Sorry, Nobody Cares About Your Small Business

NOTE: I wasn’t aware of the recent allegations against Neil Gaiman when making this video and that was an oversight on my part. In light of them, his support of the author mentioned in this video wouldn’t be something to draw attention to. Somewhere along the line, marketing got weird. This video looks at the rise of pity marketing — when creators or small business owners use sympathy as a strategy to boost sales. You’ve probably seen it: a tearful post about an empty book signing, a lonely craft stall, a desperate claim that a dream is dying. People respond, things go viral, products sell out. We go through a few examples, from genuinely moving moments to ones that feel a little more calculated. That includes the now-famous TikTok of an author’s aunt at an empty signing, plus similar stories that started strong but raised questions once people looked a little closer. We also talk about why this works. Platforms reward content that gets strong reactions, and pity gets clicks. It’s easier than ever to stumble across someone’s lowest moment, and harder than ever to tell what’s real. And as more people try to make a living online, the pressure to succeed — and be seen to be struggling just enough — keeps growing. This isn’t about dunking on anyone. It’s more about asking where the line is. When does a sad story stop being a moment of vulnerability and start becoming part of the sales pitch? We also look at how the reaction is starting to shift. As these posts become more common, some audiences are getting tired of being emotionally baited. Let me know where you land on it. Do you see it as a smart use of the tools we’ve got? Or is it just another sign of how strange the internet has become? New videos every couple of weeks. Tags: pity marketing, tiktok marketing, booktok, small business struggles, viral content, social media economy, emotional ads, internet culture, online business, creator grind, marketing tactics, digital storytelling, tiktok sales, sad tiktok trend, viral marketing strategy, small business tiktok, marketing ethics, influencer economy, creator burnout, hustle culture –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– This is not an AI channel. All materials in these videos are used for educational purposes and fall within the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. If you are or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video and have a problem with the use of said material, please send me an email, [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]), and we can sort it out. All stock video is from Envato Elements. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theinternetiseatingitself.com Threads: https://www.threads.net/@theinternetiseatingitself