Kristine
If you’ve never been personally targeted by a troll, you’ve almost certainly seen evidence of trolling on social media. Online platforms are goldmines for people who “instigate conflict, hostility, or arguments” solely to feed off the chaos they create. Trolls purposefully use outlandish and inflammatory language to emotionally manipulate their targets, often while hiding behind anonymous profiles to avoid facing real-life repercussions.
Dealing with a troll requires tact and thoughtfulness: two key things that these online mischief-makers frequently lack. These ideas will give you the inspiration you need to silence the trolls while making sure you (and your brand) come out on top.
1. Wait it out.
As long as a message isn’t downright offensive or abusive, the easiest way to take the wind out of a troll’s sails is to simply ignore their comments. Since the way you respond to criticism (no matter how ridiculous) can seriously impact your brand’s reputation, doing nothing shows maturity and level-headedness. You can also take it a step further by reacting to every legitimate comment except the troll’s inflammatory remarks.
2. Kill them with kindness.
CEO of Express Writers Julia McCoy explains, “A troll posts with the expectation of stirring up anger and arguments. If you ignore the content of their comment and instead respond with kindness, they won’t know what to do. It’s like pouring water on a lit fuse.” Entrepreneur David Olarinoye agrees, writing that unexpected kindness and genuine compliments can instantly diffuse any growing tension. “Sometimes the biggest compliment is a sincere agreement,” says Olarinoye. “A compliment changes the mood of the discussion entirely.”
3. Swiftly defeat trolls with humor.
Several brands have crafted witty Twitter personalities to humorously respond to critics without losing their brand voice. MoonPie’s Twitter, for example, has seemingly mastered the art of poking fun at trolls while simultaneously entertaining over 295,000 followers. In one instance, a user tagged MoonPie to say, “Your time is wasted managing a social media account.” MoonPie fired back with: “Buddy it’s Saturday night and you’re talking to a marshmallow sandwich on the internet.” The user later deleted their remark.
4. Save, share, and sit back.
If you have a large following on social media, you can swiftly turn the situation around by giving your audience a chance to respond to the troll themselves. Save the user’s comment, share it on your account with a neutral or casual caption, and let your followers do the rest. This will give the troll a taste of their own medicine and make them think twice before they try to start a meaningless argument online again.
