Insult marketing (Rich Jerk style)

[Jon Tees]

How well does insult marketing actually work? I was always told that you catch more fly’s with honey, but the Rich Jerk and others like him seem to be fairly successful using insults and reverse psychology against potential buyers.

[steven-brandon]

The rich jerk is not going to have long term success because of the way he treats his subscribers and potential customers.

Yes he has become wealthy through shock value but honestly, who wants their name associated with a jerk.

I have had some dealings with his company and they don't leave customers feeling very good. His way of marketing is making you feel like a loser unless you buy his product.

Eventually, better more compassionate marketers will come out and become successful and the richjerk will have to learn how to take care of the money he has already made.

[Matt Jutras]

Steven nailed it.

Quick money? Maybe.

Long lasting business success? Doubt it.

I would stay away from it.

[Jeremy Kelsall]

ahhh...

He's been banking for at least a few years like that...

Remember, there is always a "new batch" of people coming online - which are more than likely his target market.

[Steven Fullman]

Originally Posted by steven-brandon

The rich jerk is not going to have long term success because of the way he treats his subscribers and potential customers.

Yes he has become wealthy through shock value but honestly, who wants their name associated with a jerk.

I have had some dealings with his company and they don't leave customers feeling very good. His way of marketing is making you feel like a loser unless you buy his product.

Eventually, better more compassionate marketers will come out and become successful and the richjerk will have to learn how to take care of the money he has already made.

Erm...Kelly (a.k.a. Rich Jerk) has done pretty well from his persona.

Originally Posted by Matt Jutras

Steven nailed it.

Quick money? Maybe.

Long lasting business success? Doubt it.

I would stay away from it.

Erm...it takes a certain skill to create such a convincing character.

After all, you fell for it.

Steve

P.S. What's more, he actually gives pretty good customer service...

As I found out a couple years back when my "instant" download didn't happen.

...one email: Bang. It arrived 20 minutes later.

[winebuddy]

I think that if it's done right - it can work. The guy has proven it. His origianl product was introduced several years ago and still sells. Must be something to it.

Personally, I think sarcasm sells - but it is very difficult to use it in print or online except maybe in video. Even then, it may not come across the way you want it to. The next best thing to do is just be blatantly ridiculous to make your point.

Do I like his stuff? Nope. Never bought it either.

One other thing... How did Walmart further penetrate their market? They created a new store called Sams, charged you a membership fee, and then made you hunt for your stuff, find it, carry it out yourself, and didn't even say thanks.

[Hesaidblissfully]

I think it works because he's playing a character, not just because he's insulting his customers. If you were going to make that approach work, you'd have to go all the way with it, in all your marketing, knowing it might attract some people and turn others off - just like Donald Trump's or Bill O'Reilly's or Paris Hilton's public personas turn a lot of people off while others love them.

[Colin Palfrey]

I found myself on this blokes website before. Let me just say from the bottom of my heart
"What a ****"

I very quickly changed pages as it was obviously a scam.

Even it wasn't, I'm still happier for not adding myself to the list of the voluntarily abused.

[Zach Booker]

Oh boy...

1) The Rich Jerk isn't real. (Just wanted to clear that up.)

2) The product came out quite a few years ago and was one of the first big e-book MMO launches. (Doing something first is always hard; especially when it's so controversial.)

3) RJ broke records, at the time, for units sold in 24 hours. And it's Clickbank gravity is still very high today. Impressive.

(In the MMO niche this is actually amazing. Kelly has banked so hard off this thing it's crazy.)

4) That video, obviously, has paid actors with a rented house and car. (That doesn't come cheap.)

5) The Rich Jerk is actually Kelly Felix. He's been around forever and is a pretty cool guy.(Find him on twitter.) RJ is just a side thing that he doesn't really do anymore, he makes a LOT more from other stuff imo.

6) Kelly was one of the first people to use the up-sell down-sell and cross-sell system when marketing this. (Remember a few years ago the market was much different.)

7) The info in the e-book and products that they've launched since have been actually pretty good. And what does the e-book cost like $11 now? lol

Here's the most important part. IMO everyone is looking at this too personally. Probably because you haven't made as much money as the Rich Jerk and thus you feel anger when he's "rubbing" his wealth in your face.

No offence intended. I, by no means, make anywhere close to what Kelly does either.

But you have to remember this is just business. This is why the RJ broke all the rules and defined the MMO niche a few years back.

The RJ is a legend. How many products from a few years back do most people in the MMO niche remember?

Anyway don't take it too personally. I'm on Kelly's list and I always laugh when I get e-mails like. "Hey Loser, are you still not making any money? What's wrong with you?"

Zach

P.S- I used to promote this awhile back, when it paid more than like $7 commission, lol. And the refund rate was crazy low compared to most MMO products.

[timpears]

You don't have to sell everyone to make a bundle, just enough. He must be selling enough. I saw a couple of his pitches, and didn't even finish them as I was turned off. Just as most of the people that have posted in this thread before me. I am not too sure how he does it, and I doubt I will ever figure it out. I don't care for it, as I think most don't. But as long as enough people will keep buying into it, he will keep making big bucks. It is not for me, and not for most I think.

[misterwrecker]

I am also in the minority over here. I bought The Rich Jerk e-book a few years ago and it is not a scam. There is great information in there for those who are new to affiliate marketing. Actually, the reason I found this forum is because The Rich Jerk told me to check this place out.



-John

[Marhelper]

I don't care if he was giving his crapola away, I would never buy anything from a dude who is so willing to sacrifice his character for a buck. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?

[Colin Palfrey]

I just didn't like the pitch I saw for this about 4 months ago.

A person doesn't need to be real for me not to like them. I'm not that complex.lol

Amazed that it works to generate sales though, and slightly disturbed that it worked so well.
I suppose that being a good product is the most important part but I hope this type of marketing isn't catching on.

I've noticed the people working at my local McDonalds seem to try this approach when busy.

[Mohammad Afaq]

Insult Marketing is working perfectly fine for Rich Jerk and he is making a lot sales plus he is giving away quality information.

On the other hand, if you ask me if I will do it or not then my answer is a big NO. There is a huge chance of pissing your clients and buyers off if you are using techniques like these.

[Jay Deiboldt]

Haha this thread is funny. People are so sensitive! Its insult marketing that's also extremely satirical.

It's funny! Get a sense of humor...

The reason the RJ franchise has had such phenomenal success for so long is cause they weren't afraid to piss people off. And those who did 'get it' were intrigued by it.

People love love it or hate it, either way they buy it.

It's really crazy to meet the dudes who own it too cause they are some of the nicest, friendliest guys you could ever hang out with

[Biggy Fat]

Originally Posted by Imran Naseem

If someone referred to me as "Dear Loser" I would be offended and unsubscribe from his list.

For some reason I laughed at that. I could only imagine how many offended people there would be. Sample E-Mail:

Dear Loser,

Aren't you making $3,000 a day online? Didn't think so. If you wanna get rich like me, you need to get your hands on my Rich Jerk e-book.

(Continue e-mail with "helpful" information)

[adferger1]

I dont know if this "Rich jerk" attitude works on you, but it doesnt work on me.
I would never purchase a Rich jerk, simply because I cant stand that attitude.

[Jon Alexander]

Originally Posted by steven-brandon

The rich jerk is not going to have long term success

the rich jerk has already HAD long term success (at least in terms of how these things are measured in 'internet time').

[JackPowers]

In NLP there are two ways of describing what motivates people: "Towards" or "Away From". Many people I guess are actually motivated more by "away from" something negative instead of "towards" something positive. With away from motivated marketing you market to those people who value comfort and predictability more than new opportunities.

[Paul Myers]

It's funny! Get a sense of humor...

Ladeeez and gennelmen, we have a WINNUH!

I would be willing to bet that the customers for that book are among the most fun groups on the net. And I'd bet that's why his refund rate was so low. If you have a case of the self-importants, you're going to run like hell from that stuff.

No, it's not something everyone will like, or that everyone can pull off. But it's hardly some sort of evil character flaw. It's a style. Nothing more.


Paul

[Fernando Veloso]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Kelsall

ahhh...

He's been banking for at least a few years like that...

Remember, there is always a "new batch" of people coming online - which are more than likely his target market.

What Jeremy said. Newbies love it.

[Desmond Ong]

The rich jerk is merely a character.

Some see it as a conversion booster strategy while some see it as a viral marketing strategy.

[sbucciarel]

Funny thing ... it has worked for him for years. I don't think a million copycats coming online could pull it off like he has, but he has had a very successful string of products coming from his enterprise and he's not stopping any time soon.

As for his Dear Loser emails ... he's one of the very few lists that I never unsubscribed from. I don't buy any of his products any longer, but I have in the past. There was nothing wrong with his products or his customer service. I stay on the list because I like to read what he's up to lately. Other marketers who think they're serving their customers well could learn something from him. I don't hear from him every day ... he doesn't pound my email with constant offers until I'm sick to death of seeing them in my email. Most of the other lists I *WAS* on, sent me boring offers way too often.

[Fernando Veloso]

Originally Posted by Desmond Ong

The rich jerk is merely a character.

Some see it as a conversion booster strategy while some see it as a viral marketing strategy.

Character
Conversion booster strategy
Viral marketing strategy

All in all equals Good Marketing.

[Elliott Bean]

I stupidly tried to be like the rich jerk when selling an ebook on Ebay about weight loss that I wanted to go viral.

The headline was something like, "hey fatty"

Anyway I gave up the approach pretty quickly when I got an email of abuse from someone saying that they would call the police. I would have liked to have seen their response to the accusation "hey this guy is insulting me in a salesletter"

Some people obviously took it way too seriously!

[JayInOrlando]

I once tested one of his headlines in a email.

When you insult someone in a headline, it DOES lead to a higher open AND click thru rate! It's been awhile, but I would bet (and I'm going to test it now) that it still works.

Jay

[jasonl70]

a few things come to mind here;

a) too many people's comments reveal them to still be 'buyers' of products teaching them to market vs being marketers themselves.

b) RJ is a character

c) As Dan Kennedy says - you can't make an omellete w/o breaking a few eggs. it doesn't matter how many people hate it - what matters is how many people LIKE it. And evidently a LOT of people like his approach (people vote with their wallets).

In marketing, you only need to appeal to 1 or 2 people out of 100 to become rich.

[Steven Wagenheim]

Folks, study this guy and learn something from him.

While I would never use such an approach (it isn't my character and thus
it wouldn't work for me) the man is a marketing genius.

I actually love reading his stuff. I get a real laugh out of it. To me, it's
entertainment. As somebody above said, his target market is probably
a fun bunch of people, laid back, don't take themselves too seriously, and
thus, probably don't ask for many refunds.

I got his first book when it first came out for $97.

Guess what?

The stuff inside (at the time) was cutting edge. I learned a lot from it.

His style isn't for everybody and yes, some will be offended. But you
need to step away from your personal prejudices and take a look at
his business model.

Trust me...you WILL learn something from it.

[Biggy Fat]

Apparently there is one copycat out there, and he even mentions RJ by name haha. He is the Rich Villain:

The Rich Villain - Move Over Rich Jerk!

Is the Rich Villain here?! Because that URL has "WSO" in it. But of course "WSO" could stand for something else. Maybe "Winners Survive Often"?

[parzlou]

Originally Posted by sbucciarel

he's one of the very few lists that I never unsubscribed from. I don't buy any of his products any longer, but I have in the past.

I am no longer on his list but I will tell ya I stayed with his list a lot longer than most ..
as far as the jerk persona he portrayed goes .. imo it was brilliant and he still makes bank from it

[TimTyus]

I will continue doing what I do (treat others as I want to be treated) I live by this and Im doing just fine with my business

[Robert_Rand]

Originally Posted by Jay Deiboldt

People love love it or hate it, either way they buy it.

Yup... Just like Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh...there have been studies done that those who dislike them actually listen to them significantly more than those who like him.

Beyond that... the guy definitely has an irresistible front end offer.

[SMP]

Most of this thread seems to have gravitated towards Rich Jerk as he is the most successful and best known of this type of IM (although it must be remembered that it is only a persona, sort of the Dame Edna Everage of the IM world!).

In answer to your original question, yes, this type of marketing can work very well as they, like the rest of us, rely on the fact that there is always new blood on the internet so the act doesn't get (too) stale.

Personally, it's not for me. I'm a completely different personalty to this guy and, with social media getting more popular, I wouldn't like to try to keep this persona up all the time.

Good luck to anyone who tries it, though. The internet would be a dull place if we were all the same.

Steve.

[LegitBlogger]

Steven is right - what's most important is "what can we
learn from him" about marketing that we can use, in
tandem with "our" characters!
.

[nemock]

IMO: If Rich Jerk's persona wasn't such an obvious farce it wouldn't be successful. He can address emails with "dear loser" because of that. Being offended by that would be like being offended by a cartoon, and that's also a good way for him to carve out his list. Let other people work with the IMers who are thin-skinned.

I can think of several IMers who are a bit on the rough and antisocial side but not to the point of being insulting and abusive. There are also several TV and radio personalities who are rough but appear to authentically be interested in helping others (regardless of whether or not you agree with their views).

It's just a character. Dan Kennedy have a great recording on using this in your copy and marketing as does Frank Kern in MC 2.0. One can either pull that character from one's own attributes or go really crazy and invent a total cartoon...like Rich Jerk.

Of course, as with all things, your mileage may vary.

Dave

[katiec]

I think it all depends on your opinions on being degraded right off the bat. Personally, I would unsubscribe from someone who called me a "Loser" right off the bat. There are some people, enough apparently, that think the humor and insulting is brilliant.

Myself? Not so much. I'd rather think of something MORE creative without being insulting.

[pheonix44]

I have to agree that this is entertaining because it is so obvious that he is not for real it is laughable. He is definitely entertaining. If you guys want to see a real rich jerk then take lessons from this guy I found on the internet. If you are thinned skinned please do not listen to this.

MyProps.org - Hey Losers! - Tom Leykis Radio Show Podcasts

[Jason Moffatt]

All I know is that I'm gonna slaughter RJ in Fantasy Football this year.

[Paul Parkhouse]

Even though RJ doesn't update it much his blog is a goldmine of information...and funny as hell

[Peter Adamson]

Insults aside, this whole thread reinforces to me the principle that good copy is liked/disliked by people. If no one dislikes what you write then it is likely that no one will warm to it either. If it has any guts at all it will polarise people.

RJ takes this principle to an extreme, and for this reason is instructive. The stronger your message the fewer people will like it, and the more they will like it. So you can have 100% of the readers yawn, or 50% mildly like/dislike it or 20% really like/dislike it or 10% enthusiastically like/dislike it or 2% fanatical one way or the other. In a market where even hearty enthusiasm won't get you heard above the noise, RJ chose to go OTT and it worked. That is the lesson to be learned here.

[mafiamarketer]

it works as its a differnet persona. try to attack yoru market at different angles
certain people gravitate towards certain personas. So why not sell multiple products as differnent personas but its really you selling them all its a great way to segment the list

[JaniG]

Rich Jerk was one of the most successful campaigns in Internet Marketing.

Look how many views his videos got on Youtube.

i remember back when i was starting out 3 years back when Rich Jerk was at its peak...

His Insult style really caught my attention.

and thats the thing, if you wana be successful in the Internet marketing niche you have got to stand out as.

Indeed maybe the insult thing is a little too much, but he is making big money from the Rich Jerk.

I think it was Genius and any other good marketer would think the same.

results tell a lot rite

[markshields]

Having been on the Rich Jerk Blog I must admit although the content was informative his style of insult marketing as you call it certainly did not capture me in the slightest I prefer the overall professional touch

[Ryan6]

Jani got it spot on. It also helped that The Rich Jerk (Kelly Felix) obviously put a great deal of thought behind this alter ego, whereby it was fresh and new and would attract attention; didn't matter if it was good or bad. Not many marketers have had their own commercials which shows how successful he has been. What he did via his product was pretty sneaky though (PPC), you couldn't do that today. A trend I have noticed today is the "copy cat" similar slogans/themes that bloggers are using against such big name bloggers as John Chow, Perez Hilton etc!

[Emily Meeks]

Scams tend not to last very long, but this guy's been around for YEARS.

I personally laugh when I get his emails. Just take it with a grain of salt >:P

[RogerV]

Originally Posted by JackPowers

In NLP there are two ways of describing what motivates people: "Towards" or "Away From". Many people I guess are actually motivated more by "away from" something negative instead of "towards" something positive. With away from motivated marketing you market to those people who value comfort and predictability more than new opportunities.

Jack nails this I think... one could even segment their list by repulsion / attraction and better market them! Send one call-to-action for repulsion, another for the attraction.

For the uninformed repulsion folks hit the gym only when they start to get fat (then quit when acceptable results show up, or change their expectations), while the attraction types hit the gym to get a six pack.

Other Neurlinguistic profiling systems include:
- Judger vs. Perceiver i.e. do you fit incoming data into your existing mental boxes, or change your world-view to fit incoming data?
- Attraction vs. Repulsion
- Process vs. outcome.. do you respond best to a series of steps? Or just give you a goal?
- Similarity vs. Difference... when someone tells you a new idea, do you immediately relate it to something you already know and look for similarities? or compare it and see the differences?

...and a bunch of others i.e. data-chunk size, etc. - see "Neurolinguistics for dummies" - it's actually a good book on this and can help any marketer.

all these are gradients, of course, but my hunch is that most MMO noobs (I was one! heck, am one!) are repulsion motivated - so CTA's like "Avoid this pain" work better with them than "Earn that bonus"... for that matter, OTOs can be tailored depending on which CTA someone clicked, run competing PPC campaigns (Stop Manboobs Now! vs. 3 Steps to Manly Chest) - tons of gold to be mined there.

Anyone deep into this stuff PM me, i'd love to work on some clinical landing page trials and do some split testing to see if its' just over-engineering or a secret to more conversion. I have a custom landing-page-generator app about to launch, perhaps we could fold this in.

RogerV

[Steve Iser]

If you think his style doesn't work (even in the long term) then you are stupid.

[Rich Creal]

This style of marketing is OK for the IM world, however the general market is not receptive (remember the RJ used to run infomercials for his ebook. From what I understand, it did NOT do so well.

[Mike Hill]

Actually I thought it was pretty funny... I still think it's funny... when this came out a few years ago I bought his product for $97 and loved it.

After reading a few posts here, people just have to lighten up and realize that marketing is a business and in marketing you have to attract and command attention or no one will care.

I must say it's much better than a lot of the YAWN marketing I see everywhere...

Mike Hill

PS. If you were offended by it, why? It has nothing to do with morals or selling your soul or what have you... that I've been reading in the comments... Truth hurts I guess!

[MrDay]

This type of marketing worked quite well several years ago. Now this approach is over saturated and lost most of its potency, but it still can work well for certain demographics, like newbies in internet marketing.

cheers!