Most brands and personalities try to appeal to a wide swath of the population. Niche players and polarizing personalities are only ever going to be interesting to a small subgroup. While this might seem like a disadvantage, it’s actually a huge opportunity: Because it allows them to leverage the dismissals, anger, mockery, and contempt of the population at large as proof of their credibility.

The old playbook stopped working…until Milo Yiannopoulos came along and a new generation picked it up again.

Source: I Helped Create the Milo Trolling Playbook. You Should Stop Playing Right Into It.