Should You Create a Publicity Stunt to Boost Views?

Twitter feud anybody? Celebrities date, fight, and post cryptic tweets all the time; and, YouTubers have followed suit. Clout chasers spill the tea! If you get drawn into the drama, you may want to dabble in your own publicity stunt to boost views. But is it worth the risk?

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Although the notion of a publicity stunt to boost views seems silly for small creators, but I've personally thought about it. I wanna dish the goods to my viewers! (And drama follows me around in real life, so why not digitize it, haha!) However, would anyone care about a small YouTuber yelling hooplah? And could this backfire? We also forget that a publicity stunt does not need to be negative or petty. Let's break this down, so you can make the right decision for you and your brand.

Should You Create a Publicity Stunt to Boost Views?

Below are some question to ask yourself to make sure you are in the right stage of your career and mindset to formulate a PR stunt. 

Do you have an audience? At this time, we cannot count your 25 video views and call them an audience. When I use the word "audience," I'm referring to repeat viewers who make their presence know through commenting. You need to start off with some traction before you take the leap.
Does your idea match your brand? If you're a kids channel, creating or even addressing drama may hurt you from the beginning. Parents don't want that message given to their children. And kids, depending on their age, don't care about spilt tea.
​How do you want to be known? If you're the creator of drama or just always pulled into the mess, people will give you full affiliation. That's how their minds work. If you want to be perceived as someone with maturity and class, don't engage.

Can you handle the negativity? Scroll through Tana Mongeau's video comments. It's been months since her TanaCon controversy, many more months since the N-word controversy, and so on. Many people have forgotten her scandals, but the haters never do. They continue to bring up her past in the comments and constantly use them as examples to define her character or deem her a liar even when she's truthful. You're past will haunt you. You must be ready to handle the worst when you go through the scandal, but constantly wear a thick skin for months and months afterward. (Remember, a PR stunt doesn't have to be mean or petty.)
Are you putting yourself or somebody else in harm's way? In history, people have chosen dangerous stunts in order to gain the public's attention. From climbing buildings to fasting for days, these tactics have lead to emergency room visits and death. Don't do these things.
Are you promoting violence, racism, etc? There are certain controversies you can never bounce back from. Even a celebrity like Kevin Hart was asked to apologize again years later for his homophobic jokes in order to host the Oscars 2019. (Although he refused to say sorry and was dropped as a host.) These scandals are not cute, not funny, not good...don't even entertain the idea.

How to Create a Publicity Stunt to Boost Views

A great PR stunt creates a reaction. Moves should be calculated without too many nuts and bolts to work. If you have to explain a multi-layer plan where A must work to make B happen, and C must perfectly align with D, then your idea is too complicated. 

Only use trusted players. Don't stage an online feud with your best content creator friend unless you have 100% confidence. You're unsure if they will expose you on purpose or accidentally. Fake fights often look fake. Celebrities don't pull these PR stunts off by themselves. They work with a PR specialist, aka a publicist. Fans can spot fake fights fast anyway. If you're a super-mega small content creator, your fight may look silly and make you look annoying to follow. Bee boo bop.

You may also wonder how you personally should react to your PR stunt. Observe how the Kardashians react. When a drama bomb drops (planted by Momager Kris Jenner of course haha.) The sisters all go quiet, return to posting like nothing happened, and then a few leaked hints here or there. It takes forever to get a confirmation.

I know, this article was exhausting. It almost seems easier to create your own drama channel. But hey, you can always take the advice in this article for your back pocket.