afaraha8403 Marketing Psychology
Leading words: loss aversion, social proof, anchoring, paradox of choice, Zeigarnik effect, IKEA effect, reciprocity, commitment & consistency, Fogg behavior model, ethical influence.
Apply cognitive biases and behavioral models to product surfaces — ethically. The goal is to reduce cognitive load, surface genuine value, and help the user act on what they already want — not to manipulate.
Decision model — surface → principle
Pick the surface the user is working on, then apply the primary principle (secondary principles reinforce). Depth on each principle lives in references/principles.md.
| Surface | Primary principle | Secondary principle |
|---|---|---|
| CTA (call-to-action) | Commitment & consistency | Reciprocity |
| Pricing tier comparison | Anchoring | Loss aversion |
| Onboarding flow | IKEA effect | Paradox of choice (avoid) |
| Feature description | Loss aversion | Social proof |
| Reviews / testimonials / trust | Social proof | Reciprocity |
| Dashboard engagement | Zeigarnik effect | Loss aversion |
| Error / empty state | Reciprocity | Fogg: reduce ability cost |
Phase 1 — Audit
- [ ] Identify the surface type from the decision model table above.
- [ ] Map the primary + secondary principle for that surface.
- [ ] Check the current copy's cognitive load (how many concepts must the
user hold at once to act?).
- [ ] Check ethics: would the ethical-influence test pass? (see references/)
🛑 Checkpoint: State the surface type, primary/secondary principles, and cognitive-load assessment in one sentence. Do not proceed to Design until the audit is named.
Phase 2 — Design
- [ ] Choose 1-2 principles max for the surface (more = noise).
- [ ] Inject the leading word for the chosen principle into the copy.
- [ ] Apply the pattern for that principle (see references/principles.md).
- [ ] Verify the principle is real, not fabricated (real metrics, real
testimonials, real scarcity).
🛑 Checkpoint: Show the chosen principle(s) and the planned copy structure. Do not draft prose until the design is named.
Phase 3 — Write
- [ ] Draft the copy anchored by the leading word.
- [ ] Use concrete metrics over vague adjectives ("3 missed calls last week"
> "many missed calls").
- [ ] Run the read-aloud test — does it sound like a person, not a marketer?
- [ ] Run the ethical-influence test (see references/ethical_boundaries.md).
Phase 4 — Validate
- [ ] No dark patterns (fabricated stats, manufactured urgency, confirm-shaming,
roach motel, bait-and-switch, asymmetric consent).
- [ ] No addiction design (infinite scroll without exit, variable reward
exploitation).
- [ ] No product-truth overrides (claims must match what the feature actually
does).
- [ ] Cognitive load reduced, not increased.
- [ ] Plain language — no marketing jargon the user would not use themselves.
Any miss → back to Phase 2.
What NOT to do
Hard boundaries — see references/ethical_boundaries.md for the full list and the ethical-influence test. Summary:
- No fabricated stats. Real metrics only; if unknown, omit the figure.
- No manufactured urgency. Real scarcity only — countdowns that reset are deception.
- No confirm-shaming. Opt-out copy must be neutral.
- No addiction design. Surfaces must serve the user's goal, not exploit dopamine response.
- No overriding product truth. Copy must match what the feature actually does.
References
| File | Use it for |
|---|---|
| references/principles.md | Full reasoning behind each cognitive bias + the Fogg Behavior Model |
| references/ethical_boundaries.md | Dark patterns, addiction design, product-truth overrides, ethical-influence test |
| references/yappi_examples.md | Worked examples from the Yappi.ai context (the original skill's content) |