Multi-level marketing (MLM) and “social selling” business models are widely used to promote health and wellness products in the United States. These models rely on personal networks, relational trust, and digital platforms to disseminate product information. While companies using these models become increasingly mainstream, little is known about how the public perceives the credibility of their health-related claims. Studying how credibility is viewed in these contexts is essential to population health efforts aimed at rebuilding trust in public health science, particularly in areas where relational networks increasingly shape health beliefs and decision making.

We fielded a pilot survey in June 2025 among U.S. adults recruited through Prolific. The survey measured familiarity with and personal or relational experience in social selling, along with broader trust in health information. Participants were randomly shown a mock health product advertisement framed as originating from either an independent social seller or a traditional retail brand. Then, respondents evaluated the credibility messaging and reported behavioral intentions. The pilot data  shaped refined survey measures; the full study will be fielded among a larger U.S. sample in March 2026.

In the pilot sample (n=21), perceptions of trustworthiness varied, with most respondents rating social selling health claims as slightly or moderately trustworthy. One-third reported personal participation in social selling, and two-thirds reported exposure through close friends or family. Reactions to the mock ad showed both interest and skepticism. Responses most frequently identified public health officials as trusted messengers. Data from this pilot shaped our current survey questions, though they are similar. 

This research shows how socially mediated health messaging shapes credibility perceptions in a digital information age. As health claims circulate through relational networks, population health science must account for how trust is formed outside institutional settings.