Have you surprised your audience?

I’m not talking about your-subscription-rate-going-up-$50 kind of surprise. I’m talking about pleasant surprises. 

It’s not just nice for the audience; it can also grow your audience because people who enjoy a surprise frequently share and talk about it with others.

In the past month, two content surprises made the headlines in mainstream media. 

Playing a prank

YouTuber Nikocado Avocado (his real name is Nicholas Perry) posted a 25-minute video saying: “Today, I woke up from a very long dream, and I also woke up having lost 250 pounds off of my body. And just yesterday, people were calling me fat and sick and boring and irrelevant … People are the most messed-up creatures on the entire planet, and yet I’ve still managed to stay two steps ahead of everyone. The joke’s on you.”

Now, let me back up a little bit. Nikocado Avocado has made his business on mukbang (a new word for my lexicon and one that isn’t my cup of tea). He posts videos of him eating large amounts of food, and he’s attracted over 4M subscribers.

The reveal video gained 26M views in the first couple of days. 

Nicholas, who went from 411 pounds to 158 pounds, explains to NBC News how he pulled off the surprise, “I’ve been strategically posting pre-recorded videos for two years on both YouTube and TikTok. I edited the videos so they would appear recent, allowing me to focus on healing my body behind the scenes.” 

That requires a lot of planning. Imagine creating a calendar with two years of content AND executing most of that content in advance. It’s an inspiration for all content entrepreneurs. You don’t need to plan two years out, but go ahead and plan further ahead. If you have one month done now, go for two more weeks. If you have planned a quarter’s content, add another month. Want some help? Here’s a basic content planning calendar template to get you tracking.

But has Nikocado Avocado’s content really been part of a prank or just an ongoing deception? The answer isn’t the same for everyone. Some may like the surprise reveal. Others might think he betrayed their trust that he was accurately portraying his current life and environment. I bet the kind of audiences that enjoy mukbag content will continue to watch his channel as he’ll continue eating massive quantities for the camera at his lower weight.

Should you pull a prank to surprise your audience? No. You’ve built (or plan to) build a business around your expertise and knowledge. Developing a trusting relationship with your audience is essential to long-term success. Don’t blow that just to get a laugh or surprised reaction.

That doesn’t mean, though, you can’t surprise your audience.

Unveiling a mystery in plain sight

Earlier this month, the Cleveland Guardians Hot Dogs posted on X with this message for Taylor Swift fans: “Check out the first word of our last 396 tweets dating back to October 14th! There might be something special waiting for you!”

Before I make the reveal, let me explain the Hot Dogs. They’re the running mascots for the city’s Major League Baseball team. Mustard, Ketchup, and Onion race each other every fifth inning, and yes, they have a collective account on X. And what’s Taylor Swift got to Cleveland? She’s dating Cleveland native Travis Kelce, who threw out the first pitch on Opening Day 2023.

So, anyway, that tweet got Swifties and curious observers invested in solving the mystery. Spoiler alert: The first words of the 396 tweets are lyrics to her song, You Belong With Me. 

“I’ve spent the last 24 hours going through the last 11 months of their timeline to try and figure out what they could possibly mean. Got out the old notepad, found a pen, and went to work,” writes Ohios Tate on Barstool Sports.

Interestingly, the Cleveland Hot Dogs social media team had a year-long plan. While they didn’t yet know the exact subject for each tweet, they knew the first word. Surprising your audience requires having a plan in advance.

The team also executed a reveal that wasn’t really a reveal. They let the audience do the work to discover the surprise. Some, like the Barstool guy, took it upon themselves to figure it out, and others, like me, waited for others to do the work. But it all took time – time for the audience to remember the Cleveland Hot Dogs brand and be impressed by their work.

That’s a level of engagement that content entrepreneurs should envy. So, the next time you’re planning your content, think about adding an element of surprise that fits your content tilt and your audience. It could be a single video or article that hints at the unexpected in the beginning and delivers a payoff at the end. Or it could be a series that does something similar? What could you do with an online course? Imagine the possibilities, pick the one that works best for your business, resources, and audience, and do it.

About the author

Ann regularly combines words and strategy for B2B, B2C, and nonprofits, continuing to live up to her high school nickname, Editor Ann. An IABC Communicator of the Year and founder of G Force Communication, Ann coaches and trains professionals in all things content. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.