Image courtesy of Ms. blog

Who is Feminist Hulk? He’s a mash-up between a muscle-bound, radioactive monster and a card-carrying feminist whose own personal superhero happens to be Judith Butler. And he’s become a cult favorite on Twitter (16,000+ followers) with his ALL-CAP reflections on modern-day patriarchy, gender and feminist intervention.

Feminist Hulk isn’t formally tied to any nonprofit. But he could be. If you’re a cause-driven organization struggling to generate social media buzz and build Twitter followers, one approach might be to adopt a colorful persona who can add some winking humor and pop culture cool to promote your issues.

Ms. Magazine’s Blog recently did an interview with Feminist Hulk and “J,” his “literary life-partner.” Here’s FM’s response about his origins:

IN BEGINNING, HULK SMASH FOR LOVE OF SMASH. LATER, HULK REALIZE CRAVING FOR SMASH CAUSED BY HYPERLINK HEGEMONIC FORCES WHICH DISCONNECTED HULK FROM SELF. HULK QUESTION SYSTEMS OF PRIVILEGE. SOON HULK SMASH WITH GREATER PURPOSE. CULTURAL MINDFULNESS GIVE HULK SUPERPOWERS OF ANTI-PATRIARCHAL SMASH!

This approach wouldn’t work for every nonprofit, of course. But given the personality-driven appeal of Twitter, it’s worth thinking outside the box. Are you a land conservation group? Maybe your Twitter persona could be an “Angry Beaver” whose habitat is threatened. Are you running a campaign targeting a bad corporate actor? Try on the voice of an imposter CEO or PR flak trying to spin his way out of the mess he’s created.

The key is to be true to the voice you’ve created. And tweet on topics that aren’t necessarily about your immediate issue. Part of the fun is applying your persona’s point of view to current events and other trending topics.
People like to follow Tweeters who have a distinct personality and thoughtful or playful take pm things. If you make them laugh, you’ll score big points and keep them coming back for more.

Thanks to Fenton’s social media wiz Hugh McMullen for the Hulk tip off!