Contagious
In this book, Berger reveals the secret science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission. Discover how six basic principles drive all sorts of things to become contagious, from consumer products and policy initiatives to workplace rumors and YouTube videos. The book combines groundbreaking research with powerful stories. Learn how a luxury steakhouse found popularity through the lowly cheese-steak, why anti-drug commercials might have actually increased drug use, and why more than 200 million consumers shared a video about one of the seemingly most boring products there is: a blender. If you've wondered why certain stories get shared, e-mails get forwarded, or videos go viral, Contagious explains why, and shows how to leverage these concepts to craft contagious content. This book provides a set of specific, actionable techniques for helping information spread - for designing messages, advertisements, and information that people will share. Whether you're a manager at a big company, a small business owner trying to boost awareness, a politician running for office, or a health official trying to get the word out, this book will show you how to make your product or idea catch on.
Stats for nerds
7recommend
10mentions
10people
2016–2025years
70% recommend30% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- The dandelion metaphor is also employed as cover art on a book I like called "Contagious: Why Things Catch On." by Jonah Berger.
I find it interesting that this article focuses on what communities will help an idea germinate and eventually go viral, vs. Contagious which focuses on qualities of the information itself that make it spreadable. The former is probably more impactful, but both play a role.
The book ends with a mnemonic summarizing what "steps" an idea should follow to be considered contagious:
[S] - Social currency (does sharing the idea make the "spreader" look good/smart/impressive)
[T] - Triggers (topics that come to mind frequently due to an environmental trigger. Case in point: the song Friday by Rebecca Black gets most of its streams on Fridays)
[E] - Emotion (obviously ideas that evoke an emotional response get more attention)
[P] - Public (whether or not info reaches others depends how public-facing the distribution channel is)
[P] - Practical Value (is the idea useful?)
[S] - Stories (if the format of the information follows a narrative, it sticks more with people and is also easier to retell)
- I am a full stack developer and founder and as you may expect I found myself lacking lots of business knowledge when I first started with my startup.
So far this are the most valuable books that I read:
1. Traction by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares 2. Hooked by Nir Eyal 3. Traffic Secrets by Russel Brunson 4. Contagious by Jonah Berger 5. How to win friends and Influence people by Dale Carnegie
One thing I've learned is that depending on where you are in your journey—whether in life or business—all of these books are worth revisiting.
What about you guys? What do Hacker News people read?
- Health
Productivity1. Dopamine Nation - https://www.chestergrant.com/summary-dopamine-nation-by-dr-anna-lembke 2. Obesity Code - https://www.chestergrant.com/summary-obesity-code-by-dr-jason-fung 3. Breath - https://www.chestergrant.com/summary-breath-by-james-nestor 4. Willpower Instinct - https://www.chestergrant.com/notes-the-willpower-instinct-by-kelly-mcgonigal 5. Sleep Smarter - https://www.chestergrant.com/highlights-from-sleep-smarter-by-shawn-stevenson
Business1. Mini-Habit - https://www.chestergrant.com/26-highlights-from-mini-habits-by-stephen-guise 2. Checklist Manifesto - https://www.chestergrant.com/highlights-from-the-checklist-manifesto-by-atul-gawande 3. The rise of superman - https://www.chestergrant.com/summary-the-rise-of-superman-by-steven-kotler1. Traction - https://www.chestergrant.com/summary-traction-by-gabriel-weinberg-and-justin-mares 2. Contagious - https://www.chestergrant.com/contagious-by-jonah-berger 3. How to be a power connector - https://www.chestergrant.com/summary-how-to-be-a-power-connector-the-5-plus-50-plus-100-rule-by-judy-robinett 4. The mom test - https://www.chestergrant.com/summary-the-mom-test-by-rob-fitzpatrick 5. Never eat alone - https://www.chestergrant.com/never-eat-alone-by-keith-ferrazzi-with-tahl-raz 6. Hooked - https://www.chestergrant.com/summary-hooked-how-to-build-habit-forming-products-by-nir-eyal - I was in similar state a few of years back. Read these, and used them to a good extent.
Lean analytics. (must read) Product-Led growth. (must read) 22 Laws of marketing (must) One million followers
If you like scientific approach: Influence by Robert Cialdini Contagious (Jonah Berger)
This resource is also gold: https://brianbalfour.com/essays/customer-acquisition
I am also documenting my learnings in a book [1].
- First, what is the app?
Beyond that, check out the book "Contagious: Why Things Catch On" by Jonah Berger. I found it very helpful.
- Originals - Adam Grant: Concise and clear, originals change the world but they aren’t the people we think they are.
When breath becomes air - Paul Kalanithi: Haunting, beautiful, moving and perfect. Life is surprising and we can’t legislate for the things that are thrust upon us.
Shoe dog - Phil Knight: How a gang of misfits can changed the world. Favourite entreprenurial journey I've ever consumed.
Sapiens - Yuval Harari: Wow, nothing else to say.
The Future of the Proffesions - Richard & Daniel Susskind: This is a tough read, it was a slog, but it was worth it. The world is changing before our eyes. Professions will die, not just entry level labour intensive jobs.
Contagious - Jonah Berger: If you own a business you want things to go viral, Jonah enlightens you to the possibilities of how.
Platform Scale - Sangeet Paul Choudary: Excellent and rigorously supported. An infusion of practicality and academia. A look behind the curtain of the collaborative economy.
The Third Wave - Steve Case: The low hanging fruits have been picked, now what? The internet of things is coming, but what does that mean.
The Sharing Economy - Arun Sundararajan: I’m a believer in the sharing/collaborative economy but i’m worried, the way people are being treated is deplorable. A projection of whats to come.
Grit - Angela Duckworth: Why do some people succeed and others don’t? Why did the child prodigy fail? Why do some people drop out of school and others thrive? Favourite book of the year.
Black Box Thinking - Matthew Syed: Cognitive dissonance, why do we think the way we do. Why can’t we change our minds even when we are wrong?
Clay Water Brick - Jessica Jackley: Want to learn what it takes to change the world?
Behind the Cloud - Marc Benioff: Marc Benioff is a genius.
Postcapitalism - Paul Mason: Does capitalism work? This seems even more pertinent following recent political upheaval. First Brexit now Trump, this gravitas of what this book conveyed wasn’t really certain until those moments occurred. The world is changing, brought forth by massive economic migration and the erosion of borders. Can we stay the same or must we evolve to survive?
Zero to One - Peter Thiel: Classic.
Presence - Amy Cuddy: I was going to omit this from the list on account of the fact some of the science of the book being flawed. I couldn’t, I loved it. It spoke to me about my own issues facing impostor syndrome.
Delivering Happiness - Tony Hsieh: Tony is my mentor, he just doesn’t know it, yet.
Peers Inc. - Robin Chase: Could zipcar have been uber if the technology existed? It doesn’t matter, but reading this I felt like I was learning about a secret nobody knew about. Chase was ahead of her time, probably too far, but the book is gold.
Things a Little Bird Told me - Biz Stone: Sometimes billion dollar ideas are about luck arising from failure.
Business For Punks - James Watt: Do things your way or fail trying to please other people. Business for punks is brash, unapologetic and sure of itself. It doesn’t make any excuses, instead it forces it down your throat. In the same way Brewdog is a business like no other so is this book. It’s irreverent and certain. It’s the best business book i read this year, without queston.
OrphanX - Gregg Hurwitz: out Bourning Bourne, out Bonding Bond and out Reachering Reacher.
