024: How To Make $1M+ with Memes (with Jason Levin)
Aug 20, 2024
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Jason Levin, a creator, entrepreneur, and author, dives into the lucrative world of memes as the Head of Growth at Product Hunt. He reveals how to think in memes and shares astonishing stories of businesses, including one that sold for $100M, thanks to meme marketing. Jason discusses the balance of humor and strategy in engaging audiences and emphasizes that being funny online is a long-term game for brands. He also touches on the evolving role of creator collaboration in business, showcasing how teamwork drives success.
Understanding your target audience and their interests is crucial for creating relevant and impactful memes that resonate deeply.
Leveraging memes as a marketing tool can significantly enhance product visibility and drive substantial revenue for a brand or business.
Deep dives
Understanding Your Audience is Key
To create effective memes, it is essential to deeply understand your target audience and their specific interests. For instance, someone skilled in meme creation would struggle to make relevant content about a topic they are not familiar with, such as hockey. This emphasizes the need for creators to focus on niches they are passionate about, allowing them to resonate with their audience better. Whether it's freight, gardening, or family dynamics, memes can be tailored to various interests, emphasizing the problems and humor that relate to those communities.
Leveraging Current Trends for Meme Creation
Being tuned into current events and trends within a specific niche is crucial for producing timely and relatable memes. For example, memes often reflect and respond to trending topics, and a meme creator must stay active online to recognize which templates are gaining traction. Jason Levin's introduction of 'meme alerts' serves as a tool for creators to stay updated on trending memes. By observing popular templates and adapting them creatively, meme makers can engage their audiences effectively and opportunistically.
Memes as a Tool for Connection and Revenue
Successful memes go beyond eliciting laughter; they can significantly boost visibility for a product or service. Memes generate attention that can lead to increased sign-ups, connections, and even business partnerships. For instance, one viral meme can translate into thousands of dollars in revenue through heightened engagement and new client inquiries. In addition, the intangible benefits of creating memes allow for networking opportunities with influential figures, further amplifying the creator's reach and impact.
Building a Brand Through Memes
To make substantial revenue through memes, it is vital to have a foundational business or brand behind the content. While meme pages can drive traffic, the true profit lies in leveraging memes to enhance the visibility of a product or service. Companies like Wendy's and Netflix utilize memes to engage consumers, showing that humor can effectively market successful products. Essentially, focusing on creating a valued brand and using memes as a marketing tool creates a sustainable and profitable business model.
In today’s episode of The HeyCreator Show, Matt Ragland (@mattragland) and Tim Forkin (@timforkindotcom) interview Jason Levin (@iamjasonlevin), a creator, entrepreneur, author of Memes Make Millions, and self-proclaimed memelord who currently serves as the Head of Growth at Product Hunt.
Jason walks us through how to start thinking in memes, the reality of how memes can make millions for your company, and why being funny on the internet is the best long-term play for any brand.
(0:00) — Intro
(1:01) — How do I start thinking in memes?
(7:07) — How do memes make millions?
(14:56) — Someone sold their business for $100M by using memes