X
Welcome!
Giuseppe Caltabiano
HEAD OF CONTENT STRATEGY FOR EMEA & APAC
CONTENTLY
@giusec
X
The psychology
behind content:
how to trigger
your users’
behaviour
3
The World’s Best Brands Use Contently
For strategy, editorial services, and premium, original content that works
4
X
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Me
Contently
“It might look counterintuitive, but success in content
strategy never starts with the strategy - it starts from
the context.”
X
Psychology, Design, Content 

(the rise of the Hybrid Marketer)
Psychology
Content
Marketing
Design
(A very powerful)
Sweet Spot
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
Today’s Agenda
Introduction Psychology Models Persuasion
An introduction to
Psychology for
Content Marketers
ELM and Fogg
Behavior Model
Cialdini’s
Principles of
Persuasion
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
Introduction
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Psychology, a definition
10
Psychology: the study of human
behaviour in a given context
“
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
What do you see?
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
We humans project ourselves into so
much of what we see. This instinct is
guided by our primordial desire for
emotional connections with others.
We are hardwired to seek emotion in
human faces.
For this reason, photos of human
faces in a design can profoundly
influence an audience.
We’re looking for emotions
HumansObjects
Image with a
face saw
+160% CTR,
+290% CVR
vs. image
without face.
vs. +160% CTR
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
Utilising dark patterns or tricking a user into doing
something they wouldn’t otherwise do is not persuasion.
It’s being an asshole
Victor S. Yocco. “Design for the Mind”
A word on Persuasion
“
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
1. Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) (Petty, Caciocco)
2. Fogg Behavior Design model (E.J. Fogg)
3. Cialdini’s Persuasion Principles (Cialdini)
Three models
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
Elaboration Likelihood Model
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
Elaboration Likelihood Model
Means your audience cares
more about the message.
They’ll pay attention and
scrutinize quality and
strength of the argument.
Central Route
Happens on a more superficial
level. Your audience will pay
less attention to the message
while being influenced by
secondary factors, such as
source credibility, visual appeal,
presentation, and enticements
like food, sex, and humour.
Peripheral Route
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
ELM in practice - Central Route
17
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
ELM in practice - Peripheral Route
18
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Example of Central Route - Amazon
19
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Example of Peripheral Route - Amazon
20
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Example of Peripheral Route
21
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Example of Peripheral Route
22
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Motivation and Ability
23
•What promotes central route processing and high elaboration?
•Researchers have explored 2 main factors: motivation and ability
•This leads to the next model: Fogg Behavior Model
“High Motivation and
Ability promotes Central
Route processing
High ABILITY to process
information
High MOTIVATION
Strong attitude toward
product or content
High ABILITY to process
information
Low ABILITY to process
information
Low MOTIVATION
Weak attitude toward product
or content
Central Route
Peripheral Route
Ability Motivation (Relevancy)Attention
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
Fogg Behavior Model
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
Fogg Behavior Model
Psychology TechnologyBehavior
Design
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
• Fogg Behavior Model explains that 3 elements must come
together at the same time for a behaviour to occur:
motivation, ability and prompts (triggers)
• When a behavior does not occur, at least one of those three
elements is missing
Fogg Behavior Model
B = mat
Behavior = motivation x ability x trigger
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
• When motivation is high, you can get people to
do hard things. But once it drops people will only
do easy things
• Status, Access, Power, Stuff can help boosting
motivation
Motivation (relevancy)
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Motivation - Duolingo (status)
The psychology behind content - KPMG Marketing Training WeekContent Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Motivation: Vitality (stuff)
29
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Motivation: AXA (stuff)
30
X
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
• In order to perform a target behavior, a person
must have the ability to do so
• There are two paths to increasing ability:
1. You can train people, giving them more skills
(ability) to do the target behavior
2. better path is to make the target behavior
easier to do (simplicity)
Make it easy for your audience to understand what
you offer and how to receive it.
Ability (and Simplicity)
Simplicity increase Ability
“
X
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Ability (and Simplicity)
This leads to an important rule: 

If you must choose what to optimise
for, always choose ability over
motivation.
Become a master of simplification, 

not motivation. 
“
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Simplicity: Oscar
33
X
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Simplicity? Generali
35
X
X
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
• The third element of the Fogg Behavior
Model is Triggers (also known as Prompts)
• Sometimes a Trigger can be external, like an
alarm sounding.
• Other times, the Trigger is internal and come
from our daily routine
Without a Trigger, the target
behaviour will not happen
“
Triggers (Prompts)
X
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Triggers: Addison Lee Taxis
X
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Triggers: Amazon Fresh
X
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Triggers: Capgemini’s “Content Loop”
X
Cialdini’s Principles of Persuasion
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
• As Cialdini puts it, we’re in the age of information overload. We don’t have time
to process all of the information and then to make informed decisions
• This incapacity makes us look for signals (shortcuts)
• These signals that help us decide if we want to do something
Cialdini’s Principles of Persuasion
We use signals (shortcuts) to make fast and informed decisions
“
Shortcuts
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Reciprocity Authority
Social
Proof
Liking Scarcity
Status
Quo
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Reciprocity - Freshbooks
43
People generally feel
indebted to those who
do something for them
without asking for
anything in return.
The more you give to
your customers, the
more they’ll be willing
to give back to you.  
“
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Reciprocity - Basecamp
44
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Consistency & Status Quo - Blue Apron
45
People generally prefer
status quo, even if they
say they’re open to new
ideas or ways of doing
things. 
“
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Scarcity & Fear of Missing Out (FoMo) - Amazon
46
When we fear that
something is scarce, we
feel compelled to act –
buying, stockpiling, or
experiencing that thing
before it’s gone.
“
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Scarcity & Fear of Missing Out (FoMo) - British Airways
47
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Improper use of the Scarcity principle…
48
"Six online hotel booking sites will make major changes
to end misleading sales tactics and hidden charges after
an investigation. Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda,
Hotels.com, Ebookers and Trivago were subject to
scrutiny by the Competition and Markets Authority
(CMA), which intervened due to serious concerns about
hidden charges, pressure-selling tactics, misleading
discount claims and the order in which results appear on
the site pages.
Some sites were comparing a higher weekend room rate
with a weekday rate or comparing the price of a luxury
suite with a standard room; when highlighting that other
customers are looking at the same hotel as you, these
sites should make it clear they may be searching for
different dates. The CMA also saw examples of some
sites strategically placing sold out hotels within search
results to put pressure on people to book more quickly.
Sites have now committed not to do this."
“
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Liking: PetsRelocations
49
Based on the
straightforward principle
that we are easily
persuaded by people
who are like us, or
people we like. 
Similarity boosts liking.
“
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Authority: Kaya
50
Influencer marketing’s
principles are based on
the authority shortcut:
people will consume
your content and will
buy your services/
products, because you
have some degree of
knowledge and
authority.
“
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Social Proof: MarketingProfs
51
We generally value
opinions and ideas from
people like us, and we
feel greater compulsion
to act when we see
others like us taking
action.
“
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Social Proof: CMI (Content Marketing Institute)
52
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Social Proof: FreshBooks
53
X
How (and where) to use the
principles
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
Summary
55
Ability
Motivation
Triggers
(Prompts)
Cialdini’s Shortcuts
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
56
Purchase
Central Route
Processing
Scarcity
Status Quo
Consideration/Decision
Central Route
Processing
Reciprocity
Status Quo
Social Proof
Fogg
Behaviour
Model
Awareness
Central Route
Processing
Reciprocity
Authority
Social Proof
Fogg
Behaviour
Model
When you should use psychology principles
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
References
57
Giuseppe Caltabiano
HEAD OF CONTENT STRATEGY FOR EMEA & APAC
CONTENTLY
@giusec
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
X
New York
598 Broadway, 4th floor

New York, NY 10012
London
WeWork

Shoreditch Mark Square

1 Mark Square

London EC2A 4EG

Thank You
Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019

The psychology behind content: How to trigger your users’ behaviour

  • 1.
  • 2.
    Welcome! Giuseppe Caltabiano HEAD OFCONTENT STRATEGY FOR EMEA & APAC CONTENTLY @giusec X The psychology behind content: how to trigger your users’ behaviour
  • 3.
  • 4.
    The World’s BestBrands Use Contently For strategy, editorial services, and premium, original content that works 4
  • 6.
    X Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Me Contently “It might look counterintuitive, but success in content strategy never starts with the strategy - it starts from the context.”
  • 7.
    X Psychology, Design, Content
 (the rise of the Hybrid Marketer) Psychology Content Marketing Design (A very powerful) Sweet Spot Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 8.
    X Today’s Agenda Introduction PsychologyModels Persuasion An introduction to Psychology for Content Marketers ELM and Fogg Behavior Model Cialdini’s Principles of Persuasion Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 9.
    X Introduction Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019
  • 10.
    Psychology, a definition 10 Psychology:the study of human behaviour in a given context “ Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 11.
    X What do yousee? Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 12.
    X We humans projectourselves into so much of what we see. This instinct is guided by our primordial desire for emotional connections with others. We are hardwired to seek emotion in human faces. For this reason, photos of human faces in a design can profoundly influence an audience. We’re looking for emotions HumansObjects Image with a face saw +160% CTR, +290% CVR vs. image without face. vs. +160% CTR Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 13.
    X Utilising dark patternsor tricking a user into doing something they wouldn’t otherwise do is not persuasion. It’s being an asshole Victor S. Yocco. “Design for the Mind” A word on Persuasion “ Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 14.
    X 1. Elaboration LikelihoodModel (ELM) (Petty, Caciocco) 2. Fogg Behavior Design model (E.J. Fogg) 3. Cialdini’s Persuasion Principles (Cialdini) Three models Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 15.
    X Elaboration Likelihood Model ContentStrategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 16.
    X Elaboration Likelihood Model Meansyour audience cares more about the message. They’ll pay attention and scrutinize quality and strength of the argument. Central Route Happens on a more superficial level. Your audience will pay less attention to the message while being influenced by secondary factors, such as source credibility, visual appeal, presentation, and enticements like food, sex, and humour. Peripheral Route Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 17.
    ELM in practice- Central Route 17 Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 18.
    ELM in practice- Peripheral Route 18 Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 19.
    Example of CentralRoute - Amazon 19 Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 20.
    Example of PeripheralRoute - Amazon 20 Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 21.
    Example of PeripheralRoute 21 Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 22.
    Example of PeripheralRoute 22 Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 23.
    Motivation and Ability 23 •Whatpromotes central route processing and high elaboration? •Researchers have explored 2 main factors: motivation and ability •This leads to the next model: Fogg Behavior Model “High Motivation and Ability promotes Central Route processing High ABILITY to process information High MOTIVATION Strong attitude toward product or content High ABILITY to process information Low ABILITY to process information Low MOTIVATION Weak attitude toward product or content Central Route Peripheral Route Ability Motivation (Relevancy)Attention Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 24.
    X Fogg Behavior Model ContentStrategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 25.
    X Fogg Behavior Model PsychologyTechnologyBehavior Design Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 26.
    X • Fogg BehaviorModel explains that 3 elements must come together at the same time for a behaviour to occur: motivation, ability and prompts (triggers) • When a behavior does not occur, at least one of those three elements is missing Fogg Behavior Model B = mat Behavior = motivation x ability x trigger Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 27.
    X • When motivationis high, you can get people to do hard things. But once it drops people will only do easy things • Status, Access, Power, Stuff can help boosting motivation Motivation (relevancy) Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 28.
    X Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Motivation - Duolingo (status)
  • 29.
    The psychology behindcontent - KPMG Marketing Training WeekContent Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019 Motivation: Vitality (stuff) 29
  • 30.
    Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Motivation: AXA (stuff) 30
  • 31.
    X Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 • In order to perform a target behavior, a person must have the ability to do so • There are two paths to increasing ability: 1. You can train people, giving them more skills (ability) to do the target behavior 2. better path is to make the target behavior easier to do (simplicity) Make it easy for your audience to understand what you offer and how to receive it. Ability (and Simplicity) Simplicity increase Ability “
  • 32.
    X Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Ability (and Simplicity) This leads to an important rule: 
 If you must choose what to optimise for, always choose ability over motivation. Become a master of simplification, 
 not motivation.  “
  • 33.
    Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Simplicity: Oscar 33
  • 34.
  • 35.
    Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Simplicity? Generali 35
  • 36.
  • 37.
    X Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 • The third element of the Fogg Behavior Model is Triggers (also known as Prompts) • Sometimes a Trigger can be external, like an alarm sounding. • Other times, the Trigger is internal and come from our daily routine Without a Trigger, the target behaviour will not happen “ Triggers (Prompts)
  • 38.
    X Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Triggers: Addison Lee Taxis
  • 39.
    X Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Triggers: Amazon Fresh
  • 40.
    X Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Triggers: Capgemini’s “Content Loop”
  • 41.
    X Cialdini’s Principles ofPersuasion Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 42.
    X • As Cialdiniputs it, we’re in the age of information overload. We don’t have time to process all of the information and then to make informed decisions • This incapacity makes us look for signals (shortcuts) • These signals that help us decide if we want to do something Cialdini’s Principles of Persuasion We use signals (shortcuts) to make fast and informed decisions “ Shortcuts Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019 Reciprocity Authority Social Proof Liking Scarcity Status Quo
  • 43.
    Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Reciprocity - Freshbooks 43 People generally feel indebted to those who do something for them without asking for anything in return. The more you give to your customers, the more they’ll be willing to give back to you.   “
  • 44.
    Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Reciprocity - Basecamp 44
  • 45.
    Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Consistency & Status Quo - Blue Apron 45 People generally prefer status quo, even if they say they’re open to new ideas or ways of doing things.  “
  • 46.
    Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Scarcity & Fear of Missing Out (FoMo) - Amazon 46 When we fear that something is scarce, we feel compelled to act – buying, stockpiling, or experiencing that thing before it’s gone. “
  • 47.
    Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Scarcity & Fear of Missing Out (FoMo) - British Airways 47
  • 48.
    Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Improper use of the Scarcity principle… 48 "Six online hotel booking sites will make major changes to end misleading sales tactics and hidden charges after an investigation. Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda, Hotels.com, Ebookers and Trivago were subject to scrutiny by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which intervened due to serious concerns about hidden charges, pressure-selling tactics, misleading discount claims and the order in which results appear on the site pages. Some sites were comparing a higher weekend room rate with a weekday rate or comparing the price of a luxury suite with a standard room; when highlighting that other customers are looking at the same hotel as you, these sites should make it clear they may be searching for different dates. The CMA also saw examples of some sites strategically placing sold out hotels within search results to put pressure on people to book more quickly. Sites have now committed not to do this." “
  • 49.
    Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Liking: PetsRelocations 49 Based on the straightforward principle that we are easily persuaded by people who are like us, or people we like.  Similarity boosts liking. “
  • 50.
    Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Authority: Kaya 50 Influencer marketing’s principles are based on the authority shortcut: people will consume your content and will buy your services/ products, because you have some degree of knowledge and authority. “
  • 51.
    Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Social Proof: MarketingProfs 51 We generally value opinions and ideas from people like us, and we feel greater compulsion to act when we see others like us taking action. “
  • 52.
    Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Social Proof: CMI (Content Marketing Institute) 52
  • 53.
    Content Strategy &Innovation Summit 2019 Social Proof: FreshBooks 53
  • 54.
    X How (and where)to use the principles Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 55.
  • 56.
    56 Purchase Central Route Processing Scarcity Status Quo Consideration/Decision CentralRoute Processing Reciprocity Status Quo Social Proof Fogg Behaviour Model Awareness Central Route Processing Reciprocity Authority Social Proof Fogg Behaviour Model When you should use psychology principles Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 57.
    References 57 Giuseppe Caltabiano HEAD OFCONTENT STRATEGY FOR EMEA & APAC CONTENTLY @giusec Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019
  • 58.
    X New York 598 Broadway,4th floor
 New York, NY 10012 London WeWork
 Shoreditch Mark Square
 1 Mark Square
 London EC2A 4EG
 Thank You Content Strategy & Innovation Summit 2019