Contagious
by Jonah Berger · first published 2013
70% recommend30% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A practical, business-oriented look at why ideas, products and content spread. It serves as a useful guide for founders and marketers thinking about virality and word of mouth.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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 y
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…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]. [1] https://book.amols.blog/59decisions
on “Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup” ↗First, what is the app? Beyond that, check out the book "Contagious: Why Things Catch On" by Jonah Berger. I found it very helpful.
on “What are the ways for mobile app virality?” ↗…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…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗1. Dan Lyons: Disrupted 2. Stephen King: Joyland 3. Ray Kroc: Grinding it Out 4. Antonio Garcia Martinez: Chaos Monkeys 5. Jonah Berger: Contagious 6. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Finding Flow 7. Calum Chase: Surviving A.I. 8. Dan Ariely: Payoff
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗…superman - https://www.chestergrant.com/summary-the-rise-of-superman-by-steven-kotler Business 1. 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…
on “Ask HN: How do you work on your mental health?” ↗…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…
on “What books would you recommend for dev-founders?” ↗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…
on “To launch something new, you need "social dandelions"” ↗…David Foster Wallace 15. How Not to Be Wrong. The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg 16. Walt Disney By Neal Gabler 17. The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves by Matt Ridley 18. Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger 19. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason 20. A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine Out of all these, I would recommend…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗"Contagious" by Jonah Berger talks about how anger and anxiety makes people share memes. I find that Facebook and the organizations that use it are NOT interested in my mental health. They're interested in triggering…
on “Facebook's Adam Mosseri on Why You'll See Less Video, More from Friends” ↗…Liberal Edication By Farred Zakaria * Confidence Men By Ros Suskind * Dark Money by Jane Meyer * Better by Atul Gawande * The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande * Essentialism by Greg Mckeown * Contagious by Jonah Berger * Sapiens by Yuval Harari * The Pentagons Brain by Annie Jacobson * Shoe Dog by Phil Knight * The Only Game in town by Mohamed El-Erian * The Industries of Future By Alec Ross
on “Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?” ↗