MBA2642 Q&A Wednesday: How Do I Deal With Negative Comments on Social

Wed Jun 25 2025

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.

Summary

The $100 MBA Show: MBA2642 Q&A Wednesday – How Do I Deal With Negative Comments on Social

Release Date: June 25, 2025
Host: Omar Zenhom

Introduction

In Episode MBA2642 of The $100 MBA Show, host Omar Zenhom addresses a common challenge faced by entrepreneurs and content creators: handling negative comments on social media. Drawing from his extensive 20+ years of entrepreneurship experience, Omar provides actionable strategies to manage negativity effectively, ensuring that it doesn't hinder business growth or personal well-being.

The Reality of Negative Comments

Omar begins by reassuring listeners that encountering negative comments is a natural part of building a visible and impactful presence online. He emphasizes that "the only people who don't get negative comments are people no one sees" (04:20). This visibility signifies that your content is resonating enough to provoke reactions, both positive and negative. Instead of fearing criticism, Omar encourages embracing it as a sign of engagement and impact.

Types of Negative Comments and How to Handle Them

Omar categorizes negative comments into four distinct types, offering tailored strategies for each:

The Troll (01:40)
- Characteristics: Trolls aim to provoke and disrupt without offering constructive feedback. Their comments are typically insults or nonsensical remarks, such as, "This is dumb" or "Who even are you?"
- Strategy: Omar advises ignoring trolls to avoid feeding their need for attention. However, if a troll's comment is offensive or harmful to the community, he recommends blocking or muting the individual to maintain a positive environment. Interestingly, Omar shares his personal approach of responding with kindness, saying things like, "Sorry, this content wasn't for you, I'll work harder" (02:30), which often leaves trolls unresponsive.
The Keyboard Expert (03:10)
- Characteristics: These commenters present themselves as knowledgeable authorities, using minor disagreements to challenge the entire content. Examples include, "Actually, that's not how it works" or "You forgot to mention X."
- Strategy: When faced with respectful criticism from keyboard experts, Omar suggests responding with facts and clarity to address their points. If the criticism lacks respect, maintaining kindness is key. He also recommends leveraging such feedback to create new content, thereby turning criticism into an opportunity for engagement and improvement.
The Misunderstander (05:00)
- Characteristics: Misunderstanders misconstrue the message, leading to comments like, "So you're saying a college education is worthless," when the actual statement was about not needing a college degree to build a business.
- Strategy: Omar highlights the importance of clarifying misunderstandings calmly and succinctly. He portrays misunderstandings as hidden opportunities to create more in-depth content that addresses these misconceptions, thus strengthening the relationship with the audience.
The Constructive Critic (06:15)
- Characteristics: Unlike the other types, constructive critics offer valuable feedback aimed at improving the content. They might point out missing information or suggest enhancements.
- Strategy: Embracing constructive criticism, Omar advocates for acknowledging and thanking the critic, clarifying any points as necessary, and using the feedback to refine future content. This approach not only demonstrates maturity but also builds greater respect and trust within the audience.

Turning Negativity into Growth

Omar shares a personal anecdote about his initial struggles with receiving negative comments when his following was small. Over time, he learned to "reframe negativity as data" (07:00), recognizing that such comments provided insights into his audience's fears, misunderstandings, and sensitivities. By analyzing negative feedback, he was able to create more targeted and effective content, addressing common objections and enhancing his value proposition.

Practical Tactics for Managing Negative Comments

Pin a Classy Reply (08:30)
- For comments rooted in legitimate concern, respond clearly and kindly, then pin the comment. This showcases leadership and composure, building trust among viewers who witness the interaction.
Create Content from Pushback (09:00)
- Utilize recurring objections as inspiration for new content. For example, addressing why paid content is valuable compared to free alternatives can turn criticism into informative and engaging material.
Create a Wins Folder (10:15)
- Maintain a collection of positive feedback, testimonials, and supportive messages. This "rainy day folder" serves as a reminder of the positive impact and helps mitigate the emotional toll of negative comments.
Respond, Then Let It Go (11:05)
- Establish a personal rule to respond to each negative comment once, remain calm, and then detach emotionally. This practice ensures that negativity does not consume your focus or energy.

Encouragement and Final Thoughts

Omar concludes the episode by motivating listeners to persevere despite negative feedback. "If you're building something meaningful... there will be noise. There will be haters. But don't let it stop you" (13:00). He underscores the rarity and value of creators who continue to contribute positively, urging entrepreneurs to stay the course and leverage negativity as a catalyst for growth and improvement.

Additional Resources

Listeners are invited to sign up for Omar's "Three Things" newsletter via 100mba.net, which offers weekly insights and actionable advice to support entrepreneurial growth.

Notable Quotes:

"The only people who don't get negative comments are people no one sees." – Omar Zenhom [04:20]
"Negative comment is not the worst thing. No comments is worse, okay?" – Omar Zenhom [04:45]
"Reframe negativity as data." – Omar Zenhom [07:00]
"Respond with kindness." – Omar Zenhom [02:30]
"Be proud of making waves." – Omar Zenhom [06:50]

Conclusion

Episode MBA2642 of The $100 MBA Show serves as a comprehensive guide for entrepreneurs and content creators navigating the often daunting landscape of social media negativity. Through practical strategies and personal insights, Omar Zenhom empowers listeners to transform negative comments into opportunities for growth, fostering resilience and continuous improvement in their business endeavors.

Transcript

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Omar Zenhom (1:21)

You finally do it. You hit publish on your reel, on your carousel, on your video, on YouTube. You're proud of it. But then something happens. A negative comment. You look to see what it is and this is dumb. You're an idiot. Who cut your hair. Get a new barber. Who even are you? Today's Q and A Wednesday's question comes from Jose and he asks Omer, 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. Have you ever thought about deleting a post because of fear of criticism? This one's for you. Let's get into it. Welcome Back to the $100 MBA Show. I'm your host Omar Zenholm, where I deliver practical business lessons three times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday to help you start, grow and scale your business. 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 put something negative out there, it probably means you're going to really resonate with the other people 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 technical. There are four types of negative comments that you're gonna see, and I'm gonna 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 outta you. They'll say comments like, this guy's a joke, or this is. Or, oh, my gosh, this is cringe. So what do you do with this? Right? 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, you know, engage with them. Now, I actually engage with some of these comments, and I engage in a way that surprises them. 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 going to say to that? The second type of quote unquote negative comment you're going to 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 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? 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 going to 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. 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 a, 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. 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.