Staircase representing stages of change with experts and peers offering support.

Experts vs. Peers: Who Gives the Best Motivational Texts for Exercise?

Kai Mendoza in Health & Wellness November 2025 • 4 min read.

"New research reveals surprising differences in how expert-designed and peer-designed messages impact motivation across different stages of exercise behavior change."

Maintaining motivation is a cornerstone of successful long-term behavior change, especially when it comes to exercise. While numerous apps and technologies aim to boost our commitment, understanding the nuances of effective motivation remains a challenge. A compelling approach involves tailoring interventions based on established behavior change theories, such as the Transtheoretical Model (TTM), which segments individuals into distinct stages of readiness to change.

The Transtheoretical Model identifies five key stages: Precontemplation (not ready to change), Contemplation (thinking about changing), Preparation (planning to change), Action (actively changing), and Maintenance (sustaining the change). Each stage requires unique strategies and support. For example, someone in the Precontemplation stage might benefit more from awareness-raising messages, while someone in the Action stage may need strategies for overcoming obstacles and maintaining momentum.

Traditionally, experts design motivational content. However, emerging research suggests peer-designed messages can be highly engaging and relevant. This raises an important question: Who delivers the most effective motivational messages at each stage of behavior change? A recent study delves into this, comparing the impact of expert-designed versus peer-designed text messages on exercise motivation across the TTM stages.

Expert Insights vs. Peer Encouragement: Understanding the Impact

Staircase representing stages of change with experts and peers offering support.

Researchers conducted a comparative analysis of motivational messages for exercise, drawing from a previous study that utilized crowdsourcing to gather peer-designed messages. This prior work revealed that while peer-generated messages aligned with behavior change strategies, they resonated more strongly with individuals in the later stages of change (Action and Maintenance) rather than those in the initial stages (Precontemplation and Contemplation).

The researchers hypothesized that peers, while relatable, may lack the expertise to effectively motivate individuals in the early stages of change. To investigate this further, they replicated the study, this time enlisting experts in fitness, behavioral coaching, and health psychology to design motivational text messages. These expert-crafted messages were then evaluated alongside the peer-designed messages to determine their impact across the different stages.

Elicitation Surveys: Experts designed messages tailored to specific scenarios representing each of the five stages of change.
Coding and Categorization: The messages were coded based on the ten processes of change from the TTM, such as Consciousness Raising, Dramatic Relief, and Social Liberation.
Evaluation Survey: Participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk rated the expert-designed messages on how motivating they found them.

The study revealed a fascinating contrast: expert-designed messages were more effective in the earliest stages of change (Precontemplation and Contemplation) for certain strategies, while peer-designed messages proved more motivating in the later stages for several other strategies. This suggests that the source of motivational content matters, and its effectiveness is contingent upon the individual's current stage of readiness.

Practical Implications for Behavior Change Technology

The findings highlight the importance of tailoring motivational interventions not only to an individual's stage of change but also to consider the source of the message. When developing behavior change technologies, incorporating both expert-designed and peer-designed content could maximize effectiveness. Expert insights can spark initial interest and awareness, while peer support can foster ongoing commitment and adherence. Future research should explore how to seamlessly integrate these different types of motivational content to create more personalized and impactful interventions.

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Everything You Need To Know

What is the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) and why is it relevant to exercise motivation?

The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) is a behavior change theory that divides individuals into five stages of readiness: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance. It's relevant to exercise motivation because each stage requires different strategies and support. For example, someone in Precontemplation needs awareness-raising, while someone in Action needs help overcoming obstacles. Understanding which stage someone is in allows for tailoring motivational messages for maximum impact. Without considering these stages, motivational efforts may be misdirected and less effective. This model is based on the ten processes of change from the TTM, such as Consciousness Raising, Dramatic Relief, and Social Liberation.

How do expert-designed motivational messages differ from peer-designed messages in the context of exercise?

Expert-designed motivational messages are typically crafted by professionals in fields like fitness, behavioral coaching, and health psychology. These messages tend to be most effective in the early stages of change (Precontemplation and Contemplation), where foundational awareness and understanding are needed. Peer-designed messages, on the other hand, are created by individuals who have personal experience with exercise and behavior change. They often resonate more strongly in the later stages (Action and Maintenance) because they offer relatable encouragement and support based on shared experiences. This difference highlights that expertise is more beneficial for initial engagement, while relatable experience is valuable for sustained motivation. The elicitation surveys done by the experts helped to produce messages tailored to specific scenarios, which helped in the study.

Why might peer-designed messages be more motivating in the Action and Maintenance stages of exercise behavior change?

Peer-designed messages are often more motivating in the Action and Maintenance stages because they offer a sense of camaraderie and shared experience. Individuals in these stages are actively working to change their behavior or sustain those changes, and messages from peers can provide relatable support, practical tips, and encouragement to overcome challenges. Peers who have 'been there' can offer insights and validation that experts, who may not have the same lived experience, cannot. This relatable aspect helps reinforce commitment and adherence to exercise goals. The study drew from a previous study that utilized crowdsourcing to gather peer-designed messages, highlighting the value of real-world experiences in crafting effective motivational content.

What practical implications do the findings on expert vs. peer motivational texts have for behavior change technology and apps?

The findings suggest that behavior change technologies and apps should incorporate both expert-designed and peer-designed content to maximize effectiveness. Expert insights can be used to spark initial interest and awareness in the early stages of change, while peer support can foster ongoing commitment and adherence in the later stages. A blended approach could involve expert-led educational content alongside peer support forums or personalized messages from other users. This could create more personalized and impactful interventions. Coding and categorization was done on the messages based on the ten processes of change from the TTM which is important to note.

How was the effectiveness of expert-designed messages evaluated in the research, and what were the key strategies used?

The effectiveness of expert-designed messages was evaluated through a structured research process. First, experts designed messages tailored to specific scenarios representing each of the five stages of change. These messages were then coded based on the ten processes of change from the Transtheoretical Model (TTM). Finally, participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk rated the messages on how motivating they found them. This process allowed researchers to quantitatively assess the impact of expert-designed messages across different stages of behavior change. This rigorous evaluation process highlights the importance of evidence-based approaches to motivational content design.