Every story makes implicit promises to the reader, and great stories keep those promises by delivering satisfying payoffs.
Promises and payoffs is a way of thinking about the unspoken contract between you and your reader. Every genre choice, opening scene, character introduction, and planted detail is a promise that says 'this will matter later.' A payoff is when you deliver on that promise in a way that feels earned and satisfying. This concept goes beyond individual setups (like Chekhov's gun) to encompass the big-picture expectations your story creates from page one.
Readers are constantly, unconsciously tracking your promises. When you open with a murder mystery, you are promising a solution. When you build romantic tension between two characters, you are promising some kind of resolution to that tension. Break too many promises and readers feel cheated. Deliver on them thoughtfully and readers get that deeply satisfying feeling of a story that 'just works.'
The promise that the Ring must be destroyed is made early and drives the entire narrative. Every payoff along the way, from Gollum's role to the scouring of the Shire, honors smaller promises planted throughout.
The opening line, 'What are you thinking?', promises a story about the unknowability of other people. Every twist delivers on that thematic promise in increasingly disturbing ways.
The premise promises a transformation from mild-mannered teacher to drug lord. The show pays off that promise methodically over five seasons, never losing sight of the original contract with the viewer.
Katniss volunteering for Prim promises a story about sacrifice and protecting loved ones. That promise echoes and pays off across the entire trilogy.
Keep a running list of every expectation your story sets up. In revision, check each one off. Dangling promises are one of the most common reasons a finished draft feels 'off.'
If you promise a thriller and deliver a quiet character study, readers will feel misled even if the writing is beautiful. Make sure your payoffs match the scale and tone of your promises.
Let your promises build tension. If you resolve everything too quickly, the story loses its forward momentum. Space out your payoffs to keep the reader turning pages.
You can absolutely break reader expectations, but you need to replace the expected payoff with something equally satisfying. A subverted promise should feel like a better answer, not a cheat.
Write the opening page of a story and deliberately embed five promises: one genre promise, one character promise, one object promise, one thematic promise, and one structural promise. Then outline how each one would pay off by the end of the story. Share both the opening and the outline with a writing partner and see if they can identify the promises before reading your outline.