When saying ‘please’ isn’t enough: Using social proof in copywriting

I spotted this sign outside the swimming pool this morning and I was bowled over by how clever it is. In just 15 words it manages to influence your behaviour – and without saying ‘please’.

By telling the reader how everybody else is behaving, it makes them want to conform. This idea is known as social proof and it can be more persuasive than simply asking someone to do something.

Do you think the sign would be as strong if it read:

Please shower before entering the pool

It’s shorter, but it’s very plain and formulaic.

By including some detail (the areas are hygienic because of the showering) we understand that everybody is taking a personal responsibility for the group’s benefit.

The “(Don’t you!)” is a little bit cheeky (exclamation mark rather than question mark – which could feel too accusatory), it singles the reader out and makes them consider their own behaviour and it ends the message on a light note.

Using social proof is a great way to let people know how you want them to behave, without sounding too bossy about it.

4 Responses to “When saying ‘please’ isn’t enough: Using social proof in copywriting”

1. Andy Nattan says:

   January 23, 2012 at 10:40 am

   It’s a really good example. A far cry from the formulaic “8/10 cats prefer…” method.

   Nice one.
2. Steven Nash says:

   January 23, 2012 at 11:27 am

   This is a really interesting example of using social proof.

   There are some great examples in Kevin Dutton’s book ‘Flipnosis – The Art of Split-Second Persuasion.’

   The one that caught my eye was a hotel that wanted to encourage guests to reuse their towels. It’s worth reading the final column of this article – http://www.splitsecondpersuasion.com/reviews/toronto-globe-3-12-10.pdf

   I tried to duplicate this effect to boost donations to Macmillan on a ‘thankyou for your order’ page. It’s worked really well and boosted our Justgiving page substantially.
3. Gareth Cook says:

   January 23, 2012 at 5:31 pm

   I really like this. Having been to a spa on Saturday that relies on the old standard approach of ‘Please shower before entering the spa areas’ I can see that this fresh approach would be much more effective.

   Although the ‘don’t you!’ is quite friendly and softens the tone even further I can’t help thinking that the message would have been even stronger if they had missed it off.

   Leaving the burden of responsibility with the reader would possibly have an even more dynamic effect in converting ‘shirkers’ to ‘showerers’.
4. Steven Nash says:

   January 23, 2012 at 9:27 pm

   I wonder if anything like this is used on hospital wards to boost the numbers of people who use the hand gel when they enter the ward.