The Surprise Formula: How to Force People to Pay Attention

The best marketing doesn't look like marketing at all.

You scroll past hundreds of ads daily without a second glance—until one stops you in your tracks. What made that one different?

Usually, it's because it surprised you.

In marketing nothing can happen until you have attention. Your brilliant ideas remain unread and your products unsold. So how do you stand out when everyone is shouting for attention?

One of the most powerful ways is to break a pattern in your reader's mind.

Our brains are prediction machines. We operate on mental models or "schemas" that help us navigate the world.

For example, your "health food" schema probably includes assumptions about what's good for you (natural ingredients) and what's not (processed foods). This shapes what you notice in grocery stores and the marketing messages you'll respond to.

This principle applies to all the content we consume. That's why we filter out most of the copy and content we see online. We assume we know what it says, what it will ask us to do, and why we should ignore it.

But surprise works like an emergency override that jolts you into paying attention. When you're surprised, activities stop, focus sharpens, and memory formation intensifies. That's why surprising content sticks.

It turns out, there's a simple formula for creating surprise: What seems to be X is in reality non-X. In other words, "What you thought about X was wrong."

Sociologist Murray Davis outlined this concept in his paper "That's Interesting!" where he identified 12 specific ways to break belief patterns.

For copywriters, four of these are particularly powerful:

Something you thought was good is actually bad

For years, people believed low-fat foods were healthier. Then research revealed many low-fat products contained more sugar than their full-fat counterparts, actually making them worse for health.

Things that you thought were unconnected are actually connected

Few people connected social media use with sleep quality. Then studies showed the blue light from screens disrupts melatonin production, creating a link between scrolling before bed and insomnia.

Something you thought was ineffective is actually effective

Taking breaks during study sessions was once considered a waste of time. Now we know regular breaks improve retention and creativity— timed intervals like the Pomodoro Technique beat non-stop cramming.

Things you thought were similar are actually different

People assume productivity and efficiency are basically the same. In reality, productivity is about getting more done, while efficiency is about doing things with less waste. Which explains why being busy doesn't always mean being effective.

The key is to identify an assumption your audience takes for granted, then shatter it. The resulting cognitive gap creates an "itch" your reader needs to scratch.

Before publishing your next piece, ask: What beliefs does my reader hold that I can flip upside down? Where can I create a "Wait... what?" moment and force them to pay attention?

The bottom line: In a world drowning in content, the only ideas that stick are the ones that break mental patterns—then help build new ones.