The Information Gap Effect: Why Patients Click, Read, and Register

It’s 9:27 PM. You shift your phone to night mode. You’re going to check your email just one more time before you pop some magnesium and begin your 30 minute wind down routine.

You start scrolling…

Subject: “Lab interpretation tips”… Maybe tomorrow.

Subject: “Free patient intake form templates”… Maybe tomorrow.

Subject: “Don’t miss this supplement sale!”… Eh. Unsubscribe.

Subject: “The 3-minute protocol that’s reversing ‘unfixable’ gut issues (live case study tomorrow)”

Your brain lights up like a carnival ride.

Three minutes? What’s this protocol? I was just trying to work out a new protocol today myself. How are they getting these results? What am I missing?

Next thing you know, you’re registered for tomorrow’s webinar. They said space was limited and you refuse to be edged out. You need answers.

Why?

The Information Gap

When there’s a canyon between what you actually know and what you desire to know, your brain enters investigation mode, just as it does when trying to uncover a root cause.

This is what George Loewenstein, the Herbert A. Simon University Professor of Economics and Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, calls the Information Gap Perspective.

This “gap” in knowledge feels like an open loop your brain desperately needs to close.

So you scroll, read, watch, and click until the gap gets closed.

YOUR Information Gap

You skipped right over “Lab interpretation tips.”

You made a mental note about the intake form templates in case you need them later.

You unsubscribed from yet another supplement brand vying for your attention.

These subjects didn’t resonate with you, so you kept scrolling.

We know from Loewenstein’s research that the more personally relevant an Information Gap feels, the stronger the drive to get it closed.

Earlier in the day you were struggling to come up with your own abbreviated gut protocol.

Now you’re being told someone has the answer? It doesn’t get more relevant.

How to Apply Information Gaps

To spark curiosity that actually converts, you have to reveal just enough of the information that your target audience cares about, but not so much that they no longer need your answer or solution.

Think of it like diagnostic breadcrumbs: Walk them through enough symptoms to recognize the pattern, but don’t give them the full diagnosis (yet).

Once someone feels that gap? They’ll do almost whatever it takes to close it.

It’s worth noting: there’s a massive difference between piquing curiosity and using clickbait. Clickbait kills trust instantly, especially in healthcare. Always leverage curiosity ethically.

Here’s how you can use the Information Gap Perspective in your practice’s marketing today:

Email Marketing

Open a curiosity loop with your subject line and preview text. Your subject creates the question, your preview text deepens it without answering it. Your recipient opens the email because now they have to know what it’s about.

Instead of: “Weekly thyroid health tips” try: “The thyroid pattern 90% of practitioners overlook” with preview text: “It’s hiding in plain sight on every lab panel…”

Naming Your Programs and Clinical Memberships

Spark curiosity with names that hint at desired outcomes rather than describing the process. Instead of “Hormone Balancing Program,” try “The Hormone Decoder” This makes people think: What’s the code? How do I crack it?

Social Media Posts

Lead with the outcome or surprising result, then make them click or scroll for the “how.”

Example: “🧵My patient’s chronic migraines disappeared when we found THIS in her morning routine…”

…

She was starting every day with a ‘healthy’ protein bar packed with artificial sweeteners that triggered her symptoms.

Paid Ads

Use curiosity-driven headlines that promise specific, relevant solutions to problems your ideal patients are actively struggling with.

Instead of: “Functional medicine can help with your energy problems” try “Why you’re tired all the time (hint: it’s not what your doctor tested)”

Blog Headlines

Transform educational topics into compelling questions your audience is dying to have answered.

Instead of: “Understanding SIBO treatment protocols” try: “Why your SIBO keeps coming back (and the one test most practitioners skip)”

Bonus: Answering questions is one of the best ways to rank for topics. When someone searches “Why my SIBO keeps coming back,” your article will be there to answer their question. Answering questions as a credible expert is also how you become an AI overview result.

Closing the Loop

Information gaps work because they tap into our natural human curiosity to solve puzzles and find answers, especially when those answers feel personally relevant to our biggest current challenges.

When there’s a gap between what your patient knows and what they want to know, their brain spins like a centrifuge trying to close it.

Use this to your advantage.

The next time you’re crafting an email subject line, naming a program, or writing a social media post, ask yourself: Am I creating an information gap that my ideal patient can’t resist closing?