Making something STICK

Have you ever struggled to make an idea or initiative stick?

It’s one thing to engage someone by getting their attention. But it’s a different thing for them to engage with an idea in such a way that it sticks.

Here’s some ways to make things stick:

1. Explain your idea using a core analogy, metaphor or parable

Those who know my work know that I use the idea of “coffee” to explain how engagement works. Everyone understands the idea of taking someone for coffee. It takes something complex and makes it immediately understandable.

Ask yourself: what is the thing you want people to engage with LIKE in normal life?

2. Anchor your idea to things people regularly use

Another reason I use “coffee” is that most people drink it fairly regularly. People often tell me they remember my illustration on a regular basis because of this.

Ask yourself: how can you anchor the thing you want people to engage with to something they regularly use or do?

3. Make it so small and simple it can fit on a Post-it note

Here’s a challenge: can your idea fit on a Post-it note?

Ask yourself: could people write the thing you want them to engage with on a Post-it and stick it on their monitor?

4. Design it to be useful

Ultimately, the things that stick do so because they are useful. There’s value in people “sticking with it.”

Ask yourself: is the thing you want them to engage with actually useful enough that they’d want to stick with it?