made-to-stick

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S - Simple

U - Unexpected

C - Concrete

C - Credible

E - Emotional

S - Stories

Not a checklist — a toolkit. Not every sticky idea uses all six. But the stickiest ideas tend to use most of them.

1. Simple

Core concept: Find the core of the idea and share it compactly.

Simple ≠ dumbed down. Simple means finding the essential core and expressing it in a compact way. It means ruthless prioritization.

The Commander's Intent:

• Military term: If everything goes wrong, what ONE thing must we accomplish?

• For messaging: If people remember ONE thing about your product, what should it be?

The inverted pyramid:

• Lead with the most important thing

• Add detail in order of decreasing importance

• Readers who stop anywhere still got the core

Techniques for simplicity:

Technique

How It Works

Example

Core message

Strip to the essential

Southwest: "THE low-fare airline"

Analogy

Explain new via known

"It's like Uber for dog walking"

Generative

Core idea that generates behavior

"Names, names, names" (local newspaper motto)

Prioritize

Force-rank what matters

"If you say 3 things, you say nothing"

Application to product messaging:

Before (Complex)

After (Simple)

"AI-powered, cloud-native customer engagement platform with omnichannel capabilities"

"Talk to all your customers in one place"

"We leverage machine learning algorithms to optimize conversion funnels"

"We find why visitors don't buy and fix it"

"Enterprise-grade project management with Gantt charts, resource allocation..."

"The simplest way to manage projects"

The test: Can you explain it to a smart 12-year-old? If not, simplify.

Warning: Don't oversimplify to the point of meaninglessness. "We make the world better" is simple but empty.

See: references/simple.md for simplification exercises and templates.

2. Unexpected

Core concept: Get attention by breaking patterns. Hold attention by creating curiosity gaps.

Two tasks:

• Get attention → Surprise (violate expectations)

• Hold attention → Interest (create curiosity gaps)

Surprise:

• Identify the core message

• Figure out the counterintuitive implication

• Communicate the surprise

Example surprises:

Category

Expected

Unexpected (Sticky)

Product launch

"Introducing our new feature"

"We removed your favorite feature. Here's why."

Statistics

"Obesity is growing"

"A bag of movie popcorn has more fat than a bacon-and-eggs breakfast, Big Mac and fries, and steak dinner — combined"

Value prop

"Save money on insurance"

"15 minutes could save you 15%" (specific, unexpected)

Curiosity gaps:

• Open a gap in knowledge → create desire to fill it

• "Before I tell you the answer, let me ask..."

• Mystery format: Present a puzzle, delay the resolution

• Challenge assumptions: "You think X, but actually Y"

Creating curiosity gaps:

Technique

How It Works

Example

Question

Ask what they don't know

"What's the #1 reason startups fail?"

Prediction

Ask them to predict

"How many X do you think...?"

Mystery

Present a puzzle

"Nordstrom once refunded a set of tires. They don't sell tires."

Challenge

Violate assumptions

"Everything you know about X is wrong"

Anti-pattern: Gimmicky surprise without substance. The surprise must connect to the core message.

See: references/unexpected.md for pattern-breaking techniques.

3. Concrete

Core concept: Use sensory language and specific details instead of abstract concepts.

Abstract kills memorability. The more concrete and specific your idea, the stickier it becomes.

Abstract vs. Concrete:

Abstract

Concrete

"Improve customer experience"

"Customers get their order in 30 minutes, still hot"

"Increase engagement"

"Users open the app 8 times a day"

"Optimize efficiency"

"Reduce report generation from 4 hours to 10 minutes"

"World-class support"

"Call us and a human answers in under 60 seconds"

"Scalable solution"

"Handle 10,000 users on day one without code changes"

The Velcro theory of memory:

• Concrete ideas have more "hooks" for memory

• "Bicycle" is easier to remember than "vehicle" (you can picture it)

• Sensory details create mental images

Techniques for concreteness:

Technique

How It Works

Example

Specific numbers

Replace "a lot" with exact figures

"2,347 customers" not "thousands"

Sensory language

Engage senses

"Crispy, not crunchy"

Concrete example

Replace category with instance

"Like John, a 35-year-old teacher in Denver"

Demonstration

Show, don't tell

Product demo > feature list

Before/after

Tangible transformation

"Before: 4 hours. After: 10 minutes."

Application to product messaging:

• Features → Outcomes (what it does → what changes for user)

• Percentages → Real numbers ("saves 40%" → "saves 16 hours/month")

• Categories → Specific examples ("restaurants" → "pizza shops in Brooklyn")

See: references/concrete.md for concreteness exercises.

4. Credible

Core concept: Help people believe your idea using internal and external credibility.

External credibility:

Source

How It Works

Example

Authorities

Expert endorsement

"Recommended by Harvard Business Review"

Anti-authorities

Real people with experience

"Here's what a customer with the same problem found"

Credentials

Verifiable achievements

"10 years experience, SOC 2 certified"

Internal credibility (more powerful):

Technique

How It Works

Example

Vivid details

Specificity implies truth

"On Tuesday at 3pm, in the conference room on the 4th floor..."

Statistics

But make them human-scale

Not "$1B market" but "1 in 4 businesses"

The Sinatra Test

One example so good it proves everything

"If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere"

Testable credential

Let them verify

"Try it free for 14 days"

Human-scale statistics

Relate numbers to experience

Not "10TB of data" but "every book ever written, 100 times"

The Sinatra Test:

• One reference so impressive it handles all objections

• "We secured the White House" = instant security credibility

• "We handle Super Bowl traffic" = instant scalability credibility

• "Used by Apple, Google, and Microsoft" = instant quality credibility

Making statistics sticky:

• Don't: "37 grams of saturated fat"

• Do: "More saturated fat than a Big Mac, fries, and milkshake combined"

• Rule: Put statistics in a context people understand

See: references/credible.md for credibility-building techniques.

5. Emotional

Core concept: Make people feel something. People act on emotion, not analysis.

Mother Teresa principle: "If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will."

Key insight: Statistics numb. Stories about individuals inspire action.

Emotional appeals:

Approach

How It Works

Example

Individual focus

One person's story > statistics

"Meet Sarah, who..." > "10,000 people affected"

Self-interest

"What's in it for me?"

WIIFM (features → personal benefits)

Identity

"What would someone like me do?"

"Texans don't litter" (Don't Mess with Texas)

Maslow's hierarchy

Appeal to the right level

Security, belonging, esteem, self-actualization

The identity approach:

• People make decisions based on identity, not calculation

• "What would a person like me do in this situation?"

• Frame your product as consistent with who they want to be

Examples:

Identity Frame

Product

Message

"I'm an innovative leader"

SaaS tool

"For teams that move fast"

"I care about my health"

Food product

"Made with ingredients you can pronounce"

"I'm a serious professional"

B2B service

"The tool Fortune 500 CTOs rely on"

Avoiding the "semantic stretch":

• Don't over-abstract the emotion

• "Support the troops" > "Support our national defense infrastructure"

• Keep it personal and specific

See: references/emotional.md for emotional appeal frameworks.

6. Stories

Core concept: Stories are flight simulators for the brain. They teach people how to act.

Why stories work:

• Simulate experience (mental rehearsal)

• Inspire action (not just understanding)

• Are memorable (narrative structure)

• Bypass resistance (people don't argue with stories)

Three story plots that work:

Plot

Structure

When to Use

Example

Challenge

Protagonist overcomes obstacle

Inspire courage, perseverance

"We started in a garage..."

Connection

People bridging a gap

Inspire tolerance, teamwork

"A customer helped another customer..."

Creativity

Novel solution to problem

Inspire innovation, thinking

"We tried X, Y, Z... then discovered..."

Story structure for product messaging:

• Character: Who is the customer? (relatable)

• Problem: What challenge did they face? (emotional)

• Journey: What did they try? (concrete)

• Solution: How did your product help? (specific)

• Outcome: What changed? (measurable + emotional)

Example:

"Sarah ran a 10-person design agency. Her team spent 4 hours every Friday compiling client reports from 5 different tools. She'd tried hiring an intern, building spreadsheets, even a custom tool. Nothing worked. Then she found [Product]. Now reports generate in 10 minutes. Last Friday, her team left at 3pm for the first time in years."

Spotting stories in the wild:

• Customer support tickets (problems + resolutions)

• Sales calls (objections + breakthroughs)

• User interviews (before/after moments)

• Internal Slack (team wins)

See: references/stories.md for story templates and collection methods.

The Curse of Knowledge

The biggest enemy of sticky ideas.

Definition: Once you know something, you can't imagine not knowing it.

How it manifests:

• Using jargon your audience doesn't know

• Skipping context that seems "obvious"

• Assuming your audience sees the same things you do

• Over-abstracting because you know the specifics

Solutions:

• Test messaging with outsiders (not your team)

• Use concrete language, not abstractions

• Tell stories, not bullet points

• Ask: "Would my mom understand this?"

Sticky Messaging Audit

Rate your message on each principle:

Principle

Question

Score (1-10)

Simple

Is there ONE clear core message?

Unexpected

Does it break a pattern or create curiosity?

Concrete

Can you picture it? Are there specific details?

Credible

Why should someone believe this?

Emotional

Does it make you feel something?

Stories

Is there a narrative or character?

Scoring:

• 50-60: Extremely sticky (rare, aim for this)

• 35-49: Strong (most good messaging lands here)

• 20-34: Average (forgettable, needs work)

• Below 20: Won't stick (fundamental rework needed)

Applying SUCCESs to Product

Landing Pages

• Simple: One clear value proposition above the fold

• Unexpected: Counterintuitive claim or statistic

• Concrete: Specific outcome ("save 4 hours/week" not "save time")

• Credible: Customer logos, specific testimonials

• Emotional: Customer story or pain point

• Stories: Customer transformation narrative

Product Demos

• Simple: Show ONE core workflow, not every feature

• Unexpected: Start with the "aha moment" not a tour

• Concrete: Use real data, not "Lorem ipsum"

• Credible: Show how [specific company] uses it

• Emotional: Connect to the pain they feel today

• Stories: "Let me show you what happens when [customer] has this problem..."

Onboarding

• Simple: One action per screen

• Unexpected: Delight with quick win early

• Concrete: Show real results, not abstract promises

• Credible: "Join 5,000 teams already using..."

• Emotional: Celebrate first success

• Stories: "Here's how [user] got started..."

Common Mistakes

Mistake

Why It Fails

Fix

Burying the lead

Core message lost in details

Commander's Intent: what's the ONE thing?

Too abstract

Nothing to remember

Replace every abstraction with a concrete example

Feature listing

No emotional connection

Tell customer stories, show transformations

Jargon

Curse of Knowledge

Test with outsiders

Statistics without context

Numbers don't stick

Make stats human-scale and relatable

Quick Diagnostic

Audit any message:

Question

If No

Action

Can I state the core in one sentence?

Too complex

Find Commander's Intent

Would this surprise someone?

Predictable = forgettable

Find the counterintuitive angle

Can I picture it happening?

Too abstract

Add specific, sensory details

Why should someone believe this?

No credibility

Add proof, examples, Sinatra Test

Does it make me feel something?

Purely logical

Focus on one person, not statistics

Is there a story?

List of facts

Wrap in character + problem + resolution

Reference Files

• simple.md: Commander's Intent, core finding, simplification

• unexpected.md: Surprise techniques, curiosity gaps

• concrete.md: Sensory language, specificity, demonstrations

• credible.md: Authority types, Sinatra Test, human-scale statistics

• emotional.md: Individual focus, identity appeals, Maslow

• stories.md: Three plots, story structure, collection methods

• curse-of-knowledge.md: Diagnosis and remedies

• applications.md: Landing pages, demos, onboarding, presentations

• case-studies.md: JFK moonshot, Subway diet, Don't Mess with Texas

Further Reading

This skill is based on Chip and Dan Heath's research on sticky ideas. For the complete framework:

• "Made to Stick" by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

• "Switch" by Chip Heath & Dan Heath (companion: how to make change stick)

About the Authors

Chip Heath is a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Dan Heath is a senior fellow at Duke University's CASE center. Together they have written four New York Times bestsellers. Made to Stick spent over 2 years on the bestseller list. Their research spans organizational behavior, decision-making, and how to make ideas have lasting impact. The SUCCESs framework is used by educators, marketers, nonprofits, and product teams worldwide.