Stickify

Apply the SUCCESs framework from Made to Stick (Chip Heath & Dan Heath) to make communications memorable, understandable, and actionable.

Quick Start

/stickify [paste existing copy here]

Or describe what you need: "Write a landing page headline for our AI code review tool that targets senior engineers."

When to Use

Invoke this skill in three situations:

Improve existing copy -- user provides text and wants it stickified
Write from a brief -- user describes what they need, produce sticky copy from scratch
Proactively -- when producing any copy that would benefit from stickiness (landing pages, pitches, announcements, taglines, product descriptions, emails to customers, investor updates, team comms)

The SUCCESs Framework

Six traits of sticky ideas:

1. SIMPLE -- Find the Core

Strip to the single most important thing. Forced prioritization, not dumbing down.

Commander's Intent: "If we do nothing else, we must ___"
If you say three things, you say nothing
Lead with the core (don't bury the lead)
Simple = core + compact. Proverbs over mission statements.
Tap existing schemas: analogies, high concepts ("Jaws on a spaceship")

2. UNEXPECTED -- Get and Keep Attention

Break the guessing machine, then open knowledge gaps.

Get attention: violate expectations, break schemas
Keep attention: create curiosity gaps, pose questions, build mystery
Surprise must be "postdictable" -- makes sense in retrospect
Shift from "What do I convey?" to "What questions do I want them to ask?"

3. CONCRETE -- Make It Real

Explain in terms of human actions and sensory information.

Replace abstractions with specific, tangible images
Concrete props beat abstract descriptions (the leather portfolio, the bag of salt and sugar)
Velcro theory: more sensory hooks = stickier memory
Two people reading the same message should picture the same thing

4. CREDIBLE -- Make It Believable

Help people test the idea for themselves.

Anti-authorities (real people with lived experience) can beat experts
Vivid, specific details boost believability even when logically irrelevant
Human-scale statistics ("one soft drink a month would double our aid to Africa")
Sinatra Test: one example so strong it proves everything
Testable credentials: let the audience verify it themselves

5. EMOTIONAL -- Make Them Care

Make people feel something for a person, not an abstraction.

WIIFY: What's In It For You
One person > millions (Mother Teresa principle)
Appeal to identity ("Don't mess with Texas")
Avoid semantic stretch -- find fresh emotional territory
Move up Maslow's hierarchy beyond base self-interest

6. STORIES -- Drive Action

Stories are mental flight simulators -- simulation (how to act) + inspiration (motivation to act).

Challenge Plot: overcome obstacles (David vs. Goliath)
Connection Plot: bridge gaps between people (Good Samaritan)
Creativity Plot: mental breakthrough, new way of seeing (Newton's apple)
Spot stories in the wild rather than manufacturing them

The Villain: Curse of Knowledge

The #1 enemy. Once you know something, you cannot imagine not knowing it. Tappers hear the song; listeners hear bizarre Morse code. The SUCCESs framework is the antidote.

Signs: jargon without realizing it, skipping "why this matters," burying the lead under context.

Workflow

When given existing text to improve

Score -- assess each SUCCESs principle:

| Principle  | Score | Notes |
|------------|-------|-------|
| Simple     |       |       |
| Unexpected |       |       |
| Concrete   |       |       |
| Credible   |       |       |
| Emotional  |       |       |
| Story      |       |       |

Score: X = strong, ~ = partial, - = absent

Diagnose -- identify the 2-3 biggest weaknesses and explain why they matter for this specific piece. Check for Curse of Knowledge symptoms.
Rewrite -- produce the improved version, making actual edits. Apply SUCCESs techniques to address each weakness. Do not just suggest changes -- make them.
Diff -- present the changes as a clear before/after diff showing exactly what changed and why:

BEFORE: [original passage]
AFTER:  [rewritten passage]
WHY:    [which SUCCESs principle this addresses and the specific technique used]

Show one diff block per significant change. Group minor wording tweaks together.

Summary -- brief recap: what the core message is, what changed, and the updated scorecard.

When writing from a brief

Clarify the core message -- force prioritization. Ask if unclear: "What is the single most important thing?"
Identify the audience and what they already know/believe (to find schemas to tap and schemas to break)
Draft applying all six principles
Self-score against the checklist
Present the draft with a scorecard and rationale for key choices

When invoked proactively

Apply the framework as an internal lens. Do not necessarily output the full scorecard -- just produce stickier copy. Bias toward concrete, unexpected, simple. Check for Curse of Knowledge before finalizing.

Guidelines

Not every message needs all six. But the best ones hit most.
Start with Simple. If the core isn't clear, nothing else matters.
Concrete is the easiest to improve and often the most impactful.
Don't confuse sticky with dumbed down. Proverbs are simple AND profound.
Avoid gimmicky surprise -- unexpectedness must serve the core message.
When in doubt, make it more concrete and less abstract.

Example

Input: "Our platform leverages AI to optimize developer workflows and increase productivity."

Score:

Principle	Score	Notes
Simple	~	Core buried under jargon
Unexpected	-	Nothing breaks expectations
Concrete	-	"Leverages," "optimize," "workflows" -- all abstract
Credible	-	No proof, no testable claim
Emotional	-	No WIIFY, no identity appeal
Story	-	No narrative

Rewrite:

BEFORE: Our platform leverages AI to optimize developer workflows and increase productivity.
AFTER:  Ship your PR in 10 minutes, not 2 hours. AI catches the bugs before your reviewer does.
WHY:    Concrete (specific time, specific action), Unexpected (AI as faster reviewer),
        Credible (testable claim), Emotional (WIIFY -- get your time back)

Reference Files

references/success-framework.md -- Deep-dive on each principle with extended examples from the book