hooked-model
The Hooked Model
What It Is
The Hooked Model is a framework for building products that create unprompted user engagement. The core insight: habit-forming products connect to internal triggers through a repeating cycle of trigger, action, reward, and investment.
When a product becomes a habit, users engage without external prompts. They don't need ads, emails, or notifications to come back. They return because the product has become their automatic response to an internal trigger like boredom, loneliness, uncertainty, or FOMO.
The key shift: Move from asking "How do we get users to open the app?" to asking "What internal trigger do we want to own, and how do we become the automatic response to it?"
When to Use It
Use the Hooked Model when you need to:
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