Why You Need to Use Cunningham’s Law to Make Your Content Go Viral
According to Cunningham’s Law, you are likely going about your marketing all wrong.
“The best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it’s to post the wrong answer.”
It’s not one that I have ever heard until recently. Sure, Murphy’s Law I have heard (and lived firsthand), but never Cunningham’s Law.
Can you really get better results by intentionally throwing the wrong solution out there? Let’s dig in and find out the intricacies of this “law” and figure out how to implement it in our own content marketing.
The psychology of Cunningham’s Law
First, you know we have to dive into the subtle psychology of Cunningham’s Law.
If you want to get the right answer, then why does posting the wrong (or, simply, a contrary or counterintuitive) answer help you get responses?
It comes from a little thing where humans have this innate need to feel validated in our own thinking. It’s the twisted relative of “confirmation bias.”
“What’s confirmation bias?” you say.
Great question! Let me explain!
Confirmation bias is “the tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with one’s existing beliefs.” (according to Kendra Cherry)
So when we see someone clearly posting the wrong information, we want to make sure that our information is out there. By trumping someone’s wrong information with our right information, we affirm our beliefs and we feel validated.
We feel compelled to put our confirmed bias out there into the world, just confirming that bias even more.
It transitions our brains from looking for information that is consistent with our beliefs to generating more information that is consistent with our beliefs.
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So, according to Cunningham’s Law, when you go out there and pose the wrong answer, people will bombard you with what they believe is the right answer…because of their own confirmation bias that their answer is right…which then feeds their own confirmation bias.
Fascinating, right?
But why do you care???
Cunningham’s Law can draw a crowd for your content
One way marketers have used Cunningham’s Law to great effect is by “accidentally” sending out “test” emails…
…people feel the need to point out the error and, oftentimes, feel so good about themselves at that moment that they read the entire email. And that email will have solid sales copy in it. And then those people will go on to purchase something from a “mistake” email.
It’s a little bit sleazy, but it has worked.
However…
…you could also intentionally forget to link a button, send a CTA to the wrong page, or even include copy that talks about a different product or service entirely!
People tend to actually respond and let people know…which gives you a chance to thank them (make them feel good and smart) and send them the correct info…which means they are going to be more likely to purchase.
Another great tactic to consider with Cunningham’s Law: generate some content around an “unpopular opinion” for your clients.
People love to engage with “unpopular opinions” for exactly this reason! It feels good to try and persuade someone to your side of a discussion. Scroll through any social media channel and find posts about these kinds of opinions…
…you’ll see they work. Just do so intentionally and monitor and engage with discussions around the content.
And, one final Cunningham’s Law plot twist for you: Rule #1 Never Remember…
…creating content about the things clients shouldn’t do makes people want to engage. People don’t like to be told what to do and will move in to assert their opinions.
This one can be a little tricky and dangerous if you aren’t careful, but can be brilliant if you tread lightly.
A final word of caution…
Before we wrap up this discussion about Cunningham’s Law, I want to make sure this is abundantly clear: use this strategy at your own risk.
It CAN work well for those who use it carefully and methodically. For those who like to shoot from the hip…this one may not be for you…
But what do I know? Maybe anyone can use it effectively 😉
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If you like what you’ve read here and want to know more about Cunningham’s Law or working with me directly, then probably just shoot me an email. Or you can always fill out this neat-o form (if you’re into that kinda thing).
Also, I really like some of the stuff I write on the DSM Blog…I know that’s conceited, but I do have fun with it and I think I make some genuinely helpful content. But I digress…
I appreciate you, friend! Always.
