Abstract

Effective communication is critical in crowdfunding, where information asymmetry poses a significant challenge. While prior research has emphasized the persuasive power of rhetoric content, less is known about how the structure of rhetoric—beyond its content—shapes backers’ cognitive and behavioral responses. This study examines the role of hierarchical rhetoric in crowdfunding and its impact on actual funding outcomes, backers’ elaboration, perceived information sharing quality, and their willingness to fund. Drawing on computational linguistics and dual-process theories of information processing, we conduct a multi-phase investigation that combines observational data from Kickstarter platform with controlled experiments. Our findings show that the use of hierarchically structured rhetoric is positively associated with improved funding outcomes, longer information processing duration, higher perceived information sharing quality, and greater willingness to fund. We also find that these effects differ across project categories, suggesting that the effectiveness of rhetorical structure is context-dependent. This study contributes to the literature on platform-mediated communication and crowdfunding by highlighting the cognitive and perceptual significance of rhetorical structure in shaping backer funding behavior and offering practical guidance for entrepreneurs seeking to optimize communication strategies.

DOI

10.17705/1jais.00975

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