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Three kinds of proof
Psychotactics has a great post on the Three Levels of Proof.
In short, to convert someone to your way of thinking you should have three kinds of proof at your disposal:
- Information you’ve created - articles, reports, ebooks … i.e. content
- 3rd party information – other people’s articles, reports, ebooks … (see also curated content)
- Demonstrative proof – comparing ‘real life’ examples – with and without your idea in place
Combining Types of Proof in Your Content
I’d also suggest (as does the post) that if you can create content that includes all of the above the effect is even stronger.
For example, let’s say that you want to convince someone that your web design overhaul is worth the money.
Before they ask the question, provide them with a report you wrote on effective design (Proof 1), in that report you can point to a number of expert trade journal articles on the same topic (Proof 2) and finally you include a ‘before and after’ case study (proof 3) to show the difference.
Of course, you don’t have to wait until you get to that point to start creating and delivering your proofs.
Could you include proofs with your proposals? Could you make them part of your website? Could you start including 2nd and 3rd level proofs into the content you create?
