Viral Marketing – Alastair Walton Copywriting

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.

The other day I spotted a brilliant piece of viral marketing…

In fact, this idea is so downright clever, I wish that I had thought of it.

You see, there’s a guy out there selling Joe Biden stickers.

To give you an idea of what they look like, these stickers feature Joe Biden pointing with his index finger, and the words “I did that” written beneath. The idea is that you place the sticker on a gas pump with Biden’s finger directed at the gas price (i.e. the idea being that Biden is responsible for high gas prices.) These stickers retail at $6.99, come in packs of 100, and going by Amazon reviews, are selling by the hundreds. I have no idea who’s behind this, but they’re obviously making money (actually according to the Boston Herald these stickers are part of a Republican guerrilla campaign to undermine the Democratic administration.)

What’s brilliant about this idea is that it takes advantage of deeply held emotions.

For example, let’s say you’re a foaming at the mouth Trump supporter.

(Or maybe you’re a diehard Republican or someone who really, really hates Joe Biden.)

There’s a reasonably good chance that you’d buy these stickers and gleefully cover as many gas pumps as possible. In fact, you’d probably put them wherever you could (The New York Post recently reported that they were spotted on a cop car in NYC.) Not only that, when you finish the stickers, you’ll more than likely go out and buy more.

Ka-Ching!

The lesson here is that you have to find out what your audience loves…

…more importantly, you need to understand what they HATE.

For example, let’s say you’re selling diet products.

In this market diet gurus are a dime a dozen.

Dr. Atkins is probably the first person who comes to mind.

In this case, all you have to do is mention the person in your copy…

…write negative things about them…

…and point out why your product is the superior option.

(Just be careful of going overboard.)

Basically people LOVE it when you tear down their enemies.

This is why market research is so critical.

You need to learn what your market hates…

…and mention that you feel EXACTLY the same way.

Doing this helps you connect with your audience.

What’s more, it also creates an almost unbreakable bond.

See you later…

Cheers,

Alastair Walton

Category: Viral Marketing

WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM THIS REPUBLICAN GUERILLA MARKETING CAMPAIGN