heated rivalry-ify your marketing
I promise this is relevant
In case you’ve been living under a rock, the whole world1 has been obsessed with the Heated Rivalry adaptation. I could write an entire dissertation on how well this adaptation has been made2, but you’re not here for that.
You’re here for marketing. And believe me when I say - there is a LOT you can take away from the marketing efforts of Heated Rivalry.
The Crave of it all:
Crave3 isn’t just promoting a show. They don’t just talk about something they are releasing. It is so clear that the marketing efforts are rooted in fans of the books and people who have studied what works in the book marketing space. They have built a cultural moment around it. Expertly, might I add.
And authors? If you’re paying attention, everything they are doing is something you can do - without needing a network, a team, or a million-dollar budget.
(Worth noting I’m speaking about social media only here. They’ve done a stellar job with full funnel marketing efforts and PR, but that can’t be easily replicated. Crave’s parent company is a media conglomerate which has given them a leg up on premium placements).
Crave Made Audience Conversation the Campaign - Not an Output
Most campaigns treat conversation as the result of a launch. We will often post and hope to get the engagement and conversation out of those posts.
Crave flipped the script. For them, the conversation is the launch. They didn’t wait for discourse. Instead, they seeded it.
clips chosen specifically for emotional chaos
ship-forward messaging
cheeky captions that are full of fandom in-jokes
They don’t speak at viewers…they speak with them.
Crave Leans Into Romance, Not Away From It
A lot of studios get shy about love stories, especially queer ones. They sand them down and neutralize the heat. They try to make the marketing “broad.” Booo….tomato tomato.
Crave is doing the opposite. They are saying:
“This is a love story.”
“This is yearning.”
“This is hot and sexy and consensual intimacy.”
They embrace tropes, high emotional stakes, softness, intensity, that ache. They are doing what studios never do and treating romance readers like they are, in fact, smart and worth the effort.
Crave Treats the Fandom Like a Partner, Not a Demographic
This is the masterstroke.
They aren’t placing fans on the outside of the glass looking in. They are handing them the mic by:
Reposting fan edits
Responding to chaotic comments
Amplifying jokes and reactions
Surfacing memes
Engaging with reader-coded humour
Meeting fans on their level, and not from a polished, corporate throne
They are making the fandom feel like collaborators, not consumers.
They Surface the Emotional Core of the Story
When you look at Crave’s social feeds, you notice something immediately:
They don’t obsess over loglines, synopses, worldbuilding or technical details. They obsess over feeling. The longing. The rivalry. The thirstiness. The softness under the armor. The spice.
Crave understands that Heated Rivalry is not about hockey. It’s not about a superficial romance. It’s about the emotional payload of wanting something you’re afraid to reach for.
They Move Fast
When a scene takes off, they clip it. When a moment goes viral, they lean in.
When fans spiral about an episode, they amplify.
There is so much to be said for speed to market and leaning in quickly and efficiently.
So how do we apply this to marketing as an author?
Post Clips of the Emotional Core (Book Quotes That Hit Like Scenes)
Don’t post summaries; post feeling.
Do this:
Pull 1–2 sentence lines that capture tension, yearning, softness, or an emotional punch…make readers feel
Pair each quote with a simple background, a character photo inspo, or an aesthetic image.
Caption with a short emotional prompt:
“This is the line that ruins everyone.”
“They’re idiots… but they’re my idiots.”
Why it works: Crave centers emotion in their marketing, not exposition. You don’t need to give it all away - you need to make your audience feel something.
Create Trope-Based Content, Not Book-Based Content
Listen, I know you’re gonna throw tomatoes at me for this and I will take them. Because, like it or not, tropes sell. They are the entry point. In a world of uncertainty, they are what anchors us as readers . Use them shamelessly.
Do this:
Make carousel posts like:
“If you love rivals to lovers, here are the 3 scenes you’ll scream over.”
“Slow burn? Nah, this is an agonizing burn.”
“He falls first, he falls harder: exhibit A.”Turn each trope into its own recurring content series
Tropes everywhere - have one slide that you are constantly using as your piece de resistance to really drive the point home
Why it works: Crave doesn’t hide the romance tropes, they spotlight them. Your book is more than its tropes, yes, but a trope is an easy way to get a reader to relate and be hooked. Get them with the trope…keep them with the depth and beauty of your storytelling.
Respond to Readers in Real Time
Don’t wait for perfect assets4. Don’t wait for the right moment. Move the second readers say something.
Do this:
Screenshot a comment that says “I’m obsessed with them” → post it with a funny or emotional reply.
Repost fanart, fan edits, or aesthetic boards (with permission).
Stitch or duet TikToks reacting to scenes from your book, fan reactions, or edits.
When someone makes a joke about your characters? Turn it into a graphic. Keep it going.
Why it works: Crave treats the fandom like collaborators, not spectators. Bringing your readers in on the joke, making them feel like they’re sitting at the table with you as you tee-hee about your book will make them go from casual readers to diehards.
Drop “Episode Energy” Posts After Key Chapters
The Heated Rivalry marketing has thrived because they’ve reacted quickly to the most deranged, emotional, or intense moments. Authors can mirror that by highlighting certain chapters (after the book is out or with ARC readers so you avoid too many spoilers).
Do this:
For a spicy chapter: post “Chapter 18 survivors, sound off.”
For an emotional chapter: “This is the scene that breaks them…and you.”
For a plot twist: “If you’ve reached that chapter… I’m sorry (I’m not.)”
Add a call-to-action: “Tell me what page ruined you.”
Why it works: This encourages conversation loops and creates community inside the reading experience. Plus it gives people FOMO so they want to pick up the book and see what the hell “stupid Canadian wolf-bird” means.
Make Character-Centric Posts (The Crave Secret Weapon)
Characters are the product. Crave sold Shane + Ilya as a dynamic, not just characters. They are the ship. And we are all willing to go down with it for more.
Do this:
“5 Things About Him That Hurt More Than They Should”
“Why He Loves Him But Will Never Admit It”
“The Moment He Realized… yeah. He’s so gone.”
“New Character archetype: chaos demon + restrained angel”
“If he texted like he thinks, here’s what it would look like” (screenshot style post)
Why it works: Readers fall for people first, plot second. If you look at all the marketing materials and fan edits, it’s all about them. So lead with your characters - character art, profiles, individual quotes, character cards…think it, do it.
Turn Your Posts Into In-Jokes Your Fandom Can Share
Crave has been using captions and scenes that feel like inside jokes. Authors can create this vibe deliberately, too.
Do this:
“You’re either a [Character A] person or a [Character B] person. Choose.”
“This scene? Yeah, the girls who get it… get it.”
“His love language is suffering publicly.”
“They’d be unstoppable if they could communicate for 5 seconds.”
Why it works: Fandom grows through identification and repeatable language. Make your readers feel like they’re part of a special club and in on it all with you.
Do “Author Commentary & Behind the Scenes” Just Like Crave Did
Crave framed clip drops with emotional posts, tying scenes from the show to their scenes from books. They posted so many behind the scenes snippets with the stars and director (shoutout to Connor Storrie, Hudson Williams, and Jacob Tierney who created more content in the lead up to this release than I thought would be possible…good job, I love you).
You can do the same, but for your own scenes.
Do this:
“This scene was inspired by X and almost got cut…here’s why I fought for it.”
“This kiss wasn’t planned. They forced my hand.”
“I wanted this confrontation to feel like a bruise: tender but it lingers.”
“A day in the life of an author writing your next emotional support couple”
“The evolution of my MMC: from dull to dreamboat”
Why it works: Pulls readers behind the curtain = intimacy = investment = lifelong fans.
Crowdsource Fandom Language Live
Crave doesn’t dictate; they co-author the fandom language. They’ve let readers tell them how they spoke about the series and characters - clearly studying the past and following it through this release.
Do this:
“What should we call fans of this series?”
“Describe these two in one word. Wrong answers only.”
“If their relationship was a weather forecast: go.”
Then repost reader answers. Use them in marketing. Let it inspire posts.
Why it works: Readers become active participants and they feel like they have shared ownership. They feel like they aren’t just a reader, but someone you care about writing a good story for.
Build “If You Loved This Moment” Posts
Crave connects the dots between book moments and show moments.
You can connect moments across your own books or scenes.
Do this:
“If you loved the dock scene… wait until the kitchen scene in Book 2.”
“If Chapter 11 healed you, Chapter 21 will destroy you.”
“If you liked the rivals energy here, you’re not ready for their reunion.”
This creates anticipation + retention.
Create Chaos Posts - The Ones That Go Viral
Crave excelled at chaos marketing: emotionally volatile, over-the-top, shareable drama-in-a-sentence.
Authors can do this too:
Post examples:
“He would burn the world for him but won’t text back.”
“Enemies to lovers? No. These two are enemies to idiots.”
“They’re soulmates who communicate like raccoons in a trash can.”
“I didn’t write them to be healthy. I wrote them to make you lose sleep.”
Why it works: Chaotic honesty → high engagement → share loops.
The great news is…you don’t need a streaming service and TV show to copy the marketing efforts from the Crave team. You just need:
your socials
your newsletter
your readers
and the courage to show up as your own fan
Crave is proving that when marketing treats a story like something precious instead of something polite, the audience goes feral. Use that to your advantage.
xoxo
Ada (who is now about 95% Heated Rivalry)
Me.
It truly is a masterclass in cinematography, staying true to source material while honoring it in a new medium, and absolutely stellar casting and director. Not to mention the intimacy coordinator, Chana, is an absolute GENUIS and deserves a Nobel Peace Prize…at least.
Crave Canada is the creator of this show, and believe me when I say we Canadians are wearing this as a badge of honor.
There’s a joke about ASSets to be made here but I’m a professional
Love this so much!
Genius! Crave and you for breaking it down like this. <3