Make Ideas Unforgettable: Six Models to Memorable, Action-Driven Messaging
In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath unpack why some ideas survive while others vanish. The difference isn’t luck – it’s structure. They outline six core traits (models) of sticky ideas: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and Stories – forming the SUCCESs Framework.
This isn’t just a checklist. It’s unified model(s) for crafting ideas that stay with people, change behavior, and spread. Each element plays a distinct role in helping your message rise above the noise – and stay there.
SIMPLE – Find the Core, Share it Clearly (Mental Model)
(“Find the core”)
Sticky ideas are easy to understand – and impossible to ignore. Simplicity means stripping away everything nonessential until only the core remains. It distills complexity into a single, powerful core that’s easy to recall and act on.
This is why the military uses a principle called Commander’s Intent. Even when plans go wrong, every soldier knows the one goal that matters. The same logic applies to messaging: if people are to remember one thing, what should it be? The Heaths write, “You don’t have to speak in monosyllables to be simple. What we mean by “simple” is finding the core of the idea.”
They remind us that simple communication also means respecting mental bandwidth. Short sentences beat long paragraphs; “two bullet points are better than five. Easy words are better than hard words…” The more we reduce the cognitive load, the easier an idea is to keep.
For thousands of years, humans have traded important wisdom through proverbs. Cervantes called them “short sentences drawn from long experience.” Expressions like “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” have lasted for over 2, 500 years because they’re vivid, rhythmic, and true. Every culture uses them because simplicity helps ideas travel.
Simplicity also helps combat decision paralysis – that mental freeze that comes from too many competing messages. The Heaths warn that if you say three things, you’ve said nothing. Sticky ideas prioritize. But the Heath’s ask: Why is prioritizing so difficult? They write:
“You prioritize important goals over less important goals. You prioritize goals that are “critical” ahead of goals that are “beneficial.” But what if we can’t tell what’s “critical” and what’s “beneficial”? Sometimes it’s not obvious. This kind of complexity can be paralyzing.”
The solution? Ruthless clarity. Great communicators don’t simplify by cutting meaning – they simplify by sharpening it.
UNEXPECTED – Break the Script (Mental Method)
(“Get attention: surprise!)
Sticky ideas grab attention because they disrupt what people expect. The brain is wired to conserve energy. It filters out the familiar – but snaps awake when something violates the norm. That’s why breaking the script is the first step to making your message stick.
The Heaths go beyond surprise, and recommend breaking patterns – then filling the gap with insight. As they write: “Humans adapt incredibly quickly to consistent patterns. Consistent sensory stimulation makes us tune out: Think of the hum of fan air conditioner, or traffic noise, or the smell of a candle. We may become consciously aware of these things only when something changes: The air conditioner shuts off.” Surprise isn’t just for show. It creates a knowledge gap – and curiosity compels us to close it.
This is why mystery is so powerful. We’re wired to resolve tension. So when you begin with a puzzle – something that doesn’t add up – you naturally hook the audience. The authors call this the “mystery story” structure: don’t lead with the answer. Start with a puzzle, then guide people toward the insight. Curiosity sustains attention. Resolution makes the message land. The following example of “mystery, as provided by the Heaths and written by an astronomer:
“How can we account for what is perhaps the most spectacular planetary feature in our solar system, the rings of Saturn? There’s nothing else like them. What are the rings of Saturn made of anyway? And then he deepened the mystery further by asking, “How could three internationally acclaimed groups of scientists come to wholly different conclusions on the answer? One, at Cambridge University, proclaimed they were gas; another group, at MIT, was convinced they were made up of dust particles; while the third, at Cal Tech, insisted they were comprised crystals. How could this be, after all, each group was looking at the same thing, right? So, what was the answer?…”
Concrete – Make It Tangible (Mental Model)
(Abstract ideas fade. Concrete ones stick)
Abstract ideas are hard to retain. Concrete ones stick. The Heaths argue that the more sensory and specific an idea is, the more likely it is to be understood and remembered.
They call this the Velcro Theory of Memory. Like hooks on Velcro, every sensory or familiar detail helps the idea latch on. That’s why “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” lasts for generations – it’s clear, concrete, and deeply intuitive. Proverbs don’t just summarize wisdom. They anchor it in something visual and memorable.
The authors emphasize that concreteness isn’t about simplicity or oversimplifying. Instead, it means describing things in specific, observable terms – not concepts or abstractions. For example, saying a school’s mission is to “develop creative thinkers” is abstract. But saying students “write and perform their own plays” is concrete.
The key challenge is the Curve of Knowledge. Once we know something well, we forget what it’s like not to know it. We slip into abstract language. We assume our audience understands. The only way out of that trap is to return to shared concrete references.
One way to make your message more concrete is to anchor it in the lives of real people – your users, customers, audience. That’s what General Mill’s Hamburger Helper team did when sales started to slump. Instead of relying solely on data, they sent marketers, researchers, and product developers into customer homes. The project was called “Fingertips,” a reminder that every decision should be based on real insight you can picture clearly.
What they discovered was simple: moms weren’t overwhelmed by lack of options – they were overwhelmed by too many. With over thirty flavors of Hamburger Helper on the shelf, they just wanted the one their kids would reliably eat. The insight wasn’t abstract. It was flavor, predictability, and visibility. And it reshaped how the team approached everything – from packaging to promotions.
Credible – Make Belief Easy (Principle Model)
To make ideas stick, people must believe them. But trust doesn’t only come from experts. It often comes from relatable, repeatable, or testable proof. The Heaths explain that internal credibility – concrete details, vivid examples, real testimonials – often outweigh external authority. In fact, a specific story can be more persuasive than a stat.
One of their favorite tools is the Sinatra Test:
“In Frank Sinatra’s classic “New York, New York,” he sings about starting a new life in New York City, and the chorus declares, “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” An example passes the Sinatra Test when one example alone is enough to establish credibility in a given domain. For instance, if you’ve got the security contract for Fort Know, you’re in the running for any security contract.”
In other words, one powerful proof point can eliminate the need for more evidence. They also champion testable credentials – ways people can verify your claim for themselves. It’s the difference between saying, “Our cleaner works better” and offering a free trial. As the Heaths explain,
This challenge – asking customers to test a claim for themselves – is a “testable credential.” Testable credentials can provide an enormous credibility boost, since they essentially allow your audience members to “try before they buy.”
And finally, tie your message to the Human-Scale Principle. People struggle to relate to data or distant statistics- but when your idea centers around a single person, moment, or human detail, it becomes instantly believable. Instead of saying, “thousands suffer,” say, “meet Maria, a mother of three.” It’s not about shrinking the truth – it’s about zooming in on a part people can hold onto. As the Heaths write:
“Stephen Covey, in his book The 8th Habit, describes a poll of 23,000 employees drawn from a number of companies…
- Only 37 percent said they have a clear understanding of what their organization is trying to achieve…
- Only one in five was enthusiastic about their team’s goals…
- Only one in five said they had a clear “line of sight” between their tasks and their team’s goals…
… You probably walk away from these stats thinking something like, “there’s a lot of dissatisfaction and confusion in most companies…
Then Covey superimposes a very human metaphor over the statistics. He says, “If a soccer team had these same scores, only 4 of the 11 players on the filed would know which goal is theirs. Only 2 of the 11 would know what position they play and know exactly what they are supposed to do. And all but 2 players would, in some way, be competing against their own team members rather than the opponent.
The soccer analogy generates a human context for the statistics. It creates a sense of drama and sense of movement. We cant imagine the actions of the two players trying to score a goal, being opposed at every stage by the rest of the team.
That’s Covey’s point: corporations should operate like teams – but they often don’t.
Emotional – Make Them Care (Mental Model)
Sticky ideas don’t just inform – they move us. Emotion makes ideas memorable because it taps into what matters. If you want people to act, they need to care. But how do you make people care? The Heaths recommend anchoring your message in associations people already understand and value. For example, if you want someone to care about chemical compounds, call them “toxins.” That word carried emotional weight. This is what the Heaths call semantic stretch – using language that pulls emotional power from familiar frames. As they write:
“Here’s the punchline: The most basic way to make people care is to form an association between something they don’t yet care about and something they do care about.”
They also emphasize the power of self-interest. People pay attention when something affects their time, money, or well-being. Instead of asking, “How can we get people to care about our cause?” ask: “What’s in it for them?” Tailor your message to what your audience already values. Use what they care about to bridge into what you care about. Heaths:
“What makes people care? John Caples says, “First and foremost, try to get self-interest into every headline your write. Make your headline suggest to readers that here is something they want. This rule is so fundamental it would seem obvious. Yet the rule is violated every day. Caples Ads examples:
You Can Laugh at Money Worries if You Follow This Simple Plan.
Give me 5 Days and I’ll Give You a Magnetic Personality… Let Me Prove It – Free!
The Secret of How to Be Taller
How You Can Improve Your Memory in One Evening
Caples says companies often emphasize features when they should be emphasizing benefits. “The most frequent reason for unsuccessful advertising is advertisers who are so full of their own accomplishments (the world’s best seed) that they forget to tell us why we should buy (the world’s best lawn!). You’ve GOT to spell out the benefit of the benefit.
However, not all emotion must be self-focused. The Heaths also suggest appealing to identity. Remind people of who they are – not just what they get. Emotional stickiness often lives in affirming someone’s role: “You’re the kind of person who makes a difference.” This appeal to a person’s ideal self can motivate change more powerfully than fear or incentive alone.
Stories – Make It Move (Mental Model)
If facts explain, stories inspire. Sticky ideas don’t just tell us what’s true – they show us what to do. Stories carry lessons inside them. They simulate real-life decisions and model how others have solved problems before us.
The Heaths argue that stories stick because they provide what they call mental simulation. When we hear a story, we imagine a scenario. Our brain lights up as if we’re experiencing the actions ourselves. Simulation works because it uses the same mental processes involved in decision-making: seeing, predicting, and reacting. The Heaths write:
When we hear a story, our minds move from room to room. When we hear a story, we simulate it. Why does mental stimulation work? It works because we can’t imagine events or sequences without evoking the same modules of the brain that are evoked in real physical activity. Brain scans show that when people imagine a flashing light, they activate the visual area of the brain; when they imagine someone tapping on their skin, they activate tactile areas of the brain. Mental simulation can even alter visceral physical responses: when people drink water but imagine that it’s lemon juice, they salivate more.
Mental simulation isn’t just for visualization – it can actually build skill, too. A meta-analysis of over 30 studies showed that mentally rehearsing a task – quietly picturing yourself performing it from start to finish – produced real performance gains. Across a wide range of activities, from welding to dart throwing, trombone playing to competitive figure skating, people who practiced in their minds (simulation) improved. Unsurprisingly, the technique works best for mentally demanding tasks, but the results were still striking: on average, mental practice alone delivered about two-thirds of the benefit of physical practice.
To apply simulation, have people mentally rehearse the steps – not just the outcome – of solving problem. The clearer and more process-focused the imaged scenario, the stronger the learning effect. For example: Before delivering a major speech, imagine yourself standing at the podium. Picture the room—its size, the lighting, the first rows of faces. Mentally walk through your opening lines. Hear your own voice pausing for emphasis, adjusting pace when the audience leans in. Visualize the tough question that might come—and rehearse how you’ll respond with clarity and calm. This kind of mental simulation helps you internalize the message, reduce anxiety, and prepare your brain to perform. You’re not guessing how it will go. You’re rehearsing it in advance.
Stories:
Stories also evoke emotion without preaching. Consider the nurse in the neonatal ICU (page 204) who saved a baby’s life by trusting her gut instincts instead of the monitor. It’s a gripping story – but it also teaches a principle: expertise is about pattern recognition, not just protocol. That’s what makes stories memorable and motivational. They’re not just decoration – they’re delivery systems for insight.
As the authors note, not all stories are equal. The most effective ones follow three universal plots that move people:
- Challenge Plot: A character overcomes great odds – David and Goliath, a janitor launching a startup, or Jared from Subway losing 245 pounds. These stories inspire because they embody resilience and hope.
- Connection Plot: These emphasize relationships, empathy, or unlikely bonds. Think of the Good Samaritan or a Coke commercial that unites strangers. They remind us who we are to one another.
- Creativity Plot: These highlight problem-solving, innovation, and ingenuity.
Stories work not because they simplify – but because they encode complexity in a format the brain loves: action, feeling, and meaning. They defeat the Curse of Knowledge, spark imagination, and they ask the listener to join the journey.
So, if you want an idea to spread, don’t just describe it – dramatize it.