Made to Stick Framework

A framework for crafting ideas and messages that are understood, remembered, and have lasting impact. Based on decades of research into why some ideas survive and others die.

Core Principle

The Curse of Knowledge is the single greatest barrier to effective communication. Once we know something, we can't imagine not knowing it. This makes us bad at explaining our ideas to others.

The foundation: Sticky ideas aren't born — they're made. The SUCCESs framework provides six principles that make any idea more memorable and impactful.

Scoring

Goal: 10/10. When reviewing or creating messaging (copy, presentations, campaigns, onboarding), rate 0-10 based on SUCCESs principles. A 10/10 means the message is simple, surprising, concrete, credible, emotional, and wrapped in a story; lower scores indicate forgettable communication. Always provide current score and improvements to reach 10/10.

The SUCCESs Framework

Six principles that make ideas stick:

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:

Application to product messaging:

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:

1. Get attention → Surprise (violate expectations)
2. Hold attention → Interest (create curiosity gaps)

Surprise:

• Identify the core message
• Figure out the counterintuitive implication
• Communicate the surprise

Example surprises:

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:

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:

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:

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:

Internal credibility (more powerful):

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:

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:

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:

Story structure for product messaging:

1. Character: Who is the customer? (relatable)
2. Problem: What challenge did they face? (emotional)
3. Journey: What did they try? (concrete)
4. Solution: How did your product help? (specific)
5. 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:

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

Quick Diagnostic

Audit any message:

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.