Playbook · Idea / prototype to Searching (pre-PMF)
Idea and Searching × Return
Mostly out of season. Before any trigger cascade or game mechanic, make sure the core reward relieves the user's itch every single time, and learn what the few returning users get from it.
- M0 Idea / prototype
- Is there a real itch, felt often enough?
- M1 Searching (pre-PMF)
- Who, if anyone, is it a must-have for?
- Return
- What makes the core action repeat until nobody has to prompt it?
M0-M1 × Return
The playbook
Goal. A reliable core reward first. HK-RWD26 (Hooked Ch.4) Variety, triggers and mechanics amplify a loop that already works; they can't create one.
What to do instead. Map which rewards (people, resources, mastery) the few returning users get HK-T09 (Hooked Ch.4), list what they put in HK-T12 (Hooked Ch.5), and feed it back into Value and Start.
Lead with these moves
- TechniqueEvidence grade C. Limited evidence: few or small studies.
Make the core reward reliable before adding variety
a payoff people can count on
First make the product deliver its promised result every time. Only then add variety, and end each payoff with a reason to come back, such as a preview of what's next, without holding back the answer.
Not now
- Streaks with freeze and repairStreaks reward coming back to something people don't value yet.
- Points and badges layerPoints bolted onto a weak loop don't hold people.
- Near-peer leagues (leaderboards)Leaderboards need a dense community to feel fair.
- More sends to lapsed usersMore sends rent engagement without forming a habit.
- Surprise rewards and reward varietyVariety on top of an unreliable core reward hides the real problem.
- Small copy or button A/B testsAt your volume a small tweak would take months to read.
How to measure it
Questions to answer first
- Does the core reward reliably solve the user's problem every time they come for it?
- Are users satisfied by what they get, yet left wanting to come back for more?
- What bit of work do users put in, and does it set up their next visit and make the product better the more they use it?
- Roughly how many customers keep using the product without being reminded, and how do you know?
- Are you counting on points, badges or other game layers to rescue a product people don't yet value strongly?
- Which rewards does each loop give: approval from people, finding useful resources or information, or a sense of mastery? Which is missing?
Limits
What we don’t claim
- The Hook Model is a practical design tool, not a validated or complete theory of behavior.Hooked, Introduction
- Seasons are defaults for the cell. Evidence from your own product can move a technique in or out of season.
- A playbook names candidate moves; which one goes first depends on the binding constraint in your product.
Sources
Hooked · Nir Eyal
Ch.4 · Ch.5 · Ch.8
Source IDs: HK-RWD26HK-T09HK-T12HK-MEA03
Book content is paraphrased, never quoted at length. Last verified October 24, 2026.
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