The ‘Me’ Factor: Harnessing Egocentrism for Irresistible Push Notifications

The concept of “egocentrism” can provide valuable insights for designing effective push notification strategies.

This is an interesting psychological phenomenon: the tendency for people to be more interested in information that is directly relevant to themselves, rather than more general or altruistic content.

Why are Push Notifications important?

As a product manager creating mobile apps, push notifications are a critical tool for driving user engagement and retention. Research has shown that apps that leverage push notifications see 88% higher 90-day retention rates compared to those that don’t ^[1]. Additionally, push notifications can increase app engagement by up to 88%, and lead to a 25% increase in conversions ^[2].

These metrics, often referred to as the “Pirate Metrics” framework (coined by Dave McClure), highlight the importance of leveraging push notifications as part of a comprehensive strategy to acquire, activate, retain, and monetize users ^[3].

Leveraging Egocentrism for Effective Push Notifications

Research has shown that humans have a natural cognitive bias towards self-referential information. A study by Sui and Humphreys ^[4] found that people are faster and more accurate at processing stimuli associated with themselves compared to stimuli associated with others. This suggests that push notifications containing personalized, self-relevant information may be more likely to capture a user’s attention and drive engagement.

For example, users may be more likely to engage with notifications about their own social media activity, such as new likes, comments, or followers, compared to general news updates or information about their friends’ activity. The sense of personal relevance triggers a stronger response and interest from the recipient.

Additionally, a 2018 paper by Tamir and Mitchell ^[5] demonstrated that individuals exhibit a stronger neural response when thinking about themselves compared to thinking about others. This reinforces the idea that people are inherently more interested in and responsive to information that is directly applicable to their own lives and experiences.

While leveraging egocentrism can be an effective strategy for push notifications, it’s important to acknowledge potential drawbacks. An over-reliance on self-referential content may contribute to the formation of “filter bubbles” and limit users’ exposure to diverse perspectives. App developers should strive to strike a balance between providing personalized, ego-centric updates and incorporating more altruistic or informative notifications to ensure a well-rounded experience.

One approach could be to periodically intersperse personalized updates with broader, community-focused messages. This would allow users to maintain a sense of personal relevance while also exposing them to information that extends beyond their immediate self-interest.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the egocentrism inherent in human nature can be a powerful consideration for designing effective push notification strategies. By leveraging users’ natural tendency to be more responsive to self-relevant information, app developers can increase the likelihood of their notifications being seen and interacted with. However, it’s important to balance this approach with other strategies to ensure a well-rounded and informative experience for users.

If you’re looking at improving the push notifications you implemented within your product, I invite you to read my article abou Key Considerations for Implementing Push Notifications

References

1. Lunden, I. (2015). Apps That Use Push Notifications See 88% Higher 90-Day Retention Rates. TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2015/06/11/apps-that-use-push-notifications-see-88-higher-90-day-retention-rates/ ↩
2. Kumaran, A. (2019). The Impact of Push Notifications on User Engagement. AppsFlyer. https://www.appsflyer.com/blog/push-notifications-user-engagement/ ↩
3. McClure, D. (2007). Startup Metrics for Pirates (AARRR!). Startup Lessons Learned. https://www.startuplessonslearned.com/2007/09/startup-metrics-for-pirates-aarrr.html ↩
4. Sui, J., & Humphreys, G. W. (2015). The integrative self: How self-reference integrates perception and memory. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 19(12), 719-728. ↩
5. Tamir, D. I., & Mitchell, J. P. (2012). Disclosing information about the self is intrinsically rewarding. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(21), 8038-8043. ↩