Once attention is prepared, the message still needs a route into action. I’ve seen a small set of broad ‘roads’ that reliably move people.
They are shortcuts the mind uses when deciding: return favors (reciprocity), follow those we like (liking), look to the crowd (social proof), defer to expertise (authority), value what seems limited (scarcity), and stay aligned with commitments (consistency).
These aren’t tricks; they are tendencies. The ethical question is whether you align them with value or exploit them against someone’s interest.
Pre-suasion doesn’t replace these roads. It improves entry onto them. If the moment before your request activates the right principle, the ‘yes’ that follows feels less like persuasion and more like common sense.