Snackable Surprises
Intermittent gifts make you addictive; daily donuts just become expected.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 85%
Snackable Surprises applies intermittent reinforcement to professional relationships. Johnson's frame: if you brought donuts every day, people would expect donuts; if you bring fun surprises ad hoc, you become addictive as a person. She is explicit that this is the same psychological mechanic that makes toxic relationships sticky, simply pointed at a constructive end. The 'snack' is usually information — an article, insider tidbits, three takeaways from an event they didn't attend — or a favour, an introduction, a spare ticket, something taken off their plate. Crucially, it is deliberately irregular, which distinguishes it from the cadence-based tactics in her system.
Origin
Johnson frames it as one of the fun hacks in Career Cheat Codes, borrowing the reward-unpredictability mechanic she observed in toxic relationships. She has been on the receiving end too: a LinkedIn employee opened a door with her by sending three under-the-radar insider insights before asking to guest speak.
Core principles
- 01Iterative, unpredictable value is more memorable than routine value.
- 02Anything given daily becomes an expectation, not a gift.
- 03Information is a legitimate and cheap currency of value.
- 04This is the mechanic behind toxic relationships, deliberately repurposed for good.
- 05Value must be genuinely useful, not spammy.
How to run it
- 1
Pick a target relationship
A boss, a coworker, a mentor you want, or a high-level prospect whose attention is scarce.
- 2
Find a snack of genuine value
An article they'd love, three takeaways from a webinar they missed, insider information only you would know, an introduction, a spare ticket, or a task taken off their plate.
Pro tip Insider information works especially well — it's leverage and value in a single tidbit.
Watch out It must be genuinely useful and not annoying or spammy, or the mechanic inverts.
- 3
Deliver it unannounced and unscheduled
Send it ad hoc. Do not build a rhythm the recipient can anticipate.
Pro tip A Loom video makes an information snack feel personal and high-effort at low cost.
Watch out If you don't want to be held to it forever, do it intermittently rather than consistently.
- 4
Let the ask come later
Give value repeatedly until they see you have value to share and initiate the call or opportunity themselves.
In the wild
Someone who worked at LinkedIn messaged Johnson with three under-the-radar things he had learned, then mentioned he would love to guest speak. The insider information was the door-opener.
→ Johnson describes it as really cool and cites it as a live example of using information as a leverage point and unit of value.
Hala needs to stand out with high-download, often famous podcasters to bring them into her network. Rather than pitching, she sends a Loom video whenever she has a piece of information they could genuinely use.
→ Eventually they want to have a call with her or recognise she has value to share — she uses the same strategy to land mentors and high-level clients.
Common mistakes
Making the surprise a routine
Daily donuts become expected and stop being a gift. The value comes from unpredictability — regularise it and you've created an obligation, not an impression.
Leading with the ask
Cold outreach that opens with a request is ignored. The snack must land first and the ask must be secondary or absent.
Is it for you?
Best for
People building relationships with bosses, mentors, or high-status prospects who receive constant low-value outreach.
Not ideal for
Situations requiring dependable, scheduled reliability — Johnson's own Monday-Wednesday-Friday rule is the counterexample.
From the transcript
“If I brought donuts to work in every single day, you would start to expect it from me. But if I bring in fun little…”
“This is actually how how toxic relationships work, but we're just using it for good.”
“I love implementing information as a leverage point and as value that you're giving, tidbits of value.”
From the episode
Courtney Johnson: Career Cheat Codes to Stand Out, Get Promoted, and Win at Work
Courtney Johnson