What to do when the world %$#@! hates you 💔

The super satisfying way to deal with hate (a step-by-step playbook)

I want to preface and make it clear that getting hate is generally a good thing. If your customers don’t hate/love you → they simply don’t care about you.

And trust me, being on the ‘hate’ side is way better than being stuck in the neutral valley of death. Once you get attention (which can only be achieved on either the ‘love’ side or the ‘hate’ side) — it is fairly easy to gain control of the narrative and “flip the script”.

Here’s how:

1. 👂 Show you truly get why they’re mad

2. 🏕️ Go to where your haters gather

3. 🤸‍♀️ Respond with non-insulting humor

4. 🫨 Amplify the absurdity to reclaim the narrative

Let’s break it down 👇

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Step 1: 👂 Show you truly get why they’re mad

A month ago, tech reviewer Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) launched a premium wallpaper app.

But the world hated it:

Two weeks later, Marques released an apology video:

I honestly think those 15 minutes are a masterclass in apologizing:

1. He summarized all the negative feedback to show he understands it

2. Took full responsibility

3. Explained the behind-the-scenes story

4. Fixed the app based on feedback

5. Shared a plan for the future.

This level of transparency + action is exactly how you should admit your mistakes. Even if your haters are totally wrong, start by reflecting their concerns back to them. Show them you get it, without pointing fingers.

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Step 2: 🏕️ Go to where your haters gather

The next step in the playbook is to (A) find where all your haters talk to each other; (B) be present there. This could be anywhere—Facebook groups, Slack communities, Reddit subreddits, random forums, or social media.

Marques quickly realized the hate was mostly on Twitter, so he engaged there:

Here’s another amazing example:

Sonos has been having a rough time lately: their new app update made a lot of people angry. I checked out the r/Sonos subreddit (261,000 members) and expected to see tons of complaints… But I found something unexpected:

People really like a Sonos employee named Keith!

Who is Keith? He’s:

• A very active user in the r/Sonos community

• Identifying as a Sonos employee

• Somehow winning over customers during a tough time

This leads us to the next step — *how* to respond to the haters:

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Step 3: 🤸‍♀️ Respond with non-insulting humor

In an interview with Rachel Karten (her newsletter is fantastic), Keith explained how he uses humor on Reddit. In a nutshell:

1. 🤣 He replies with funny GIFs to lighten serious situations.

2. 🎬 He talks about movies and other fun topics, not just Sonos products.

3. 🎯 He uses memes and trends that are popular on Reddit.

4. 👔 He mixes technical talk with casual, funny comments.

For example, after public layoffs at Sonos, when asked if he was okay, Keith replied with a GIF from “Weekend at Bernie’s”:

Remember, simply engaging isn’t enough — the secret sauce is always humor.

If you only provide customer support where your haters gather, without personal interaction → it’s just not effective. For example, in CrowdStrike’s subreddit, employees respond with dry technical solutions only: ❌

The one rule here is: Don’t laugh at your haters. Laugh with them or at yourself.

Oatly nailed this by creating a funny website called fckoatly.com (F*ck Oatly dot com), with all the negative feedback they’ve received:

They acknowledged the hate (Step 1), shared it where haters gathered (Step 2), and infused humor (Step 3).

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Step 4: 🫨 Amplify the absurdity to reclaim the narrative

This step is optional but powerful: Double down on the humor.

In other words, overreact to correct the wrong. Go over the top to show you’re investing time and effort into addressing the hate. It might even show haters that the reason for the hate isn’t that bad (…or even absurd).

Oatly didn't stop at one website. They also created:

• fckfckoatly.com

• fckfckfckoatly.com

• fckfckfckfckoatly.com

• And so on.

Practical ideas to double down:

1. 😈 Host a “Roast [Your Company]” event

2. 🍿 Organize a funny AMA (Ask Me Anything) session

3. 👕 Create limited edition “I Survived [Your Crisis]” merch

4. 💰 Hire vocal critics as beta testers (literally pay them to ‘consult’ you)

🛟 TL;DR: Your playbook to deal with hate

Here’s a printable checklist you can keep:

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🤫 Psst… a hidden insight

This playbook isn’t just for customers — it works for internal work conflicts too. ✅ Replace “customers” with “colleagues” or “managers”, and this playbook still works 100% well.

1. Show you truly get why they’re mad: Don’t ignore their feelings or give up on the relationship.

2. Go to where your haters gather: Often, it’s just one person influencing others. Talk to them directly.

3. Respond with non-insulting humor: Keep it light, especially if tensions are high. Self-deprecating jokes can help here.

4. Amplify the absurdity: Go above and beyond in your next interaction. Over-deliver, then ask for feedback. This leaves them little choice but to acknowledge your effort (and now you can reclaim the narrative).

See you next week ✌️

Tom

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