Creating

Curiosity Gaps

How To Use Curiosity ToAttract More Readers

Germano Silveira

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. General Theory

3. Formulas

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Curiosity is as much the parent of attention, as attention is of memory.

1

Introduction

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“Curiosity is as much the parent of attention, as attention is of memory.”- Richard Whately

When it comes to attracting readers on social media, creating great content is half of the battle.

Indeed, HOW you present your content on social media is just as important as WHAT you produce.

Facebook users share 2.5 million pieces of content every minute. Twitter produces 277,000 tweets in that same time period. Studies have shown that the average social media user is exposed to 285 pieces of content every day.

In order to manage this information overload, most social media users simply skim through their News Feed until something grabs their interest. In order to compete against all of the noise and the short attention-spans of the average user, publishers must present their content in the most enticing way possible.

One of the most powerful techniques for enticing readers and growing your social media audience is creating Curiosity Gaps.

The Curiosity Gap is a storytelling technique where you strategically reveal just enough about your content to get readers interested and invested, but withhold key information. This creates an information gap and a powerful desire to fill it.

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2

General Theory

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“Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly.”- Arnold Edinborough

Researcher George Loewenstein of Carnegie Mellon is one of the leading proponents of the “information gap” theory of curiosity. In the mid-1990’s, he wrote that “the curious individual is motivated to obtain the missing information to reduce or eliminate the feeling of deprivation.”

To create a Curiosity Gap, you must strategically reveal information that creates burning questions within your readers and builds their investment in answering those questions. By withholding the answer, you create a feeling of deprivation that readers feel compelled to eliminate.

In this ebook, I'd like examine why Curiosity Gaps are so effective and how to create them, as well as provide some techniques for mining the Curiosity Gap from within your content.

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An ad created by John Caples in 1926 - one of the earliest examples of a curiosity gap. It makes the reader curious to discover what the character did to change the attitude of those around him and how those attitudes changed.

Basic Elements of Curiosity GapsGap Question(s): the question(s) you instill within the reader that can only be answered by reading your content.

The Reveal: the information you reveal about your content. This info is revealed in your social copy, image, and headline. Everything you reveal should be strategically selected to:• Get the reader invested in the story• Lead readers to ask the Gap Question

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Social Copy

Image

Headline

BalanceThe Curiosity Gap is a balancing act between what you reveal about your content and what you withhold. If you reveal too much information, then readers will not have to read your article to satisfy their curiosity. If you reveal too little, then your audience will not be invested enough to read your content.

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Deprivation & InvestmentThe strength of the Curiosity Gap technique comes from the feeling of deprivation it creates within the reader. The more the reader feels deprived of information, the more compelled they will be to fill in the missing information.

To create a feeling of deprivation, you must first get the reader invested in your content. They must feel connected to your content either through self-interest, attachment to a character in the story, or some other means.

This presentation at a SXSW Interactive Conference tried to utilize a Curiosity Gap to build interest. But the title doesn’t give enough info about the presentation to pique our curiosity.

Home Prices Drop 47%, Largest Single-Quarter Drop in 50 Years

This article title from Tim Ferriss, is an example of providing too much info. Most of the info readers need is provided in the title.

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Curiosity Gaps: A Basic ProcessNow that we know what Curiosity Gaps are and how they work, let’s review a few ways to create them.

Here are two simple processes I like to use for mining the Curiosity Gap from my content.

1.) Answer Basic Questions About Article:• Who, What, Where, When, Why, How• What will readers find most interesting about the article?• Why will it interest them?

Understanding what readers will find most interesting will usually lead to the Gap Question.Understanding why readers will be interested can help you create social copy that leads them to, and gets them invested in answering, the Gap Question.

2.) Utilize Narrative StructureIdentify the narrative structure of your content. Then, do one of the following in your social media post:• Withhold the beginning• Withhold the middle• Withhold the ending

Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly.

3

Formulas

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“Satisfaction of one’s curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life.”- Dr. Linus Pauling

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To help you get a better idea of what Curiosity Gaps are and how to create them for your content, I have compiled a list of 10 common Curiosity Gap formulas.

Each formula includes:• A basic description of how to create it• Two examples of the formula in action.

With this formula, you set the stage for the events that take place in your article but withhold the ending.

The primary goal of this formula is to get your readers to ask, “And then what happened?”

The elements of the story that you reveal should build the readers investment in the ending and raise the stakes by foreshadowing conflict or other interesting events to come.

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What Happens Next…

The social copy, headline, and image all work to build expectations of the battle to come. They all lead to the Gap Question which is: What will happen next?

This is the classic tale of David vs. Goliath. Our investment in the outcome of this battle is created by our concern for the kitty - everyone roots for the underdog (or cat in this case)

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This post leaves us with many questions - Who sent the letters? Why? What happened next?

Because we can all relate to the scenario (a dream turned into a nightmare), and because the events occur in an average place and to an average family (it could happen to us), we are invested in the outcome.

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Identify two (or more) elements of your story that are opposites or seemingly have nothing to do with each other. Connect them in your social copy, but don't reveal exactly how they are connected.

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Clash Of Context

This post grabs curiosity by connecting two opposites: the behavior of male roommates and female roommates. We know funny and interesting things will occur. But to discover exactly what happens we must watch the video.

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This headline connects the feeling of discomfort to a process for creating amazing content. What do these things have to do with each other? How can one use discomfort to create amazing content? We must read to find out.

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This is the opposite of the What Happens Next formula.

With this strategy, you set up the primary elements of the story - the characters, basic story arch, and the ending - but withhold the details in between.

Readers will feel compelled to discover the process.

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Withhold The Middle

This post expertly creates half a narrative that begs for completion. We learn that the main characters grandmother died on the same night he discovered that his sister was really his mother. Why did this person believe his mother was his sister? How did he discover the truth? What does all that have to do with his grandmother’s death?

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This headline tells readers that if they fall into a black hole they will live on as a hologram. How is this possible? We must read to discover.

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If you know that your content will have a certain strong effect on your readers, use it to lure them in. Make a promise that the story will be interesting, emotional, worthy, unusual, new, etc.

Note: All Curiosity Gaps must satisfy the expectations they create, but especially this type. If you promise that your story will shock readers, it better be shocking!

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Make A Promise

This post makes two promises:The quiz that follows will be very difficult. And, 90’s pop fans will enjoy the challenge it poses.

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The image immediately makes us wonder what’s inside the manhole and why these people are so concerned with it. The social copy escalates our interest by promising that whatever these people are up to is awesome. It also subtly implies that watching this video will make us feel good.

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Share one interesting aspect or event from the story -nothing else. If the bait is interesting enough, readers will feel the deprived of the rest of the story.

Note: This usually works best when the social copy works in tandem with the image. The image should hint at the nature of the story, and the copy should raise the stakes.

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Give Them A Taste

This post reveals that a man who faked HIV Vaccine research will be severely punished. The harsh punishment builds our interest in learning more about the crime. We are also left wondering what would influence a man to commit such a cruel scam.

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We learn from the headline that Bahrain is increasing security amid terrorist threats. In the photo we see police on alert. The social copy above reveals a threat that was issued by a terrorist leader.

The threat combined with the image of vigilant police sets the stage for conflict to come, and makes us wonder what will happen.

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Share an interesting quote from someone within the story. The quote should be interesting, raise the stakes, be controversial, etc.

Most quotes are interesting when taken out of context. But for maximum effectiveness, the quote should work in tandem with what your audience already knows, the headline of your article, and/or the image you share.

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Share A Quote

The quote from this article reveals that clean technologies are achieving amazing – even impossible – goals. This sentiment is represented visually by a plane flying above the clouds toward the sun.We are left to wonder what other amazing feats are being achieved with clean technologies.

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The headline of this article informs readers that counterfeit medicine poses a mortal threat to Somalis. The quote from the article raises the stakes by comparing counterfeit medicine to bombs.

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Introduce a concept that your audience will not readily recognize. Connect this concept to the reader or something they care about.

In order to learn more about this concept, and their connection to it, they must read the article.

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A Foreign Concept

Most people know about diabetes and the difficulty of monitoring it. The headline and social copy introduce us to new technology that may present a game-changing advance for diabetics.The image displays a blood glucose monitor that is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. How does it work? And how much of a game-changer will it be?

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This post introduces a foreign concept: “Nouveau Bro”

We know that “nouveau” is French for “new.” We know that “bro” is a term for guys. But we don’t know what the two words mean when combined, or if we fit the description.

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Every writer knows that the beginning of their article must convince the reader to continue reading. They are experts at grabbing a readers curiosity quickly and effectively.

Often, the opening lines of an article can be copied word-for-word, or slightly altered, to make for curiosity grabbing social copy.

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Use The Article Intro

The social copy in this post rephrases the first two paragraphs of the article. By doing so, we become invested in the journey of this escaped convict and his daughter.

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This post also rephrases the beginning of the article. In doing so, it sets up a compelling narrative of one woman’s long-fought triumph over oppression.

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Whenever a piece of content poses a question or challenge to the reader, they usually respond by answering it (in their head, hopefully).

Any time the correct answer conflicts with what the reader will assume, use that conflict to create a Curiosity Gap. Be sure to dispel their original notion in your social copy.

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Dispel Assumptions

The headline promises to explain why our eyes turn red in pool water. It raises the stakes by describing the reason as “horrifying.”

Most people assume that chlorine is the cause. But that notion is dismissed in the social copy, and we are compelled to discover the true culprit.

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The headline poses the question: “What’s the happiest country in the world?” The social copy informs us that, whatever our guess, we’re probably wrong. Don’t you want to find out?

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Certain fears and concerns are universal to everyone. But your audience may also have certain fears that are exclusive to them.If your content addresses one of these universal or specific concerns, use their fear to create a Curiosity Gap.

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Utilize Fear

This post plays upon two concerns: the protective instinct of parents and the uncertainty about the content of food.

The social copy informs us that two baby food manufacturers have been misleading consumers. In order to discover who these manufacturers are and the severity of their deception, we must read the article.

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This article plays upon the most universal of all fears – fear of death. It raises the stakes by suggesting that the arbiters of our doom are everyday items. The social copy raises the stakes even further by challenging us to get through a day without dying.Basically, read this article if you want to live.

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