You may not be familiar with the Zeigarnik effect, but as an Email Marketer, you will be familiar with opening and closing loops to keep attention. Here’s the science of keeping the attention of your audience.
I’m going to show you a simple formula to make your content addictive, memorable and attention-grabbing to the point where people are dying to read your content and buy your products.
The Zeigarnik Effect is named after Lithuanian-Soviet psychologist Bulma Zeigarnik, It states that people tend to remember unfinished or incomplete tasks better than completed tasks. Zeigarnik observed that waiters are better at recalling orders that had not been delivered, compared with orders that had been fulfilled.
This psychology is relevant today to you and your audience:
The Zeigarnik Effect you see all the time
Audiences everywhere crave completed stories, resolved problems, answered questions and achieved goals.
If you watched the video, Soap operas do this all the time. “To be continued…” or ending on a cliffhanger of an unresolved story. News shows do this. “Join us after this commercial break to hear breaking news just in…”
Video games keep their players super addicted using this very technique.
Using the Zeigarnik Effect in your marketing
Your goal in using the Zeigarnik Effect is to open loops that your audience desperately wants to close.
For example, in social media, you can create open loops between posts. Ask questions, post regular updates on a continuing story, take your followers on a journey and so forth.
In your content, let readers know there is a big payoff coming soon, but first, you have to cover important ground to get there.
In your emails, create teasers at the end of each email that makes the reader look for your next email. “Look for my email tomorrow where I’ll show you how to generate 50 leads with one blog post.”
A simple open-loop formula
Keep this formula on your desktop to remind you of how this is done:
“In a moment I’m going to show you [something powerful, strange or amazing] but first let’s take a look at [something needed to set up the powerful, amazing or strange thing].”
Again…
“In a moment I’m going to show you ___ but first let’s take a look at ___.”
Using open loops content in context
Examples:
“In a moment I’m going to reveal my Number 1 secret to building cash-producing sales funnels, but first let’s talk about attracting your perfect buyer.”
“I’m about to show you the exact 10-minute formula I used to write a sales page that produced $30,000 in a month, but first let’s talk about how to build a million-dollar mailing list.”
“As promised, I’m going to show you the 5 secrets to generating endless leads and cash on autopilot, but first let me share with you the software I use to achieve that.”
Use the Zeigarnik Effect with your audience and you’ll find far more of them happily read the full article or watch the full video. It makes a much better reading or viewing experience for them and they’re more likely to consume more of your content as well as pay more attention to your products and services.
Best practices with this method
There are two pitfalls to avoid when using this method:
First, don’t overuse it. opening too many loops will only anger your audience viewers and reduce your sales. That’s because when you use the Zeigarnik method occasionally, you pique interest. But if you use it over and over again, people will become weary of continually being strung along for the ride.
Second, deliver on your promises. I’ve watched sales videos and webinars that promise to reveal certain information if the viewer keeps watching, only to never reveal it. Prospects hate this, as they should. The marketer has failed to make good on their promise, the prospect is angry for having wasted their time watching the video and nobody wins.
A great example of this is the “Watch till the end” type of video (where nothing actually happens.) I know you’ve seen them before, but watch a few and check out the comments to see what I mean.
It might take a little practice to master this technique, but it’s well worth it. There isn’t a seven-figure marketer out there who does use it, and now you can, too.
