2/ Inflating expectations only to disappoint is actually broadcast media rhetoric. Online the tactic hits reductio ad absurdum rapidly.
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3/ The native mode of online writing is to *lower* expectations upfront and then exceed them. "Cult classic" is the main mode of the web.
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4/ This is counterintuitive. For something to be a cult classic, you have to have a "why isn't this better known?" sense of discovery.
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5/ Good online-native marketing imbues writing/media with a stealth "more than worth the click" quality. Slow-release virality.
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6/ This is what creates staying power on the Web. Fads are old media imports. Famous memes last surprisingly long. People keep missing this.
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7/ Perception that online media are ephemeral: exactly wrong. Online native media objects have a longer lifespan than old media equivalents
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8/ We approach online surfeit with discovery-work mindset. Google needs "I feel lucky" button because people *don't* expect to get lucky.
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9/ Biggest kick you can get online is the sense that you have discovered a rich new vein few know about. I last had that with tvtropes.
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10/ If you're trying to establish a source with a "rich vein" brand perception, the last thing you want to do is clickbait/oversell up front
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11/ Instead you need to *validate* the reader's default that most things are not worth the click, and let *them* decide you're an exception
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12/ You're appealing to deal-hunting instincts really. Conveying a sense that your stuff is a "steal" in terms of the discovery work needed.
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13/ In information abundance world apparent-secrecy-through-apparent-obscurity is a gold standard. Produces steady, near-zero-cost WOM.
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14/ Surprisingly, rich-vein marketing is easy to do accidentally by focusing on quality and neglecting/going-slow on marketing. But...
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