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The unknown footballer who's book outsold Beckham | Nudge Newsletter 🧠

Published over 1 year ago • 1 min read

A secret bestseller.

Do you recognise this football player?

Probably not. He's only played for England once.

And yet.

This fairly unknown English footballer sold more books than David Beckham, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, and Frank Lampard combined.

He did so using the curiosity gap.

He wrote under a pseudonym, "the Secret Footballer".

By hiding his identity, he could share hard truths, gossip, and uncensored stories, such as the drunken antics of a Chelsea striker or the binge-eating winger who hated the game.

I heard Harry Dry share this on David Perell's show.

It's a fantastic example of the curiosity gap. People are drawn towards the unknown.

One study in Cialdini's book Pre-suasion shows this nicely.

The study found that college women were more attracted to men whose opinions of them remained unknown, rather than those who rated them highly.

The unknown ratings dominated their thoughts a bit like this infamous meme.

Dave Kitson benefits from the same bias.

By hiding his identity, he made his book more intriguing, selling more than far more successful players.

So, next time you want someone's attention, consider withdrawing some information.

​

Cheers for reading,

Phill (the not-so-secret marketer)

Nudge Newsletter

Phill Agnew

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

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