Is it time to challenge persuasive messaging?
The last life-changing purchase I made was from a trainer who doesn't even have a website.
She doesn't have an email list, a free download, or a trial offer. She doesn't host online events or webinars. She exists on just one social media platform, sharing daily videos packed with practical value.
Honestly (and rather embarrassingly), I didn't even know her first name when we had our onboarding call.
Yesterday, I found myself eagerly asking to write her a testimonial - that's how impactful the last six months of working with her has been.
Why am I telling you this?
Because it's an example that challenges everything we're told about "proven" marketing techniques.
No sales funnels. No persuasion tactics. No manufactured urgency. Just consistent value that built trust over time.
This realization has been taking shape in my mind as we've explored marketing without harm in our work at Fearless. We recently decided to leave Meta, after seeing how the platform has increasingly censored content from the entrepreneurs we support while funding an administration at odds with our values.
Now, I’m suggesting we take the exploration one step further, examining not just where we share our messages, but the fundamental nature of those messages themselves.
Think about your own meaningful purchases and business investments
The partnerships that transformed your company.
The tools you rely on daily.
The services that changed your trajectory.
Like my experience, these decisions likely came from a place of trust and genuine value, not pressure and urgency.
Yet somehow, we've normalized messaging strategies that do the opposite. In our rush to drive growth, we've accepted anxiety-inducing, urgency-manufacturing tactics as necessary tools of business, even as we recognize their harm in every other context.
"But it works."
Does it though? Let's look at what the data tells us:
According to Edelman's 2024 Trust Barometer, 71% of consumers say they will stop buying from brands they don't trust, while 81% need to be able to trust a brand to do what is right.
Research from the Harvard Business Review found that customers who fully trust a brand are 95% more likely to be loyal and 85% more likely to recommend it to others.
A 2023 study by Nielsen revealed that 74% of consumers actively avoid marketing messages they perceive as manipulative or high-pressure.
The Content Marketing Institute reports that content focused on educating and providing value generates 3x more leads than promotional content while costing 62% less.
It's possible that every time we send a manipulative message, we create tiny fractures in customer trust. Those "limited time" offers and artificial deadlines? They're training our audience to wait for desperate discounts rather than value our true worth.
When we rely on pressure tactics, we often attract panic buyers who become our unhappiest customers and clients - the ones who bought from fear rather than fit.
I'll admit it. I've been part of perpetuating this cycle. As a copywriter and strategist, I've spent hours studying the "perfect" call-to-action language. I've mined for "pain points." I've read all the secrets of persuasion style books. I've definitely watched Mad Men and sipped Canadian Club.
I too had been convinced this was the only way to capture human attention.
The thing is, while high-pressure tactics might drive quick sales, they kill the very thing that builds sustainable businesses: long-term referrals and genuine advocacy.
Nearly all meaningful business decisions come through:
Word of mouth from trusted friends
Gradual brand awareness built over time
Personal discovery that feels autonomous
Solutions found when we're actively seeking them
Yet we continue pushing messages designed to short-circuit this natural decision-making process.
I think there's a different way forward, and I invite you to try it with me.
The question isn't whether high-pressure marketing works for quick sales. The question is why we ever thought it was the only way to grow sustainably.
Start putting this into practice by conducting a content wellbeing audit
Instead of the traditional funnel that focuses on conversion at any cost, let's reimagine marketing as a trust-building system with five key components:
Map your customer's journey
What state of mind are they in when they find you?
What pressures are they already facing?
Where else are they experiencing anxiety in their decision-making?
2. Examine your touchpoints
List every place you ask your audience to make a decision
Note where you're adding to their mental load
Identify where you could reduce friction instead of adding pressure
3. Reimagine your approach
Instead of amplifying pain points:
❌ "Tired of struggling with low engagement?"
✅ "Explore a new approach to audience connection."
Instead of manufacturing urgency:
❌ "Last chance - only 2 spots remain in our January cohort!"
✅ "We keep our cohorts intimate. Here's how this changes your experience..."
Instead of fear-based messaging:
❌ "Your business is losing money every day you don't solve this."
✅ "When you're ready to tackle this challenge, here's how we can help."
The goal is to transform every pressure point into a support point, acknowledging real challenges while focusing on empowerment rather than anxiety.
What if your audience’s wellbeing was your first consideration?
When we shift from "How can we get people to buy?" to "How can we genuinely help?" we often discover that the latter naturally leads to the former, but with stronger foundations, better customer experiences, and more sustainable growth.
What connections could we build if we focus entirely on our audience's wellbeing?
I’m excited to find out.