Creating
Curiosity Gaps
How To Use Curiosity To
Attract More Readers
Germano Silveira

TABLE OF
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. General Theory
3. Formulas
f t in

Curiosity is as much the parent of attention, as attention is of memory.
1
Introduction
f t in
“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.
f t in

2
General Theory
f t in
“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.
f t in
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 Gaps
Gap 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
f t in
Social Copy
Image
Headline

Balance
The 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.
f t in
Deprivation & Investment
The 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.

f t in
Curiosity Gaps: A Basic Process
Now 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 Structure
Identify 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
f t in
“Satisfaction of one’s
curiosity is one of the
greatest sources of
happiness in life.”
- Dr. Linus Pauling

f t in
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.
f t in
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)
f t in

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.
f t in

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.
f t in
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.
f t in

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.
f t in

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.
f t in
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?
f t in

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.
f t in

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!
f t in
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.
f t in

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.
f t in

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.
f t in
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.
f t in

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.
f t in

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.
f t in
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.
f t in

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.
f t in

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.
f t in
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?
f t in

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.
f t in

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.
f t in
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.
f t in

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.
f t in

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.
f t in
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.
f t in

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?
f t in

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.
f t in
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.
f t in

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.
f t in