This morning I got pushback on a story I shared to social media from CBS News – the pushback being that MAGA would never take anything seriously that came from that outlet…
So, let me share a little PR secret I use with my music clients.
Repetition is more beneficial than the source.
I would rather get 10 press placements at smaller outlets than a feature at Rolling Stone.
Let me explain…
Most efforts to combat propaganda focus on promoting “legitimate sources” – but this fundamentally misunderstands human psychology. People don’t believe things because trusted authorities said them – they believe things they’ve heard repeatedly.
Instead of endless debates about media credibility – maybe we just need to focus on repetition of accurate information. The neurological pathways don’t particularly care about source quality – they respond to frequency.
There’s this rule in marketing from the 1970s called The rule of 7 that basically says people need to see or hear about something (like a product or brand) at least seven times before they’ll trust it enough to buy it or act on it. Today, with digital ads and social media, some argue the number’s higher – 10, 20, even 50 touches – because we’re drowning in info. Google’s marketing folks, for example, talk about “micro-moments” across multiple platforms.
When someone encounters a something multiple times across different contexts – something interesting happens. Their brain starts treating that information as familiar – then as plausible – then as true. This works regardless of whether the repeated content came from Reuters or their neighbor’s blog.
Don’t tell me that you’ve never heard a right-wing talking point so many times that you finally had to give it enough plausibility to figure out if it was true or not. As much as we see so many people dig their heels in, there are still those out there who can just as easily be influenced either way.
Think about climate change messaging. For decades – environmental advocates focused on establishing scientific authority while fossil fuel interests simply repeated their talking points through multiple channels. The result? Despite overwhelming expert consensus – public opinion remained divided. The side with better repetition infrastructure won.
This suggests a counter-intuitive strategy: rather than trying to establish which news sources people should trust – we should just focus on amplifying accurate stories across diverse channels. If someone sees a factual story about vaccine efficacy on mainstream news – then their local paper – then their church bulletin – then their Facebook feed – the repetition itself becomes persuasive.
The mere exposure effect – where we develop preferences for things we’ve seen repeatedly – could be harnessed for accuracy. Research shows that even initial skepticism can be overcome through strategic repetition. The key isn’t convincing someone to trust MSNBC over Fox – it’s making sure accurate information reaches them repeatedly from multiple directions.
What’s powerful about this approach is how democratic it is. Individual citizens amplifying factual reporting creates repetition networks that can counter institutional propaganda. Every share – retweet – conversation at dinner – and community newsletter mentioning accurate information contributes to this frequency effect.
This explains why fact-checking alone fails. By the time the correction arrives – the falsehood has already been repeated enough times to feel true. The solution isn’t just correcting lies – it’s ensuring accurate information achieves equal or greater repetitive exposure.
Digital media could be redirected toward this purpose. Instead of allowing algorithmic feeds to amplify sensational falsehoods – platforms could be pressured to ensure repeated exposure to accurate information. Not through censorship – but through ensuring frequency parity for factual content.
The research is clear: all humans mistake familiarity for truth. We confuse “I’ve heard this many times” with “this reflects reality.” This cognitive shortcut works regardless of education level or political alignment.
The most powerful force in shaping beliefs isn’t authority or credibility – it’s repetition. We need to stop fighting over sources and start winning the frequency battle instead.