The curtain has been pulled back and I now know the true identity of the Rich Jerk.

Hes . . .

Nah, Im not going to reveal his identity in this article. However, I can tell you that I was really surprised when I found out his background. He wasnt who I had pictured him to be in my mind. Now, I knew the Rich Jerk was a created character since I had read a few discussions about the real person. I assumed he was a middle-aged computer programmer type guy.

I was wrong.

Regardless of who he is in real life, and whether or not you think his how to make money online ebook is good or not, no one can argue that his character the Rich Jerk has sold thousands of ebooks to eager online marketers. Maybe the real person behind the character wasnt rich when he started out, but he sure is now.

So, what is so appealing about this Rich Jerk character?

Hes an anti-hero: This guy flies in the face of conventional marketing politeness. Instead of warming up his prospects, he insults them with smarmy humor. His attitude is that hes better than you because he has made it big and youre just a wanna be who can barely tie your shoes. If you want to be successful online, then you better get a clue and listen to what he has to say or youre gonna stay a loser. He truly is a jerk.

He promises real solutions: He promises to reveal his strategies of how he makes money online. He tells you that his strategies are simple and that if you follow them exactly you will be in the money for sure. Now whether this claim is true or not is besides the point. He knows his audience WANTS to believe him. They have already bought into his whole persona and enjoy the idea that he wants to stuff his pockets full of more money by selling them his secrets. There are lots of people online looking for someone to show them an easy step-by-step way of making money and the Rich Jerk offers this.

Hes controversial: The Rich Jerk has many admirers and many haters. The haters are very vocal about what they dont like about his style of selling. Basically, they feel he is selling snake oil to unsuspecting people. Some accuse him of making big promises that the ebook just doesnt live up to. But what really seems to get peoples goat is his whole arrogant approach to marketing. Many people are turned off by his style in real life jerks are not people we want to do business with, but for some reason this jerky style works online. Hes a character that lots of people love to hate.

This controversy, of course, helps this jerk sell even more ebooks. As they say, controversy sells. This is very true, indeed.

This character has been so successful that it has spawned copycats and even anti-Rich Jerk products.

Will we see other types of characters pop up online promoting products?

Probably. When you think about it, fictional characters are nothing new to product marketing. Lots of products are identified with a specific character: The Morton Salt girl, Betty Crocker cake mix, the Maytag repairman, and Ronald McDonald.

The Rich Jerk proves that a fictional character can be used to successfully market a product online. However, the character will have to have some uniqueness in order to be memorable. The Rich Jerk copycats will never be as successful as the original. Originality is the key.

If you are thinking of creating a fictional character to promote your online product or service, heres what you should do:

Think of an interesting name: Names are important. When you first heard about the Rich Jerk, what did you think?

Who is this guy?

See, the name (or moniker) itself made you curious to find out more about this character. The characters name should be catchy and easy to remember.

Create a backstory: A backstory is what authors and scriptwriters use to flesh out a character. In order for any character to successfully touch people in a certain way, they have to be believable.

Who is this person?

How old is he or she?

Where did they come from?

How did they get to where they are now?

What is their purpose for being?

Treat your character like a real person. Give them life. Then youll create someone who the audience can really relate to (whether they love them or hate them).

Get the visual image right: Now you have a great character with an interesting story. Youve gotta make them look the way they sound. Decide how they will look and find a skilled artist or photographer who can create the image that will identify your character to the world.

Can you use yourself as a character?

You can, but be careful about what you say and what images you use to convey your message. Some people are pretty savvy and will dig up some background information on you, or discover things that can make you appear dishonest, regardless of whether or not that is your intent.

The mystery man behind the Rich Jerk character did his homework and spent good money and lots of time to create a memorable marketing character. You too can do the same if you are willing to put the time and effort into making your character believable and someone who will get people talking.

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