The Problem With Asterisks

You click a link to download a free guide.

Then you see them.

Asterisks on every field, with the familiar note:

“Fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory.”

Mandatory? Think about the tone that sets.

Before I've even started, you've drawn a line in the sand.

You might be offering something valuable. A wealth-building guide, industry insights, exclusive access. But every asterisk is a tollbooth. Every required field is friction. Each one tests my commitment to the “free” thing you’re offering.

And when I see an asterisk, I start evaluating:

Email address? Sure, maybe.

Phone number? Probably not. I already get too many sales and scam calls.

The problem with mandatory fields is that if one is left blank, the form won’t send at all. So instead of some data, you risk getting nothing.

What if, just imagine, nothing was mandatory?

What if the form said:

“Share what feels right. Skip what doesn't.”

Yes, you'd get less data. You'd have gaps in your spreadsheet.

But the answers you did get would be volunteered, not forced. Fewer leads, yes, but higher quality, because people pre-qualified themselves by choosing to engage.

When your sales rep calls that freely-given number, the conversation doesn't start with "I see you downloaded our guide..." It starts with "Thanks for sharing your number. What questions can I answer for you?"

Because the goal isn't to receive a perfectly filled form. The goal is permission. To start a relationship.

And no great relationship begins with an asterisk.