Made to Stick

By Chip Heath, Dan Heath,

Book cover of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

Book description

Why does fake news stick while the truth goes missing?

Why do disproved urban legends persist? How do you keep letting newspapers and clickbait sites lure you in with their headlines? And why do you remember complicated stories but not complicated facts?

Over ten years of study, Chip and Dan…

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Why read it?

8 authors picked Made to Stick as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This bestselling book is not so much about your memory as how to implant lasting memories in others.

How is it that some events and pieces of information are amazingly memorable, whereas others are lost as soon as our mental backs are turned? In a series of entertaining real-life examples, the authors propose and illustrate ways in which information can be “made to stick.” These include some obvious ones like getting people’s attention and building on their existing knowledge – stuff they are interested in.

Other factors are less obvious; set up an intriguing puzzle, provide some really unexpected information,…

As artists, we seemingly have no end to our creative ideas.

Some of those ideas are more related to an idea that can help others and have broad impact, and the advice and examples in Made to Stick are extremely helpful for getting the reader to understand how they can take their idea from conception to reality.

From Rich's list on supercharging your arts career.

This is a book I return to again and again as a resource for many things that I do.

Want to become a better communicator? Have people remember your message? This book is for you. It provides a simple framework for communicating messages in ways that other people will remember. And it will show you how to make complex concepts simple.

From Jonah's list on make anything catch on.

As any creative person can attest, ideas can be very hard to lock down. They can come and go as easily as an uncaged bird. I have experienced this myself throughout my life and this book helped me formulate ways to help my ideas “stick” in my own mind, as well as in the minds of my clients, readers, and audiences. 

This is the best book I have ever read on crafting messages that will be remembered by your audience. If you’re a school teacher, this book will transform your lessons. If you’re a marketer or advertiser, this book will make your messages more clear, compelling, and impactful. If you’re a parent, this book will aid you immensely with communicating with your children. 

If you have something to say and someone who needs to hear it and retain it, this book is an essential.

From Matthew's list on for effective communication.

My go-to book that helps me decide if a message will fly or flop. The Heath Brothers outline the key ingredients to make a message memorable. SUCCES – “a Simple Unexpected Concrete Credentialed Emotional Story.” If your message is not resonating the way you expected, use this book to troubleshoot what may be off.

A wonderful book about why and how some ideas thrive while others die. This book is a must-read for a student of branding, as brand-building is fundamentally the art of telling a compelling story that appeals to your customer. By reading this book, brand marketers learn what it takes to weave a memorable story by combining emotional and factual brand elements. The authors leverage research to identify principles behind ideas and stories that stand the test of time.

Learn to master the Success model to improve your storytelling ability. They based the book on 10 years of study, where the Heath brothers answered the question: “Why do some ideas succeed while others die”? “A sticky idea is one that is understandable, memorable, and actually changes perspectives or behaviors. Not all ideas are sticky. Although with their process it is possible to turn them into sticky ideas. We have seen their concept of the “curse of knowledge” cost entrepreneurs tons of opportunity.

From Bryan's list on for aspiring entrepreneurs.

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