The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success, 3rd Edition

Tips, Techniques, and Tactics

The 1.54-Second Rule/5.0-Second Rule

To understand WIIFM more clearly, take a more concentrated look at how people think, read, and evaluate these value propositions. Suppose, for some reason, that you really wanted to read the newspaper advertisements today. Your eyes are scanning over the pages of many ads, one of which catches your eye. You decide to not turn the page, but to look at the heading for that ad. How long do you think you are willing to spend to determine if the WIIFM is worth your stopping to read further? A study showed that people are willing to invest or spend only 1.54 seconds of time to make that determination.

If that headline doesn’t convince the reader—in those 1.54 seconds—that there is a significant WIIFM and convey that value, then the reader is likely to move on to another ad or another page. Think about it. Isn’t that true for you? If you are reading ads or flipping pages in a magazine, do you spend any longer than a second or two before either stopping to read more or turning the page? How about when you listen to an ad on the radio or are watching television? Does 1.54 seconds sound about right? What about when you are scanning down a list of Google Search results? Is 1.54 seconds still accurate? This emphasizes the great importance of that opening sentence—whether it’s on television, radio, magazine, newspaper, search results, web page, or your e-mail message.

In a newspaper, it’s called the headline; on your website, ...