Stories are powerful because they are easy to remember and pass along. Craft stories around your product or idea to make it more engaging and shareable.

Stories

People tend to mimic the actions of others. Make your product or idea visible and public to encourage others to follow suit.

Public

<ul><li>Word-of-mouth marketing is more effective than traditional forms of advertising.</li><li>Personal recommendations from trusted sources are more persuasive than advertisements.</li></ul>

The Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing

<ul><li>People are more likely to share things that make them look good or enhance their status.</li><li>Products or ideas that make people feel like insiders or part of an exclusive group are more likely to be shared.</li></ul>

Social Currency Is a Powerful Motivator

<ul><li>Influencers, or individuals with large social followings, can be powerful tools for word-of-mouth marketing.</li><li>Influencers can increase awareness, credibility, and adoption of products or ideas.</li></ul>

The Power of Influencers

Make people feel like insiders by giving them exclusive knowledge or access. People like to share things that make them look good.

Social Currency

<ul><li>The messenger plays a critical role in the success of word-of-mouth marketing.</li><li>Messengers who are respected and knowledgeable about a topic are more likely to be persuasive.</li></ul>

The Role of the Messenger

Emotions drive people to take action. Content that elicits strong emotional responses is more likely to be shared.

Emotion

<ul><li>People are more likely to share things that are practical and useful.</li><li>Products or ideas that save time, money, or effort are more likely to be talked about and shared.</li></ul>

Practical Value Drives Word of Mouth

<ul><li>Stories are more memorable than statistics or abstract ideas.</li><li>Stories create a mental image that is easier to remember and share.</li></ul>

Stories Are More Effective Than Statistics

<ul><li>Negative emotions such as anger or anxiety can be powerful triggers for word-of-mouth.</li><li>Negative emotions create a sense of urgency and can motivate people to share information.</li></ul>

Negative Emotions Can Be a Trigger

<ul><li>Top-of-mind awareness makes people more likely to talk about and remember things.</li><li>Products or ideas that are associated with frequent triggers are more likely to be talked about and shared.</li></ul>

Triggers Drive Word of Mouth

<ul><li>Products or ideas that are easy to understand and use are more likely to be adopted.</li><li>Simplicity and ease-of-use can increase the likelihood of word-of-mouth marketing.</li></ul>

Accessibility Increases Adoption

<ul><li>Public displays of products or ideas can increase awareness and drive word-of-mouth.</li><li>Visibility can be created through social currency, triggers, or other mechanisms.</li></ul>

Public Visibility Increases Awareness

<ul><li>Timing can be a critical factor in the success of word-of-mouth marketing.</li><li>Products or ideas that are shared at the right time, such as during a trend or when a need arises, are more likely to be adopted.</li></ul>

Timing Is Everything

<ul>
<li>Social Currency</li>
<li>Triggers</li>
<li>Emotion</li>
<li>Public</li>
<li>Practical Value</li>
<li>Stories</li>
</ul>

Six Key Principles

Link your product or idea to something that people see or experience frequently. The more often people are reminded of your product or idea, the more likely they are to think about it.

Triggers

<ul><li>Emotionally charged stories are more likely to be shared and talked about.</li><li>Emotional content triggers physiological responses that make information more likely to be remembered.</li></ul>

Emotion Is Key

People share things that they find useful or helpful. Make sure your product or idea has practical value that people can apply to their daily lives.

Practical Value

Just because something is boring doesn't mean it's not contagious. In fact, some of the most contagious things in the world are also the most boring: like a yawn, or the common cold.

<ul><li>Products or ideas that allow people to express their identity or values are more likely to be adopted.</li><li>Self-expression and personal identity can be powerful motivators for word-of-mouth marketing.</li></ul>

Identity and Self-Expression

<ul><li>People are more likely to do something if they see others doing it.</li><li>Products or ideas that have social proof, such as testimonials or high ratings, are more likely to be adopted.</li></ul>

Social Proof Is a Powerful Tool

<ul><li>Context can influence how products or ideas are perceived and shared.</li><li>Products or ideas that fit well within a particular context or culture are more likely to be adopted.</li></ul>

The Importance of Context

Get ready to learn the secrets behind the most shared content and start creating your own contagious campaigns.

The New York Times bestseller that explains why certain products and ideas become popular. “Jonah Berger knows more about what makes information ‘go viral’ than anyone in the world.” —Daniel Gilbert, author of the bestseller Stumbling on Happiness What makes things popular? If you said advertising, think again. People don’t listen to advertisements, they listen to their peers. But why do people talk about certain products and ideas more than others? Why are some stories and rumors more infectious? And what makes online content go viral? Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger has spent the last decade answering these questions. He’s studied why New York Times articles make the paper’s own Most E-mailed list, why products get word of mouth, and how social influence shapes everything from the cars we buy to the clothes we wear to the names we give our children. In Contagious, Berger reveals the secret science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission. Discover how six basic principles drive all sorts of things to become contagious, from consumer products and policy initiatives to workplace rumors and YouTube videos. Learn how a luxury steakhouse found popularity through the lowly cheesesteak, why anti-drug commercials might have actually increased drug use, and why more than 200 million consumers shared a video about one of the most boring products there is: a blender. Contagious provides specific, actionable techniques for helping information spread—for designing messages, advertisements, and content that people will share. Whether you’re a manager at a big company, a small business owner trying to boost awareness, a politician running for office, or a health official trying to get the word out, Contagious will show you how to make your product or idea catch on.

Social Proof Is a Powerful Tool

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