Technique · Hooked
Reputation that carries real value
Let users earn a reputation (ratings, badges, response scores) that changes what they get: better ranking, higher prices, more trust, new privileges. People stay where their reputation lives.
Plain label: earned reputation as stored valueAlso known as: ratings, reviews, karma, seller rating, trust score, status tier, superhost
How it works
A reputation built over many transactions is stored value that doesn't move to a competitor. When it affects price, selection or ranking, sellers, hosts and contributors have a strong reason to stay and to behave well.
Evidence warning
Reputation systems need protection against fake or retaliatory reviews and a fair start for newcomers.
What the research says
Stronger reputation signals shifted trust toward hosts unlike the guest (about 8,900 participants, checked against about 1M real interactions).
Abrahao et al., PNAS (CASE-M04), 2017
Before you start
- Enough repeat transactions or contributions for scores to mean something
How to build it
- E-commerce
- Seller tiers with stated criteria that raise search ranking.
- Web
- Community karma that unlocks moderation tools.
- B2B
- Partner-directory status earned through verified implementations.
What can go wrong
- Opaque criteria.
- Reputation that can be bought or farmed.
- Newcomers who can never catch up.
Pairs well with
- Pay in recognition, not small cash.
- Make stored value visible.
In practice
Where it shows up
Airbnb · 2017
RoundAirbnb: reputation beats similarity
In an experiment with 8,906 Airbnb users, high reputation significantly increased trust between dissimilar users, offsetting the pull toward similar others; analyses of about 1M real Airbnb interactions agreed (Abrahao et al., PNAS, Sept 2017).
M3 ×DiscoverStayCase grade for the number: A. Evidence grade for the mechanism link: A.eBay · 2015
eBay: auction countdowns and seller stars
Qualitative, from the books (Actionable Gamification Ch6; Hooked Ch5). No outcome numbers are attached. Power Seller has since been replaced by Top Rated Seller (not re-verified).
M4 ×StayPayCase grade for the number: D. Evidence grade for the mechanism link: D.AnecdoteMercado Libre · 2026
Mercado Libre: seller reputation as currency
Q2 2026 (8-K, Aug 5, 2026): 89M unique active buyers (71M a year earlier, +26%), fintech monthly users 88M (+30%), MELI+ subscribers up 72% YoY (no absolute number), and users active in both commerce and fintech up 37%. Many causes; the mechanism link is our inference.
M4 ×StayPayCase grade for the number: A. Evidence grade for the mechanism link: D.Analyst inferenceCorrelationalStack Overflow · 2025
RoundStack Overflow: when instant answers beat points
Monthly new questions fell to about the level of the site's 2009 launch by May 2025, after declining since about 2014 and sharply after Nov 2022 (The Pragmatic Engineer, May 15, 2025, citing public data). Prosus acquired the company for about $1.8B (June 2, 2021).
M5 ×StayCase grade for the number: C. Evidence grade for the mechanism link: D.Analyst inferenceCorrelational
Limits
What we don’t claim
- The Hook Model is a practical design tool, not a validated or complete theory of behavior.Hooked, Introduction
- Left Brain and Right Brain are a metaphor for extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, not a claim about neuroscience.Actionable Gamification Ch.13, pp.342-343
Sources
Hooked · Nir Eyal
Ch.5
Source IDs: HK-INV16
Book content is paraphrased, never quoted at length. Last verified October 24, 2026.
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