Use The Ben Franklin Effect On Your Channel

Use The Ben Franklin Effect To Grow Viewer Loyalty

Most creators focus on what they can do for the audience: tips, entertainment, access, shortcuts. That matters, but there is another lever hiding in human psychology. When viewers do a small favour for you, they tend to like you more afterwards. This is the Ben Franklin effect, and you can use it ethically on your channel by asking for tiny bits of help at the right moments.

The classic story is simple. Ben Franklin defused a political rival by asking to borrow a rare book. The rival agreed, and afterwards treated Franklin more warmly. The act of doing a small favour forced his brain to resolve the tension: “If I helped this person, I must not dislike them that much.” Viewers work the same way. When they do small things for you, they quietly move themselves from casual observer toward supporter.

What the Ben Franklin effect actually is

The Ben Franklin effect is the pattern where people come to like someone more after doing them a favour, not after receiving one. It is the reverse of what you might expect. The brain prefers a tidy story about itself. If I went out of my way to help, it must be because I care at least a little. That story sticks, and future behaviour moves in the same direction.

On a channel, that means every genuine, low friction favour you ask for is also a chance to strengthen the relationship. You are not begging for validation. You are giving viewers a chance to act like fans before they fully feel like fans, which nudges their identity in that direction.

Ask for small, specific favours early

The effect is strongest when favours are small, specific and easy to complete. You do not need people to redesign their life. You just need them to do something slightly more involved than a passive watch.

“Tell us in the comments which layout you would pick.”
“Help us decide which topic to tackle next.”
“Vote A or B so we know what to test against this next time.”
“Drop a quick yes or no if this would work for you.”

Place these asks early, once you have delivered a little value but before people drift. The sequence often looks like: quick hook, one useful or enjoyable beat, then a tiny favour that fits the moment.

Make the favour feel useful, not performative

People like to feel that their actions matter. A request that only boosts your numbers is less compelling than one that shapes what happens next on the channel. Frame favours as genuine input, not as a ritual.

Ask viewers to help you choose between real options you are prepared to act on.
Use language like “help us decide” or “we genuinely want your view on this” and mean it.
Close the loop later by showing how their responses influenced a future video.

When viewers see that their small favour changes something tangible, they are more willing to do it again. Each act reinforces the sense that they are part of the project, not just consuming it.

Keep favours low friction and safe

The Ben Franklin effect does not require big sacrifices. In fact, very small favours often work best because more people will complete them. Think in terms of seconds and simple actions.

Single click decisions such as polls and A or B choices.
One line comments that do not require personal details.
Quick taps on features like “remind me later” or “add to playlist” when they genuinely help the viewer too.

A favour that feels risky, draining or too personal will backfire. The goal is to create a pattern of easy, positive actions that build a sense of commitment over time.

Link favours to the viewer’s benefit

Requests land better when they clearly benefit the audience as well as the creator. You can say this out loud. For example, “help us decide which format to double down on so you get more of what actually helps you” or “tell us which feature matters most so we spend more time testing the right things.”

This framing turns the favour into a joint project. Viewers are not doing something for you alone. They are helping shape a channel that will serve them better in the future, which makes the act feel more rational and less like pure generosity.

Show that you act on what people give you

The Ben Franklin effect is not a one way trick. If people keep giving input and never see any result, they will stop. Honouring favours is part of the deal.

Reference past comments when you explain why you chose a topic or format.
Screenshot or quote a few responses (with care for privacy) to show you are listening.
Occasionally build an episode directly around a viewer suggestion and say so clearly.

When viewers see their fingerprints on the channel, they start to feel ownership. It is much harder to walk away from something you helped build.

Use favours to shift identity from watcher to participant

Identity change is where the Ben Franklin effect really pays off. Someone who has liked one video is a viewer. Someone who has answered questions, voted on topics and helped test ideas starts to feel like part of the community around your work.

You can support that shift with language: “people here tend to”, “our regulars usually”, “if you are the kind of person who cares about X, help us decide Y.” These phrases quietly invite viewers to see themselves as members of a group that does small favours for each other.

Avoid empty or manipulative asks

It is easy to slide from thoughtful favours into spammy behaviour. Constant generic requests to “smash like” or “comment anything” dull the effect and can annoy your best viewers. Use the Ben Franklin effect as a design principle, not a quota.

Skip favours that have no clear purpose beyond boosting metrics.
Do not guilt people for not responding. The favours should feel like an invitation, not a test.
Be especially careful with asks around sensitive topics or personal information.

The safest rule is: if you would be comfortable doing the requested action as a viewer yourself, it is probably fine. If it would make you roll your eyes, rethink it.

Measure whether favours are working

You can treat favour based interactions like any other experiment. Track how often viewers respond, how those viewers behave over time and whether certain types of asks correlate with stronger loyalty.

Compare retention and return visits for videos that include clear, purposeful favours with those that do not.
Watch whether viewers who comment on decisions are more likely to watch future episodes in the same series.
Review which questions generate thoughtful answers instead of one word replies and reuse those patterns.

Over time you will build a small library of requests that consistently turn casual viewers into participants, and you can drop the ones that only add noise.

Practical checklist for using the Ben Franklin effect on your channel

Decide one small, meaningful favour you can ask in each video, tied to a real decision you need to make.
Place the ask after an early moment of value so it feels earned, but before viewers drift.
Make the action fast and safe: simple votes, short answers, no sensitive information.
Close the loop later by showing how viewer input shaped future content.
Review analytics to see whether viewers who do these favours come back and watch more.

Used this way, the Ben Franklin effect is not a trick. It is a structure for inviting viewers into small acts of collaboration. Each time they help you, they reinforce their own story that this is a creator they back, not just a video they stumbled across, which makes them much more likely to return for whatever you publish next.