The depths of the internet will never cease to amaze me. I traverse some deep dark places online and come across a wide range of people, topics and just stuff. I am so curious about the internet and communities of people and how it all works.
But everytime you type something or create something that goes on the internet the trolls will show up and tear into you.
I’ve learned that internet trolls exist everywhere!

📚 Getting Started With Trolls
You don’t have to put an order for them, they will come uninvited with their unsolicited attitudes and opinions.
- I have seen cancer patients get trolled.
- I’ve seen suicidal youth charities get trolled.
- I’ve even seen brilliant and beautiful artists get slammed.
- I’ve seen the most kindest helpful and genuine people I know get trolled for helping random people get through life
- Hell, even Snoop Dog the collect MFer on the planet gets trolled.
This really says something about people online and us as humanity.
They. Are. Everywhere.
And if you are making any sort of impact in this world, you’re going to need to get used to them.
Infact, in many ways, trolls should serve as a sign that you are making waves as they have become a staple part of the online ecosystem.
So the first step is to take a deep breath if you’re currently having to deal with them. They ARE NOT a reflection of your self worth and please do not ever ever base any kind of decision on what a troll may have said to you other than the decision to let it be water off your back!
You can not make everyone happy online.
TYPES OF TROLLS
😡😡😡
Here is a list of the most common types of trolls you will likely encounter:
😡 The Angry Customer Troll
How to. Spot Them 👉These are customers that either struggled to get any response from your support team or weren’t happy with their purchase.
How to handle 👉 Believe it or not but you should come to LOVE these kinds of trolls as the social proof this will build on your online assets once you respond will be pure fuel to your marketing. Use this as a chance to look after the customer, show you care and handle the issue. Tip – never ever handle the logistics on the thread, always take it into a DM if possible.
Ex: “I bought my product six weeks ago and still nothing, this is just a big scam!”
Response: “Hey Fred, we’re so very sorry to hear you haven’t received your product yet! We would like to sort this out for you asap! Please send us a DM with the email address you used to purchase and we will resolve this matter for you!”
An ad with this kind of commenting will propel your conversion rate as this is the kind of stuff consumers want to see, a responsive and caring company.

🔪 The Psycho Troll
How to Spot them 👉I’ve only encountered two of these in my life, but boy oh boy – it makes me shudder to still think of those instances. These are extremely rare but have a sharp bite when they decide to come after you. They appear to have a personal vendetta against you and will go to great lengths to get a reaction from you and attempt to destroy you. They will even fake events that never took place.
How to handle 👉 If you have a psycho troll on your hands tread carefully. The key is not to trigger them further whilst putting and end to the madness. First reach out direct to them and leave a voice memo asking to clarify why the sudden attacks. If this leads no where involve a lawyer with a restraining order or cease and desist. Never get in an online fight with someone like this, it fuels them, remove yourself as soon as possible! 😡😡😡

🤖 The Bot Troll
These are basically fake bot farms that essentially are created to leave negative feedback and comments across ads and on blog posts.
How to spot them 👉 the comments seem irrelevant to you or what you’re talking about. When you click on the profile it’s a random logo or a page with no content on their feed
How to handle them 👉 They’re not human, no need to respond. Delete and block. If the issue is persistent and growing have a look at where your traffic is coming from and review your campaign objectives, or targeting.

🤬The Keyboard Warrior Troll
These trolls are a little bit nastier than the above and will make snarky comments, accusations or leave abuse that can sting like a bitch! Some will take things to the next level and start seeking out all of your content to troll, leave negative reviews on your page without ever having bought or worked with you and go so far as to create negative threads about you in forums.
How to spot them 👉 Horrendous use of grammar most of the time. Profile photo is more often than not some stock image or a cat picture. When you check out their profile their feed is mostly shared links. If you check your CRM you’ll see they’ve never purchased or worked with you before.
How to handle 👉They are rigid in their opposition to something, it stems from deep fear of change and the uncertainty it could bring. They must have everything on their terms and feel in control. This actually describes every single human being on this planet, however, this type of troll lacks the control in the aspects of their life that most of us as able to draw from and so find power in putting others down. If it’s abusive or hate-based comments – delete and ban. If the comments are about your product and integrity then respond in a non triggered manner.
For example: “this is a scam and they’re just ripping people off”
Response: “Hey Fred sorry to hear you think this is a scam, I can see from our records that you have never purchased from us before. Can you clarify why you say this is a scam! We have worked with over xyz customers and pride ourselves on being the best in the market”
If the comment is so ludicrous you can’t even answer in a logical way a good response is “you’re right”. There’s not much someone can argue about you after you tell them they’re right but to all others reading they will see how triggered the troll was to begin with:
Ex: “You’re just an alien trying to scam all the money.”
“You’re full of shit.”
Response: “You’re right”

👿 The Sex Troll
They seek validation through shock factor and sexual gratification. Some are genuinely trying to connect but their approach is less than ideal. These will also be men and women, don’t get me wrong it can be confusing when this happens but its still trolling.
How to spot 👉 the dick pic in your inbox is usually a good indication. Comments or messages that are generated around sex or sexual acts usually give it away too. 🍆 OR its those strange links that you have never seen before.
*Do not click links from random people on the internet this is a safety tip 101
How to handle 👉 Delete and ban the person from your ads. If someone messaged you you can also delete and ban although I must say my team and I have a bit of fun with these types and will respond with dick pics sent from other trolls.

📚 Ways to Mitigate Trolls
I’m of the opinion that you can’t truly ever get rid of them. I’ve worked with too many brilliant businesses and soloprenuers to have seen first hand that they are like the barnacles of the internet. You can settle in direct message with them and think its done and dusted, but they come back. The trolls are in it for either themselves or the legacy of the thing that triggered them off.
But, there are things you can put in place to protect yourself and or reduce the amount of trolling you get:
✅ Run awareness based campaigns before running your direct response
✅ Hire community managers to handle your posts and feeds
✅ Have fun with them
✅ Provide exceptional services and your customers will defend you
This is not a universal problem solver but its a starting point. Trolls are highly emotional and easily triggered, they also evolve and change tactics depending on replies, the community sentiment and how the situation changes.
They are hard to manage.
