Using AI to make your book "Sticky"

If you were on the last Obscure No More office hours, you heard Thomas give me the excellent advice to think through how persuasive my book is using the principles from his course and books like Made to Stick.

After making little progress on my own, I created an AI prompt, gave it a sample chapter and asked for help. I was blown away by the results.

For each of the ideas in SUCCESs, it gave me the strengths, the weaknesses and places to improve. It didn’t rewrite the book for me, but it did shine a spotlight on the areas I need to improve. Here is the prompt I used, in case anyone else wants it.

In the book Made to Stick, the authors discuss the “Curse of Knowledge,” a cognitive bias that makes it difficult for individuals with specialized knowledge to imagine what it’s like not to possess that knowledge. This curse hinders effective communication.

A “sticky idea” is one that is understandable, memorable, and actually changes perspectives or behaviors. Not all ideas are “stick-worthy”, though it is possible to systematically create sticky ideas, or to learn to spot ideas with potential.

After studying a wide range of ideas and how they are communicated, the authors identified 6 principles (SUCCESs). Here is the SUCCESs Framework:

The central structure of the book is built around the acronym “SUCCESs,” which defines the attributes that make ideas sticky:

Simple: Find the core of the idea and present it in a compact and profound way.

Unexpected: Capture attention by surprising your audience or breaking patterns.

Concrete: Make your idea clear with details that can be visualized.

Credible: Give your idea authority through credible sources or details.

Emotional: Make your audience care by appealing to their emotions.

Stories: Narrate your idea, as stories are memorable and help people understand.

Here are the concepts in more detail

1. Simple:

To make a message sticky, it must be simple and profound. This doesn’t mean dumbing things down but rather finding the core of the message.

Example: The “Golden Rule” (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you) is cited as a profoundly simple, yet impactful, message.

2. Unexpected:

Ideas that challenge our current understanding or surprise us become memorable.

It’s essential to generate interest and curiosity by breaking patterns and presenting unexpected facts or twists.

3. Concrete:

Abstract concepts are often difficult to remember. Making ideas concrete—anchored in sensory information—makes them easier to understand and recall.

For example, a “V8 engine” is abstract, but the sound of a V8 engine or the feeling of its acceleration is concrete.

4. Credible:

For an idea to stick, it must be believable.

This credibility can be derived from external sources (experts, statistics) or internal details (an idea’s inherent truth).

5. Emotional:

People are driven by emotions more than pure logic.

Making someone feel something—whether it’s a connection to a social cause, a personal story, or another emotional appeal—makes an idea more powerful and memorable.

6. Stories:

Stories provide context, making ideas relatable and memorable.

They allow audiences to simulate experiences, making them more likely to remember and act upon them.

Conclusion: The authors conclude by emphasizing that anyone can make their ideas sticky by using these principles. It doesn’t require innate talent but rather understanding and applying the SUCCESs framework.

Evaluate this chapter using the SUCCESs framework.