Jimmy Kim explains the curiosity gap: the gap between what readers know and want to know. Most marketers waste it by saying too much in subject lines. "The mistake most people make with protein" works better than "New protein powder available" because it makes people open the email, but only if the content inside actually delivers.
Break down for me what at a simple level is a curiosity gap.
All right. So, you know, there's a space between when someone knows what they want. Basically, someone knows and what they want to know. Basically, like humans are hardwired to close that gap. Basically.
Exactly right. And this happens everything from like the moment you press send to the moment that someone emails. So hopefully the moment that they click, right? If you create this curiosity, people are going to feel like they have no choice but to click.
But most people give away everything in the subject line.
What's an example of what most people do? I guess like a bad subject line. New protein powder available. Why is that bad? What's wrong with that?
Where's the curiosity, man? I told you everything. I know there's a new protein powder, and if I don't care, I'm not opening. So give me a good version of that. The mistake most people make with protein.
Right. So now I'm curious. I'm wondering, dang, I like protein. I take protein. What's the mistake that I'm probably making?
Yeah, you created a gap. I want to know what the mistake is. So I opened the email, right? Because I haven't told you.
Yeah. And I think a lot of people are going to probably roll their eyes and be like, Chase and Jimmy, isn't this called clickbait?
Only if you don't deliver in the actual email. If your subject line says the mistakes most people make with protein and Email teaches them about protein timing and absorption, that's valuable.
Right. Whereas if you say that and then you just sell them protein powder without teaching them or educating them, they're going to be upset.
Exactly. So this is where it's really important. Curiosity, that intrigue and value delivery. If you create interest, then you actually have to pay it off.
