Replace a negative word with a neutral or positive one.

Picture polishing a rough coin until a new face appears.

Used car reframed as preowned car.

Positive wording makes the same fact feel better (attribute framing).

Take one harsh word you hear often and polish it until it feels calm.

Present the gain version instead of the loss version.

Picture flipping a dark tarot card to reveal its bright side.

Avis is only No. 2 in rent-a-cars. So why go with us? We try harder.

People react more to losses than gains (loss aversion).

Rewrite one negative outcome as a positive one without changing the math.

Focus on the safe outcome instead of the dangerous one.

A game health bar glowing green instead of red.

Ninety percent survive vs ten percent die.

Positive stats feel safer than equivalent negative ones (attribute framing).

Take a frightening statistic and restate only the survival portion.

Emphasize what the thing has, not what it lacks.

A spotlight lighting the strongest feature on the stage.

Pro life instead of anti abortion.

People prefer what something is over what it is not (identity and valence framing).

Turn one "not X" phrase into "has Y."

Use a gentler word to soften emotional impact without lying.

A magician covering a rough object with silk to reveal a softer form.

Collateral damage instead of civilians killed.

Soft words reduce emotional shock (affective dampening).

Replace a harsh phrase with a softer version that stays accurate.

Replace jargon with simple, everyday words.

A magic lens that snaps blurry text into clarity.

Heart attack instead of myocardial infarction.

Simple words feel more true and clear (processing fluency).

Rewrite one technical phrase as if explaining it to a child.

Turn a statement into a question that directs attention.

A door that opens only when a question is spoken.

Got milk?

Questions make people imagine the answer you want (question–behavior effect).

Turn one flat statement into an intriguing question.

Remove "not" and define the idea in positive terms.

A hand erasing the word "not" from a chalkboard.

Just say no backfiring by making the mind picture the forbidden thing.

Negatives force the mind to picture the thing you want it to avoid (ironic process).

Rewrite any sentence that begins with "not" into a direct description.

Use gentle, low-intensity wording to reduce fear.

A feather settling on a heavy stone to make it feel lighter.

Some side effects may occur.

Gentle wording lowers perceived risk (risk downshifting).

Replace a harsh absolute with a mild, gradual phrase.

Choose the number format that makes risk or benefit easiest to understand.

Swap a percent sign for a row of people you can count.

Medical consent forms using "1 out of 100 patients experience side effects" instead of "1 percent experience side effects."

Your brain handles people better than abstract percentages because we're built to count real things.

Take any percentage and rewrite it as "X out of Y people." Notice which one hits harder.

Use absolute numbers or percentages to make something feel larger or smaller.

Zoom between a single number and the whole crowd.

Vaccine-safety messages using "10,000 people were affected" versus "0.01 percent were affected."

Big raw numbers grab attention first because most people ignore the total group size.

Take any percentage and write out the actual number of people. See which one feels heavier.

Break totals into smaller chunks or combine small pieces into one total.

A hammer breaking a big stone into easier pieces.

Mental accounting studies where people prefer two separate small gains over one combined gain.

Your mind reacts to each piece separately instead of adding them up.

Take something expensive and rewrite it as a per-day or per-week cost.

Change what the number is "out of" to alter how large or small it feels.

Slide the denominator up or down like a scale.

Ratio-bias studies where people choose 9 winning jellybeans out of 100 over 1 out of 10, even though 1 out of 10 is better.

People focus on the first number they see and barely register what it's compared to.

Take any "X out of Y" statistic and try it with a much bigger or smaller Y.

Translate abstract numbers into familiar, concrete equivalents.

Turn a number into miles driven or loads of laundry.

Energy campaigns converting kilowatt-hours or CO₂ into actions like "driving a car for X miles."

Abstract units bounce off the brain; familiar comparisons stick because you can picture them.

Take any weird or oversized unit and convert it into something you do every day.

Show the upper or lower limits on how high or low something can go.

A ceiling and a floor boxing in a bouncing ball.

Health plans emphasizing "your annual out-of-pocket costs are capped at $X."

Knowing the worst-case stops your mind from imagining endless danger.

Take something people fear might cost "who knows how much" and give it a clear limit.

Use a range when variability matters and a single number when simplicity matters.

Zoom between a wide band and a single dot.

Investment disclosures showing expected returns as a range instead of one forecast.

Ranges feel more honest and prepare people for different outcomes.

Take any one-number prediction and rewrite it as a realistic range.

Change the reference point so a number is understood relative to something meaningful.

A line that rises or falls depending on who you compare against.

Energy-use reports showing "you use 20 percent more electricity than similar homes."

Numbers mean little alone; people need to know whether they are above or below others.

Take any number that feels meaningless and compare it to a peer or benchmark.

Set a starting number so the next number feels bigger or smaller.

Drop a heavy anchor that pulls every later estimate toward it.

The Tversky and Kahneman wheel-of-fortune study where a random number changed people's estimates of African UN membership; in pricing, a high "regular price" makes the sale price feel cheap.

Whatever number people see first becomes their reference point; they adjust from it but never far enough.

Start with a very high or very low number and watch how it changes the feel of the real number.

Add a clearly inferior option so the target option looks obviously better.

A weak magnet pulling your choice toward the stronger one beside it.

The Economist subscription decoy where adding a "print only" option made everyone choose "print + web."

When one option beats another on everything that matters, people choose it without thinking twice.

Create three choices where the middle one obviously beats the worst one in every way.

Define who you compare against so the contrast favors you.

Pull two brands into a spotlight while the rest fade into the dark.

Cola-war ads comparing Pepsi only to Coke; smartphone ads comparing only to a single flagship rival.

People judge you based on who you stand next to, not everyone else who exists.

Pick one competitor and show how you beat them on what matters most.

Reframe something new by linking it partly to a familiar category.

A bridge joining something known to something unfamiliar.

Money-market funds pitched as "like a bank account, but with market returns"; ride-sharing framed as "like a taxi, but on your phone."

People understand new things by borrowing what they already know about similar things.

Describe anything unfamiliar by saying "it's like [familiar thing], but with [new benefit]."

Highlight either the worst case or the typical case to shape risk perception.

Switch between the edge of a graph and the middle of the curve.

Investment disclosures showing worst-year vs average-year returns; climate reports emphasizing record extremes vs average warming.

Extreme stories grab emotion; typical outcomes feel calmer and safer.

Take any situation and present either the wildest outcome or the most typical one.

Make something feel urgent or safe by showing how rare or common it is.

A crowd rushing in or a nearly empty shelf.

"Join the millions already using X" for social proof; "only 3 seats left" to create urgency.

People want what everyone already has and chase what is about to disappear.

Make the same thing sound either wildly popular or almost sold out.

Show how far someone has moved from where they started, not just where they are.

A progress bar filling toward a goal.

Loyalty programs showing "you're 80 percent of the way to your free flight"; telecom "switch" campaigns showing savings versus the old provider.

People get motivated when they see how much better off they are than before.

Show someone how much progress they make from their current situation, not just the final outcome.

Move the explanation from a person's actions to the system they operate in.

Zoom out until the road, not the driver, fills the screen.

Traffic crashes explained by road design rather than "bad drivers"; financial crises blamed on systemic incentives instead of reckless borrowers.

People change who they blame and who they expect to fix the problem based on where you locate the cause.

Find something people blame on bad choices and reframe it as the natural result of how the system is set up.

Show how unfair structures, not personal flaws, create bad outcomes.

A tilted playing field where some start uphill and others downhill.

ZIP-code and credit-score pricing criticized as embedding inequality; policing stats reframed as evidence of structural racism rather than "a few bad apples."

People stop blaming individuals when they see the rules themselves produce unequal results.

Take any rule that seems fair and reveal how it quietly advantages some people over others.

Clarify whether the motive behind an action is protective or exploitative.

Turn on a spotlight showing what someone meant, not just what they did.

Vaccine messaging framed as "protecting public health" versus "pharma trying to profit"; crisis recalls framed as "we acted to protect customers."

People judge actions by the motive they believe is behind them.

Take any action that looks bad and explain the positive intent behind it.

Divide responsibility clearly among the group, the system, and the individual.

Three hands each holding their own part of the same rope.

Climate messaging assigning roles to governments, companies, and individuals; financial planning framed as "we manage the plan, you commit to savings."

People accept their obligations when everyone's role feels clearly defined and fairly shared.

Take any big problem and spell out exactly who is responsible for each part.

Show that a disliked rule exists to protect fairness or keep the system working.

A locked gate that keeps the path safe for everyone.

Airlines framing refund limits as necessary to keep fares low; surge pricing explained as what brings more drivers onto the road.

People accept restrictions when they understand what would break without them.

Pick a rule people hate and explain the important function it protects.

Recast an annoying feature as a sign the core mechanism is working.

A warning light that shows the system did its job.

Vaccine side effects explained as evidence the immune system is responding; two-factor friction reframed as proof of stronger security.

People tolerate discomfort when it signals that the desired process is actually happening.

Take something annoying about your product and frame it as proof the main benefit is real.

Redirect blame from the visible surface event to the real underlying drivers.

Peel back the top layer to reveal what actually moved the needle.

Electricity bill spikes blamed on cold-weather usage rather than utility greed; health-insurance increases tied to national medical costs rather than company markup.

People get less angry when they see the cause is external forces, not someone trying to harm them.

Take anything people are angry about and trace it back to the larger forces that actually caused it.

Give people a positive identity they are proud to step into.

Hold up a badge that says "this is who you already are."

Studies where labeling someone a "voter" significantly increases their likelihood of voting.

People naturally try to live up to whatever positive label you give them.

Call your audience the kind of person who already does what you want them to do.

Remove the fear that an action will make someone look like the wrong kind of person.

A shield protecting someone's sense of self.

Research showing people avoid behaviors that threaten their identity, like refusing products that feel "salesy" or "desperate."

People won't do anything that makes them feel like they're not being themselves.

Show how they can do what you want without changing who they are.

Show that people like them are already doing the behavior.

A circle of familiar people nodding toward the same choice.

Cialdini hotel-towel studies: guests reused towels more when told that "other guests in this room" did the same.

People do what their kind of people do.

Tell them what people like them are already doing.

Make the alternative identity unattractive so people avoid aligning with it.

A clear "not me" group standing on the other side of a line.

Marketing that distances users from "uncool" or risky groups, like anti-smoking campaigns portraying smokers as manipulated by tobacco companies.

People avoid anything that makes them look like the wrong crowd.

Point to a group your audience definitely doesn't want to be like.

Tie the desired behavior to a moral value people are proud to express.

A mirror that reflects back the good person they want to be.

Blood-donation and community-volunteering campaigns that emphasize helping others as a core part of identity.

People do things that prove they're as good as they think they are.

Connect what you want them to do to what they want to stand for.

Show how the behavior earns esteem or recognition within their group.

A small badge that elevates someone above the crowd.

Gamified loyalty programs that award tiers like "Gold," "Platinum," or early-adopter status.

People want to look good in front of their people.

Give the best participants a special title that makes them look good.

Change what the person is called so the role feels more meaningful.

Exchanging a dull name tag for a powerful one.

Shifting "customer" to "member" in subscription communities or cooperatives to increase engagement and loyalty.

Whatever you call people shapes how they think they should act.

Give them a title that makes them feel important and included.

Redefine what the real problem is so the story points in a new direction.

Zoom out until the true issue comes into focus.

Reframing healthcare debates from "access to insurance" to "paying too much for too little control" shifts the entire conversation.

Whatever problem you point to becomes the thing people focus on fixing.

Take any issue and redefine what the real problem actually is.

Shift who the story centers on.

Move the spotlight from the institution to the individual.

Campaigns that reframe citizens as the heroes "taking back control" rather than governments or companies as the main actors.

People care more about stories where someone like them is the one making things happen.

Rewrite the story so your audience is the one taking action.

Clarify what the audience is actually fighting against.

Pull the mask off the wrong villain.

Public campaigns that shift blame from "bad workers" or "bad customers" to opaque fees, predatory systems, or misleading pricing structures.

A clear target gives people something to push back against and makes the solution feel necessary.

Identify the real force causing harm and name it clearly.

Reframe where the audience is on their journey.

Turn a flat line into a rising arc.

Brand narratives that move people from "frustrated payer" to "informed member with visibility and control."

People get more invested when they can see themselves moving forward in a story.

Show the emotional journey your audience moves through, not just the facts.

Start the story earlier so the turning point makes sense.

Roll the film back ten seconds to reveal the context.

Stories that begin with premium hikes or confusion before introducing mutuality as the turning point that solves it.

Where you start the story changes how the solution feels and why it matters.

Move the starting point earlier so the audience sees why the change is needed.

Show the bigger set of benefits beyond the narrow result.

Zoom out from a price tag to the whole life around it.

Narratives that go beyond lower costs to include stability, transparency, and peace of mind.

People value solutions more when they see the knock-on effects and how it makes them feel.

List the wider life improvements your solution creates beyond the obvious one.

Use both a vivid individual story and a big-picture pattern.

One face next to a thousand dots.

Case stories showing one person helped by a system paired with data showing thousands of similar outcomes.

People trust numbers more when they see a real person, and trust stories more when they see the data.

Write one micro story and one macro summary for the same idea.

Highlight the choices the audience gets to make.

A hand choosing one door among many.

Membership stories that emphasize "you choose to join, you choose how much to pledge, you choose when to leave."

People get more engaged when they feel like they can steer their own path.

Rewrite your narrative to highlight the decisions the audience gets to make.

Swap a conflict story for a progress story.

Trade a battlefield for a long road stretching ahead.

Health campaigns reframing "fighting cancer" as "a treatment journey" to reduce fear and build resilience.

Journey metaphors feel less scary and help people imagine steady progress instead of battle.

Turn a struggle into a path people can move along.

Recast a transaction as participation in a shared group.

Replace a price tag with a kitchen table surrounded by neighbors.

Credit unions marketed as community-owned alternatives to commercial banks.

Community metaphors make people feel like they belong and should look out for each other.

Describe a product as something people do together rather than buy alone.

Replace mechanical language with organic, adaptive imagery.

Watch gears turn into vines that respond to light and movement.

Environmental messaging shifting from "controlling nature" to "supporting ecosystems."

Ecosystem metaphors make systems feel alive, responsive, and built together.

Describe a system as something that grows and adapts instead of something you "operate."

Reframe protection as a cooperative system rather than a corporate product.

Swap an office tower for a circle of people helping each other.

Early microfinance framed as community-based lending rather than formal banking.

Mutual-aid metaphors feel more fair and like everyone is helping each other.

Describe protection as something people provide for one another.

Turn complex behavior into a simple score or rule set.

A scoreboard tracking how well the group is doing.

Fitness apps using points, levels, and streaks to motivate daily exercise.

Game metaphors make progress visible and motivate people through clear rules.

Create a "score" that rises when the desired behavior increases.

Present contributions as building future value rather than paying costs.

Coins dropping into a jar that slowly fills.

Retirement savings framed as "pay your future self first," increasing participation.

Investment metaphors shift attention from loss to long-term gain.

Turn a recurring cost into something that grows or pays back later.

Help people visualize flows of money, effort, or value through a simple container.

A bucket that fills and tips toward whoever needs it.

Budgeting apps that use envelopes or buckets to show where money goes.

Container metaphors turn complicated money flow into something you can picture.

Explain a process using a bucket, pot, pool, or envelope.

Describe the interaction as a mutual promise rather than a transaction.

Two hands linked in agreement.

Ride-share community guidelines framed as shared agreements between riders and drivers.

Relationship metaphors make people more willing to work together and treat each other well.

Frame your offer as a promise made between people, not a purchase.

Contrast a small effort now with smoother, easier results later.

A tiny hill at the start of a long, calm road.

Enrollment processes framed as "a little setup now for long-term peace of mind."

People accept a small upfront cost when they can see the long-term payoff clearly.

Show how a short early effort removes years of frustration later.

Highlight that a bit of effort now prevents bigger problems later.

A short climb that avoids a long detour.

Health programs explaining "a few minutes of preventive care now avoids major issues later."

People prefer avoiding future pain more than avoiding small hassle right now.

Contrast a minor upfront hassle with the major relief it creates later.

Emphasize what is fixed and predictable before mentioning what varies.

Stepping on a stone path with one loose pebble.

Insurance disclosures separating guaranteed coverage rules from variable premiums.

People feel safe when they know what will not change.

Name what is always certain before showing what moves.

Isolate uncertainty to one small part of the system.

A single moving gear inside an otherwise solid machine.

Financial tools showing which costs fluctuate while the rest stay fixed.

People tolerate uncertainty when it is boxed in and easy to understand.

Identify the one element that moves and show everything else as stable.

Contrast everyday outcomes with rare extremes to set expectations.

A calm sea with one tall wave on the horizon.

Risk communication showing "typical month" versus "rare heavy-usage month."

Most people judge risk based on what usually happens, not rare events.

Describe a normal scenario first, then explain how rare the extreme case is.

Show how early actions make the system better for everyone.

A snowball gathering strength as it rolls.

Networked programs where joining early strengthens the pool for later members.

People respond to actions that make things better for themselves and the group over time.

Explain how early participation makes the whole system stronger.

Highlight that people can change their mind later.

A clearly marked exit door in the corner of the room.

Subscription services emphasizing "cancel anytime" to reduce signup hesitation.

Choice feels safer when people know they are not locked in.

Point out when and how the person can opt out or adjust.

Break a long journey into clear, predictable stages.

A road lined with signposts showing what comes next.

Onboarding flows that show "Step 1 of 3" to reduce anxiety and increase completion.

People feel more in control when they can see the path ahead broken into pieces.

Take any long process and divide it into three visible stages.