The document discusses six principles of persuasion - reciprocity, commitment, social proof, liking, scarcity, and authority - that influence human behavior according to research. It provides examples from a political organization of how each principle can be applied in a campaign context to encourage supporters to take action, such as thanking supporters to build relationships, turning committed supporters into advocates, highlighting social endorsement, appealing to emotions through personal stories, setting deadlines to create urgency, and using trusted experts to convey messages. The document aims to demonstrate how behavioral research can inform practical campaign strategies.

1. Influence - Putting behaviour
change theory into practice
Blue State Digital London
© 2012 Blue State Digital | Proprietary and Confidential 1

2. How can we influence people?
Blue State Digital has been fundraising, campaigning and engaging
audiences for our clients since 2004. We test everything - from
alternative calls to action to timing of messages, emotional vs. rational
arguments and much more.
Our best practices, pragmatically derived, closely relate to the six
principles of persuasion that Professor Robert Cialdini outlined in his
classic work, ‘Influence’. These principles are reciprocity, commitment,
social proof, liking, scarcity and authority.
But it’s often difficult to imagine what these mean in practice - so we’ve
put together some research that shows how our best practices work.
I hope you enjoy it.
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3. RECOGNISE YOUR
Reciprocity SUPPORTERS FOR
THEIR
CONTRIBUTIONS
AND ASK THEM TO
TAKE ANOTHER
ACTION See the full email here:
http://www.bluestatedigital.com/studentsfirst-email
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4. Reciprocity
Reciprocity means that we feel obliged to give to those that we have
received from. This gift does not need to be material, although free
samples are a common application of this principle. It can be as simple
as praise, or as basic as information.
When our supporters take action, we strengthen our bond by thanking
them – and build the relationship for the future. We then ask them to
reciprocate by doing something more.
Our recognition comes in many forms – anything from a thank you email
to a Facebook badge. But it always includes a further call to action, an
appeal to their underlying understanding of reciprocity.
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5. Commitment
IDENTIFY YOUR
COMMITTED
SUPPORTERS
AND TURN THEM
INTO YOUR
ADVOCATES
See the full email here:
http://www.bluestatedigital.com/RCM-email
© 2012 Blue State Digital | Proprietary and Confidential 5

6. Commitment
People like to honour their commitments.
If people have taken an action for you in the past, they’re likely to
support you again – but they may need to be reminded of their pledge.
At BSD we work hard to convert our committed supporters into
campaign advocates. To do this, we acknowledge their support and
remind them that it can’t stop with a single action, that we need their
commitment to carry through the entire campaign.
Note that this means you don’t necessarily need to start with changing
attitudes to change behaviours: you can do it the other way round.
© 2012 Blue State Digital | Proprietary and Confidential 6

7. Social Proof
CAPITALISE ON
SOCIAL
ENDORSEMENT
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8. Social Proof
People draw guidance from those around them.
When making decisions, they look to those who have already chosen. In
the age of social media, where everybody’s preferences are broadcast
on a public platform, an awareness of social proof is especially
important. Your supporters are your potential sales force.
A campaign must provide content that supporters can share via
Facebook, email or Twitter – and they must be encouraged to do so.
© 2012 Blue State Digital | Proprietary and Confidential 8

9. Liking
“I put my hand over his and
together we traced his name...I
could see from the emotion on his
face that this moment was a major
life event - it was the first time he
had ever signed his own name.”
APPEAL TO YOUR
SUPPORTERS’
EMOTIONS THROUGH
RELATABLE SENDERS
See the full email here: AND PERSONAL
http://www.bluestatedigital.com/NAACP-email STORIES
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10. Liking
It’s no surprise that people respond better to those they like. It’s easy to
underestimate how much this principle could benefit your campaign.
A genuine emotional connection between a supporter and a campaign
is beyond value, but to achieve this the campaign needs to speak with a
compelling personality and human voice. In other words, it needs some
likeable people to tell their incredible stories.
Your requests will be more successful if they’re coming from senders
your supporters can relate to, people who will inspire them to take
action, stories that remind them of the importance of your cause. Find
these personalities in your campaign and let them be your voice.
© 2012 Blue State Digital | Proprietary and Confidential 10

11. Scarcity
SET DEADLINES
HIGHLIGHT
CRITICAL NEED
FOR URGENT
See the full email here:
http://www.bluestatedigital.com/caringforce-email ACTION
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12. Scarcity
As soon as we know something is limited, our desire for it increases.
In a campaign, this knowledge is key to providing incentives for action.
An obvious example is the use of contests with limited prizes. But
scarcity has much broader uses than that. Scarcity can apply to time as
well as quantities. Set deadlines for your appeals and remind your
supporters when they’re looming. Tell them there is an expiry date on
their chance to take action: time is scarce, it’s now or never.
© 2012 Blue State Digital | Proprietary and Confidential 12

13. Authority SPEAK WITH
CERTAINTY
STATE THE
FACTS
USE TRUSTED,
RECOGNISED, NAMES
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14. Authority
An urgent warning and call to action, such as in the Partners In Health
email, means more coming from a trusted and recognisable name such
as Paul Farmer than an average person on the street. Paul is an expert in
his field. If he says Haiti needs our help, we believe him.
Of course, authoritative speech, personalities and visuals must all be
based in reality. A campaign must carefully cultivate its authoritative
voice over time, showcase it only when necessary, and be very careful
never to give cause for it to be questioned.
[Note for UK readers - Paul Farmer occupies roughly the same position
in US society as a combination of Robert Winston & Bob Geldof.]
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