Reduce the Fluency of Rejection Options

Purchase buttons should look pretty.

When customers view a button, they contemplate the decision: Hmm, should I click?

A pretty button can activate positive emotions that become attributed to the decision: Hmm, something feels right. I must want to click.

Rejections are different. You don't want clicks. Follow the opposite advice and reduce the fluency of these options.

How to Apply

• Make Them Ugly. Weird fonts, wide spacing, or unbalanced designs. Customers blame this disfluency on the decision: Hmm, my gut is telling me to click the other option.
• Insert Unnatural Phrasing. Customers read button text inside their head; it's called inner speech. If it sounds natural — something they would typically say — they are more likely to click. But you want the opposite. Try replacing "No Thanks" with "Postpone the Decision."
• Insert Mean Phrasing. "No thanks" is common, yet polite and natural. Try a blunt "No."