Self-Negging Is Not Marketing

There is a social media marketing trend that I am very, very sick of seeing.

It starts with a close-up of someone's face, fixed in an obviously fake expression of what is probably supposed to be sorrow, and then a caption.

"People will spend an hour watching AI but won't spend 5 seconds listening to my composition."

"Please tell my wife/daughter/disabled son that [insert craft here] isn't ugly!!!"

"My Evil Mother-In-Law said I'd never sell a single mug! Prove her wrong!"

"Someone told me I'd never succeed at [insert passion here]! Were they lying?"

Person obviously acting/AI: "You're pathetic, I could make one myself for cheaper than you're selling!"
Person 2 also obviously acting/AI: *Loud, dramatic crying*

Sometimes the art in question is decent, sometimes it needs more practice before you can expect to sell, and sometimes it's blatantly AI that someone is trying to pass off as "their" hard work, in which case I fully support every single person who refused to touch it with a bargepole.

In all cases, it's a blatantly manipulative sympathy grab. The person posting isn't insecure about their art; and it's highly unlikely that the claimed insult even happened. Trying to build interest organically requires actual work, so instead they play the victim, hoping that people will rush to congratulate them and that the hit count engagement will get the social media algorithm to promote their post.

Personally, I'll scroll past even harder, because there is enough bad in the world without people making things up for social media clicks and views.

If the content creator had shared something meaningful, like the Tasmanian Potter, or the Yass Glassmaker, or the Adelaide Seamstress, or Canberran Historical Hatter, that I follow who shares pictures of their failures as well as their successes to show people that you can do everything right and still fail... that would be a different story. I engage with their content because it's real and honest and authentic. People ask them questions and get honest answers, and sometimes that transitions into sales.

It's the same reason I don't get offended when people ask why my books are on the shorter side. I just explain that I was working as a Learning Support Officer and had a lot of kids complaining that the books in the school library were too long for them to read during Library period, and how they wished that there was something shorter. So, I started writing novellas and novelettes, and the kids loved the two I published before I switched careers.

At various bookstalls, I often have people ask about my process, how I got started, is it hard to run a stall, etc. My business cards have a link to Vocal, and all the stories I've written about publishing for beginners, running bookstalls, and so on. I answer their questions, because they cared enough to ask. Sometimes they buy something, sometimes they walk away with a business card.

Sometimes, they discover interests in common with my Beloved, aka my Marketing Department, and my bookstall gains a third person behind the table for an hour or so, without ever purchasing a thing...

I've found that tactic is far more successful than the people who sulk behind their stall and whine about not making enough sales. Would-be customers can tell when you're putting on a show and when you're genuinely happy that they're interested, and they'll vote with their wallets.

Now, I have seen reverse-negative marketing work. On an author social group I'm part of, an emerging author posted a 1-star review they'd received: "Someone should have told me the characters were Gay!"
Along with a rapidly increasing count of laugh-react emojis, and some pithy comments towards the reviewer, their sales count skyrocketed. LGBTQ+ Spite is a powerful motivator.

Pride and Prejudice, too, has some stand-out 1-stars from disgruntled readers who don't get all the hype "Just a lot of people visiting each other's houses"

People who already like the work in question think it's hilarious, and others dislike the review enough to see for themselves what all the fuss is about.

One one of my longer fan fictions, I had someone say that they refused to read it because they only read fanfics that were over 50,000 words, and they didn't want to have to click through each chapter. I eventually had to lock the comment thread against all the people roasting him like chestnuts on a New York Christmas Eve, and apparently a bunch of them told their friends, because I also gained several new readers.

But those reverse-negative advertisements weren't implying that the viewer was a bad person for not sending a personal message of encouragement. They didn't demand engagement or purchases. Rather, they used the positive attitude of "Can you believe this guy?"/"I know, right?" to raise awareness, then left if up to the viewer if they wanted to buy the book, or just laugh and get on with their day.

That's the difference between the two tactics. One manipulates and demands. The other laughs and invites you to join in.