How to Sell With No Testimonials
Founder and Head of Growth, White Label Comedy
New products are hard to sell because there is no proof they work, and almost nobody buys something with zero reviews. There is a way around it. Research published in the Journal of Marketing found that people in a good mood are far more receptive to new products. Make someone laugh and you put them in exactly that mood, so humour can stand in for the social proof you do not have yet.
Why no proof kills new products
Think about the last time you bought something on a marketplace with no reviews at all. It is a hard yes to give. That missing social proof is why so many launches stall, and why brands resort to giving the product away for free in exchange for testimonials, or worse, writing fake reviews under names like "Hugh Mann".
For a brand-new offer, the lack of proof is often the single biggest thing standing between you and the sale.
The good-mood shortcut
Dr Deborah MacInnis, an editor at the Journal of Marketing, found that a person's mood changes how they judge a new product. In a good mood, they are far more open to it. In a bad mood, they are far more likely to reject it.
So if you can get someone smiling and laughing before you make the offer, they are much more likely to think, "why not, let us give it a go." Humour does that reliably, which means a few well-placed jokes can do the job that a wall of testimonials would otherwise have to.
When this works best
This is not a licence to skip proof forever. It works best on lower-ticket items, or on anything where you can offer a strong, reassuring guarantee to cover the perceived risk.
Get the mood right and the guarantee removes the downside, and suddenly a product with no reviews becomes an easy yes. Get them laughing, and you will be laughing too.
Meet Brian
Putting your audience in a buying mood is exactly what good comedy does. Brian is our AI-powered comedy marketing machine, built to help you add humour that warms people up before you ask for the sale.
Take Brian for a spin and sell your new offer before the reviews roll in.
Adam Hunt
Founder and Head of Growth at White Label Comedy. He spends his days convincing serious brands that funny is the most profitable thing they're not doing.
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