What is the “Make It Attractive” law and how can you use it in business context?

In this article I would like to introduce the second law from “Atomic Habits” book. It sounds: Make it attractive. What is this approach? What are advantages and how can you use it in your life and in business context? Let’s dive in!

What is the meaning of “Make it attractive”?

Why attractiveness matters? Because our brains are programmed to search for pleasure and to avoid pain. If some activity seems to be uninteresting or tiring, there is small likelihood, that we will do it regularly. However, if we associate it with award and satisfaction, it becomes much simpler to do every day. So when you want to build a new habit, try to make it as enjoyable and rewarding as possible.

And what about bad habits? In this context you can consider to apply reversed law - make such activities less attractive and less tempting!

How can you use it in your life?

As I said, the more appealing the habit feels, the more likely your brain will crave it - and the easier it will be to repeat it consistently. What it could mean? For example pairing habit with something you like, turning it into a game, spending time with people, who already have that or just creating any satisfying ritual around it.

Useful examples of making activities more attractive:

🟢 Do you want to exercise regularly? Create a playlist of your absolute favorite high-energy songs and listen to it while exercising.

🟢 Gamify your habits - give yourself points for completing habits (e.g. 10 points for a workout, 5 points for reading a chapter). Once you collect 100 points – reward yourself with something enjoyable.

🟢 Surround yourself with people who live the way you want to live – their habits will rub off on you.

🟢 Track your progress visually (e.g. on a wall calendar or app). Watching the streak grow becomes a reward.

How can you use it in business context?

The law is related with craving. People don't buy products - they buy prediction of satisfaction, which product can create in their mind. To make something attractive, you need to clearly communicate benefits in a way, which convinces the customer both emotionally and personally. But how?

Most important element is personalization. Using someone's name or tailoring the message to their role or identity increases relevance and appeal. Big companies works in exactly that way - they show you items based on your behavior and personality.

You can also make product more attractive by linking it to a strong identity (like associating Toyota Prius with environmentalism or Apple iPhone with creative, modern and cutting-edge technology).

Highlighting social norms also boosts attractiveness - when you showing people, that others like them use the product you create trust and motivates them to join in.

You should also remember, that how you frame it matters - if bevahior is rare, present it as exclusive; if it is common - show how not doing it is falling behind. Lastly, behaviors become more attractive, when they are easy, have low social cost and offer immediate rewards.

Some example advices:

🟠 Keep the messages relevant to the person’s actual needs or interests to ensure personalization feels genuine.

🟠 Show statistics like, “Join over 10,000 local customers who have switched to...” and mention how many people nearby or in their social circle are already using the product.

🟠 Use reccommendations from people in the customer’s community or profession.

🟠 Display badges such as “Most popular choice among marketing managers” or “Top-rated by homeowners in your area.”

🟠 Create social media campaigns that spotlight users who share similar interests or backgrounds.

Conclusion

Remember to adjust this approach to your own situations! It is universal, so you can use it widely and in various cases. Good luck!