Writing Stickiness Enhancement

Purpose
When to Use
Core Principles
Workflow
SUCCESs Framework Overview
Guardrails
Quick Reference

Purpose

This skill applies the Heath brothers' SUCCESs model (Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories) to make messages memorable and persuasive. It provides systematic analysis against all 6 principles, targeted improvements, and scoring using the stickiness scorecard (0-18 points).

When to Use

Use this skill when:

Making messages memorable: User wants their message to stick in readers' minds
Improving persuasion: Message needs to be more compelling or convincing
Presentation prep: Making slides or talk content more impactful
Marketing or messaging: Crafting taglines, pitches, or campaigns
Any writing needing impact: User wants writing to resonate beyond just being clear

Trigger phrases: "make it stick", "more memorable", "more persuasive", "more impactful", "stickiness", "make people care", "make it compelling", "SUCCESs", "Heath brothers", "punch it up"

Do NOT use for:

Planning structure (use writing-structure-planner)
General prose revision (use writing-revision)
Final quality checks (use writing-pre-publish-checklist)

Core Principles

Six dimensions of stickiness: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories
Diagnose before treating: Score current stickiness first, then improve weakest areas
Not all principles are equal: Some matter more for certain contexts - prioritize accordingly
Concrete beats abstract: Brains think in images, not abstractions
Individuals beat statistics: One person's story moves people more than millions in data

Workflow

Copy this checklist and track your progress:

Stickiness Enhancement:
- [ ] Step 1: Analyze against SUCCESs framework
- [ ] Step 2: Improve weak principles
- [ ] Step 3: Score and refine

Before starting: Review resources/success-model.md for the complete SUCCESs framework with all 6 principles, stickiness scorecard, and before/after examples.

IMPORTANT: Analyze the ENTIRE document first and output findings to an analysis file in the current directory, then read that file to make improvements. This ensures complete coverage.

Step 1: Analyze against SUCCESs framework

Step 1.1: Read ENTIRE draft. Create analysis file writer-stickiness-analysis.md assessing the document against all 6 SUCCESs principles:

Simple (0-3): Identify core message in 12 words or fewer. List competing messages. Rate clarity and focus.
Unexpected (0-3): Identify surprise elements or curiosity gaps. Note where expectations could be violated. Rate attention-getting power.
Concrete (0-3): List visualizable details. Identify abstract sections needing examples. Rate sensory specificity.
Credible (0-3): Identify credibility sources (statistics, testability, authority, vivid details). Note unsupported claims. Rate believability.
Emotional (0-3): Identify emotional connections and personal benefits. Note where motivation could be strengthened. Rate "care factor."
Stories (0-3): Identify story or human elements. Note opportunities to add narrative. Rate mental simulation potential.

Step 1.2: Calculate total current stickiness score out of 18. Present findings to user.

See each principle's section in resources/success-model.md for detailed scoring guidance.

Step 2: Improve weak principles

Step 2.1: Read analysis file. Identify the 2-3 weakest principles (scored 0-1).

Step 2.2: Work through ENTIRE draft making targeted improvements for each weak principle:

Simple: Refine core message to 12 words or fewer. Strip competing ideas.
Unexpected: Add surprise or curiosity gaps. Violate reader expectations.
Concrete: Add visualizable details and specific examples. Replace abstractions.
Credible: Add statistics (human-scale), testability ("try it yourself"), authority, or vivid details.
Emotional: Strengthen personal benefits and emotional connections. Focus on individuals, not masses.
Stories: Add narrative or human elements. Use challenge, connection, or creativity plots.

Step 2.3: Present improved version to user with changes highlighted.

See resources/success-model.md for specific techniques and examples for each principle.

Step 3: Score and refine

Step 3.1: Score the revised message using the Stickiness Scorecard.

Step 3.2: Aim for 12+/18 for good stickiness, 15+/18 for excellent. If score is below 12, identify the weakest 2 principles and do another improvement pass focusing on those.

Step 3.3: Present final scored version with before/after comparison.

See resources/success-model.md - Complete Example for transformation patterns.

Validate using resources/evaluators/rubric_stickiness.json. Minimum standard: Average score >= 3.5.

SUCCESs Framework Overview

Principle	Key Question	Technique
Simple	What's the ONE core idea?	Commander's intent in 12 words
Unexpected	What will surprise readers?	Schema violation + curiosity gaps
Concrete	Can readers visualize it?	Sensory details, specific examples
Credible	Why should readers believe it?	Human-scale stats, testability
Emotional	Why should readers care?	Individual focus, identity appeal
Stories	Can readers simulate the experience?	Challenge/connection/creativity plots

Scoring: Each principle rated 0-3. Total out of 18. Target 12+ for good, 15+ for excellent.

Guardrails

Critical requirements:

Score before improving: Always analyze and score the current state before making changes
Target weakest first: Focus improvements on the lowest-scoring principles
Preserve accuracy: Never sacrifice truthfulness for stickiness - credibility matters
Context-appropriate: Not every piece needs maximum stickiness - match to purpose
Re-score after improving: Always score the revised version to measure improvement

Common pitfalls:

Improving already-strong principles while ignoring weak ones
Adding surprise that's random rather than relevant to the core message
Using statistics that are too large to grasp (billions, trillions)
Focusing on masses instead of individuals for emotional appeal
Telling instead of showing when adding stories

Quick Reference

Key resources:

resources/success-model.md: Complete SUCCESs framework, all 6 principles, scorecard, examples
resources/evaluators/rubric_stickiness.json: Quality scoring criteria

Inputs required:

Draft text or message to enhance
Target audience (if known)
Context (presentation, article, email, pitch, etc.)

Outputs produced:

Stickiness analysis with per-principle scores
Improved version targeting weak principles
Before/after comparison with score improvement

writing-stickiness