Epi #44: Unleashing Behavioural Science in PR & Outreach Strategies

Behavioural science has become a game-changer for elite marketers and communicators. Its insights offer a profound strategic advantage by illuminating the subconscious drivers behind decisions. In this fortnight's issue, I'm diving into advanced applications from a recent workshop I ran with leading Benelux B2B PR Firm Progress Communications ;showcasing behavioural science's unparalleled impact.

Precision Strategy & Customer Understanding

Behavioural principles form the foundation of our strategic planning process. By systematically mapping the deep-seated cognitive biases and emotional triggers underlying customer choices, we architect radically more potent campaigns and comms strategies. This approach transcends superficial data to reveal an incredibly nuanced view of true customer motivations.

Behavioural Science in Crafting the Perfect PR Pitch

I'm yet to find an area of marketing PR doesn't add value too.

For PR professionals, one of the great challenges is making the best decision between the time-cost of personalised outreach vs the % chance of getting published.

Last week's workshop with Progress Communications explored behavioural science integration into PR outreach. Key takeaways:

• Loss Aversion: Reframing by showing what journalists "miss out on" can prove vastly more compelling than prospective gains. The reason: cognitive psychology shows that we fear losses 2-7x more than we're excited about equivalent gains
• Confirmation Bias: Pitches aligning with past coverage massively increase acceptance by leaning into beliefs. The reason: Our inclination to favour information that confirms existing beliefs or expectations. This is often just a quick bit of research into recent articles, which can be expedited with AI tools that summarise and provide metadata.
• Sunk Cost: Positioning stories as extensions of established narratives taps into psychological commitment. The reason: Our tendency to persist with something due to investments already made, ignoring future costs and benefits. When editors are comfortable writing about certain topics, they already carry inertia in this that keeps them going in that direction.
• Reciprocity: Providing exclusive data/access upfront creates subconscious obligations for reciprocal benefits. The reason: It's societal norm and expectation to repay in kind what another has provided.
• Scarcity: Manufactured urgency and exclusivity around time-bound opportunities amplified engagement. The reason: We have a tendency to assign more value to things that are scarce or dwindling in availability.
• Authority Bias: Leveraging credentialed experts conferred crucial signalling of expertise and authority. The reason: The propensity to attribute greater credibility to information from a perceived authority figure.
• Commitment: Opening with modest "baby steps" paved the path for major commitments over time. The reason: We carry an innate desire to behave consistently with previous commitments, even inconsistent with current motivations/thoughts.

Let me know if you'd like to explore integrating these potent tactics into your next initiative. Behavioural science represents the bleeding edge of strategic marketing.

About the Author

You can call me ‘Mase’ — an Aussie dual citizen, embracing sub-tropical sunshine and British rain. Currently residing in ever-so-charming Amsterdam, I’m drawn to Europe’s original home of liberalism, future-focussed thinking and disruptive nature, that oozes innovation. Entrepreneurial doer, zeitgeist-hunting trend maker and behavioural science-led marketer; armed with a radical process for cracking the enigma of consumer code. In these exceptional times, there’s a call for modern alchemy—I marry technology, AI, cultural insights, communications and mind-bending brand experiences to grow brands who dare to define the future.

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