A Near-perfect Example of Outrage Marketing

Posted on by Alastair Walton

Brandon Sanderson is one of America’s most successful writers.

In fact, he’s probably the biggest fantasy author in the world right now.

I’m not joking, this guy is massively, massively popular. Looking at the stats, he’s sold something like 20 million books and makes a reported $10,000,000 per year. What’s more, his 2022 Kickstarter is one of the biggest of all time, with over 100,000 backers pledging more than 8 figures.

Not bad for an overweight nerd from Salt Lake City…

Part of the reason for this success is his incredible work ethic. Sanderson is known for churning out material at the speed of light. For example, during the COVID-19 quarantine, he wrote five new books. Another reason is his outrageously rabid fan base. As it turns out, these people are OBSESSED with Sanderson and often refer to him as “God.”

That being said, not everyone is a fan.

One of these people is Jason Kehe, journalist and author of a recent Wired profile on Sanderson.

To put it politely, this profile can only be described as unflattering.

In it, he trashes almost everything about the man, including his way of dressing, dietary habits, weight, city, religion, and also his fans. As you can imagine, this has sent the fan base into a state of total frenzy. They’re riled up, angry, and baying for blood.

It’s this anger which has also made the article go viral. Dozens of online outlets have now mentioned it, plus it’s also been shared and written about extensively on places like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit (Then you have the usual YouTube reaction and commentary videos.)

All of this brings us neatly to the point.

Whether intentional or not, the article is basically a work of genius.

You see, Jason Kehe had a choice: write another fluff piece or trash Sanderson. By trashing the guy, he pissed off thousands of nerds and generated millions of clicks. This makes the whole thing a near-perfect example of both viral content and also outrage marketing.

Bottom line:

Don’t be afraid of attacking people bigger than you and creating controversy.

By doing this you’ll manufacture curiosity and most importantly attention…

…two things which are sorely needed to succeed in todays overcrowded marketplace.

Until next time,

Alastair Walton

P.P.S. Feeling curious? Want to read this controversial article? You can go here for that.

Why Mr. Beast earns $54 million a year

Posted on by Alastair Walton

I recently read an article about Jimmy Donaldson a.k.a Mr. Beast.

In case you don’t know, this guy is now one of the biggest stars on YouTube.

(Bigger even than PewDiePie.)

According to reports, he earned an incredible $54 million in 2021 alone. What’s more, he’s now the fourth most subscribed channel on the platform, with 125 million subscribers, and a whopping 18.2 billion views. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also developing apps, and even has a virtual restaurant he calls “Mr. Beast Burger.”

Not bad for a guy who just turned 24.

Now, what’s the point of all this?

Well, as I read through the article something jumped out at me.

It turns out this guy is far from an overnight success.

In fact, he’s actually posted videos since all the way back in 2012, when he was just 13.

This factoid contains an important lesson.

You see, what a lot of people don’t realize about making money online, copywriting, running a business, or anything in life, is that success takes time. It can often take years, or in the above case decades. This is really the point I’m trying to make. The overwhelming majority of internet entrepreneurs give up way too quickly. They want fast, easy success, and when it doesn’t happen they quit.

Now, I’m not saying persistence is the magic key to success.

Some people persist their entire lives and get nowhere.

So persistence is not the only factor.

Obviously there are other things like luck, or simply being in the right place at the right time.

But what I am saying is that most people give up far too easily…

…and unless you’re willing to persist you’ll never get anywhere.

Here endeth the lesson.

Alastair Walton

P.S. Another reason why this guy is so successful is because of his content. Mr. Beast is famous for something known as “expensive stunts.” For example, some of his videos have titles like:

“Last to Leave the Circle Wins $50,000”

”Would You Rather Have $100,000 or This Mystery Key”

“Would You Rather Have a Lamborghini or This House?”

“Last to Leave $800,000 Island Keeps It”

“I Ate a $70,000 Golden Pizza”

This type of content is extremely compelling. People will always sit up and pay attention when there’s money (especially big money) involved. The competition and curiosity factor also draw viewers. The point is that unique, killer content will always put you ahead of the crowd.

P.P.S. One more thing before I go. Just because success takes time, doesn’t mean you have to work hard, or put in long hours. Consistency is far more important. For instance, if you spend just an hour a day reading, you can easily get through more than a dozen books per year.

The Little Known Benefits of Virtual Hunting

Posted on by Alastair Walton

Deer hunter (released way back in 1997) is a video game where – as the name implies – you hunt deer.

The weird thing about this game was how successful it was.

Despite being panned by critics, it sold a million copies in under a year.

The reason for its success was mostly down to how different it was.

This was truly a one of a kind game. Instead of fighting monsters, or solving puzzles, or quests, or whatever…you…hunted deer. This mostly involved staring at the screen and waiting, waiting, WAITING for the stupid deer to appear. Now, I recently gave this game another go, and it got me thinking about something extremely important.

PATIENCE.

This is a quality many people lack. They want everything NOW. Whether it’s building their business, increasing subscriber count, or making their first million. As you can imagine, this is far from being a good thing. You end up spending your days in a haze of stress and frustration, which does eventually take its toll.

If you can relate to this, then you need to learn to let go and practice patience.

Believe me your blood pressure will benefit.

Not only that, you might find that you get there faster…

…once you stop worrying about how fast you get there.

The moral of the story is this:

People need to learn how to slow down, relax, and be more patient. Whether you’re standing in line, sitting in traffic, or waiting on a phone call. Realize that you’ll get there when you get there.

In the meantime sit back and enjoy the journey.

Adios

Alastair Walton