Hey there, Creator! I am Kenzi Wood. Thanks for tuning in, and welcome if you're new to this corner of the internet. I never take your time and attention for granted, and I'm grateful you're here.
TL;DR
The mere exposure effect (aka the familiarity principle) says we tend to like things when we see them repeatedly.
For creators, that means consistent, recognizable posting builds attachment.
The mere exposure effect only works if people are at least neutral toward you, and there is a point where followers find it annoying.
✅ The quick answer: Show up on a predictable schedule, repeat recognizable elements (colors, hooks, intros), post where your audience actually hangs out, and pair all that exposure with positive, human content so people build good associations, not annoyance.
Have you ever stared at your analytics and thought: Why am I even posting? No one cares.😞
While you’re busy judging your posts by likes and comments, your followers’ brains are doing something far more interesting. ****Every time they scroll past your face, they’re getting a little more familiar with you. And thanks to a very old psychological quirk, familiarity often turns into… liking.
Today, we’ll break down:
What the mere exposure effect is🧠
How it helps you build attachment even when engagement dips 📉➡📈
Practical ways to use the mere exposure effect without becoming “that creator” people are sick of seeing 🤦♀️
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What is the mere exposure effect?
Also known as the familiarity principle, the mere exposure effect says:
The more we’re exposed to something, the more we tend to like it.
Researchers played with this idea as far back as the 1800s, but psychologist Robert Zajonc popularized it in the 1960s.🧑🔬
In his lab experiments, people were shown:
Simple shapes
Words (including nonsense words)
Photographs of facial expressions
The more often they saw a particular shape, word, or face, the more they liked it, even if they didn’t consciously remember seeing it before.
It gets weirder: this effect shows up in animals, too. 🐔 Even chicks exposed to certain sounds before they hatch show a preference for those sounds after they’re born.
The mere exposure effect is an innate brain thing: familiar = safe. Safe = good.
This effect is everywhere:
Ads: It’s that one product haunting you across the internet
Music: It’s songs that grow on you after repeated plays on the radio 🎶
Social connections: It’s classmates, coworkers, or even neighbors you eventually grow fond of simply because they’re around
Creators: It’s the people who show up on your feed so often you eventually think, “Okay fine, I’ll follow you.”
The big caveat: it won’t help if people hate something
The mere exposure effect is powerful, but it has its limits.
It works best when someone’s first impression is either:
Neutral (“eh, okay”) 🤷
Mildly positive (“seems cool”)
If their reaction is strongly negative—“this person is annoying,” “I hate this style,” “this feels scammy”—then more exposure doesn’t fix it. It makes it worse.
That’s why:
Blasting your content at everyone isn’t smart
Forcing your way into the feeds of people who clearly aren’t your people backfires
Audience alignment and segmentation matter
Think of exposure as a volume knob. 📢
If someone is already tuned to “nope,” turning it up just makes the “nope” louder.
How to use the mere exposure effect without being annoying
1. Post consistently
Sure, consistency can help you please the almighty algorithm, but it also appeals to your followers. Every time you show up, you create another mental “ping” of familiarity. Over time, those pings add up to attachment.
If you’re new: Post more frequently for the first 30 days. Research shows that mere exposure is strongest early on.
If you’re established: Quality > frequency. Don’t post fluff just to hit a number. The principle only works if the content stays net-positive.
2. Build recognizability into your content
Mere exposure isn’t just about how often you show up. It’s also what people recognize when you do. That means you need anchors, which are elements that stay the same across your posts.
This could be:
A signature intro (a la Elyse Meyers’ “That’s a great question, I’d love to tell you”)
A consistent color palette or thumbnail style
A recurring hook or format (“I tried X for 7 days—here’s what happened”)
A tagline or sign-off
Your posts should be unique, but you should generally have the same vibe.
3. Be on the platforms where your audience actually is
The mere exposure effect only works if people actually see you. So even if TikTok is your favorite playground, if your audience is on YouTube or LinkedIn, you need to be there to boost familiarity.
So:
Check your analytics
Look at where people actually watch, read, and reply to your stuff
Pick 1–2 primary platforms and treat those as your home base
4. Beware the U-Curve: Don’t overdo it
The mere exposure effect isn’t linear. It’s more of a U-shaped curve:
Low exposure = low affinity
Moderate exposure = peak liking
High exposure = irritation (why is this creator everywhere???)
You’ll get in trouble if you:
Post too frequently without adding value 🤳
Repeat the same talking points
Launch too many products back-to-back
Appear in every feed at every moment (the “overfamiliarity problem”)
Balance is the goal. Familiarity should feel comforting, not claustrophobic.
5. Build positive associations
Mere exposure sets the stage. What you do on that stage determines whether people actually become fans.
This is where parasocial relationships come in. These are one-sided relationships where your audience feels like they know you, even if you’ve never met.🫂
You build relationships by pairing repeated exposure with positive experiences:
Live Q&As where you answer real questions
Tutorials that genuinely help
Behind-the-scenes moments that humanize you
Giveaways or surprise gifts
Little running jokes or callbacks for your regulars
The key is to stay neutral-to-positive. Negative or hostile tones kill the effect.❌
Your move: Boost your exposure
This week, try this experiment:
Pick a home platform.
Choose your rhythm. For example: 1–2 posts a day if you’re newer, 3–4x/week if you’re established.
Keep three things consistent: your visual style, your intro/frame, and your general topics should stay in one lane.
Add one positive layer to each post: a tip, a quick story, a behind-the-scenes moment, or a question.
Then, instead of obsessing over the performance of each post, zoom out and ask:
“How many times did my ideal audience see me this week?”
“Did I feel recognizable?”
“Did my content leave neutral-to-positive impressions?”
Mere exposure works slowly, but it works. A month from now, some of the people who are barely noticing you today will feel oddly attached to your content. They won’t be able to explain why, but you will. 😉
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Speak soon,
Kenzi
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