A lot of content creators might be tempted to make outrage content. I can see why. Doing extreme things gets you a lot of attention. You can go viral saying crazy stuff. Going viral means big money, fast. In today’s age, people don’t have much patience, so a lot of ambitious people are going to opt to attempt to go viral before they contribute to society. This might seem shortsighted and selfish, but the instinct isn’t totally crazy. Having an understanding of digital marketing means you can print money in today’s age. Everyone buys stuff online. In the long run, it’s highly likely that e-commerce takes over the scene completely. There just isn’t much of a point in buying stuff in person unless it’s food or clothing, and even that is quickly changing. But still, outrage content isn’t the way to go. It might seem like the way to go, but I think the better solution is simply to work hard and be consistent in a high-demand and/or lucrative niche.
Outrage content polarizes people
This is great in the short term. Outrage content is great for getting engagement and pissing people the hell off. Sometimes that can’t translate to a lot of t shirt sales, or votes. But it also means that it cuts people out of your market. When you piss people off, some of them won’t support you. I think it’s better to be old reliable and attract the audience you do want instead. This way, all options remain open if you want to pivot with your brand. In addition, you’ll have an easier time applying for real jobs if you fall on your face and fail completely. No employer worth their salt wants to be associated with an internet psycho, unless you’re in IT.
Outrage content is often dumb and low brow
This is because you’re trying to piss off the masses. You’re dealing with people of average intelligence and trying your hardest to make them feel negative emotions. You’re going to be putting out crap. Do not put out outrage content. It cheapens the value of your content. I’m not just saying this to be preachy or holier-than-thou. I literally can’t think of any high-rpm outrage content. Maybe videos about quitting porn? Fresh and Fit had something going for a little while, but the people got bored of that stuff for a while. The long-term value in content creation comes from selling high quality information and being palatable to the right advertisers. Outrage content is almost certainly moving you in the wrong direction. Which brings me to the next point.
Outrage content is only lucrative due to the volume it brings in
This also applies to basic, more palatable entertainment as well. The simple fact of the matter is that outrage content is almost never highly informative, and it usually isn’t connected to any good products or merchandise. If you seach “highest RPM YouTube niches”, you’ll see that informative content dedicated to a western audience pays the best. Outrage content and “email marketing” don’t exactly mix.
Outrage content can be offensive and/or illegal
This is what really destroys careers. I wrote an article about Andrew Tate in the past. That man didn’t care about what kind of content he created. Turns out, a lot of the porn he was creating before his TikTok career involved victims of human trafficking. His legal content got him banned from every social media platform, because he was just that hateful to women. He’s facing jail time, and he won’t make any residual income from all his hard work. The worst of both worlds and fitting karma for someone who spent too much time bragging.
The world is full of outrage content nowadays, because everyone’s making their best effort to get famous. A lot of people have gotten successful making outrage content, particularly in the United States. But if you look deeper under the surface, it’s the people making authentic content who are making long term money. Candace Owens says things that are outrageous, but she has real skills as a journalist. She doesn’t lose defamation suits. Martin Shkreli might be a criminal, but he does know stuff about finance and white-collar crime. Fresh and Fit fizzled out, but Myron Gaines’ crime podcast goes on. Stephanie Soo is a cash machine. I could keep naming examples, but you get the point. Do not fall into the trap of creating outrage content, especially if you’re using your real name and showing your face. Pick a niche and execute. Anything less is a big mistake. This is why I blog, despite it not being the cool thing to do.
Thanks for paying attention.
By Rising Current on .
Exported from Medium on November 8, 2024.
