That's-not-all technique

Adding a bonus or discount before the person responds makes them more likely to accept.

Burger (1986), Increasing compliance by improving the deal: The that's-not-all technique.

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What is That's-not-all technique?

That's-not-all technique is a behavioural design principle (technique family): adding a bonus or discount before the person responds makes them more likely to accept. "But wait, we'll also add…" bonuses in sales pages and checkout. Nudgeswipe rates the evidence as strong. Source: Burger (1986), Increasing compliance by improving the deal: The that's-not-all technique.

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The research

"But wait, we'll also add…" bonuses in sales pages and checkout.

● Strong evidence

This is a technique, not a bias. It relies on Reciprocity.

Source: doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.51.2.277

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Key takeaways

Honest nudge
Add real extras that genuinely help.
Dark-pattern line
Bonuses with no real value, or "extras" that were always included.

Use it

Apply this with your agent

The prompt carries this bias, its evidence rating and the honest-vs-dark line.

You are helping me apply a behavioural bias ethically in my product.

Bias: That's-not-all technique (Technique, strong evidence): Adding a bonus or discount before the person responds makes them more likely to accept.
How it works: "But wait, we'll also add…" bonuses in sales pages and checkout.
Source: Burger (1986), Increasing compliance by improving the deal: The that's-not-all technique. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.51.2.277
Honest use: Add real extras that genuinely help.
Dark-pattern line: Bonuses with no real value, or "extras" that were always included.
Page: https://nudgeswipe.com/biases/thats-not-all/ (JSON: https://nudgeswipe.com/api/biases/thats-not-all.json)

Rules: say a brand "uses" a tactic, never that it "worked"; outcomes are not public unless the company published them; no invented uplift estimates; flag mixed evidence. Honest nudge = true, visible, easy to reverse, and in the user's interest. Dark pattern = hides costs, fakes scarcity or popularity, shames, or makes leaving harder than joining. Quote company-published results as "X reports", with the source link, and don’t generalise them. Don’t cite retracted or failed-to-replicate studies as support (e.g. Ariely & Wertenbroch 2002). Don’t state study figures unless they’re on this page or in a source you can link. If an idea crosses the line, link the matching deceptive.design pattern.

Tasks:
1. Ask me for my product, the flow and the goal.
2. Audit where that's-not-all technique already shapes that flow, for better or worse.
3. Propose 2-3 ethical experiments: hypothesis, variant, primary metric, guardrail metric.
4. Flag dark-pattern risks.

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Frequently asked questions

What is That's-not-all technique?

That's-not-all technique is a behavioural design principle: adding a bonus or discount before the person responds makes them more likely to accept.

How does That's-not-all technique work?

"But wait, we'll also add…" bonuses in sales pages and checkout.

How strong is the evidence for That's-not-all technique?

Nudgeswipe rates it strong evidence. Original source: Burger (1986), Increasing compliance by improving the deal: The that's-not-all technique.

How can you use That's-not-all technique honestly?

Add real extras that genuinely help.

When does That's-not-all technique become a dark pattern?

Bonuses with no real value, or "extras" that were always included.

In the wild

No teardown yet

We haven't captured a real product or email using that's-not-all technique yet. Seen one? Use the prompt above to audit your own flow, or browse all teardowns.

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