Pod Insights The $100 MBA Show MBA2642 Q&A Wednesday: How Do I Deal With Negative Comments on Social About this episode Ever posted something online, only to be hit with criticism that makes you second-guess hitting "publish" in the first place? Jose had the same concern and wanted to know how top creators manage negativity without letting it derail their confidence—or even turn it into an opportunity for growth. In today's lesson, Omar breaks down a step-by-step framework for handling negative comments on social media. You'll discover the four main types of criticism, learn how to respond effectively without wasting energy, and explore ways to transform negativity into valuable content that fuels your success. Ready to strengthen your mindset and get smarter about feedback? Hit that play button at the top of this page to dive into the strategies that will help you tackle social media's toughest moments with confidence. To submit your questions, visit 100mba.net/q. Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://lm.fm/GgRPPHiSUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed
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1:28 Speaker 00 Today's Q&A Wednesday's question comes from Jose, and he asks, "Omar, how do you deal with negative comments on social media? They're really throwing me off." Jose, my man, you are not alone. Every single creator, entrepreneur, or anyone building in public deals with exactly this. So in this episode, I'm going to break down how to handle it emotionally, strategically, and even how to use it to your advantage. If you've ever thought about deleting a post because of fear of criticism, this one's for you. Let's get into it.
2:06 Speaker 00 Welcome back to the $100 MBA Show. I'm your host, Omar Zenhome, where I deliver practical business lessons three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, to help you start, grow, and scale your business.
2:19 Speaker 00 I want to step back for a moment and point something out incredibly important. The only people who don't get negative comments are people no one sees. All right? If you're getting pushback, it means you're out there, it means you're visible. That means you're loud enough to be heard, and that's a win. You're triggering some emotion, you're making someone pause, you're making someone take the time to write down a comment, even if it's negative. And listen, a negative comment is not the worst thing. No comments is worse, okay? You don't want to be vanilla. You want to actually strike some emotion inside of people. Because if somebody disagrees with you, or hates on you, or puts something negative out there, it probably means you're going to really resonate with the other people
3:03 Speaker 00 that are on the other side of the spectrum. That's an impact that you're making. And listen, impact invites friction. It's a part of the deal. You can't be remarkable and invisible at the same time. So first, Jose, congrats. You're in the game now. You're one of the people that are actually making waves, so be proud of that. Now, let's get tactical. There are four types of negative comments that you're going to see, and I'm going to show you what to do for each. Number one, the troll, right? They're not here to learn or discuss, they're here to provoke, right? They're here to get a rise out of you. They'll say comments like, "This guy's a joke," or "This is lame," or "Oh, my gosh, this is cringe." So what do you do with this, right?
3:48 Speaker 00 You can just ignore it. Trolls don't need a response, right? You don't need to feed them with your energy. That's exactly what they want. They want to get a response. They want you to say, "You're the joke, right? You're the one that's lame." Now, if a troll is writing something that might be offensive or hurtful to everybody else that is reading the comments, then you may want to block or mute that comment, or that person. To set some boundaries, to say, "That's not okay on my channel." But if they're just kind of like making some random insult, trying to get a rise out of you, you're not obliged to engage with them. Now, I actually engage with some of these comments, and I engage in a way that surprises them.
4:31 Speaker 00 They kind of want to get a rise out of me, they want me to get defensive or get angry. I reply with kindness, actually. I just kind of say, "Sorry, this content wasn't for you. I'll work harder." And like, 99 times out of 100, they don't reply. They don't even acknowledge it. Because what are they gonna say to that? The second type of quote-unquote "negative" comment you're gonna get is the expert, right? The keyboard expert, the person that acts like they know better. They use one point of disagreement to discredit everything you've said. They'll say something like, "Actually, that's not how it works." Or, "You forgot to mention X, right?" So what do you do in this situation? Well, if they're respectful, you want to respond with facts and clarity, right?
5:13 Speaker 00 You could make an honest mistake, and you can just clarify in the comments. If they're not respectful, respond with kindness still, okay? Respectfully, and then just move on. Or, you can turn it into content. And we're gonna talk about that in a bit. But you can write a comment like, "Hey, that's a good point. I might do a video about that." Third type, the misunderstander, right? These folks think that you're saying something that you're not. So a comment like this is like, "So you're saying a college education is worthless?" When I actually said, "You don't need a college education to build a business." So what do you do in this situation? Well, I clarify, I do it kindly, and I do it briefly. I'll reply like, "Hey, good question.
5:57 Speaker 00 What I meant, or what I was trying to explain in the video was this. Misunderstandings are actually opportunities in disguise. You can see it as, "Hey, maybe I gotta do a more in-depth video or piece of content about this." And number four, the constructive critic. Yes, some negative comments are actually valuable. Some might call you out for not being clear, or missing a key point, or misrepresenting something. In this case, I always like to own it. I like to correct it. I like to learn from it. And I say, thanks for the heads up. Great point. It's a community like this that makes this channel, makes this platform really amazing. I usually like to clarify in that moment, and then say, hey, I'll do better next time.
6:41 Speaker 00 This shows maturity, doesn't show weakness. It shows that, hey, you are smart enough to recognize when you can improve. Your audience is going to respect you more, not less. These days, you can get an answer from the internet, an influencer, or AI in seconds. But when it comes to legal matters, for your business or your family, a quick answer is not the same as the right answer. With 25 years of experience, LegalZoom knows how to start you off right. When you need a legal hand, visit LegalZoom. Go to LegalZoom.com to get started. LegalZoom provides access to independent attorneys and its law firm, LZ Legal Services. LegalZoom is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Be honest. As a business owner, how much of your day is actual work?
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8:15 Speaker 00 Let me tell you a story. When I started posting daily content on Instagram and TikTok, I had under 300 followers on both platforms. Nobody really cared. I really wasn't resonating with anybody. But when I started getting traction and posts were really getting viewed and commented and shared, I came across a lot of trolls. They would say things like, "Oh, you're just another course, bro," or "You look like another fake guru," or "It's easy for you to say, rich guy." And at first, I'll admit, it got under my skin because I'm not another course, bro. I've built multimillion-dollar businesses. I've built a software company. I've built consulting businesses. I've been doing this for a very long time. But here's
8:56 Speaker 00 what changed everything for me. I reframed it. I said, "Hate equals data," okay? Those comments were proof I was reaching people and that there's also clues there. Sometimes they revealed what people feared, what they misunderstood, what they were insecure about, what they were sensitive about. So I took those comments and I used them to create better content. So for example, if someone said like, "Well, that won't work if you have kids and a full-time job," I'd post a follow-up post or a follow-up piece of content and I would show, "Here's how to build your side hustle when you have kids and a full-time job," or "When you're busy," or "When you're on limited time," or "When
9:39 Speaker 00 you only have five hours spare a week." The hate, the negative comment, became fuel and it kept me sharp. So how do you turn negativity into growth? Let me give you some real tactics to handle this like an absolute pro. Number one, pin a classy reply. If someone posts like a spicy critique, but it's rooted in legit concern, respond clearly, kindly, and pin your comment, okay? You just demonstrated leadership. You demonstrated that you can be calm in front of everyone in a situation that is easy to get angry about. That builds trust. People are watching what you do and what you don't do. Number two, create content from pushback.
10:23 Speaker 00 Somebody keeps bringing up the same objection. Don't get frustrated. Make a video about it. Use it as content fodder. An example is, a lot of people ask me, "Why would I pay for this when I can find it on YouTube?" Let's talk about that. Boom. Now you have turned a negative comment into a valuable piece of content that will help you, your business, and your audience altogether. Number three, create a wins folder, or I like to call it a rainy day folder. A folder that you look at when you're having a bad day, okay? It's a folder of screenshots of nice comments, nice DMs, thank you messages, wins from my students or from my customers, testimonials. So when I read a negative comment
11:08 Speaker 00 or the haters surface, I open up that folder and I read those comments. And I remind myself, I don't let one person's opinion to outweigh hundreds of thousands of people that I've helped over the years. Number four, respond, then let it go. Set a personal rule. I do this. I reply once to somebody. I stay calm. Then I detach. I say to myself, hey, I'm not here to convince anyone. Everybody's free to do what they want to do. They can watch my content. They can unfollow me. It doesn't matter. I'm not here to please everybody. I'm here to help those who want to be helped. Jose, thank you for the question. And the truth is, is that if you're building something meaningful, if you're showing up with value and consistency, and you're trying to do good in the world,
11:53 Speaker 00 there will be noise. There will be haters. But don't let it stop you. Let it sharpen you. Let it refine you. Let it remind you that you're in the arena. Critics are easy to find. Creators are rare. And you are one of them. So keep going. We need more people like you putting their voices into the world.
12:17 Speaker 00 Thanks so much for listening to the $100 MBA Show. If you want to go deeper with me, if you want to continue to grow as an entrepreneur, sign up for my Three Things newsletter over at 100mba.net. Every week, I send you an email with three things: something to think about, something to do, and something to learn. It's free, it's personal, it's how I can coach you from afar, because I don't do any private coaching, and it's my way just to show up in your inbox and be helpful to help you grow as an entrepreneur every single week. All you gotta do is go to 100mba.net, sign up for any of our freebies, and it'll be sent our newsletter automatically. Until next time, keep on moving forward despite any negative comments that you might find on your content. It means that you're hitting
12:59 Speaker 00 a nerve. You're doing the right thing. Keep moving forward. I'll see you in the next one. Take care.
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13:27 Speaker 01 And my coffee-obsessed bestie?
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