Position your product as the default

Groupthink occurs not because something feels too right, but because it feels safe.

This is why “bestseller” tags, testimonials, and user counts work so well. It also explains why people hesitate to question bad advice or change tools even when they’re unhappy.

Take Slack, for example.

Slack doesn’t say teams use its tool to be productive. It says that “over 100,000 of the world’s most productive companies” use it.

Sometimes, Slack even narrows it down further:

Why is this great? It frames adopting Slack as the choice smart teams have already made.

And because it feels risky to go against the grain, potential users will likely find themselves agreeing with a claim they have no way of verifying.

What you can do: Show that your product is the default choice for your target audience or what they aspire to be, whether it’s founders, busy parents, or home gardeners.

Or, in our case, smart marketers. Yep, that’s you!

Highlight shared identity

Groupthink thrives when people feel like they’re part of an exclusive group. No surprises there, right?

And the stronger the identity, the harder it is to go against it.

For decades, Apple sold more than a product—it promised membership in a particular tribe.

Why? Because once you’re in, any dissent feels like betrayal. Just imagine a Mac user willingly switching to a PC. Gasp.

And this all started a long time ago:

Friendly tip: Copywriters will tell you that you should always write in second person. However, sometimes you can use language that reinforces your customer’s group identity.

In those cases, it’s okay to speak in “we” statements—”designers like us,” “marketers like us,” “parents like us…” etc, because it helps you reference shared values, struggles, and goals.

Make the most out of social proof

Ever checked a restaurant’s Google reviews before walking in?

You might think you were being cautious, even discerning.

But ultimately, you outsourced judgment to the group. If everyone else is eating there, it must be good. Sound familiar?

That’s Groupthink at its core.

Many companies, from SaaS to e-commerce to personal brands, all try to “validate” themselves by telling you what others think about them in order to make them seem like the smart and safe bet.

What you should do: Whenever possible, try to include opinions of others about your brand. If you’re just starting out, do a test run with early adopters in exchange for reviews.

If you already have a decent core of users, then emphasize numbers:

• 10,000 freelancers use this tool.
• Exchange ideas with 5000 email marketers in this community.
• Sold 100k copies already.

At Stacked Marketer, we know that experts from big companies read our newsletters—maybe you’re one of them—and we’re not shy about telling that to our audience:

See that, you’re in good company. Feels nice, doesn’t it?