Stepps Framework

What is Stepps Framework?

The STEPPS Framework is a marketing methodology introduced by Jonah Berger, a professor at the Wharton School, designed to explain why certain ideas, products, and behaviors gain widespread attention and are shared frequently. Outlined in Berger’s 2013 book Contagious: Why Things Catch On, the framework is based on years of research into social transmission, behavioral psychology, and consumer behavior. Rather than relying on paid promotions, STEPPS offers insight into what makes messages go viral through word-of-mouth and social sharing.

Purpose and Application

According to Jonah Berger, the genesis of the STEPPS framework came from a simple but powerful question: “Why do some things catch on?” After studying hundreds of campaigns and viral trends, Berger identified six consistent patterns in content that spread effectively. His work, grounded in both qualitative and quantitative analysis, emphasizes that going viral is not luck — it’s about applying the right principles to content and product design (Contagious, 2013).

The acronym STEPPS stands for six psychological drivers of sharing:

• Social Currency
• Triggers
• Emotion
• Public
• Practical Value
• Stories

The STEPPS framework is widely used in marketing, advertising, public relations, and behavioral economics, and increasingly in customer-centric approaches like the Flywheel Model that emphasize momentum through user engagement. According to Berger, word-of-mouth drives more than 50% of purchasing decisions, and people trust peer recommendations significantly more than traditional advertisements. STEPPS helps professionals design messages that inspire people to talk, post, and recommend, ultimately growing reach organically.

The Six STEPPS Principles

Before diving into each principle, it’s important to understand that these elements work best when combined. According to Berger, the most contagious ideas often hit multiple STEPPS, creating a snowball effect of sharing and engagement.

1. Social Currency

People are more likely to share things that make them look good to others. According to Berger, we talk about things that reflect positively on our identity or help us stand out from the crowd. This phenomenon is known as social currency. Sharing unique, surprising, or exclusive information makes us appear more knowledgeable or in-the-know.

For example, the hidden cocktail bar “Please Don’t Tell” in New York became a sensation not through advertising, but because customers loved sharing the secret — accessing the bar through a vintage phone booth inside a hot dog shop gave them a sense of insider status.

Why it works:

• Humans are status-conscious and seek approval from others.
• When people share something impressive or exclusive, it enhances how they are perceived.
• This is similar to how people show off luxury items or rare experiences — digital sharing is simply the modern version of this behavior.

Tactics to apply:

• Offer insider knowledge (e.g. “hidden menus,” “backstage access”).
• Create something that feels exclusive or makes the sharer look clever.
• Use gamification or rewards for those who share — it increases perceived value.

Real-world examples:

• Please Don’t Tell (NYC speakeasy) – Hidden behind a hot dog shop, the secrecy made people eager to talk about it, giving them social currency.
• LinkedIn “Top 1% Profile” emails – These emails went viral because they made users feel exceptional and encouraged them to share their achievement.
  Duolingo Streaks – Users love sharing 100+ day streaks on social media as a sign of commitment and intelligence.

2. Triggers

Triggers are cues in the environment that remind people of a product, brand, or idea. According to Berger, what’s top-of-mind is more likely to be talked about. The more frequently someone is reminded of something in daily life, the more likely they are to mention it.

Example: A catchy jingle or association with everyday routines — like coffee in the morning or tacos on a Tuesday — can serve as consistent reminders, keeping a product relevant and talked about.

Why it works:

• The more frequently someone is prompted to think about something, the more likely they are to talk about it.
• Triggers create mental accessibility: if your brand is top of mind, it’s more likely to be top of conversation.

Tactics to apply:

• Link your product or campaign to frequent activities, days, or events.
• Use sensory triggers (smells, visuals, music) to reinforce brand recall.
• Choose contextual cues that naturally occur in users’ lives – a tactic that closely aligns with habit-forming strategies seen in the Hook Model, where triggers initiate user action.

Real-world examples:

• “Peanut butter” → “Jelly” – A classic example of associative triggering.
• “Rebecca Black – Friday” – The song saw the most YouTube traffic every Friday for years after release.
• Corona beer and the beach – Ads that consistently associate the beer with summer and lime create strong seasonal triggers.

3. Emotion

Content that evokes strong emotions is more likely to be shared. As Berger explains, when we care, we share. Emotional arousal — whether it’s awe, excitement, amusement, or even anger — creates psychological activation that motivates people to act, including sharing a message with others.

Why it works:

• Emotions activate our brains and create stronger memory encoding.
• High-arousal emotions (positive or negative) increase sharing.
• People share to connect emotionally or to elicit a response from others.
  

Tactics to apply:

• Use storytelling that taps into universal emotions.
• Incorporate surprise, humor, awe, inspiration, or even anger to energize the viewer.
• Avoid flat or low-arousal emotions like mild contentment or sadness unless they serve a larger purpose.
  

Real-world examples:

• Thai Life Insurance commercials – Their tear-jerking stories are built to evoke empathy and compassion.
• Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches – Emotional resonance drove millions of shares as viewers reflected on self-image.
• ALS Ice Bucket Challenge – Combined fun, empathy, and social cause — triggering joy and compassion simultaneously.
  

4. Public

When something is highly visible, it becomes easier to imitate — a principle grounded in social proof. According to Berger, if people can see others doing something, they’re more likely to adopt it themselves. This is why successful marketing often involves products or actions that are observable and widely displayed.

Why it works:

• Humans are naturally inclined to mimic the behavior of others.
• Visibility creates social validation.
• People want to be part of what others are doing — especially if it looks enjoyable or rewarding.

Tactics to apply:

• Make usage of your product visually obvious or socially visible.
• Leverage badges, merchandise, wearables, or even app notifications.
• Use built-in virality — like when using a product automatically promotes it to others.

Real-world examples:

• Apple’s illuminated logo – Positioned upright on laptop lids for public exposure.
• Movember (mustache campaign) – Wearing a mustache became a visible cue of participation and solidarity.
• TikTok trends – Public replication of dance moves, challenges, or audio snippets fuels participation.

5. Practical Value

People love to help others by sharing useful information. Berger notes that practical value encourages sharing because it positions the sharer as helpful and informed. Tips, hacks, deals, and advice all fall into this category.

Example: Articles like “5 Simple Ways to Save on Groceries” or “How to Remove Stains with Baking Soda” often go viral not because they’re emotional or flashy, but because they’re immediately useful.

Why it works:

• Sharing value positions people as helpful, knowledgeable, and resourceful.
• Useful content often provides immediate benefit, which drives both engagement and word-of-mouth.
• People want to help friends avoid mistakes or save time/money.

Tactics to apply:

• Provide concrete tips, checklists, or data that solve specific problems.
• Package advice in a way that’s easy to digest and pass along (e.g. short videos, infographics).
• Highlight deals, discounts, or limited-time offers.

Real-world examples:

• Buzzfeed’s “Life Hacks You Didn’t Know You Needed” – Perfect blend of novelty and utility.
• Home Depot’s DIY tutorial videos – Extremely shareable among home improvement communities.
• Wirecutter product guides – Recommendations from a trusted source that help people make better decisions.

6. Stories

Humans are wired to communicate through storytelling. According to Berger, stories are a vessel that carries ideas, products, and messages further and longer than mere facts can. The key is to make your brand or product an integral part of the narrative, so that even if people share the story for entertainment, they’re still spreading your core message.

Why it works:

• Stories are how humans have communicated for thousands of years.
• A well-told story is engaging, relatable, and memorable.
• When a product or idea is embedded within a story, it travels with the narrative.

Tactics to apply:

• Build a narrative arc (setup, conflict, resolution) around your message.
• Make the product a “hero” or critical element in the story.
• Use user-generated content to showcase authentic experiences.

Real-world examples:

• Blendtec’s “Will It Blend?” – The story of blending strange items made the blender the star, wrapped in humor.
• Airbnb’s customer stories – Real hosts and guests share heartfelt travel experiences, naturally spotlighting the platform.
• Nike’s athlete documentaries – Heroic, emotional journeys with the brand woven seamlessly throughout.

Impact and Criticism

Since its introduction, the STEPPS model has become a widely recognized framework in both academic research and marketing practice. It has been adopted by marketing strategists, nonprofit campaigns, product designers, and even public health communicators aiming to boost message virality.

However, some critics argue that not all successful campaigns fit neatly into the STEPPS mold, which is why understanding audience behavior through tools like Ultimate Market Research Explained can complement and refine messaging strategies.”

According to marketing researcher Dr. Karen Nelson-Field, other factors like platform algorithms, timing, and visual dynamics also play a crucial role in what becomes popular online.

Comparison to Other Marketing Models

Model	Main Purpose	Focus	Marketing Type	Key Strength	Limitations
AIDA	Guide the customer through the buying process	Consumer decision-making stages	Brand-to-consumer	Clear funnel structure for messaging	Doesn’t account for peer influence or post-purchase sharing
4Ps	Define the core elements of a marketing strategy	Internal brand strategy (product & market fit)	Brand-controlled marketing	Useful for planning and resource allocation	Lacks focus on consumer behavior or message spread
STEPPS Framework	Explain why people share ideas and how things go viral	Social sharing and word-of-mouth	Consumer-to-consumer	Encourages organic promotion and virality	Less structured for guiding sales conversions or product development

Comparison of AIDA, 4Ps, and STEPPS Frameworks

Compared to traditional frameworks such as AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) or the 4Ps of Marketing (Product, Price, Place, Promotion), the STEPPS framework offers a fundamentally different perspective on how products and ideas gain traction.

The AIDA model is primarily focused on guiding the customer journey through the marketing funnel — from first noticing a product (attention), to developing interest and desire, and finally leading to action (usually a purchase). It’s a brand-to-consumer model, often used to design advertisements and sales funnels that push the consumer toward a decision.

The 4Ps, on the other hand, focus on the strategic components a company controls, and are often paired with segmentation strategies such as the STP Marketing Model, which focuses on identifying and targeting the right audience. This model works well for structuring a marketing plan but is heavily centered on how a brand manages its offerings, not necessarily how people talk about them.

In contrast, the STEPPS model is built on the idea of social sharing — not what brands say about themselves, but what people say to each other. It shifts the focus from controlled marketing messages to earned conversations that happen organically. According to Jonah Berger, traditional advertising may create initial awareness, but it’s word-of-mouth and peer-to-peer influence that drive long-term growth

For example:

• AIDA might help a company design an ad campaign for a new energy drink – a process detailed further in Sales Strategies Explained, which outlines how structured messaging leads to conversion.
• The 4Ps would help determine the product’s ingredients, shelf price, store placement, and messaging strategy.
• STEPPS would help the brand make that same energy drink something people want to talk about — perhaps by designing a unique flavor (social currency), releasing it on “Energy Wednesdays” (trigger), or packaging it in a heat-sensitive can that changes color (public visibility).

In today’s landscape where consumers create content, post reviews, and influence one another through social media, STEPPS aligns more closely with how modern marketing ecosystems function. It recognizes that people don’t just consume messages — they participate in spreading them. As such, the model is especially effective for brands aiming to maximize viral potential, social buzz, and user-driven promotion.

While AIDA and the 4Ps remain foundational, they often need to be complemented by frameworks like STEPPS that account for the dynamics of networked communication, social behavior, and digital culture.

Looking to master more models like STEPPS? Browse Business Explained curated collection of marketing eBooks covering strategy, behavioral design, and digital marketing frameworks.