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What Makes an Insight Stick?

Lily Carter July 29, 2025

What makes an insight stick is no longer just clarity—it’s how you tell the story, how you socialize the learning, and how you embed it in real decision-making.

what makes an insight stick

The phrase what makes an insight stick goes beyond mere delivery—it means creating insights that get remembered, shared, and acted upon across teams and timelines. Discover the latest techniques that turn research into business value.

Why Insights Often Don’t Stick

Even thorough research can be quickly forgotten if not communicated effectively. Common pitfalls include cluttered reports, one-off presentations, and siloed delivery.

  • According to Swetha Sethu‑Jones (March 2025), research only “sticks” when it’s socialized, acted upon, and woven into decision-making rhythms. Research is forgotten if not proactively embedded in workflows.
  • Katarina Bagherian’s research from Forsta (July 2025) highlights that dashboards overloaded with charts and filters fail to make an impact. Insights fall flat when storytelling is an afterthought.

The SUCCES Formula for Sticky Insights

One of the most influential frameworks in this space is the Heath brothers’ SUCCES model, from Made to Stick:

  • Simple: distill the idea to its core
  • Unexpected: surprises capture attention
  • Concrete: vivid details support memory
  • Credible: backed by trust or data
  • Emotional: users care about the outcome
  • Stories: frame insight in a narrative arc

This formula remains relevant in 2025 and serves as a blueprint for building insights that stick.

Emerging Trend: Insight Storytelling with Integrated Dashboards

2025 is seeing a shift toward integrated platforms where qualitative and quantitative data merge into visually compelling, role-based dashboards.

→ Research HX Platforms

Forsta’s Research HX demonstrates a growing trend: research tools that unify survey data, user feedback, and visualization in one platform. The result? Faster workflows, tailored outputs, and sharper narrative delivery.

→ Role-based Presentation

Different stakeholders require different views:

  • CMOs want high-level performance narratives
  • Product leads need pain points and feature feedback
  • Insight leads need detailed patterns and data context

Integrated dashboards make it easy to filter these views and highlight the right messaging—built into the tool rather than appended afterward.

→ Visual Tools That Stick

Interactive visuals—heatmaps, trend lines, word clouds from Voice of Customer feedback—create memorable moments and encourage exploration. They are storytelling tools, not just display art.

How to Make an Insight Stick: A Practical Guide

This section shows how to apply what makes an insight stick in practice, using actionable steps, tools, and mindset shifts.

1. Start with the Insight (Pyramid Principle)

Use the Pyramid Principle to lead with the main takeaway:

  • Insight headline first
  • Then key supporting arguments
  • Then the evidence as backup

This ensures busy stakeholders see the core insight immediately—even if they stop reading early.

2. Use a Memorable Headline + Story Hook

Write a one‑sentence headline that sparks curiosity and communicates meaning. Then add a mini‑narrative or scenario to make it relatable. For example:
“Users abandon checkout at step 3—confusion over fees” followed by a brief anecdote from user interviews that illustrates why users got frustrated.

3. Engage Multiple Learning Styles

Apply principles from education theory: mix visual (charts), auditory (video/audio quotes), and tactile/interactive formats so diverse stakeholders absorb insights more fully.

  • Embed short user video clips or audio highlights. These media formats improve empathy and stickiness compared to text alone.
  • Include at least one direct user quote or snippet credibly anchoring the insight.

4. Socialize Insights Regularly

Follow the Rule of Seven: present important themes repeatedly, in multiple contexts, until they become part of team vocabulary.

  • Share key insights in meetings, Slack channels, newsletters, or surveys.
  • Use short reminders or workshops to reinforce the research between cycles.
  • Embed insights into standard rituals like sprint planning or roadmap reviews.

5. Partner Early with Stakeholders

Get product, design, data, and even sales partners involved from early on. Co‑creating research questions leads to stronger buy‑in and smoother adoption later.

6. Link to Business Impact

Translate insights from usability or user behavior into business metrics: conversion, retention, revenue. Stakeholders care more when the insight ties directly to performance. Connect each insight to tangible business outcomes, not just qualitative feedback.

Case Example: Insight Storytelling in Action

Imagine a retail app where users drop off during the “shipping options” step. Here’s a mini case:

  1. Headline:
    “30% users drop off at shipping step—too many hidden costs emerge.”
  2. Context & Story:
    Mention that users repeatedly said, “I thought shipping was included until the last screen”. Embed a quote or video snippet.
  3. Evidence:
    Show conversion funnel data with % drop-off.
  4. Role‑based dashboard:
    CMOs see trend across markets; product sees UI pain; ops sees cost implication.
  5. Socialization:
    Share in standups, newsletter highlights, a post-presentation workshop where teams brainstorm solutions.
  6. Follow‑up usage:
    Data team adds a metric in dashboards; product design schedules redesign; marketing adjusts messaging.

Why This Trend Matters in 2025

  • Teams are more distributed, attention spans shorter, and data overload very real. Insight storytelling adds clarity.
  • BI tools no longer stand alone—insight platforms that merge qual + quant are mainstream now.
  • Businesses demand ROI from research. That requires frameworks that translate insight into action—and tools that help deliver it.

Summary: What Makes an Insight Stick in 2025

  • Story matter more than slides—lead with impact, narrative, emotion.
  • Integrated dashboards and visuals bring insight to life and make it actionable across roles.
  • Repeated socialization and stakeholder partnership turn one‑off research into organizational habit.
  • Connecting insight to measurable business outcomes ensures credibility and follow‑through.

Final Thoughts

When asking what makes an insight stick, the answer today is clear: it’s not just what you found—it’s how you share it, where you embed it, and who you involve. In 2025, the shift toward narrative-driven, interactive insight delivery tools is redefining impact. Research teams that adopt storytelling, integrate platforms, and partner early are unlocking measurable change.

References

Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2007). Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. Random House. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org

Amplitude. (2024, May 10). A Guide to Stickiness: Creating a Sticky Product Users Will Love. Retrieved from Amplitude blog: https://amplitude.com

Storyly. (2024, April 19). Customer Stickiness Guide: What is It? Why Is It Important? Retrieved from Storyly: https://www.storyly.io