consumer rules, because subscriptions and contracts often require a minimum notice period.
Should I apologise for raising prices?
A short thank you works better than an apology. Give one honest reason and lead with the facts, so the message reads as ordinary business news.
Should a price increase post include the new prices?
Include the key figure or the date on the post, and link to the full price list, because small tables of numbers are hard to read on a phone.
What is a good reason to give for a price increase?
The true one, briefly: rising costs, paying staff fairly, or investment in something customers will notice. Never exaggerate or blame anyone.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
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