Foreword
Hi, this is one of my few great tutorials. Here, I will be covering some tips and tricks on how to grow the chances that people will become interested in your creation.
This tutorial can work both in real life and online.
Especially useful if:
- You own fictional characters
- You are writing a story
- You're making a video game
- You have a comic or webcomic
Note: Keep in mind that this might not work every single time, as your success also depends on timing and audience. Also, don't expect instant growth. You will need lots of patience for this.
Before anything else, I recommend reading Marc Segar's survival guide.
Interacting
Start slowly
Do not walk up to strangers and immediately start talking about your creation. They don't know you, and you don't know them either. If you go straight to advertising, people will do at least one of the following things:
- Ignore you
- Get annoyed
- Pretend to care
And if they somehow do genuinely care, it's likely short-term, and they won't stay for long. They definitely won't become your actual fan.
Instead, start by focusing more on the other person. Ask them about their favorite things, what they do for fun, or how they feel. Avoid overly personal topics, and if they ask you a question, respond without rambling too much. The goal here is to not scare the person away.
Actively talk to people
Keep returning to make them remember you, and chat about whatever. Let it flow naturally.
Maintain balance
Avoid talking too much, but also avoid not sharing enough. A conversation usually needs input from both sides to work.
Writing
Practice writing
You don't need to be a professional, but to hook someone in, you should know how to express yourself in an interesting and unique way so that you can attract people.
A common issue I see creators experience is that they introduce their OCs or stories through walls of text. For you, it might seem okay. However, your average new reader tends to skim over things that don't look fun (which, unfortunately, includes walls of text).
Even if your character is beautifully written and the concept is great overall, a person is highly unlikely to truly engage if you don't pick an easily digestible format.
Walls of text are good for private brainstorming, but NEVER show those to a newcomer unless you want to lose them.
0 hook = 0 engagement
If you're writing a fictional character, you might also find this document useful:
Read literally anything
It's really good to read books, but reading any text can help you. From articles to fanfiction to poems. Reading is not necessarily a must, but it lets you learn how all the successful creators out there did their thing. It can inspire you and show you what to do or what not to do. Reading is always a win-win for you.
Think more often
If you're addicted to consuming content, this might be important. As I mentioned earlier, checking out what other people made is useful, but for it to be truly useful, you should make your own content as well to practice and learn.
Read the follow-up tutorial
It's specifically about writing! Highly recommended.
Asking
Open-ended questions
When you talk to potential future fans, occasionally asking questions does insane magic. Most people enjoy answering questions and talking about themselves, so you should use that fact to your own advantage. Also, try to avoid yes/no questions because those rarely ever make for an entertaining chat.
DON'T:
"Do you like...?"
DO:
"What do you think about...?"
Make it interesting
Try to come up with unusual questions. If you put some personality into whatever you say, people are more likely to remember you.
Listen properly
After asking a question, don't immediately start thinking about what you'll say next. Just listen to what the other person says, and then respond appropriately.
Never try to listen and overthink at once.
Mentioning
Occasionally mention your creation
After getting to know the other person, you can slowly transition into the most visible part of brainwashing - directly mentioning your creation. This can be tricky, because timing matters a lot here. Your new topic should naturally fit in and follow the previous conversation if you don't want it to flop pathetically.
The easiest way to do this is to sneakily slide in a topic related to your creation.
Topics such as:
- Writing
- Art
- Games
- Anime
- Comics
- Books
- Stories
From there, you can mention your actual thing. If it still flops pathetically, don't worry and simply retry later (or with a different person).
Do not beg
When you see the same annoying ad on YouTube ten times, are you more likely to buy the product? Because I personally am not.
Revealing
Carefully show small flaws
To show others that you are a human person, it can ironically help to reveal some of your flaws if you're careful about it.
Once in a while, deliberately forget the previous rules and do something embarrassing to let people know that you're real. Try making a tiny mistake (if it's appropriate and doesn't have the potential to actually ruin your future).
And this is a real thing if you think I'm joking.
Be slightly controversial
You may have noticed that most popular influencers have some drama and controversy tied to them. Usually, it's their secret strategy to hook you in.
Because people love to talk about the dumbest things.
Don't overdo it
If you're too controversial, weird, or out-of-the-norm, people are likely to start hating you.
Connecting
Make people feel seen
This is closely connected to the beginning of the tutorial. Listen to people, respond correctly, share something, and listen again. Let people know that you care.
Try not to be publicly pessimistic
If you complain or spread negative energy way too often, people might grow hostile toward you and eventually disconnect completely. You probably don't want that to happen.
Compliment someone
People LOVE getting feedback and compliments, so use this to your advantage. Try giving out casual compliments from time to time, but don't overdo it. And don't be weird about it either.
Help people
Everyone has their own problems, so you can try to solve some of them. This can make your fans get more attached to you because not only are you serving good content, but you're also helping them! Just avoid giving out unsolicited advice.
Being
Try to be yourself
Do the things you would normally do because people can notice dishonesty and fakeness very easily. Don't pretend to be something you are not. Also, avoid lying to people if you want to gain trust.
Communicate your feelings
If something is wrong, don't bottle it up. Tell someone as soon as possible, because unsolved problems usually snowball and explode when you expect it the least.
Consistency
Keep updating
Never randomly disappear. Make posts, keep informing people, and maybe develop some kind of schedule so that your fans can trust you and maybe even expect you. If you need to stop for some reason, don't leave your community hanging. Tell everyone what's up, because otherwise you might lose all that trust you were trying to build.
TL;DR: Stay consistent.
No need to be perfect
Sometimes, you might feel like the things you make have to be the best. No! Let that pressure go and just do whatever you want to do. The right people will come eventually, trust me.
Q&A
Q: "Do I need to be extroverted for this?"
A: Not at all. The only thing you need is time and effort.
Q: "How long will it take for this to work?"
A: The entire process can take anywhere from a month to a few years.
Q: "What can go wrong?"
A: You will fail if:
- You're not patient enough (frustration)
- You push too hard (burnout)
- You're inconsistent (losing fans' trust)
- You give up (no content for fans)
Q: "This isn't real brainwashing!"
A: Yeah, I call it "brainwashing" just for the fun of it. ( •̀ ω •́ )✧
Thanks for reading!