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Applying learnings from the book Contagious (by Jonah Berger) to Grow The Realistic Optimist.

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Purpose of This Memo

This memo outlines how principles from Jonah Berger’s Contagious can be operationalised to strengthen The Realistic Optimist’s organic growth.

The key takeaway (I gleaned) from the book is – shareability. Namely:

1. How can readers receive and share social currency with the RO’s content?
2. What triggers them to share the RO’s content?
3. What emotion precedes the sharing of the RO’s content?
4. How can we take their use case of the RO public (through sharing)?
5. What practical value did the reader receive that they can share?
6. What stories are they sharing?

The opportunity for us is to complement the value we give readers with with systematic shareability. This can be done by building repeatable mechanisms that encourage readers to share, return, and advocate for our work.

Core Insight from Contagious

Content spreads reliably when it satisfies six conditions:

1. S → Social Currency
2. T → Triggers
3. E → Emotion
4. S → Practical Value
5. P → Public Visibility
6. S → Stories

These drivers can be embedded deliberately into RO’s editorial and distribution processes.