Unveiling influence: influencer’s sensitive self-disclosure and its persuasive impact

Disclosure of intimate personal stories is an essential part of many marketplace conversations. In four experiments, this research investigates whether a social media influencer’s sharing of sensitive self-disclosure (i.e., personal information involving risk and vulnerability) can either enhance or diminish their persuasive impact. In Study 1, we find that the impact of sensitive self-disclosure on persuasion is contingent on the expected types of influencer-audience relationships (communal vs. exchange). An influencer’s sensitive self-disclosure enhances persuasion when the expected influencer-audience relationship is communal, characterized by emotional connection and mutual care. In exchange relationships, where the audience expects a more information-oriented approach, sensitive self-disclosure diminishes the influencer’s persuasive impact. Study 2 demonstrates that these effects are mediated by trust in communal relationships and by perceived violations of relationship norms in exchange relationships. Studies 3 and 4 identify the boundary conditions for these effects. Study 3 shows that extremely sensitive self-disclosure, which triggers a norm violation, reduces persuasion in a communal relationship. Study 4 reveals that solicited sensitive self-disclosure, which triggers conflicting norms, increases persuasion in an exchange relationship. This research widens the scope of persuasion literature by incorporating sensitive self-disclosure as a novel framework for understanding online influencer-audience persuasion.