‘The Traitors’ – Five tips us not-for-profit marketers can learn from the show

At Different Kettle, we spend loads of time looking at how to achieve cut through in these crazy times, how to earn trust, how to keep attention when patience is thin and doubt is high. Oddly enough, one of the clearest answers you’ll find isn’t from a campaign, a conference, or a piece of sector research – it’s from The Traitors. Not because it’s clever television (though it is), but because it understands human behaviour under pressure. And that’s exactly the territory we’re working in.

1. Assume scepticism.

On The Traitors, trust is never given easily. Everyone starts from a position of doubt, and anything that feels overplayed is quickly questioned. That’s exactly the mindset most people bring to DM. Sorry, but your envelope/email is probably opened with suspicion, not warmth… even from your loyal supporters. Our job isn’t to gloss over that – it’s to meet it head on. Be specific. Be grounded. Trust is something we earn, line by line.

2. People engage when they’re invited in, not talked at.

The brilliance of The Traitors is that viewers aren’t passive. They’re constantly weighing people up, testing motives, making their own calls. We know that good DM works the same way. It respects the reader’s intelligence and invites their judgement. Questions, choices and moments of reflection are far more powerful than instructions or exhortations.

3. The stakes are only meaningful when they’re human.

The prize money matters far less than who’s being betrayed, who’s under pressure, and who’s at risk of being misjudged. In not-for-profit, need on its own isn’t enough. Scale doesn’t move people unless it’s anchored in lived experience. Specific lives, moments, and real consequences. That’s where urgency comes from.

4. Tension holds attention.

If you’ve watched it, you’ll know every episode is carefully structured. Uncertainty builds, pressure mounts, and everything hinges on a decisive moment. Too much fundraising copy resolves the problem too early, or explains itself to death. Don’t be afraid of letting the tension sit! Let the stakes rise and build!! Then position the donor as the point of change. The gift should feel like the turning point, not a formality.

5. Trust is built through consistency under pressure.

The people who last aren’t the loudest or most performative. They’re the ones whose behaviour holds steady when things get uncomfortable. The same is true for charities. Credibility isn’t created in a single campaign. It’s built over time, through clarity, honesty and repetition of what really matters. Stewardship! Consistency beats cleverness, every time.