made-to-stick
Made to Stick Framework
A framework for crafting ideas and messages that are understood, remembered, and drive lasting action. 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—which makes us bad at explaining our ideas to others. 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. Rate any messaging (copy, presentations, campaigns, onboarding) 0-10 against the SUCCESs principles: simple, surprising, concrete, credible, emotional, and wrapped in a story scores 10; forgettable communication scores low. Always state the current score and the specific improvements needed to reach 10/10.
The SUCCESs Framework
Simple · Unexpected · Concrete · Credible · Emotional · Stories
Not a checklist—a toolkit. Not every sticky idea uses all six, but the stickiest ideas tend to use most of them. Ethical boundary: use SUCCESs to make true ideas stick—never to make false claims memorable.