{"id":45708,"date":"2021-08-28T09:16:03","date_gmt":"2021-08-28T13:16:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=45708"},"modified":"2026-04-23T15:33:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:33:22","slug":"sticky-ideas-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/sticky-ideas-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Made to Stick: The 6 Traits of Sticky Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What makes an idea sticky? What are some examples of sticky ideas<\/a>? What is the secret to making a story or a message “stick”? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sticky ideas are concepts, messages, and stories that “stick” in the public’s consciousness: they are understandable, memorable, and have a lasting impact. One of the most notable examples of sticky ideas are urban legends. Urban legends are easy to understand and remember, people buy into them and share them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn about the six traits of sticky ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Kidney Heist Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some ideas naturally grab you\u2014they\u2019re inherently interesting. Others don\u2019t\u2014they seem to be inherently boring. But in a version of the nature versus nurture argument, most ideas and messages\u2014even naturally less-than-thrilling ones\u2014<\/strong>can be nurtured or designed for success<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example of a story with staying power. In a city near you, a traveling businessman has a drink with a woman in a bar and blacks out. He wakes up in a hotel bathtub full of ice. He spots a note at eye level that says, \u201cDon\u2019t move, call 911.\u201d His cell phone is beside him and, in a panicked state, he calls. The operator asks him to carefully check to see if there\u2019s a tube sticking out of his back. When he finds one, she tells him he\u2019s been the victim of a kidney harvesting ring and she\u2019s sending the paramedics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story is an urban legend with countless versions differing only in the \u201clocal\u201d details, such as the city where the incident took place. It\u2019s so \u201csticky\u201d or memorable that it\u2019s been around for decades\u2014and if you waited an hour and then called a friend, you could easily repeat the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contrast the kidney heist story with a message from a nonprofit organization that begins, \u201cComprehensive community-building lends itself to a return-on-investment rationale\u2026\u201d. Anyone would be hard-pressed to remember and repeat it after even a few seconds. Such communications are the norm in many workplaces. They can\u2019t compete with the kidney heist story in interest, but could well be the type of message you\u2019re tasked to deliver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll find plenty of advice for successful communication: Start with a joke. Tell the audience what you\u2019re going to say, say it, then tell them what you told them. Or, make sure you understand your audience<\/a> and tailor your message accordingly. But these tips don\u2019t help you create and shape your message so that it sticks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Halloween Candy Tampering Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sticky ideas are understandable, memorable, and have a lasting impact<\/strong>. Here\u2019s an example of a story that succeeds on all three levels: the Halloween candy tampering<\/a> scare story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like the kidney heist story, it\u2019s also false. But it\u2019s indelibly changed how society functions. Poisoned candy rumors originated in the 1960s, followed later by stories about sick people putting sharp objects in apples at Halloween. Parents searched their kids\u2019 candy, schools and fire departments offered safe Halloween events, and hospitals offered to X-ray kids\u2019 treats. It even led to several state laws with penalties for candy tampering. But researchers in 1985 couldn\u2019t find any instance, even going back to 1958, of a stranger causing life-threatening harm to a child by tampering with Halloween treats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story was understandable and memorable, so it had a lasting impact, even though it was false: it changed people\u2019s behavior, even to today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: The original candy tampering scare story was false, but it\u2019s evolved into some real instances of tampering, although they remain rare. The greater danger to trick-or-treaters today is getting hit by a car.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other urban legends continue to get traction, although with less tangible impact than the Halloween tampering story. They include assertions that: <\/p>\n\n\n\n