Marketing
by Nir Eyal
Why do we check without thinking?
Most of us pick up our phones dozens of times a day without deciding to. Nir Eyal wanted to know how some products become habits while others get forgotten. His answer is a four-step loop he calls the Hook, which brings people back again and again with no advert needed.
Hear a sample · read by Laura
External triggers are the pings, buttons and emails that tell you what to do next. The ones that matter more are internal, a feeling you want to change. Boredom, loneliness and uncertainty send people to whichever product has become their quick relief.
The action is the simplest thing you do expecting a reward, like scrolling or pressing play. Eyal borrows BJ Fogg's model. Behaviour happens when motivation, ability and a trigger meet. Making the action easier usually works better than trying to make people want it more.
Rewards that vary keep us coming back. Eyal names three kinds. Rewards of the Tribe come from other people, like comments. Rewards of the Hunt are information or resources, like a fresh feed. Rewards of the Self are mastery and completion, like clearing your inbox.
The last step asks the user to put something in, like photos, followers or playlists. Eyal calls this stored value. It makes the product better the more you use it, and it loads the next trigger, because the reply you're waiting for brings you back.
The Hook
Habit-forming products bring people back without ads, through a loop Eyal calls the Hook.
Triggers
At first an app nudges you with alerts. Later a feeling, like boredom, is enough.
Easy action
The action has to be easy, like a tap or a scroll, or people won't bother.
Variable reward
Rewards that change each time, like a fresh feed, keep us checking.
Investment
When users put in effort, like adding photos or friends, they value the product more.
A story from the book
Eyal looks at YouVersion, a Bible app that became hugely popular. Its team found that reading plans split into short daily passages, with reminders timed to people's routines, turned good intentions into a daily habit. The Hook worked because users already wanted to read.
One thing to try
Pick the app you open most. Write down the feeling that sends you there, the action you take, the reward you're hoping for and what you've invested in it. Then decide whether it's a habit you want, and change one step if it isn't.
Knotd has the key ideas from 250+ non-fiction books, each in a few minutes, in plain words. Hooked comes with a Name That Idea round to make it stick.
Get the whole book on KnotdOpen in the appWhy do we check without thinking? Most of us pick up our phones dozens of times a day without deciding to. Nir Eyal wanted to know how some products become habits while others get forgotten. His answer is a four-step loop he calls the Hook, which brings people back again and again with no advert needed.
It starts with a trigger; Make the action easy; Keep the reward uncertain; Ask for a little investment.
Pick the app you open most. Write down the feeling that sends you there, the action you take, the reward you're hoping for and what you've invested in it. Then decide whether it's a habit you want, and change one step if it isn't.
Yes. Knotd has the key ideas from Hooked in a few minutes, in plain words, plus a Name That Idea round to test them. It's one of 250+ non-fiction books in the app.
