Social Media Trolling for Fun and Profit
There's a right way and a wrong way to do it
If you get big enough on social media, you’re going to encounter trolls.
There’s no way around it.
The early days when you have a low follower count are the best of times.
You do kind of feel like a loser when you’re screaming into the void and getting zero likes. That part sucks. But the silver lining is that the few people who do respond are always genuine.
The trolls don’t really start coming out in force until your account gets bigger. They like to poke the bear and see if they can get it to respond.
Should you? Sometimes.
Here’s how.
Countertrolling
There’s a few things you can do when someone trolls your business.
You can delete the comment if its on a platform you control (e.g. reviews widget on your site or your YouTube channel)
You can ignore it
You can troll back
Options #1 and #2 are best in most cases. But option numero tres is more fun, and there are times where it’s actually the Big Brain Move.
Look at this example:
“Turkey flight?” is a grade-A countertroll.
Why does it work?
Ryanair’s dunking on someone who dunked on them, and they’re doing it in a way that’s relevant to their niche, i.e. they’re an airline poking fun at the well-known trend of dudes flying to Turkey to get hair transplants.
But the reason it REALLY works is because they don’t completely spell out the joke. You have to be in-the-know to get it.
If they explicitly said “wow looks like you’re flying to Turkey to get a hair transplant because you’re bald”, it wouldn’t be nearly as effective.
People naturally enjoy jokes where they have to stop and think for a second. There’s something about the slight expenditure of cognitive effort required to get it that makes it more satisfying. The a-ha moment is part of the fun.
It also works because it’s concise.
You can almost imagine some random social media intern quickly firing off a quote-tweet while saying “pffh look at this guy”, probably typing with one hand while eating a muffin or something and then quickly clicking to another tab to do something more important.
Countertrolling works best when it feels casual and low-effort.
In reality, there’s no such thing as a true off-the-cuff response on social media (everyone spends time thinking about responses even if they pretend they don’t), but the people want to believe.
Drawing attention to trolls who aren’t part of your “tribe”
Most people who put themselves Out There online are TERRIFIED of trolls.
I get it. Evolution has hardwired us to desperately want to be accepted by the “tribe”.
What you have to realize is that trolls aren’t from your tribe to begin with. They’re the quintessential outsider, the enemy that somehow got inside the gates.
It’s always people who have never given you money and never will give you money that talk the most shit. They aren’t on your team. Their emotions and opinions are completely irrelevant to you and your business. You aren’t losing a potential customer if you piss them off.
Drawing attention to someone who clearly doesn’t Get It actually helps your business. It makes EVERYONE who’s not one of your followers seem like a crazy person.
Think of how rappers brag about The Haters™.
Does pointing out the fact that a ton of people talk shit about them make rappers look bad? No. It makes the rappers look powerful and makes the shittalkers look small, weak, and pathetic by comparison.
The same principle applies to social media trolls in the business world.
Look at how Nomad Capitalist pins comments from haters on their YouTube videos:
Any comments you receive similar to the above come from people who are obviously unhinged and clearly not part of your “tribe”/potential customer base.
There’s no downside to drawing attention to them. It’s not like they’re going to persuade anyone to NOT give you money.
The lunatics make you look sane by comparison.
More importantly, highlighting the crazies makes potential customers feel like they’re sane for supporting you.
“Wow look at these nutjobs who don’t Get It. I’m glad I’m one of the Smart Ones who supports them instead.”
The Holy Grail of Countertrolling is when you get people in the comments defending you. If people are taking time out of their day to defend you from pseudonymous critics they don’t even know then they’re HEAVILY invested in being part of your community and there’s a strong probability that they’ll buy what you’re selling at some point (if they haven’t already).
When trolling backfires
Being a troll to people who don’t deserve it
Vibe-matching is important when responding to people on social media.
If they’re genuine, you should be genuine back.
You’re always going to look bad if you dunk on someone who’s trying to raise a genuine issue in a non-confrontational manner.
The same thing applies in reverse.
If someone trolls you and you respond like a corporate drone: You lose.
Always match the vibes.
Politics: Just stay away
Another trap that people fall into is political trolling. It’s always a bad idea.
Unless you’re in a niche that’s explicitly political (running a politics newsletter or such, my condolences if you’re in this world), it’s best to just stay away.
I’ve noticed that failing businesses start going insane with political posts. I get why they do it: You can get some HUGE engagement numbers if you start ranting about politics.
But does any of that engagement translate into sales?
No.
Stick to your niche. You’re not a political commentator. Don’t let your business be consumed into oblivion by the zeitgeist.
Bottom line
Corporatespeak DOES NOT go over well on social media.
Even actual corporations are starting to realize this.
If huge companies like Wendy’s and Ryanair aren’t afraid of any non-existent negative consequences from being “unprofessional” on social media: You shouldn’t be either.
Tailor your communication style to the medium.
Be a professional in situations that call for being a professional, and be a troll in situations that call for being a troll.
What can I say? Running a business in 2025 is weird AF.
It is what it is.