How Movieset.com bought my attention and 3 Tips to Help you do it too.
Have a look in the sidebar, do you see that beautiful odd looking human being they call Bubbles? (not that handsome picture of me top right, scan down a little!) Weird right? It’s part of an outreach campaign by Vancouver Based Movieset.com aptly titled “Trailer Park Boys Secret Bribe Program”( shhhhh )
While I’m more used to being the out-reach-er, than the out-reach-ie, I have to give kudos to the Movieset.com team for their tact in what essentially is a pay for our attention plan.
The long and short of it is this, they will give me $50, as long as I plop that banner you see in the side bar and send out a tweet.
There’s more too it though. Here’s how they outlined the offer:
The MovieSet gang lifted 4 bags full of Trailer Park Boys DVDs but we can’t hold onto the stash so are giving the booty away with a sweepstakes. We gotta let all of Sunnyvale know about the goods so we’re offering you a bribe to spread the rumors.
Whatcha get:
1. Bottle of Ray’s liquor – $20
2. Bag of Nova Scotia’s finest – $20
3. Kitty – free + $10 for shots
Then comes the money shot:
We’ve done enough law breaking to know we can’t just mail all this contraband so instead we’ll send you a cheque for $50. You gotta be in USA or Canada to get the payola and be invited by MovieSet.com specifically. No hanger-ons and groupies.
3 Reasons Movieset.com Bought my Attention
1. Money isn’t the value proposition
If the email subject said “Post this link and We’ll Give you $50″ I might not even have clicked it. Offering money would risk making me feel cheap. Instead they played of my enjoyment of free kitties, liqour and contraband to peak my interest. When they finally drop the “We’ll Send you Money” line, I’m interested in the story more than the money.
2. The story is more than the sum of it’s parts.
The story provided me an angle, made $50 way more interesting and justified inclusion in a post such as this. Their strategy is represented by this equation: Obvious Angle + A Story Worth Talking About = Blog Posts
3. Humor goes a long way
There’s no hiding the end goal here, banners and links and traffic from more sites around the web, and movieset isn’t shy about it. The Secret Bribe Contest 
. That blatant and cheeky attitude, along with the underlying honesty it showcased removed any fears that I may have had around posting a banner and warrented me telling you about it. Humor brought me in and built some trust.
So how can you increase your chances of buying attention? Check it:
Tips for Buying Social Media Attention aka. Social Media Outreach
1) Tell a story
Even better, make a story obvious to a blogger by appealing to their niche and content type. ( I wrote about this from a social media angle, others may write as fans or haters of the show or real life trailerpark residents themselves, there are a variety of possibilities)
2) Answer the “Why?” Question
Offer value, whether that’s inside info, a prize or a away of being closer to your brand or product, trading value for attention is essential, it gives a blogger or visitor a reason to pay attention or take an action. The lesson from Movieset is that money is not the only, or even the best way, to offer value.
3) Be real
I “know” people behind movieset because I follow them online ( and some I know in real person too ). So previous social media interaction is a plus. Show bloggers you are a real person, share ways for the them to find out who you ( the out-reach-er) are. This is easily done by linking to your twitter account or blog.
So there you have it, a few simple ideas to make your social media outreach a little more successful. Now check out that contest for your chance to win some DVD’s! As a side note, I’ll be donating that beer money to a valuable cause, my volunteers helping me move next week. Thanks Movieset
Photo Cred: Principessa [Michelangelo]
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