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A guide to understanding how people and psychology influence behavior, and how to apply these principles to content and design.
Based on the work of Robert Cialdini, these six principles are powerful tools for influencing behavior.
Reciprocity: Give something of value first (e.g., free content, a gift) before you ask for something in return.
Commitment and Consistency: Get people to agree to a small request first, then build on that agreement with larger requests.
Social Proof: Show that others are already doing what you want your user to do (e.g., use testimonials, "as seen on" logos, or a counter showing thousands of customers).
Authority: Leverage the credibility of experts or trusted figures to endorse your product or service.
Liking: Build a personal connection with your audience. People are more likely to be persuaded by those they like.
Scarcity and Urgency: Create a sense of limited availability or a limited time offer. Use this with caution, as fake scarcity can erode trust.
This model explains that for a behavior to occur, three elements must be present at the same time: Motivation, Ability, and a Trigger.
This is the desire to perform a behavior. It's easier to tap into existing motivations than to create new ones. The three core motivators are:
Takeaway: Hope is considered the most ethical and empowering motivator.
This is how easy it is to perform a behavior. The easier the action, the more likely someone is to do it.
Takeaway: Simplifying the process (e.g., pre-filling forms, minimizing steps) is often more effective than trying to boost motivation.
A prompt or call to action. A trigger only works when both motivation and ability are high.
Takeaway: Place hot triggers in the path of motivated users.
According to neuromarketing, the "Old Brain" is the part of our brain that makes all decisions. It's primitive, emotional, and focused on survival.
Self-Centered: The Old Brain only cares about "what's in it for me?" Frame your message around the customer's gain, not your company's features.
Contrast: Use "before and after" scenarios (e.g., risky/safe) to make your benefits stand out.
Tangible: Use simple, clear, and tangible ideas. Avoid jargon. "Save money" is better than "maximize ROI."
First and Last: The Old Brain is most attentive at the beginning and end of an interaction. These are the key moments to capture attention.
Visual: The brain processes visuals much faster than text. Use large, high-quality images and videos to communicate your message instantly.
Emotion: Decisions are driven by emotion, not logic. Evoke feelings to bypass rational filters and motivate action.
This formula provides a four-step process for effective selling:
This section covers how people interact with websites and what makes content memorable.
Eyetracking: Users typically start in the top-left corner. Place your most valuable content there.
F-Patterns: Users scan webpages in an F-shape. Position important information and navigation along the top and left side.
Golden Triangle: The top-left area is a "golden triangle" of user attention. The bottom-right is a great spot for a Call to Action (CTA).
Headlines: The first words of a dominant headline are critical for grabbing attention.
Introductory Paragraphs: Making these bold or a larger font can significantly increase a user's attention span.
Line Length: Keep paragraphs short and in a single column for easier reading.
Image Quality: Use large, crisp, high-quality images. Avoid generic stock photos.
Gaze Cueing: People instinctively follow the gaze of others. Have a person in an image look toward a CTA or important text to guide user attention.
Our choices are not purely logical. They are heavily influenced by cognitive biases and our emotions.
Anchoring: We rely too much on the first piece of information we get.
Recency Bias: We favor newer information over older information.
Confirmation Bias: We look for information that confirms our existing beliefs.
Status Quo Bias: We prefer to stick with the default option.
Paradox of Choice: Too many options can overwhelm people and lead to no decision at all. The ideal number of options is typically between 3 and 20.
Affect Heuristic: Our emotions and mood heavily influence our decisions.
Self-Efficacy: A person's belief in their ability to succeed. Build this by showing others succeeding and making tasks easy.
Peak-End Rule: People judge an experience by its most intense moment (peak) and its conclusion (end). Make the climax and end of an experience positive.
Commitment Bias: We value things we've put effort into more (the "IKEA effect"). Let users customize or invest some effort to increase their emotional attachment.