If you’re on social media, chances are you’ve dealt with a social media troll at some point. These are the people who only seem to go online to annoy complete strangers because they think there won’t be any consequences.
It’s possible to monetize such a social media troll if you’re not above being a bit (or a lot, frankly) immature and slinging a bit of mud. Doing so may seem (and be) childish, but it can also be part of a very real social media marketing strategy. Indeed, some companies take it beyond even this with rage marketing and comment hijacking tactics, so this is rather tame by comparison. (Also, see my article on being purposefully unprofessional in your marketing for more on this.)
Are you certain you want to try monetizing a social media troll?
It’s not too late to turn back …
No?
Okay, let’s get started.
Know your goal
To start, know what the goal of monetizing a social media troll is beforehand. Sure, you want to make some money off their idiocy, but you don’t want to draw out interacting with them. So, there are two things you’re aiming for:
- Make some money off them
- Get the social media troll to go away and leave you alone
In most ways, the second part is the more important of the two. There’s only so much you can squeeze out of a social media troll, and many will keep coming back even if you disengage. They’ll keep trying to get your attention. They want you to be their victim, not their manipulator. So, make it clear to them that you benefit from them sticking around.
When to start monetizing a social media troll
Knowing when it’s time to make some money from a social media troll depends on how you’ve engaged them. Here are the two most common scenarios to consider:
Scenario 1: social media trolls revealed during a conversation
Sometimes you’ll engage someone with the expectation of a real conversation, only to realize they’re just trolling. They may have always intended to troll you, or things may have started out as a genuine attempt at discourse. Regardless, things take a turn, and it becomes clear the useful conversation is over and is now only about them trying to troll you.
Why does this happen?
Usually, it’s because they realize they’re wrong and can’t admit it. It can also be that they were out of their depth the entire time and can no longer mask it, so they switch tactics. Regardless, the useful conversation is dead, and now it’s just about them trying to get one up on you so they can soothe their bruised ego.
Scenario 2: trolling from the jump
If someone makes it clear from the start that they intend to troll, I suggest just walking away. You’ll likely be happier for it. There’s no responsibility or obligation to engage with a social media troll who has no endgame other than playing you. However, if you don’t want to just walk away (for whatever reason) and insist on entertaining their posts, monetizing them is a useful approach. Do so understanding that you’re giving them the attention they crave, though.
Have a monetization method ready
Knowing how you’ll monetize a social media troll’s posts is as important as knowing when to start doing so. Here are some suggestions:
- Make everything about your products and brand. No matter what the social media troll says, bring it back to what you’re marketing. Sometimes, the more you have to stretch and reach to do so, the more effective you’ll be at convincing the troll to leave.
- Including a product link directly in your replies is good for link building if the social media platform is crawled by search engines. If the social media platform also allows relevant hashtags or the like, so much the better. However, don’t expect much in the way of direct conversion. You’re serving the link to a hostile audience of one, after all. Your social media troll may even point this out, at which point you explain the methods and benefits of link building. (I do just this in this article’s first accompanying image.)
- Dropping media (e.g., a video or image) is a great way to combine the previous two suggestions. Visual media may be more likely to draw engagement from outside the direct conversation with your social media troll while putting your brand upfront. Adding an accompanying link also keeps link building and potential conversions in play.
I suggest starting with your usual social media marketing post format and customizing it to suit your one-troll audience. What’s critical, though, is not rolling back into conversation with them. Once you choose to start monetizing a social media troll, only engage with them in this way. Don’t converse with them or otherwise address or engage with what they are saying. This is what they want. Stick to monetization, and that’s it.
Killing them with kindness
Once you start monetizing a social media troll, things tend to go one of two ways:
- The social media troll barks back for a bit but eventually goes away. This usually happens when they see they’re not going to get any more of your attention beyond the monetization replies.
- They try to get you to re-engage with them. They do this by ramping up their vitriol, insults, and whatever else they were doing that revealed them to be a social media troll.
The first option is best. Sure, it’s good to have opportunities to make money, but doing so with a social media troll can only do so much. It’s still time spent dealing with a person whose behaviour isn’t worth a serious amount of your time and energy. So, how can you expedite their departure?
Don’t just monetize them. Monetize them with kindness. Don’t call them names (or at least any that are too mean). Social media trolls believe everyone is like them, so they’ll expect dishonesty and maliciousness. Be honest and don’t hide who you are. Completely ignore their insults to avoid playing into those expectations. The more your smile comes through in your posts, the better.
Don’t be afraid to get (politely) passive-aggressive if you want the social media troll to keep coming back so you can continue monetizing them. Be polite(ish), but also talk to them like they’re willing to help you make money. Thank them for helping out. Tell them how much you appreciate their efforts to make money for you.
Monetizing your social media troll may be immature and petty, but you don’t have to be rude or mean.
Be ready for the threats and escalating aggression
Be warned that some social media trolls will try escalating before giving up. Most will stick to getting increasingly aggressive with their insults, often resorting to slurs and the like. Some will also make threats, up to and including something like “I bet you wouldn’t say that to my face.” Be ready for it, but never respond in kind. Remember, kill them with kindness instead.
The clearer it is to a social media troll that you’re not annoyed by their behaviour and are happy to make use of their time, the more likely they are to get aggressive before bailing. They’ll do everything from reporting you to the social media platform to trying to get you fired. So, be sure anyone you report to knows what you’re doing and approves.
I’ve had people threaten to sue for libel (which is a good reason to avoid insulting them), even though it didn’t apply at all. One guy even threatened to sue me because he thought that making money by replying to him infringed his copyright. (His threat was accompanied by a mishmash of misunderstood information about copyright infringement from ChatGPT, which he’d clearly edited with his own words.)
Is it worth the time to monetize social media trolls?
I’ll be the first to admit that monetizing social media trolls is petty. It’s far better and easier for your mental health and time to just walk away and let them stew in the void of no attention. Someone trolls because they want attention — it’s how they get their kicks. By engaging with them, you’re signaling you’re prepared to give them what they want. This may lead to an escalation of harassment down the road.
Ultimately, the best way to deal with a social media troll is to just walk away. Sometimes you may feel like you can’t just drop something, though. Maybe you don’t want such an obviously pitiful person to “win.” Perhaps you feel you’ve invested so much time up to that point that you can’t leave it unfinished. Whatever the reason may be, if you’re not going to disengage from the troll, put their energy to use and stop wasting your time. Start monetizing the social media troll, so at least you’re getting a tangible benefit from the experience.
What it all comes down to is what you consider to be a valuable use of your time.
… but don’t forget this is all public
Before you jump into monetizing a social media troll, consider your company’s reputation and brand. If your brand is family-friendly or similarly subdued, walking away at the start is probably for the best. If part of that reputation is “we don’t take shit from anyone,” then you don’t have much to worry about. It’s difficult to monetize a social media troll as I’ve outlined without coming across as (or being) petty and immature to a degree.
This is the sort of reputation Misfit Studios and I have, which is by choice. Part of my brand is “taking the piss” and making products that reflect my (often polarizing) beliefs. So, even if I don’t worry about a negative impact on my brand, you may feel otherwise.
As I mentioned earlier, a social media troll isn’t above lashing out by trying to get you in trouble with your boss (if you have one) or someone else important to your business or job. If you’re not the boss, get their approval before you start slinging mud from behind their products and brand. If you’re in charge, though, have at it so long as you’re willing to take on any consequences that may result.
It’s up to you to weigh the potential upsides and downsides before undertaking monetizing any social media trolls.
A final thought on how this has worked out for me
As I’ve said, my brand and I are known to be … contrarian. This makes monetized replies an ideal way to deal with social media trolls who won’t go away on their own. I’ve been doing it for years, and it always gets rid of them, either right away or eventually. Even when some pop back in later (even months down the road), showing you’re just going to give them more of the same reminds them why they left you alone.
The primary storefront through which I sell my products is DriveThruRPG. They have an affiliate sales program that allows me to earn additional money from any sale I send their way, be it my product or someone else’s. Their affiliate links are customizable, allowing me to insert a name (e.g., a social media platform, a specific product code) into them so I can track where affiliate sales come from. When I first started monetizing social media trolls a few years ago, I used this to “tag” the links I was posting for them. I still get sales and affiliate earnings from those links. So, for me at least, monetizing a social media troll pays off years after my last contact with them.
