Hello my nerdy friends,
As marketers, we love using open loops in hooks to increase the CTR.
But researchers recently proved that curiosity not only improves click-through rate. It can also improve conversions.
The study:
Researchers ran three experiments where ads either presented product information directly(e.g. “This phone lasts 36 hours”), or created and then resolved curiosity(e.g. “Guess how long this phone lasts? Longer than you think…” → then reveal the same info “This phone lasts 36 hours”) (Hüttl-Maack & Sedghi, 2023).
🧪What they found:
They discovered that curiosity resolution lowered ad skepticism. People judged the claims as less manipulative or “salesy.”
Reduced skepticism led to higher product attitudes and purchase intent. In other words, people weren’t just entertained, they were more persuaded.
Why?
When you resolve curiosity, people become less critical of the message. They stop thinking “this ad is trying to sell me something” and instead transfer the positive feeling of resolution to the product. When they feel more positive - they're more likely to buy.
💡Takeaway
Try creating curiosity in your ads to get higher conversions.
Also, you can try adding it in places where people are most skeptical (e.g. price reveals, guarantees, testimonials). Maybe a “mini-mystery” there can soften resistance (but this is my 2 cents).
Stay awesome my friend,
Ksenia (the biggest nerd)
P.S. I love using ad psychology to create original ads from scratch, but I also believe in “think smarter, not harder” and “if it ain't broke, don't fix it”.
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