Upworthy succeeds in driving piles of traffic not because because it uses some sophisticated new technology.

Upworthy succeeds because it recognizes that its readers are human beings, not abstract “traffic” or “eyeballs.” This is an old technique applied to the web.

As Derek Thompson explains in his report on Upworthy’s success, its writers select stories that have emotional appeal and craft headlines to pique our curiosity. They combine this with optimization techniques to find out what works best:

Upworthy has mastered the dark viral arts with a unique blend of A/​B technology and lily-white earnestness. The staff scours the Web for “stuff that matters,” writes multiple headlines for a test audience, selects the top-performer, and blasts it out on social media. It’s a deceptively simple plan that’s devouring the Internet, one Facebook Newsfeed at a time. The site nearly surpassed 50 million unique visitors in October, which suggests traffic comparable to giants like Time​.com, and Fox News. …

What’s the “secret”? An entertaining slideshow of Upworthy’s headline-writing strategies last year repeatedly references the “curiosity gap.” The idea is both to share just enough that readers know what they’re clicking and to withhold just enough to compel the click.

That linked slideshow is definitely worth reading through.

Adam Penenberg challenged the white-hat hackers at SpiderLabs to penetrate his digital life. They found fewer ways to break in than at their corporate clients—but once in, they had access to everything:

With me, however, there were fewer paths that could lead to the mother lode: my laptop, email, bank, social media accounts, and home. Once in, though, his team found few firewalls protecting my data, and mostly in the form of a pastiche of passwords and log-in credentials. These, I quickly learned, were not secure.

Sobering.

Are you looking to raise money online? These four tips may be helpful:

1. Make sure people can donate on your web site
2. Build an effective e-mail program
3. Make sure you’re mobile-ready
4. Use social media to build relationships, not to drive gifts

But the number one trick to being a great online fundraiser? Assume you have no idea what actually works.

I elaborated on these points in a presentation last week at the Leadership Institute. My full slide deck is below.

The adage “learn from your mistakes” is a bit misleading, Mig Reyes argues. Instead of trying to fail, we should just try:

The makers of our world would be better off mimicking scientists with their work. Harp on deliberate practice. Reinvent their processes daily. Share every discovery. And most importantly, try new things often…

When everything’s an experiment, you shed the fear that comes with trying new things.

Consistent experimentation is the key to success, whether in marketing or any other field.

The three most important lessons online fundraisers should keep in mind are:

1. Don’t trust your gut instincts
2. Test everything
3. Always ask, “Can I do better?”

That was the message I presented last night, using examples from my work at The Heritage Foundation, at an event sponsored by Empower Action.

My full slide deck is below.