Influence and persuasion don’t come down to luck. It’s a repeatable formula grounded in trust, emotion, and utility. Whether you’re a business leader, marketer, or content creator, understanding these patterns isn’t just useful—it’s essential.

Trust is fragile: The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer highlights a widespread decline in trust in institutions, making audience trust more valuable than ever . Businesses don’t do AS badly as other institutions, but it ain’t pretty.

User generated content (UGC) is growing in importance all the time because peers are easier to trust than platforms or providers. Back in 2022, 80% of consumers were already saying they’d made purchases directly because of social media content (Oracle & Brent Leary).

The 3 Secrets of Shareability
The best, most influential content shares these three traits. And it’s one reason why cross-channel brand consistency is taking a bit of a pasting. Social media culture means organizations can have distinct tone/personality on social. In fact, 43% of organizations have tried it in the last year, with 41% being proactive and slipping into the comments section to pick up new audiences too (Hootsuite Social Media Trends 2025).

1️⃣ Arousal = Action
Content that sparks emotion—joy, awe, outrage—gets shared exponentially more than neutral content. But here’s the catch: authenticity matters. Clickbait fades, while genuine emotional connections last.

2️⃣ Novelty = Commodity
We’re wired to share what surprises us. New, unexpected insights have high social currency, making for great conversation starters. The Fractl 2024 Viral Emotions Study found that convent with heightened emotional intensity (excitement, surprise, curiosity) can increase engagement by up to 24%.

3️⃣ Useful = Sticky
UGC is 8.7 times more powerful than influencer content and 6.6 times more impactful than branded content in consumers’ eyes because it feels authentic (SocialMediaToday/Stackla). If your content solves a problem, it spreads organically.

💥 Four Pre-Flight Checks for Influence 💥
Before you hit publish, ask yourself:

✅ Is it good?
If your content doesn’t resonate, it won’t spread. Storytelling beats sales pitches every time.

✅ Is it useful?
Give your audience something they can act on, apply, or share.

✅ Does everyone in your org know why you’re different?
It’s not just about customers—your internal team should be your first audience. If they don’t get it, your market won’t either.

✅ Are you consistent?
Trust vanishes fast if your message keeps shifting. Build a clear, recognizable voice and stick to it.

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Want to Be More Persuasive?
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👍 At Dysonology we help businesses sharpen their brand, marketing, content, and GTM strategy—turning differentiation into real impact. Let’s make your message impossible to ignore.