The Psychology of Push Notification: Mobile, Web, and In-App
What is a good push notification? That's a very critical question, but the answer isn't! It's simple. TELL USERS WHAT THEY WANT TO KNOW rather than what you want them to know. This is the thumb rule, whether it's mobile push notifications, web notifications, or in-app notifications. However, some traits are necessary to achieve this goal. They are the driving factor behind the engagement of users and their responses.
So, let's delve into the world of effective push notifications and uncover the secrets to capturing your audience's attention and satisfying their curiosity. In this blog, you'll explore how psychology can help you create push notifications that connect with your audience.
What Are Good Push Notifications and Their Driving Traits?
Push notifications have become an integral part of our digital lives, offering opportunities to engage, inform, and delight users. But what sets apart a good push notification from the rest?
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They are Well-timed
"Remember, time is money," said Benjamin Franklin. Good push notifications are triggered at the right time. That is when the user gets the emotional itch. It can be any of these triggers: internal or external.
Internal triggers are associated with the user’s emotions. It is usually driven when the user looks out just to relax or to dissolve loneliness. An example of this is when people check Facebook or Instagram. Another emotional trigger can be confusion or looking for a solution. It's when people Google. Then comes the boredom. To eliminate this, people either YouTube or read Quora, anything that they find interesting.
External triggers work differently. They tell users what to do next. For example, a tweet suggestion, "click here" to go to a website page or read the post, "play now" on gaming apps, etc.
An interesting aspect of these triggers is that they work simultaneously most of the time. As a popular example of this, receiving a notification on the game scoreboard can lead you to play the game. All in all, it works as a habit-forming trigger.
They are Actionable
Next is action. Good push notifications are actionable. They are simple and specific in nature. A common example of this is WhatsApp notifications. You must have noticed that when you receive a notification, it offers some options for responding. Such actionable triggers can also be seen in Team Chat. You can use a tool that helps you understand user behaviour, such as Notifly. This tool analyses your users’ behaviour, actions, and responses and gives you an optimised report. Using that, you can identify what works and what needs improvement.
They Kindle Curiosity
Surprising elements in your push notification content can trigger users to respond. Even a bit of curiosity can take its toll. Many apps follow this approach because it’s worth doing. However, repeating the same content will not have the same effect as it did the first time.
For example, " Guess What's Coming? Exciting Surprises Await You!" Here, you'll notice its ability to evoke a sense of curiosity, which has the potential to entice users into clicking on it.
Fear of missing out or showing scarcity also triggers users to act. This approach is mostly followed by shopping apps or websites. It works for seasonal deals or festive season sales.
They are Personal
We have mentioned it before, and since it’s an essential element, you will read it again. Your users are habitually receiving banner ads and notifications from several websites and apps. Now, what stands you out from them is how you trigger them.
When you trigger push notifications personally, there is a high chance that they will pay attention to your message. Instead of ignoring it, they will spare a moment to see what it is. That's the opportunity for you. Create an engaging message that is clear in its words as to what it is about. Confusing them won't help, except for annoying your users.
They Build Relationships
Poorly designed push notifications annoy users. Some notifications have given you this experience at least once. These are irrelevant, non-contextual, or repetitive notifications that do nothing but trigger users to either unsubscribe, block notifications or uninstall the app.
Push notifications help build relationships with users. A good push notification does exactly this. Thus, create thoughtful, interactive, and actionable notifications that closely relate to what users need and what you want them to know.
Key Takeaway
Understanding the human psychology is important for creating effective push notifications. Psychology helps us capture people's attention and get them engaged. You can do this by using emotions and addressing their specific needs and desires. By using psychological principles like the fear of missing out or personalisation, you can create push notifications that are interesting and make people want to act.
