Michael F. Schein: The Hype Handbook

Michael F. Schein is the founder and president of MicroFame Media, a marketing agency that specializes in making ideabased companies famous in their industries. His writing has appeared in Fortune, Forbes, Inc., Psychology Today, and Huffington Post, and he is a speaker for international audiences spanning from the US to China. He is also the creator of the popular Hype Book Club, which provides regular recommendations of books about hype artists and hype strategies.

Michael is the author of The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World's Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers*.

In this conversation, Michael and I explore his research on hype and how we can benefit from lessons throughout the history of human influence. We examine what we can learn from both positive and negative examples to discover how to brand ourselves better. Michael then invites us to frame the messaging about our own work to align with these human tendencies though a lens of genuine care and authenticity.

Key Points

We've evolved through history to seek guidance from those who appear miraculous.

Surprise and worthiness are two indicators of what people perceive as miraculous vs. simply chance.

The elements of your narrative are faders on a mixing board. Raise and lower different elements of the story to get the right mix.

Make a list of strengths and weaknesses and don’t mention your weaknesses for a week.

Reframe how some of your weakness might be strengths.

Develop your story using the elements of theatre.

Interview Notes

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