made-to-stick

What this skill does

# Made to Stick - Creating Ideas That Last

> Make your messages unforgettable using the Heath brothers' SUCCESs framework

## When to Use This Skill

- **Crafting a core message** for a product, campaign, or company that needs to stick
- **Presenting complex ideas** to audiences who may forget 90% of what you say
- **Writing headlines, taglines, or slogans** that people remember and repeat
- **Training or educating** when retention matters more than coverage
- **Pitching investors or stakeholders** where one memorable idea beats ten forgettable ones
- **Fighting "corporate speak"** that puts audiences to sleep
- **Debugging communications** that aren't landing or spreading

## Methodology Foundation

| Aspect | Details |
|--------|---------|
| **Source** | Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die (2007) |
| **Experts** | Chip Heath (Stanford GSB) & Dan Heath (Duke CASE) |
| **Core Principle** | "Sticky ideas share common traits. The SUCCESs framework—Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories—transforms forgettable messages into unforgettable ones." |


## What Claude Does vs What You Decide

| Claude Does | You Decide |
|-------------|------------|
| Structures production workflow | Final creative direction |
| Suggests technical approaches | Equipment and tool choices |
| Creates templates and checklists | Quality standards |
| Identifies best practices | Brand/voice decisions |
| Generates script outlines | Final script approval |

## What This Skill Does

This skill helps you diagnose why ideas don't stick and fix them using six proven principles. The Heath brothers analyzed thousands of sticky ideas—urban legends, proverbs, successful ads, powerful speeches—and reverse-engineered what makes them memorable.

Instead of guessing why your message isn't landing, you'll:

1. **Find your core** - Strip away everything except the ONE essential idea
2. **Break patterns** - Grab attention with surprise, hold it with curiosity
3. **Make it concrete** - Replace abstractions with tangible, sensory details
4. **Build belief** - Provide proof people can verify themselves
5. **Make them care** - Connect to emotions and identity, not just logic
6. **Tell stories** - Give mental flight simulators for action

The result: Ideas that spread, get remembered, and inspire action—instead of going in one ear and out the other.

## How to Use

### Prompt Examples

```
Analyze this message using the SUCCESs framework and tell me which principles
it's missing: "[paste your message]"
```

```
I need to communicate [complex idea] to [audience]. Help me make it sticky
by applying the Made to Stick principles. Start with finding the core.
```

```
Transform this corporate-speak into a sticky message: "[paste jargon-filled text]"
Apply all 6 SUCCESs principles and show me the before/after.
```

```
Create 5 headline options for [product/campaign] using the Unexpected principle.
Break a pattern or open a curiosity gap.
```

```
I'm presenting to [audience] about [topic]. Help me structure a sticky
presentation using the SUCCESs framework as my outline.
```

## Instructions

### The SUCCESs Framework

Use this checklist for every important message:

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  S - SIMPLE      │  Find the core, share it compactly       │
│  U - UNEXPECTED  │  Surprise, then open curiosity gaps      │
│  C - CONCRETE    │  Sensory language, specific details      │
│  C - CREDIBLE    │  Proof they can see or verify            │
│  E - EMOTIONAL   │  Make them feel, not just think          │
│  S - STORIES     │  Mental flight simulators for action     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

Not every message needs all six. But the more you apply, the stickier it becomes.

---

### Principle 1: SIMPLE

> "If you say three things, you say nothing."

**Goal**: Find the core of your idea and communicate it compactly.

Simple ≠ dumbed down. Simple = prioritized. You must identify the single most important thing and lead with it.

**The Commander's Intent Test**:
Ask: "If my audience remembers only ONE thing, what must it be?"

**Techniques**:

| Technique | How It Works | Example |
|-----------|--------------|---------|
| **Forced Prioritization** | If you can say only ONE thing, what is it? | Southwest: "THE low-fare airline" |
| **The Lead** | Put the most important info first (journalism rule) | Breaking news format |
| **Generative Analogy** | Simple comparison that generates new ideas | Disney: Employees are "cast members" |
| **Proverb Format** | Compact wisdom that's easy to remember | "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush" |

**Anti-Pattern to Avoid**:
> "We provide integrated, end-to-end solutions that leverage synergies across verticals to maximize stakeholder value."

This says nothing. Find the ONE thing that matters.

---

### Principle 2: UNEXPECTED

> "We're wired to pay attention to change."

**Goal**: Grab attention with surprise, then hold it by creating curiosity gaps.

**Two-Part Process**:

1. **Get Attention** → Break a pattern (surprise)
2. **Hold Attention** → Create a knowledge gap (curiosity)

**Techniques**:

| Technique | How It Works | Example |
|-----------|--------------|---------|
| **Pattern Breaking** | Violate expectations | "Nordstrom accepted a tire return—they don't sell tires" |
| **Mystery Lead** | Open a question that demands an answer | "What do successful people do in their first hour that you don't?" |
| **Counterintuitive Statement** | Say the opposite of what's expected | "The best salespeople never sell" |
| **Gap Theory** | Point out what they don't know | "There's one thing every millionaire does—and it's not what you think" |

**The Curiosity Formula**:
> Point out a gap in knowledge → Create desire to fill it → Provide the answer

**Warning**: Surprise alone isn't enough. A random surprise doesn't make your idea stick—it must connect to your core message.

---

### Principle 3: CONCRETE

> "Abstraction is the luxury of the expert."

**Goal**: Make ideas tangible through sensory language and specific details.

Abstract ideas are hard to remember. Concrete images stick because our brains evolved for sensory information.

**Techniques**:

| Technique | How It Works | Example |
|-----------|--------------|---------|
| **Sensory Language** | Engage sight, sound, touch, taste, smell | "The crisp snap of a cold apple" vs. "Fresh produce" |
| **Specific Numbers** | Exact figures beat vague ranges | "37 customers" vs. "many customers" |
| **Named Examples** | Real names, places, dates | "Sarah from Portland" vs. "one of our users" |
| **Velcro Theory** | More hooks = more sticks | Layer multiple concrete details |

**The Concreteness Ladder**:

```
ABSTRACT (hard to remember)
├── "Improve customer experience"
├── "Respond faster to customers"
├── "Answer calls quickly"
├── "Answer within 3 rings"
└── "Pick up before the phone rings twice"
CONCRETE (sticks in memory)
```

**JFK Example**:
- Abstract: "Achieve international space leadership"
- Concrete: "Put a man on the moon and return him safely by the end of the decade"

---

### Principle 4: CREDIBLE

> "If you want people to believe, help them test it themselves."

**Goal**: Provide proof people can see, touch, or verify.

**Six Types of Credibility**:

| Type | How It Works | Example |
|------|--------------|---------|
| **Authority** | Expert endorsement | "9 out of 10 dentists recommend..." |
| **Anti-Authority** | Credible because they have nothing to gain | Ex-smoker warning about cigarettes |
| **Vivid Details** | Details signal authenticity | Courtroom witnesses with irrelevant details are more believed |
| **Human-Scale Statistics** | Make numbers meaningful | "Enough nuclear weapons to destroy 10 cities" vs. "25,000 warheads" |
| **Sinatra Test** | One example so strong it proves everything | "If we can do it for NASA..." |
| **Testable Credential** | Let them verify themselves