Engaging with Hipsters Ironically, Content for the Non-Mainstream May Be Popular

By: Chris Reid, Account Manager at Constant Content hip – ster /’hipster/ noun informal Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20’s and 30’s that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter. ~ The Urban Dictionary Q: How do you drown a hipster? A: In the mainstream. Many jokes have been told about hipsters. Which is interesting, as hipsters don’t actually exist – at least according to them. Call someone a hipster and you will be scolded for your lack of insight and generalization. Because you know, hipsters were only hipsters before it was cool. So how does one create content to reach this very fickle, very â€Å"obscure† genre of individuals? A good place to start is taking a look at what makes â€Å"authentic† hipsters tick and finding ways to appeal to their unique sensibilities. Here are 8 ways to reach the rare and obscure hipster (and a few jokes – sorry in advance, hipster friends): Help them be original Hipsters love to feel novel but sometimes even they need a little help. Make sure your content is unique and, if it is, they are much more likely to read and share it so they can claim to be the â€Å"first† who found it. â€Å"I was a millennial before they became a target demographic.† Thrive on apathy and irony This is especially important. Don’t try to be cool. But if you do, do it ironically. â€Å"Did you hear about the two hipsters who walked into a bar? The first one did it before it was cool, and the second one did it ironically.† Don’t interrupt brunch Generally, don’t post anything before 12pm. Any earlier and you’ll undoubtedly catch them while they are at the â€Å"best† undiscovered hole-in-wall breakfast joint around. A: Because he ate his food before it was cool. Understand their struggle Hipsters are nonconformists, valiantly fighting the battle against stuffy corporate culture. Therefore, create content that’s quirky, fun and maybe even a bit risky to grab their attention. â€Å"I enjoy being downvoted. It shows that I have a unique opinion.† Flash your hipster credentials Talk about how organic, local or homegrown your products are and you’ll have them eating out of the palm of your hand. Hipsters especially value startup, mom-and-pop shops that specialize in quaint handmade goods. â€Å"You drink Starbucks? That’s cool. I pick my own coffee beans so I don’t abuse 3rd world farmers.† Accentuating your business’s human side can help to create a more personal, authentic relationship with hipsters. If possible, casually add in some photos of you drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon and/or anything out of a mason jar. Appreciate old is new again Related to your credentials, fixed gear bikes, typewriters and polaroid cameras are essential items for the modern hipster. Use images of these objects as visual confirmation of your hipster knowledge and trendiness. But again, don’t try to be cool. â€Å"I like mainstream. Because hating mainstream is too mainstream.† Induce beard stroking We all appreciate a good beard on a man but hipsters especially pride themselves on them. Therefore, your content needs to be interesting and thought-provoking enough for them to need to stroke their beards while reading. â€Å"I’m not a hipster. Beards are just ironic.† Kale, Kale†¦. and more Kale If all else fails, talk about kale, and the many things you can do with kale, and all the reasons why kale is the most important thing in the world. Although you may never meet someone owning up to the title of hipster, it’s obvious that there are many of them out there. The biggest take away here is understanding that you need a special kind of originality when it comes to hipsters. Content that will engage this group, who are either on the leading edge of cultural trends or a large part of it’s ironic revival, is a delicate balance of trendiness, mixed with obscurity and laden with sepia overtones.