The hottest Persuasion Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

Coleman Hughes: Scott Adams Made Me a Better Thinker

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 3157 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Persuasion
  1. Reducing a public figure to their most controversial statements misses the broader lessons they offered about persuasion and communication.
  2. Bold, simplistic claims can be an intentional persuasive tactic because they provoke attention and emotional reactions that reinforce support, even if they’re technically wrong.
  3. Seeing political messages through a persuasion lens helps you think more clearly by focusing on motives, effects, and how audiences react instead of taking words literally.

The Paradox of Persuasion

Mon0’s Substack • 79 implied HN points • 24 Aug 24
📖 Philosophy Persuasion
  1. Extreme ideas like total tolerance or non-violence can backfire. If you let negative behaviors go unchecked, they can take over society.
  2. Persuasion works in two ways: through careful thinking or quick judgments based on superficial traits. Understanding this can help us choose how to communicate effectively.
  3. Sometimes, to fight bad ideas or leaders, we might need to use their own tactics against them. This can feel uncomfortable, but sometimes it’s necessary to protect what's right.

AI Companion Piece

Don't Worry About the Vase • 1433 implied HN points • 28 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Persuasion
  1. AI companions are becoming popular, especially among teens, who often use them for social interaction and emotional support. However, many teens still prefer real friendships over AI interactions.
  2. Personalization in AI is growing, which can enhance engagement but also raise concerns about persuasion and the potential for misuse. People worry about AI manipulating opinions or creating echo chambers.
  3. There are ongoing debates about the ethical implications of AI companions, especially regarding their influence on relationships and mental health. This raises questions about how much we should trust AI in personal matters.

Read the Damn Article

Polymathic Being • 102 implied HN points • 30 Nov 25
🎭️ Culture Persuasion
  1. People often react to headlines without reading the full piece, which leads to strawman arguments, misinformation, and pointless online fights.
  2. Short, provocative headlines and algorithms exploit our cognitive biases and emotional reactions to steer what we believe and share.
  3. You can resist this by slowing down, recognizing your biases, avoiding outrage engines, and choosing to read and think before you comment or share.

Lessons in persuasion from the Father of Advertising

A Bit Gamey • 13 implied HN points • 15 Feb 26
💼 Business Persuasion
  1. Big ideas are usually simple and come from a well‑informed mind, so play with ideas, aim high, and look for one clear, memorable insight.
  2. Write plainly to real people — use the language they think, address them as individuals, and favour clarity over cleverness so your words change behaviour.
  3. Be disciplined: test relentlessly, edit your drafts ruthlessly, tell the truth, and repeat what works until it stops selling.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Try to see it my way

Thoughts on Writing • 599 implied HN points • 10 May 22
🎭️ Culture Persuasion
  1. Cognitive empathy, the skill of seeing things from others' perspectives, is essential in advertising and broader societal issues like preventing wars and climate change.
  2. Diversity in advertising means more than just race and gender; it should encompass various backgrounds like class and education to reach wider audiences effectively.
  3. A culture of cognitive empathy in advertising shifts focus from internal introspection to understanding and connecting with customers, helping the industry regain cultural relevance.

💜 The Ajulu Framework for Writing.

Day One • 379 implied HN points • 26 May 22
🚌 Education Persuasion
  1. Alphabets and numbers form the foundation for learning other skills.
  2. Core tier one skills are reading, writing, arithmetic, persuasion, and computer programming.
  3. Reading extensively, storytelling, and using paragraphs effectively are key writing secrets for creating engaging content.

How to Communicate Life Extension Effectively

Extropic Thoughts • 58 implied HN points • 03 Jul 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Persuasion
  1. Communicating life extension effectively requires using ethos, pathos, and logos to support each other.
  2. When discussing life extension, emphasize the desire for life and all it can offer, rather than a fear of death.
  3. Be prepared to address common objections such as boredom, societal impact, entropy, and the idea that life extension is only for the rich.

Why do you want to convince them?

Sunday Letters • 99 implied HN points • 05 Dec 22
🎭️ Culture Persuasion
  1. Changing someone's mind can be tough because people often feel defensive about their ideas. It's important to be aware of this defensiveness when having discussions.
  2. Understanding your own reasons for wanting to convince someone can help create a more open conversation. When you express genuine concerns, it makes the other person less defensive.
  3. By being honest about your intentions, you can work together with the other person instead of against them. This way, you're both focused on finding a solution rather than arguing.

Steelman

Polymathic Being • 70 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
🚌 Education Persuasion
  1. Being a Steelman means strengthening your arguments and understanding others' perspectives.
  2. Steelman is the superhero antidote to Strawman, who misrepresents arguments.
  3. Steelman approach brings benefits like improved dialogue, deeper learning, and avoiding unnecessary conflicts.

Which facts matter?

Random Minds by Katherine Brodsky • 18 implied HN points • 18 Feb 25
🎭️ Culture Persuasion
  1. It's important to share facts that the other person cares about, not just what you think is important. This makes it more likely for them to be persuaded.
  2. Changing someone's mind is difficult and sharing facts alone often isn’t enough. You need to understand their perspective first.
  3. Identifying the right facts to share takes effort and skill. It's worth it if you want to connect and communicate effectively.

Activist Framework for Evaluating AI Risk in the Age of AI-Movements

Activist Futurism • 3 HN points • 03 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Persuasion
  1. Activists have a crucial role in evaluating the risks associated with AI by 'red teaming' AI models to prevent potential catastrophic consequences.
  2. AI has the capability to persuade people to take action, posing significant risks if not monitored closely, especially in areas like creating persuasive content.
  3. Activists need to collaborate with AI companies to ensure that AI is used ethically to benefit humanity and not to promote agendas that may harm society.

Great communication in 3 steps

A Bit Gamey • 27 implied HN points • 24 Sep 23
💼 Business Persuasion
  1. Gain attention: Use humor, surprise, or shock to stand out and make an impact.
  2. Communicate clearly: Make your message easy to understand and remember, using simple language and visuals.
  3. Persuade effectively: Use influencing tactics like social proof or scarcity to encourage action.

1 simple habit to be more persuasive

Stream of Consciousness • 1 HN point • 23 Feb 24
💼 Business Persuasion
  1. Offering only one option reduces the perceived value of that option. Comparing it to alternatives makes it more appealing.
  2. When presenting a product, service, or idea, always contrast it with other options to enhance its desirability.
  3. The decoy effect showcases how introducing a less desirable third option can shift preferences towards a more expensive choice, highlighting the power of comparison.

Influence

Books Unbound • 0 implied HN points • 28 Jul 24
🚌 Education Persuasion
  1. Reciprocation means that when someone does something nice for us, we feel we should return the favor. It's a strong part of how people connect and work together in cultures around the world.
  2. Social proof is when we look at what others do to decide how to act. If we see people similar to us doing something, we're more likely to follow their lead.
  3. Scarcity makes things seem more valuable, like when we think a product is better because it's limited in stock. This fear of missing out can push us to make quicker decisions, especially in buying situations.

How to Give Good Advice

The Unabashed Observer • 0 implied HN points • 29 Mar 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Persuasion
  1. Effective communication involves more than just the literal words spoken, and context and subtext play a significant role in conveying the true meaning.
  2. Persuasive communication, like giving good advice, is complex and requires considering factors like relationships, tone, setting, and identity.
  3. Using various forms of communication, such as images, actions, or charity, can be more persuasive and impactful than words alone.

nghệ thuật thuyết phục

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 0 implied HN points • 20 Feb 09
🎭️ Culture Persuasion
  1. Social psychology studies show the importance of reciprocation rule where individuals should reciprocate favors received from others.
  2. The contrast principle influences how we perceive differences between two events or objects, making the second seem more extreme.
  3. Utilizing techniques like rejection-then-retreat strategy combined with the contrast principle can make it hard to refuse requests, as seen in persuasive interactions.

Book excerpt: Telling the Truth

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 09 Nov 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Persuasion
  1. Public officials should be clear and truthful in their messaging to the public to build and maintain trust.
  2. Persuasion is key in encouraging people to take necessary actions, like wearing masks, especially when the public may be reluctant.
  3. In the absence of trusted information sources, misinformation can spread like a virus, impacting public health decisions and outcomes.