The Power of Trusted Messengers: Beyond Traditional Influence

In an era where the erosion of trust in institutional and expert information has become commonplace, the locus of trust has shifted increasingly to be more community-based and personal. To meaningfully engage audiences in this context, Purpose employs Trusted Messengers as a critical component in our communications strategy.

But what exactly is a Trusted Messenger, and how do they differ from traditional influencers?

Defining Trusted Messengers

At Purpose, we distinguish Trusted Messengers from conventional influencers by their deep community connections rather than only their reach. This is not to say that traditional opinion leaders – such as health experts or celebrities – cannot also be Trusted Messengers. But it is important to underline that our Trusted Messenger approach is guided by understanding our target audience and identifying authentic voices who already hold genuine influence within their communities.

These individuals have earned trust through shared experiences and long-standing relationships, making them integral figures in the communities they serve. Unlike traditional social media influencers who may prioritize reach, Trusted Messengers derive their impact from genuine community bonds based on shared interests, identity, values or experiences. Research demonstrates, that when people evaluate information, they place greater weight on the trustworthiness of the messenger than on their expertise, making these authentic community connections particularly powerful for meaningful engagement.

There are three broad categories of Trusted Messenger:

• Personal Networks: Individuals who share information among their close circles, emphasizing that every individual has the potential for exponential reach.
• Community Influencers: People and collectives who can influence via two-way platforms, allowing them to directly engage with and receive feedback and questions from their audiences.
• High-profile Influencers: Who create mass awareness and encourage others to join a particular community or movement.

Trusted Messengers can be micro-influencers, community leaders, celebrities, or everyday heroes who have built authentic connections with their audiences. For example, in Poland, Purpose wanted to shift perspectives on climate change with audiences that are usually skeptical of climate experts. So we engaged unlikely voices, working with Catholic priests, to deliver messages about climate to their communities. This approach underlined the positive impact that trusted voices can have in bridging political divides on complex issues. As always with the Trusted Messenger approach, it is not specific expertise that is of importance, but rather access to a specific audience.

Why Trusted Messengers Work

The effectiveness of Trusted Messengers stems from several key factors:

• Trust is increasingly community-driven. Audiences put their faith in messengers who understand their local reality and share similar values, rather than trusting public figures for their purported subject matter expertise.
• Communities – which may be defined by a shared interest, lifestyle or demographic profile – are more likely to engage with information delivered by messengers they already trust and follow for their own personal reasons.
• Trusted Messengers can access overlooked audiences that traditional media often miss. Indeed, access to target audiences can be more important than whether a messenger is perceived as having knowledge in a particular issue area.
• Trusted Messengers can deliver context-specific messaging in an organic, relatable way.

Success Stories in Action

The following four case studies explore how carefully selected and empowered messengers can drive communities to action, even on complex issues. From combating COVID-19 misinformation through scientist-created TikTok videos to mobilizing Indonesian religious leaders for climate advocacy, these stories highlight a clear pattern: when trusted voices speak authentically on issues they care about, communities listen.

Team Halo and Verified Champions: Science Made Personal

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Team Halo demonstrated the power of Trusted Messengers in building vaccine confidence. We brought together a network of over 100 scientists, doctors, and health specialists with a strong social media following or local community trust and trained them on how to create engaging content on TikTok. These messengers were a mix of Community Influencers and High-profile Influencers. The campaign:

• Led to the creation of more than 1,000 videos by the Trusted Messenger network.
• Generated over 500 million views of the videos worldwide, providing rapid response to misinformation through authentic, scientific voices.
• Boosted vaccine confidence among 18-45-year-olds (the target audience)  by 12 percentage points.

LEGO Foundation: Play Champions in Rwanda

The Together for Play initiative in Rwanda demonstrated the powerful role of Trusted Messengers in transforming cultural norms around early childhood development. Launched to promote awareness about the critical importance of play in early childhood, the campaign strategically engaged fathers as primary advocates—an innovative approach based on research showing limited paternal involvement in children’s playtime activities. The campaign:

• Recruited and trained over 10 influential Trusted Messengers. These were primarily fathers from diverse communities across Rwanda who already had a strong community following on social media.
• Generated unprecedented community engagement by positioning fathers as champions of early childhood play, challenging traditional parental roles
• Reached 5.9 million parents and caregivers through targeted messaging and community outreach.
• Successfully mobilized community leaders to advocate for policy changes supporting early childhood development.

Religious Leaders as Climate Advocates

Sometimes, the most effective messengers come from unexpected places. Similar to Purpose’s work in Poland, in Indonesia, climate action found powerful allies in religious leaders. As home to the world’s largest Muslim population, Indonesia’s major Islamic organizations became crucial voices in environmental advocacy, proving that trusted religious voices could bring a previously academic discussion into public discourse.

• A survey we conducted in 2021 on climate perceptions, showed religious leaders as amongst the most influential messengers on climate change.
• Purpose collaborated with two major Islamic organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, to build an Indonesian Islamic climate movement and engage new segments of the Indonesian public.
• The movement is changing the way Indonesians are talking about climate change. It even led to the convening of the Muslim Congress for a Sustainable Indonesia to discuss climate change and its intersectionality with Islam. The Congress resulted in a declaration that was presented to the Vice President of Indonesia.

Child Safety ON: Building Support for Online Protection

The European campaign for child safety legislation demonstrated how Trusted Messengers can help to tackle sensitive issues. We developed a network of messengers that brought together a range of trusted voices – from Community Influencers to High-profile Influencers – including young activists, survivors of online sexual abuse, musicians, TV presenters, and actors to advocate for the swift passage of the EU Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) legislation. The campaign:

• United over 50 civil society organizations across the EU.
• Generated over 500,000 signatures supporting the CSAM legislation.
• Leveraged the power of storytelling to raise awareness, counter misinformation, and demonstrate the urgent need for action to protect children in the digital age.

The Future of Trust

The success of these diverse initiatives underscores a crucial insight: trust is built through authentic relationships and shared experiences. Whether fighting misinformation, promoting cultural change, or advocating for policy reform, Trusted Messengers provide a vital bridge between information and action.

Their effectiveness lies not in the size of their following, but in their genuine connections, shared experiences, and deep understanding of their communities. As trust in institutions continues to weaken, the power of these community-based voices becomes increasingly vital for organizations seeking to create lasting social change. The Trusted Messenger approach reminds us that effective communication isn’t just about what we say, but who says it and how deeply they’re connected to their audience.