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The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World’s Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers
Master the art and science of using shameless propaganda for personal and social good.
Influencers have always deployed the power of hype to get what they want. But never in history have people been so susceptible to propaganda and persuasion as they are now. Hype truly runs our world.
Imagine if you could generate and leverage hype for positive purposes--like legitimate business success, helping people, or effecting positive change in your community. Michael F. Schein teaches you how.
In The Hype Handbook, the notorious marketing guru provides 12 fundamental strategies for creating and leveraging hype for good, including ways
Attract attention from people that matter
Create a community of acolytes to further your cause
Create an atmosphere of curiosity and intrigue
Sell your message with the skill of master
Create a step-by-step "manifesto"
Citing the latest research in psychology, sociology and neuroscience, Schein breaks the concept of hype down into a simple set of strategies, skills, and techniques--and illustrates his methods through stories of the world's most effective hype artists, including American propagandist Edward Bernays, Alice Cooper manager Shep Gordon, celebrity preacher Aimee Semple McPherson, Spartan Race founder Joe De Sena, and digital guru Gary Vaynerchuk.
Whatever your temperament, education, budget, background, or natural ability, The Hype Handbook delivers everything you need to apply the most powerful tools of persuasion for personal and business success.
Influencers have always deployed the power of hype to get what they want. But never in history have people been so susceptible to propaganda and persuasion as they are now. Hype truly runs our world.
Imagine if you could generate and leverage hype for positive purposes--like legitimate business success, helping people, or effecting positive change in your community. Michael F. Schein teaches you how.
In The Hype Handbook, the notorious marketing guru provides 12 fundamental strategies for creating and leveraging hype for good, including ways
Attract attention from people that matter
Create a community of acolytes to further your cause
Create an atmosphere of curiosity and intrigue
Sell your message with the skill of master
Create a step-by-step "manifesto"
Citing the latest research in psychology, sociology and neuroscience, Schein breaks the concept of hype down into a simple set of strategies, skills, and techniques--and illustrates his methods through stories of the world's most effective hype artists, including American propagandist Edward Bernays, Alice Cooper manager Shep Gordon, celebrity preacher Aimee Semple McPherson, Spartan Race founder Joe De Sena, and digital guru Gary Vaynerchuk.
Whatever your temperament, education, budget, background, or natural ability, The Hype Handbook delivers everything you need to apply the most powerful tools of persuasion for personal and business success.
- GenresBusinessNonfiction
211 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 11, 2021
27 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
Michael F. Schein
4 books16 followersMichael F. Schein is the founder and president of MicroFame Media, a marketing agency that specializes in making idea-based companies famous in their fields. Some of his clients have included eBay, Magento, The Medici Group, University of Pennsylvania, Gordon College, University of California Irvine, United Methodist Publishing House, Ricoh, LinkedIn, and Citrix. His writing has appeared in Fortune, Forbes, Inc., Psychology Today, and Huffington Post, and he is a speaker for international audiences spanning from the northeastern United States to the southeastern coast of China. His book The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World’s Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers, published by McGraw Hill, was released on January 12, 2021.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 24, 2021
Great read! Highly entertaining and thought provoking. The author shares some really interesting examples of hype artists over history and the different ways they achieved notoriety. Very helpful for anyone interested in new approaches to viral marketing.
July 21, 2025
a quick book, i don't doubt that some of the things in this book genuinely work (like data and certainty used together, also with being on trend), there is obviously a lot of data on this :) ...but some suggestions do feel like selling one's soul, while others are ridiculous, only because they sound even more like selling one's soul for whatever goal.
“instead of using jargon that other people have come up with, create your own, use it whenever possible. doing this will create instant expertise”…snake oil aside, i do believe this can actually work on some…but is it ethical…or at least not superficial...
“even using the word 'data' will provide much of the desired effect”…too funny, but most likely true, especially for non-technical people…unfortunately…
probably the best advice, follow and analyse the hype gurus that you'd want to be like, to learn their tricks.
it's not easy rating a book like this...it is right? is it relevant? is it promoting good values? the introduction says that you should use the information here in support of ethical things, that i liked.
i'm not a big fan of hype...but i can see how it's a tool to achieve specific goals, and can appreciate the value of that.
“instead of using jargon that other people have come up with, create your own, use it whenever possible. doing this will create instant expertise”…snake oil aside, i do believe this can actually work on some…but is it ethical…or at least not superficial...
“even using the word 'data' will provide much of the desired effect”…too funny, but most likely true, especially for non-technical people…unfortunately…
probably the best advice, follow and analyse the hype gurus that you'd want to be like, to learn their tricks.
it's not easy rating a book like this...it is right? is it relevant? is it promoting good values? the introduction says that you should use the information here in support of ethical things, that i liked.
i'm not a big fan of hype...but i can see how it's a tool to achieve specific goals, and can appreciate the value of that.
November 3, 2021
This book will tell you how to create hype to reach your goals in 12 strategies. It’s like a modern “Art of War” but the enemy is anonymity. He cites real-world examples of hyped YouTube stars like Gary V, authors, companies, countries, and leaders.
“Hype allows those without power to gain access to it....It gives the ignored a chance to grab attention and the unconnected a chance to penetrate inner circles.”
“Instead of crafting logical arguments, hype artists unfurl great tableaus of conflict, heroism, courage, belonging, and meaning….the best among them can make it happen with words alone.”
His goal is to teach hype to the good guys because the bad guys already know about it.
He wants “the best people making the best stuff [to be] armed with the strategies to most effectively—and ethically—attract attention to what they’re doing” to make the greatest impact.
“Imagine a world where the best ideas, the greatest products, the most interesting art, and the most meaningful causes don’t get swallowed up and forgotten…That is what hype can give us.”
An invaluable reference for anyone who wants to make a splash. There's no other like it.
@IvyDigest
“Hype allows those without power to gain access to it....It gives the ignored a chance to grab attention and the unconnected a chance to penetrate inner circles.”
“Instead of crafting logical arguments, hype artists unfurl great tableaus of conflict, heroism, courage, belonging, and meaning….the best among them can make it happen with words alone.”
His goal is to teach hype to the good guys because the bad guys already know about it.
He wants “the best people making the best stuff [to be] armed with the strategies to most effectively—and ethically—attract attention to what they’re doing” to make the greatest impact.
“Imagine a world where the best ideas, the greatest products, the most interesting art, and the most meaningful causes don’t get swallowed up and forgotten…That is what hype can give us.”
An invaluable reference for anyone who wants to make a splash. There's no other like it.
@IvyDigest
February 13, 2022
Sarcastic, informative, full of practical advice (including drinking green tea instead of coffee)... what can I say, this book is recommendable even if you do not give a heck about marketing.
Seriously, there is some good technical advice and I could find some action items for stuff I was postponing forever, as well as reinforcements of a few tricks I had already discovered on my own (arbitrage).
It can also be read as a short cultural history of the last few centuries with a gallery of characters ranging from Thomas Edison to M.me Blavatsky. I thoroughly enjoyed the jabs to Nate Silver and Simon Sinek. It is a pity, but I can sympathize with the author about avoiding trouble, that he did not tackle the greatest Hype artists of all time - moustachioed dictators of the 20th century.
I think this author could write about anything and I hope he will produce other books in the future on whatever subject, just for the pleasure of reading him.
Seriously, there is some good technical advice and I could find some action items for stuff I was postponing forever, as well as reinforcements of a few tricks I had already discovered on my own (arbitrage).
It can also be read as a short cultural history of the last few centuries with a gallery of characters ranging from Thomas Edison to M.me Blavatsky. I thoroughly enjoyed the jabs to Nate Silver and Simon Sinek. It is a pity, but I can sympathize with the author about avoiding trouble, that he did not tackle the greatest Hype artists of all time - moustachioed dictators of the 20th century.
I think this author could write about anything and I hope he will produce other books in the future on whatever subject, just for the pleasure of reading him.
April 7, 2023
This is one of those rare marketing-focused books (caveat: I don't read marketing-focused books often!) that reads beautifully and is packed with fascinating stories. I love, too, that the advice in the book can apply to anyone with a "product" of any kind: a song, a work of art, a novel, etc. He references punk rock bands, writers, and entrepreneurs who have used hype to expand their audience. The advice is smart and the writing is excellent--what more could you want? I'm not a hype artist myself, but I wish I could be, especially after reading this book!
May 22, 2022
The writing is gorgeous!
Well-researched and well-argued. The beginning was really my favorite part. I loved the Alice Cooper reference and that idea of shocking people to get their admiration is just WOW and the way that works is so true! A very thought-provoking text!
“…under promise and over perform.”
Well-researched and well-argued. The beginning was really my favorite part. I loved the Alice Cooper reference and that idea of shocking people to get their admiration is just WOW and the way that works is so true! A very thought-provoking text!
“…under promise and over perform.”
January 25, 2023
Interesting book. Felt like alot of opinion guidelines verse hard rules to follow. Much of it is "duh, that's obviously", but of course takes someone else to write it down. The author has some STRONG opinions about popular people that use "Hype" in there careers. Good or bad, it's an okay book. Not great. I'm not sure I bought the hype.
February 3, 2023
While it does contain some useful (if perhaps obvious) points, in the end this is just another mediocre pop psychology book. With skin-deep research and tired, dubious examples (Richard Branson, Andy Warhol, Scientology, Tony Robins), you constantly feel like you’re just a word-count distance from a BuzzFeed article.
June 21, 2021
I really like the examples author shared and how he tied them into modern-day life. Not only does he provide examples of hype but provides the logic behind them. He also provides ideas for you to implement at the end of each chapter. Great read!!
April 26, 2021
Excellent book, informative, entertaining and very well written
July 23, 2021
An excellent book on how to use the power of hype for good! Highly recommended, even for students of psychology in general. The tips could be used in any number of contexts.
March 9, 2022
The author's premise in the book is "the bad guys are doing it, so why shouldn't the good guys do it too?" If you can see the fallibility in that, read no further and you'll understand why I rated this book so low.
The unethical principle notwithstanding, a handbook is an artifact that provides clear, concise guidance on doing things. This book, though called a handbook, is far from it. It's a collection of historical anecdotes about people who created a buzz or enthusiasm for their product or service which the author mislabels as "hype". It also consists of creative (and even radical) marketing ideas that the author mislabels as "hype".
My problem with anecdotal books on business elements is that it is easy for anyone to look at history and say, "ah, see? that's a successful way of doing things" without really delving into (leave alone unearthing) specific nuances that led up to the specific decision or action that an author refers to as the subject. Schein does the same thing - "Rolling Stones' guy did that and so it must be good, easy and naturally the right thing to do" without keeping in mind the environment in which that action was taken or the consequences or outcomes experienced.
It is no doubt that Schein is a believer of the "hype machine" and starting from the title to the words in the book just seem his way of creating hype for his beliefs. From some of the methods he describes in the book, it makes me suspect that some, if not most, of the 5 star ratings for this book could be him using one of those methods - get others to help you create the hype by leaving good rating/review/testimonials. I am not sure that it is the case, but it wouldn't be out of the realm of the author to have done so considering his beliefs about creating false narratives in order to promote a product or service.
If my marketing person tried to pass any of the methods as ethical marketing tactics, they would be fired immediately; that's how toxic I feel the content of this book is.
It's a well-written book, but I don't think what's written is something that will leave this world a better place.
The unethical principle notwithstanding, a handbook is an artifact that provides clear, concise guidance on doing things. This book, though called a handbook, is far from it. It's a collection of historical anecdotes about people who created a buzz or enthusiasm for their product or service which the author mislabels as "hype". It also consists of creative (and even radical) marketing ideas that the author mislabels as "hype".
My problem with anecdotal books on business elements is that it is easy for anyone to look at history and say, "ah, see? that's a successful way of doing things" without really delving into (leave alone unearthing) specific nuances that led up to the specific decision or action that an author refers to as the subject. Schein does the same thing - "Rolling Stones' guy did that and so it must be good, easy and naturally the right thing to do" without keeping in mind the environment in which that action was taken or the consequences or outcomes experienced.
It is no doubt that Schein is a believer of the "hype machine" and starting from the title to the words in the book just seem his way of creating hype for his beliefs. From some of the methods he describes in the book, it makes me suspect that some, if not most, of the 5 star ratings for this book could be him using one of those methods - get others to help you create the hype by leaving good rating/review/testimonials. I am not sure that it is the case, but it wouldn't be out of the realm of the author to have done so considering his beliefs about creating false narratives in order to promote a product or service.
If my marketing person tried to pass any of the methods as ethical marketing tactics, they would be fired immediately; that's how toxic I feel the content of this book is.
It's a well-written book, but I don't think what's written is something that will leave this world a better place.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews