The Halo Effect!

Have you ever forgiven your favorite café for a bad cup of coffee? Probably. Now think about that new spot you tried—if their first cup was awful, did you give them another shot?

That’s the Halo Effect at work.

It’s one of the most powerful psychological forces in marketing, and if you’re building a brand or business on LinkedIn (or anywhere online), you need to understand how to use it.

What Is the Halo Effect?

First coined by psychologist Edward Thorndike in 1920, the Halo Effect is a cognitive bias where our impression of one positive trait influences how we perceive everything else.

In short: if you’re good at one thing, people assume you’re good at everything.

That’s why every toothpaste ad shows a model in a white lab coat—our brains associate that image with trust, expertise, and credibility. Whether the actor is a dentist or not doesn’t matter. The lab coat creates the perception.

The Power (and Risk) for Your Brand

Here’s where it gets interesting for creators and consultants:

When you show excellence in one visible area, it creates a halo that lifts everything else you do.

But it works in reverse, too.

One sloppy email, one poor experience, one broken promise—and that halo disappears. This is called the Horn Effect, and it can tank your reputation fast.

The Halo in Action: Real-World Brand Examples

1. Ritz-Carlton’s $2,000 Rule

Every Ritz employee is empowered to spend up to $2,000 to fix a customer issue—without asking for approval. That’s not just policy. That’s brand positioning in action.

A forgotten laptop? Flown across the country.
A missing camera? Retrieved from the ocean.
A custom meal for a guest’s allergy? Made on demand.

These aren’t just stories. They’re halo-builders.

One exceptional moment transforms the entire experience. Suddenly the bed feels softer, the service feels sharper, and the brand feels like luxury.

2. Starbucks’ Third Place Philosophy

Starbucks never tried to make the world’s best coffee. Instead, they built a place that feels like a hybrid between home and work. The smell, the music, the barista using your name—it’s all part of the experience.

Even though their coffee often loses in blind taste tests, customers pay more. Why? Because the experience makes the product feel better.

That’s the Halo Effect.

How This Applies to LinkedIn Creators

Now let’s bring this home.

You’re showing up on LinkedIn to build your reputation. You want to land clients, grow an audience, and position yourself as a thought leader.

But the Halo Effect means that:

• A single high-value post can elevate your entire brand.

• A beautifully-designed lead magnet can make people think your coaching is world-class.

• A tight client onboarding experience can make everything else feel premium—even if you’re still figuring parts of it out.

Conversely:

• A messy bio, a broken link, or a half-baked pitch can undo the work of 100 great posts.

Action Step: Build Your Own “$2,000 Rule”

Ask yourself:

• Where’s one small moment in your process you can go above and beyond?

• Where can you create a touchpoint that surprises and delights?

• What’s your version of a personalized “thank you” note, a flawless onboarding doc, or a fast-response system?

Great brands aren’t built on big things alone. They’re built on small moments that make people feel something.

That’s where the magic is. That’s how you create a halo.

Weekly Growth Tip:

Pick one touchpoint in your client experience—discovery call, first invoice, LinkedIn DM—and elevate it by 20%. Add a surprise. Personalize it. Make it frictionless. Then watch how that halo shapes how people see everything else you offer.

Inspired by a brilliant breakdown from Isaac’s newsletter. If you don’t follow him already, fix that.

Let me know—what’s one “halo moment” you can create in your brand experience this week?

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