The Six Components of Contagious Content

In a recent blog post, I referred to a book entitled Contagious: Why Things Catch On, written by Jonah Berger, who is a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Today, I would like to offer a brief summary of the book and give his six reasons for why ideas, products, and behaviors catch on.

But, before I introduce those six qualities, let me give a brief story that highlights the importance of reading and how one book can alter your life. Berger unashamedly admits that the inspiration for his career came from Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point. If you haven't read The Tipping Point, you need to find a copy. It's pure gold. The point of this short paragraph is to ask you, "What's the one book which will inspire you to make an impact on the world?" Never stop reading. The next book could be transformative.

Without further ado, Berger centers his book on describing the STEPPS to contagious content.

1. Social currency. People have the desire to share things that will make them look good in the sight of others. Just as money is often used to purchase things, ideas and information can be exercised in order to secure a positive image among friends and acquaintances. 
2. Triggers. When something is at the top of a person's mind, it will be at the tip of his tongue. In other words, the more a product can be triggered, the more people will discuss it in the everyday conversations, and the more successful the product will be. 
3. Emotion. When people care about something, they will inevitably share it with others. The trick for those who sell products is to tap into high-arousal emotions that force people to act upon the newly acquired knowledge.
4. Public. Products that are contagious are products that are easily observable. The saying "Monkey see, Monkey do" has a lot of truth. Humans imitate what they see other people doing, and if people see other people using a product, they are more likely to begin using it.
5. Practical value. The practicality of a product can greatly determine its shareability. People will share products and information that they feel will be useful to other people. 
6. Stories. Stories serve as Trojan horses, vessels that guise the information they possess. Very few people think or communicate in terms of information; they understand stories and use them often. As people share these stories, the information, hidden within the "Trojan horse," goes along for the ride and is transmitted to the next person.