Tactic 59 of 99
The Open Loop
An unfinished story itches until it’s scratched.
What it is
You start a story or idea and deliberately leave it unresolved. Psychologists long claimed unfinished tasks stick in memory (the Zeigarnik effect), but a 2025 review found that part doesn’t hold up. What does hold: people feel a strong pull to go back and finish what was interrupted. Curiosity gaps pull attention.
Spot it
Content that teases forever and never pays off without a purchase.
Counter it
Notice the itch, then price it: “What am I being asked to do to close this loop?” Follow an account for part two? Fine. Pay for a course to learn “the one mistake”? Ask for the mistake first. When every loop only closes behind a payment, the loop is the product.