Beyond Luck: The Science Behind Why Things Catch On
Every time I see a post go viral on LinkedIn or any other social media platform, I can’t help but wonder: Is it just luck, or does it tap into something deeper within the social psyche? While many content creators share their theories on achieving virality based on personal experience, I have always been on the lookout for solid primary research that proves virality is not merely a matter of chance but can be a systematic process.
My search concluded with the book “Contagious” by Jonah Berger.
Jonah Berger is an American author and marketing professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is renowned for his expertise in social influence, word-of-mouth marketing, and the factors that drive the popularity of ideas and products.
With extensive research over the years of analyzing successful products, ideas & business, he introduces a framework called STEPPS – the six principles of contagiousness.
S- Social Currency
T – Trigger
E – Emotion
P – Public
P – Practical Value
S – Stories
The author uses real-world advertisements, products, and businesses to explain each of these principles in detail. They emphasize that for word-of-mouth marketing to be effective, the content, whether it’s a story, news piece, product, or business, should incorporate one or more of these principles.
Here are some questions that the author says need to be considered and embedded if you want to make your product or idea contagious.
Social Currency:
- Does talking about your product or idea make people look good?
- Can you find the inner remarkability?
- Can you leverage the game mechanics?
- Can you make people feel like insiders?
Here are some excerpts from the book around social currency:
“Just as people use money to buy products or services, they use social currency to achieve desired positive impressions among their families, friends & colleagues.”
“We need to find our inner remarkability and make people feel like insiders. We need to leverage game mechanics to give people ways to achieve and provide visible symbols of status that they can show to others.”
Trigger:
- What cues make people think about your product?
- How can you grow the habitat and make it come to mind more often?
Here are some excerpts from the book around Triggers:
“We need to design products and ideas that are frequently triggered by the environment and create new triggers by linking our products and ideas to prevalent cues in that environment.”
Emotion:
- Does talking about your product or idea generate emotion?
- How can you kindle the fire?
Here are some excerpts from the book on Emotion:
“Select high-arousal emotions – Awe, Excitement, Amusement, Anger & Anxiety that drive people to action”
Public:
- Does your product or idea advertise itself?
- Can people see when others are using it?
- Can you create a behavioural residue that sticks around even after people use it?
Practical Value:
- Does talking about your product or idea help people?
Stories:
- What is your Trojan horse?
- Is your product or idea embedded in a broader narrative that people want to share?
- Is the story not only viral, but also valuable?
What I appreciate about this book is the author’s straightforward writing style and the diverse range of examples used to illustrate key concepts. The case studies cover everything from cheesesteak houses, blenders, and nail salons to software products like Meta and Hotmail. These examples show that the framework can be applied across various industries and ideas. Overall, I believe this is an excellent book and a must-read for anyone looking to generate virality or word-of-mouth for their products, business, or ideas.