The research, plainly
Milkman's megastudies — hundreds of thousands of participants across vaccination and gym attendance — tested dozens of nudges head-to-head. The steady winner class: simple, well-timed reminders, especially ones invoking the person's own plan. Unglamorous, cheap, repeatedly effective.
The receipt: Milkman et al., 2021
What it means for events
The Day-3 and Day-10 emails aren't nagging — tested at scale, reminders move real behavior more reliably than cleverer interventions. The craft is timing and specificity: remind at the moment of possible action, referencing the commitment they made.
Where to run it
Follow-up cadence
Day 3, Day 10, Day 30 — each reminder naming their specific commitment, arriving when action is possible.
Pre-event show rates
The day-before and morning-of reminders are the cheapest attendance lift in the industry — with logistics answered inline.
Program nudges
'Your Tuesday 9 AM plan is tomorrow' — the reminder that quotes their own implementation intention converts best.
Seen in the wild
Related concepts
Now use it
Score your own event against principles like this one — or make the whole vocabulary official.
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