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storytelling
The ultimate goal of creating a sticky idea is to make people care. To achieve this, bridge the gap between what they already care about and what they don’t yet care about. Here I provide a checklist to evaluate the stickiness of your ideas.
Author

Dominik Lindner

Published

January 28, 2025

1 Start with Self-Interest

As advertising legend Claude Hopkins advised: “First and foremost, try to get self-interest into every headline you write.” Your messaging should promise huge benefits for minimal costs.

Speak directly to your audience’s needs, and make the WIIFY (What’s In It for You) central to every sentence.

For example:

  • Sticky: “You’ll enjoy a sense of security when you use Goodyear Tires.”
  • Forgettable: “People will enjoy a sense of security when they use Goodyear Tires.”

2 Empathy Through the Particular

Abandon abstract generalizations and focus on specifics. Enforce the particular over the pattern and create empathy and emotional resonance. People connect to individual stories, not statistics. If you work in a data-driven field the art is to connect data to stories.

3 What Doesn’t Stick

Negative framing, like listing what your idea isn’t, dilutes impact. Instead, focus on what it is and why it matters.

4 Stickiness Checklist

To create a sticky idea that resonates, incorporate these proven principles:

  1. Use Schemas
    Relate your message to familiar frameworks. People grasp new ideas faster when they can connect them to what they already know. The mind is like Velcro.

  2. Generative Analogies and Metaphors
    Simplify complex ideas with vivid comparisons. Make the unfamiliar relatable.

  3. Break the Guessing Machine, Then Fix It
    Disrupt expectations to grab attention, then resolve the disruption.

  4. Gap Theory of Curiosity
    Highlight what your audience doesn’t know to spark curiosity and engagement.

  5. Introduce Mysteries
    A compelling mystery hooks attention and invites exploration.

  6. Velcro Theory of Memory
    The more sensory hooks your idea has, the more it sticks. Use vivid, specific details to boost credibility.

  7. Human-Scale Principle
    Scale your ideas down to relatable, human-sized narratives.

  8. Avoid Semantic Stretch
    Be precise with your language. Overused or vague terms lose their punch.

  9. No Maslow’s Basement
    Appeal to higher-level needs like purpose, belonging, or self-expression. Avoid staying in the realm of basic survival.

  10. Enforce the Particular
    Highlight individuals, not groups. Personal stories inspire action.

  11. Springboard Stories and Story Schemas
    Use narratives that allow your audience to envision their own transformation.

More details will follow in Stickiness improvement plan.

Tip

Remember one thing:

WIIFY (What’s In It for You) is central to your communication