6 principles of persuasion, with which you can make landing effective

Conversion of sales pages can be enhanced not only by redesigning or improving the interface, but psychology can also help. To motivate a site visitor to purchase your product, it is worth trying to build communication with potential customers, using the principles of persuasion that Robert Cialdini highlighted. How to apply these tactics on your landing page? In the article Sean Ellis - cases of the application of the six principles of persuasion on the selling pages. What are these principles, and what options for their use can increase landing conversion?

There is no need to compare the attempt to convince in something with brainwashing or propaganda. Persuasion is, first of all, an understanding of what makes your potential customers take the necessary action.

Since the publication of the book " Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion " by Robert Cialdini in 1984, the six principles of persuasion have become an integral part of the vocabulary of marketers around the world. If you regularly read blogs about marketing, you are probably familiar with them - it is reciprocity, consistency in commitments, signs of public recognition, credibility, sympathy and scarcity or limitation.

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Most people already know how important it is to show demand for a product on a landing page (public recognition). Not only this principle from the Chaldini list, but also the other five should be used to make landing more convincing, and the conversion rate to rise to new heights.
In this post, we will look at each of the principles of Cialdini’s persuasion and show how they can help optimize landing page so that it contributes to higher conversion. Regardless of whether you are creating new landing pages or want to improve the effectiveness of existing campaigns, you will learn how to make selling content more compelling to turn weak pages that are losing potential customers into the most effective ones.

Principle of reciprocity

The principle of reciprocity is based on the idea that one of the human instincts is to, after receiving any benefit, not to remain in debt and repay the same.

Cialdini gives the following historical example:

In 1985, Ethiopia donated thousands of dollars in humanitarian aid to Mexico affected by the earthquake. And although Ethiopia was also suffering from hunger and civil war at that time, humanitarian aid became a way to repay the debt: the Mexicans supported Ethiopia when it was seized by Italy in 1935. 50 years later, even in a desperate situation, the leaders of Ethiopia provided Mexico with material support based on the principle of reciprocity.
Obviously, when working with a landing, a mutually beneficial exchange takes place on a much smaller scale, but the main trend is unchanged - people will feel the need to repay the same, return the moral debt, even after the slightest manifestations of kindness.

How the principle of reciprocity is used in BuzzStream

Hoping for support in return, BuzzStream offers absolutely free of charge and without any obligations offers to download a PDF-file of the extended content promotion guide .



Users do not need to specify their email in the contact collection form at the bottom of the page, but BuzzStream relies on the potential customers who receive a gift to be more likely to express their gratitude by providing an email address.

Matt Gratt, a senior marketing manager at BuzzStream, told me that thanks to the opportunity to get something valuable for free, more people wanted to download the guide and mentioned it - for example, in the Moz video blog, links to it were listed on several other resources.

“Offer something for free before asking to fulfill an obligation.”

How Noah Kagan uses the principle of reciprocity

Noah Kagan makes the principle of mutually beneficial sharing work by creating posts on his blog, where he offers premium content packages in exchange for registration.
For example, a post about how to become the best seller on Amazon , step by step guides readers through the whole process of moving towards the top sellers, the article is supplemented with screenshots, statistics, etc. At the end, readers are offered an additional bonus - more content in exchange for an email address.


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After reading so much detailed information, the principle of reciprocity, supplemented by one’s own interest, is a really compelling reason to fill out the contact collection form.

How HubSpot uses the principle of reciprocity

Another example of using the principle of mutually beneficial exchange in action is the free product of the giant of incoming marketing HubSpot's Marketing Grader .


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The free tool allows users to enter data in order to get from 1 to 100 points for them, which are set based on the quality of different ways of marketing promotion in the complex: blogging, social media, SEO, lead generation and mobile optimization. As with the BuzzStream, HubSpot offers the Marketing Grader tool for free.

Based on the principle of reciprocity, users who are satisfied with this free service offered by HubSpot are more likely to want to somehow thank the company, and the report on this case has a link to the free trial version of HubSpot:


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The principle of reciprocity served HubSpot faithfully - during the first three years of using HubSpot's Website Grader (an earlier version of the Marketing Grader) they were shared on social networks a huge number of times, as a result, this tool analyzed more than two million sites.

How to use the principle of reciprocity on your landing page:

• First offer something for free.
• Then offer something more valuable in exchange for some obligations for the site visitor.

Principle of consistency in obligations

People usually take great pride in being faithful to their word. Cialdini believes that both verbal and written commitments are powerful techniques of persuasion: people usually value an agreement even when the initial stimulus or motivation is no longer relevant.

If you have ever been inside a car dealer to buy a new car, then you probably saw this principle in action. After the test drive, you are usually brought back to the sales office to agree on the conditions of purchase. One of the first things that you are asked to do is either specify the conditions that suit you, or confirm the conditions specified by the sales manager.

These conditions are inconclusive and even unofficial, but the very fact of designating them represents a small obligation that is required in order to encourage you to undertake large obligations (up to the intention to buy a car).

How Conversion Voodo uses the principle of consistency in commitments

This principle can be applied to your landing page. Conversion Voodo helped the mortgage company to increase the conversion rate to completed applications by more than 11% by adding a checkbox with a microcopy of the obligation:



This mini-commitment (in conjunction with a declarative statement) prepares users for a 20-minute application process.

As a principle of consecutive commitments used in the election campaign of Obama

In the campaign of Obama, this principle was involved in the design of the form of making donations . Having broken the process of collecting donations into several successive steps, they increased the conversion by 5%, a much larger amount of money was collected.

The redesign was effective, in particular, because in the new form, the principle of consistency in commitments was correctly used. The first step was to choose the amount that the user would like to donate.


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Thus, already in the first step, the user made some commitment, and in order to fill out the entire form, it was necessary to go through several more such steps. People like to consider themselves to be consistent and rational - specifying the amount of donations at the very beginning, they are committed to finish the job.

You do not need to completely redo the entire landing page to begin using the principle of consistency. If you have a very long and complicated sales funnel, mini-commitments, which are declarative statements of a positive nature, will help users maintain interest in your product throughout the process, which will increase conversion.

How to use the principle of consistency in the obligations on your landing page:

• Ask the user to give a very small commitment at the very beginning.
• Divide what you ask for into a few simple steps.

The principle of social approval

The principle of public acceptance or social approval is based on the fact that in moments of uncertainty, people tend to do what others do.

Cialdini analyzed an experiment in which researchers participating in a door-to-door charity event found that people were more likely to make donations when the list of those who had already done so was longer. If the list included people whom the potential participant in the action knows - for example, his friends and neighbors - then he was more likely to agree to donate money.

How the Conversion Rate Experts use the principle of social approval

The South American daFlores flower delivery shop was able to almost double its income, adding an element of social approval to its landing page. In the original version of the site, a banner was used, in turn showing three customer reviews:


Original version with three reviews in rotation - Source

After conducting several studies, it was discovered that some new visitors had never heard of daFlores before, so representatives of the Conversion Rate Experts decided to demonstrate the popularity of daFlores by replacing the rotary banner with a static image that read “¡GRACIAS a nuestros mas de 600,000 seguidores en Facebook! ”-“ Thanks to our 600,000+ Facebook followers! ”.


A test version with a static image that says “Thank you to our 600,000+ followers on Facebook!” - Source

This simple change led to an increase in online flower sales of 44%. Those who saw that daFlores already had more than 600,000 subscribers probably realized that this is a really great company providing high-quality services. Here it is - the power of social approval.

However, as this example shows, social approval is a double-edged sword. If your feedback doesn’t look convincing enough or even seems to be false, the principle of social approval will work against you. Even if the review is true, but it looks fake, it can lead to negative public opinion, and it will alienate site visitors.

Most people forget that the important point about the principle of social approval is that it works more efficiently when feedback from users that relate to your target audience is used. You need to provide convincing evidence that your product is positively perceived by users similar to your customer - then it is more likely to follow the crowd.

How to use the principle of social approval on your landing page:

• Use compelling testimonials from users who are part of your target audience.
• Use the icons to highlight popular products and price selection.

Principle of authority

In his book, Cialdini notes that people tend to bow down before authorities — even when they are asked to commit reprehensible acts. As an example, he cites the infamous Milgram experiments in which people tortured other people with electric shocks simply because an authority had declared that they should do so. The tendency to respect authorities is often used to increase the effectiveness of sales of absolutely everything - about shoes to toothpaste.

How does Ultraviolet Digital marketing agency use credibility?

Ultraviolet Digital was able to increase sales of its client, Kaya Skin Clinic , by 22% only by changing the call-to-action.


Original version with generalized call to action - Source

Although this is found in the text above, Ultraviolet Digital experts found that using the word “expert” in the form of gathering contacts as a call to action is an effective call to listen to authority.



The title of the contact collection form is “I want to know the opinion of experts. Register me! ”Uses the principle of authority. This version has surpassed the original by 137% - Source

In this example, it was not even necessary to appeal to the opinion of a particular authority - only the emphasis on the word “expert” makes the page 137% more effective in attracting customers.

Even in spite of the horrible text on the button, Kaya Skin Clinic saw specific results after they added an element to it with an indication of authority. Imagine what the effect would be if they combined an appeal to the authority with a more active call on the button, for example, “Get my opinion for free!”.

Even if it seems to you that you have already used the principle of authority on your landing page, the example above shows that sometimes the rule “the more, the better” works here. Think about how you can paraphrase or beat the appeal to authority, to emphasize it more and further increase the conversion.

How to use the principle of authority on your landing page:

• Use the opinion leader your visitors respect to encourage them to take action.
• Cite experts and refer to their opinion, as well as use information from reputable sources.

Principle of sympathy

According to Cialdini, people are more likely to purchase goods if they like the person who sells them. This law includes a tendency to listen to the opinions of the most attractive people.

Apart from the simple use of images of attractive people (which does not work for all products), this principle can be the most difficult to implement in an online environment. However, this does not mean that you cannot use the principle of liking to increase the conversion of your landing page.

How Airbnb uses liking

Airbnb used the liking principle to redesign its “underutilized and inefficient" program, increasing registrations and orders by more than 300% per day.



“Your friend Jason gave you a $ 25 discount on your first trip with Airbnb, the best way to travel. Be sure to thank him! ” Source

Instead of a random customer list next to the Airbnb logo, potential buyers see (and associate with Airbnb) the smiling face of a friend. For each potential client, the first acquaintance with Airbnb takes place on a personalized landing page and immediately involves in the process. What is there not to like?

How Help Scout uses the liking principle

Similarly, by combining colloquial text and a friendly face, Help Scout's customer service uses the principle of sympathy on the page below.



Help Scout is an easy client support tool that is popular with many startups.

Their page includes a picture of a smiling person - which appeals to the principle of sympathy. In this case, it’s not even a friend from social networks - it’s a real person that visitors can contact.

Please note that the application of the principle of sympathy is not limited to visual elements. The text at the bottom of the page and next to the photo is written in the everyday conversational style to make Help Scout an even more simple and understandable service.

To write a text on a landing page in a friendly and simple manner - this is one of several ways to use the power of sympathy for your own good. Another method is to beat the similarities with the target audience, because people tend to like those with whom they have something in common. Think about who your target user is, and how your interests, hobbies, and values ​​can help build a closer relationship with him and increase his sympathy for you.

How to use the principle of sympathy on your landing:

• Use photos of friendly people who belong to your target audience.
• Speak to visitors of your site in their language and in a friendly tone - it is so worth writing texts on the landing page.
• Treat visitors in such a way that they feel they are communicating with people just like them.

Principle of deficiency

According to Cialdini, a deficit (whether real or contrived) does generate demand and thus makes the buyer act quickly. The abundance of “time-limited offers” and the expiration date on vouchers and coupons only confirm this principle.

How KISSmetrics uses the principle of deficiency

When Heithen Shah reduced the free trial period from 30 to 14 days, the number of clients involved in the process increased by 102%.


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Although there was no difference in the number of registrations between the 30-day and 14-day trial period, it turned out that users with a higher (102%) probability would actually use the product if they only have 14 days to make this.

While the conversion rate remained at the same level, an increase in the number of customers actually using the product during the trial period allowed more users to appreciate the merits of the product, ultimately, this led to an increase in revenue, as more users tried the product and then switched to the paid version.

How Quick Sprout Uses the Deficit Principle

Neil Patel, Heiten’s business partner, uses a countdown clock on his Quick Sprout University landing page.


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Such an advantageous offer puts pressure on the user to make a choice: to make a purchase or to lose this chance forever. The fear of missed opportunity is the driving force behind the principle of scarcity.

In the example of Quick Sprout, potential customers who were given too much time - a whole month, did not care at all about starting to use the product during the free trial period. Explore ways you can formulate your own actions, focusing on the limitations of the offer, and you can increase user engagement and conversion rate.

How to use the principle of deficiency on your landing page:

• Create sentences of limited time or quantity.
• Use a countdown clock to make users feel the fear of missing a profitable opportunity.

What do many of these cases have in common? Perhaps this is what the changes made can not be called global. Even minor changes, supported by proven psychological principles and knowledge of your client, will help you to achieve excellent results.

Look at your landing page and tune in to internal Cialdini. What changes can you easily make right now, using the power of persuasion of the six principles to increase the conversion of your landing pages?