Always show your working | Nudge Newsletter đź§ 


State the work you've done.

I promoted Nudge in two Reddit ads.

One version highlighted what you'd learn by listening:

  • "Learn 6 memorable marketing lessons"

The other version showed the effort I put into the show:

  • ”I’ve spent 480 minutes spent listening to experts”

Stating the work I'd put into the show worked.

The labour illusion ad saw a 45% higher click-through rate compared to the control version.

Why?

Because we value things more when we see the effort that's gone in.

Have you tried this? Hit reply and let me know.

Cheers,

Phill

Nudge Newsletter

I spend 18 hours each week turning marketing psychology into readable newsletters.

Read more from Nudge Newsletter

New and Safe Effect Read online In the early 1970s an ambitious young director released his film THX 1138. The concept went against many of the typical Hollywood storylines at the time. Set in a dystopian future where sex is outlawed and drug-taking is mandatory, the film was wildly different from what audiences were used to. The film was also a massive flop. Despite the a-list cast and big marketing budget, few watched it. The young director was discouraged and almost gave up until he read...

Generation Effect Read online This ad outside my local opticians sticks in my mind. "Blink if you need an eye exam." At first glance, it's bizzare. It doesn't promote the business, showcase a promotion, or entice people in. And yet, I think it's weirdly effective due to the generation effect. In 1978, researchers¹ asked participants to either read work pairs or generate missing words from cues. For example: Read condition: hot → cold Generate condition: hot → c___ Those generating answers...

Isolation Effect Read online Noah Kagan tested his book cover design by photoshopping the book onto shelves to see what stood out. The green cover isn't different, but it is distinct. In 1933, German researcher Hedwig Von RestorffÂą published a paper on memory and distinctiveness. She gave participants long lists of letter combinations to remember (e.g. JTSW, UCSM, PLST), but among them was a single number sequence: 9125. When participants returned after a distraction task, Hedwig found that...