Robert Cialdini · Messaging
Give the reader reasons to trust
Choose the evidence that answers the reader's doubt – other customers, expertise, a generous first step or a genuine condition – and present it so readers can judge it for themselves. Robert Cialdini describes seven principles of influence; use them to make a good decision easier, never to push someone into one.
When it helps
When readers wonder who you are, whether the offer fits them or whether anyone like them has benefited – on a homepage, in a case study or next to the price.
Keep in mind
When the evidence isn't there: never invent testimonials, customer numbers, credentials, a shared identity or 'only three places left'.
How to apply it
- Start with the doubt. Ask what is holding the reader back right now – are they legitimate, is this for me, has it worked for others? – and pick the one or two principles that answer it. Cramming in all seven makes copy pushy, not credible.
- Social proof and unity: show that people like the reader have already chosen you – same industry, size or situation. A named case study outweighs 'happy customers'. Only appeal to a shared identity ('fellow founders') when it is real.
- Authority and liking: establish relevant expertise before you ask for anything – training, track record, who actually does the work. Write like a knowledgeable person who understands the reader, and be honest about what you don't do; it makes everything else more believable.
- Reciprocity and consistency: give something genuinely useful first – a checklist, advice, a calculator – with no strings attached. Then ask for a small, voluntary step that fits what the reader has already said or done, rather than a big commitment straight away.
- Scarcity: point out what the reader stands to miss only when the limit is real, and state the condition precisely – number of places, closing date, what happens afterwards. Fake urgency destroys the trust you are trying to build.
Questions to work with
- What does the reader doubt just before deciding?
- What evidence do we actually have – and are we allowed to show it?
- Will the reader recognise themselves in the customers or experts we show?
- Is the limit or offer real, with terms we can stand behind?
A fictional example
Fictional: three accounting firms with two to eight staff have agreed to publish their interviews about the service.
Draft
The obvious choice for every successful firm.
Revised
How three accounting firms with 2–8 staff use the service day to day. Read their stories.
Real customers who resemble the reader can be checked; 'the obvious choice' is just an assertion.
Read the original sources
The application and example are our own. The example is fictional and has not been conversion-tested.