Help me pick something to read
Ketchup... or Catsup? đ¤
On the plane home from Sydney a few weeks ago, I finished Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, and man⌠it really messed me up.
I remember when I read the first chapter, I got this feeling of⌠do I REALLY wanna go down this path? lol. That's how intense it is. đ
If you haven't read it, it's a sci-fi thriller about a guy who gets thrown into the multiverse because another version of him decides he likes his life better and wants to steal it.
I'm legit haunted by the whole concept. I won't spoil it for youâif you don't mind a little existential dread with your sci-fi, I highly recommend it.
The book is basically about infinite possibilities and the choices we make⌠and let me tell you, right now I'm definitely feeling the burden of infinite choice as I try and find something new to read.
How often do you scroll Netflix looking for something to watch but unable to make a decision? Or maybe you skip through every song that comes up on your Spotify playlist? NGL, I really do miss the days where TV chose what I watched for me. Not in a âhere's what our algorithm picked for youâ way⌠in a legit, this is what's on at 7pm and if you don't like it, too bad.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. In fact, I KNOW I'm not⌠because there's a scientific term for it called the Paradox of Choice.
In the early 2000s, behavioural scientist Sheena lyengar conducted a famous experimentâŚ
Basically, she set up a stall in a grocery store. One weekend she'd sell 24 varieties of jam. The next, she'd sell just 6.
The prevailing wisdom at the time was that more choice = more sales. But Sheena found the opposite: Only 3% of shoppers bought jam when there were 24 options. But 30% bought when there were only 6.
Pretty big difference.
In my last email, I talked about Noveltyâhow Steve's old tower speakers stood out because they sounded different.
If your reader has a bunch of tabs open comparing options, and everyone looks, sounds and acts exactly the same⌠it's going to make things a lot harder to choose, à la the Paradox of Choice.
But if youâre novel and interesting, you stand outâyou're not just jam #25 on the shelf. Instead, you make the choice EASY for your buyers because they donât have to spend all day trying to figure out the difference between you and your competitors.
Kinda reminds me of this meme:
Lol. Classic Simpsons. Also probably exactly how Jason Dessen felt in Dark Matter, except⌠ya know, dialled up to INFINITY.
Anyway, the point Iâm trying to make is: Novelty is your antidote to the Paradox of Choice.
Sure, there are plenty of other things you can do to reduce the analysis paralysis for customers too⌠but Iâll save that for another email.
But if you found this interesting and want to know more, you're in luck. The Brief will be launching NEXT MONTH.
The first issue is gonna go DEEP into writing to â¨persuadeâ¨âŚ you wonât wanna miss it.
Cheers,
Cass
P.S. I'm open to book recommendations if you have any. Big sci-fi/fantasy nerd (if that wasn't obvious lol).