What is Show Don't Tell?

"Show Don't Tell" is a powerful and proven tactic in the world of marketing.

This approach borrows from principles used in storytelling, where audiences are drawn into an experience using imaginative and visual strategies. The "Show Don't Tell" concept was first implemented broadly in the film industry, in order to bring stories to life on the big screen viscerally and visually. It was later adopted by marketers, who realized it was equally effective in engaging and converting customers.

The tactic focuses on the principle of creating a smooth, engaging experience that guides the customer to a particular action rather than simply telling them to do it. It's based on the understanding that most people prefer following an evident path with clear actions to take. When confronted with a cognitive task such as decision-making, many users may feel overwhelmed and move away if the action isn't clear.

Examples of Show Don't Tell

1. In an ecommerce website, instead of instructing the customers to "Checkout", a clear button indicating "Buy Now" can be displayed, which takes them directly to the checkout process.
2. A mobile app wants to encourage its users to update their profile. Rather than just telling them, they might introduce a progress bar that fills up as users complete sections of their profile.
3. Want to sell an antivirus software? Show its effectiveness through a visual representation of threats it has successfully blocked. This illustrates its value, rather than just telling consumers it's beneficial.
4. Encouraging newsletter sign-ups can be made seamless with a pop-up form when users visit a website, rather than just asking them to subscribe through a link.
5. For a travel website, instead of suggesting the users to "Explore Destinations", a map with attractive photos of top destinations could be used, which when clicked, lead to more information about the destination.

Marketing Tactics Similar to Show Don't Tell

1. Inbound Marketing: This method aims to attract customers by providing helpful content and experiences tailored to them, subtly leading them towards a desired action rather than directly telling them to make a purchase.
2. Behavioral Marketing: This involves understanding the users behavior and adjusting the experience and CTA accordingly, similar to Show Don't Tell, it provides clear prompts for action based on the user's behavior.
3. Content Marketing: This involves creating and sharing relevant and valuable content to attract and retain customers, indirectly leading them towards the brand's offerings without blatant promotion.
4. Visual Marketing: A strategy that relies heavily on visual cues to drive user actions. It's closely related to the Show Don't Tell tactic as it relies on visual content to guide the user's actions.

Link to this page

If you share this content in your blog post or email newsletter, you can use the tool below to quickly copy and paste the link.