Did you hear the crazy story about the disappearing scientists?

It’s been all over social media…

Even The Daily Mail reported it!

Apparently, top American scientists working in aerospace and nuclear research are dying or going missing.

Rumour has it, they’ve stumbled onto the truth about UFOs – and they’ve been silenced by dark forces working in the USA’s deep state.

Chilling stuff!

Except it’s not true.

Well…. it’s true that the scientists DID die.

(Because we all do, eventually.)

But a conspiracy debunker named Mick West has pointed out that the US top secret-cleared workforce is around 700,000.

So at least 4,000 of them should have died in the past couple of years anyway.

Not only that but the scientists concerned included administrators, retirees and someone who was killed in a shooting spree.

But this hasn’t stopped the wild rumours or prevented the Trump administration from launching an investigation.

What’s funny is that this all came from a 1970s British mockumentary called Alternative 3, which told the same story of disappearing scientists.

In the plot, global warming was about to make Earth uninhabitable, so the American and Soviet governments worked together in secret to launch a base on the moon for the world’s elites to escape to.

This became part of a book in 1991 by the conspiracist Milton William Cooper, which then influenced tons of other theorists, who no longer saw the story as fiction.

More and more people since then have added details to the story, or brought in other lines of conspiracy.

So here we are, 30 years later, with a social media panic about it that’s even hitting mainstream British headlines.

It reminds me of the great panic over Orson Welles’ radio broadcast of War of the Worlds…

And also one of my favourite books, The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea, where they smashed together every possible conspiracy and linked them to that shadowy elite organisation, the Illuminati.

Despite it being a novel, their ideas inadvertently fuelled much of the conspiracy thinking related to secret societies who run the world behind the scenes.

Anyway, this wild story got me thinking…

Why do people believe conspiracy theories so passionately that they’ll ignore all evidence to the contrary?

And is there an ethical way to use these same principles to grow a successful business of devoted customers?

The Real Reason People Become Obsessed With Conspiracies

The world is a very scary place.

A lot of troubling and confusing events are happening around the globe.

Wars, invasions, genocides…

Riots, social upheaval and political conflict…

Pollution, global warming and extreme weather events…

All of which are happening in a world dominated by a wealthy minority of billionaires who are more powerful than politicians… and have huge control over the digital and print media.

Most of us get our information about what’s happening through a 24 hour rolling newsfeed…

Where social media channels push the most shocking and inflammatory stories to the forefront… and algorithms create ‘reality tunnels’ where we only see viewpoints that confirm our bias, and exacerbate our outrage.

All to get more clicks and longer viewing times for mega corporations who own the digital spaces in which we shop, communicate and get our entertainment.

It’s hard to know what’s true… or accurate… or rational…

Which is where conspiracies come in.

They offer people a neat narrative that explains everything, and creates a villain that they can blame for all their woes.

Not only that, it unites them with a group of like-minded people against this common enemy, and who make them feel like they are not alone.

Believing a secret cabal of people is running the world – for instance – makes more sense than the idea that reality is complex, multifaceted and beyond anyone’s control.

So people don’t believe a conspiracy theory because they’re stupid. They believe them because it gives them a sense of certainty in a confusing world.

A conspiracy theory says to them:

“This is why you are poor.”

“This is why you feel so under threat,”

“This is the real reason why life is unfair.”

“This is who is really responsible.”

So you can see why a person might resist any attempts to debunk a conspiracy.

It threatens their sense of safety, certainty, and control.

And they’ll lose the community they’ve become part of, and which gives them such a strong sense of identity.

Which is why bare facts won’t make a difference.

You can throw as many statistics as you like at them…

They’ll deny them… find a way to turn them into more evidence of the conspiracy… or claim that YOU are part of the conspiracy.

It defies all logic and rationality!

Now, I’m not suggesting that you should spread nonsense, frighten people, or manipulate anyone to grow an online business.

But there is a way to use this same principle to seek out an audience for a product or service, and gain their trust and loyalty.

Helping People Find Genuine Solutions In the Chaos

The temptation for a new online business owner is to win trust by showing off facts and figures.

Credentials, testimonials, earnings, scientific trials…

But the lesson from conspiracy theories is that you’re going to get a more loyal, devoted audience online if you tap into their deep emotions.

What people are really looking for is an answer to their insecurities and fears.

• How can you offer them a way to feel safer, more in control, and part of a community?
• How can you take complex ideas and explain them in a story they’ll understand?
• How can you give them some answers in a confusing, chaotic world?

For instance, conspiracy theories often begin by validating a feeling that a person has deep down.

So you can do the same with fears that your target customer might have, for instance…

“I’ve never got enough money…”

“I’m too old to start a business…”

“I’m terrible at concentration and focus.”

You can show them that there’s an alternative way to explain their predicament..

“You’re not bad with money. You may never have been shown a realistic, workable system for earning an income.”

“You’re not too old to start a business. You’re just too exposed to trendy online business models designed for 22-year-old influencers.”

“You’re only struggling with focus because of the digital distraction industry, and the overwhelm of modern life.”

Now the reader has a way to frame their confusion or fear.

Not only that, but you’ve presented yourself as someone who understands their struggles and can offer them a clear understanding of what is really happening!

For example, you could say:

“Here’s what I have noticed in my research…”

“Here’s the pattern I keep seeing…”

“Here’s why most advice you’ve been given is wrong….”

“Here’s a proven system that will help you decide…”

When a reader sees this kind of promise, they’ll get a sense of relief that someone is actually going to cut through the noise and show them a way out.

Find a Common Enemy

Conspiracy theories often build loyalty by creating an ‘us versus them’ feeling.

You can recreate that sense of belonging without encouraging paranoia or blaming a group of people based on their ethnicity.

For example, is there an individual, group or organisation that your target customer perceives as impeding their life or their goals?

It could be government policy… media misinformation… general public ignorance about a condition… big corporations… social media algorithms…

Or it might be something specific to your area of interest or business.

An example might be a wild swimming newsletter where a common enemy is the water industry that pollutes coasts, rivers and lakes.

Or a nutritional cooking course for parents with young kids might posit the enemy as food manufacturers who make unhealthy, addictive, sugary food.

A retirement investment strategy might go up against the government’s current policy on interest rates, inflation or inheritance tax.

But it doesn’t have to be an organisation or group of people that’s the enemy. You could simply offer them a coherent reason why they might be struggling.

For example…

The demands of modern life… British work culture…. falling educational standards… environmental toxins…. noise and light pollution… the rising cost of living… poor access to GPs… long waiting lists…

Explain that their problems are not necessarily their fault…

And that it’s not because they are stupid or weak…

Then show them that you have a solution of some kind.

As a result, they will feel relief that there’s someone who understands them… a community that will help them… and a way to regain a sense of control.

Finally…

Simplify and Clarify

All your business communications should help reduce your customer’s sense of overwhelm, insecurity and confusion.

That might mean:

• Sifting through lots of internet noise to give them the ‘curated’ nuggets info that they really need to know.
• Breaking down a big, scary process into easy, practical steps.
• Clarifying complex ideas for your reader in your own voice, using simple everyday language.
• Giving readers a strongly opinionated point of view on a subject that they can relate to.
• Offering access to a community of like-minded people who can help them

Every message you send should leave them feeling a little less overwhelmed than before they opened it.

So how do you put all this to work without resorting to scare tactics or nonsense?

Here’s a simple system.

Locate the Fear

Figure out that big fear your reader carries around with them, then frame it in a way that takes away the confusion.

Explain why the problem isn’t just down to them… that there are external factors that have worked against them… and solutions that they have not yet been shown.

Reveal The Hidden pattern

Show them you’ve worked out reasons behind their struggle….

That you’ve pinpointed social, political or economic factors that are slowing them down or impeding them…

And that there is a way to get around these obstacles.

Offer a Simple Solution

Take the big, scary, complicated mess that frightens your reader…. then simplify it for them.

Offer your clear, no-nonsense opinion – or give them practical steps, formulas and strategies to follow.

As you can see, with this method you’re not frightening anyone or inventing a scapegoat villain.

You’re just helping someone feel safer, clearer and less alone.

For that, they’ll reward you with their trust and attention!