Influencer Advisory™How did Liquid Death's marketing get so much press?
Liquid Death marketing runs on cheap, shareable ideas, free product for bands and shops, and celebrity stunts that earn press. Here is how to copy it.
Founder · November 10, 2026 · 2 min read
To film him taking blood and showing us silk screening skateboards, that cost like $10,000 to shoot that. It was nothing. But the idea was so provocative, every media outlet covered it.
Liquid Death
How does Liquid Death get noticed on a small budget?
Let the idea do the work, and keep the budget small.
Liquid Death tested first in Southern California 7-Eleven stores during a pandemic slowdown, and strong sell-through there is what got it taken national.
Post less, and make each post good. The aim is to show up once every 2 weeks with something worth stopping for, so people learn to stop scrolling when they see the can. (Liquid Death)
Cheap ideas get you seen. Next comes putting the product in the right hands.
Who did Liquid Death give free product to?
Give product to people who love it, make one small ask, then step back.
"I gave out product to the skaters and we walked away. That was it. Never told anyone what to do, never gave them a hat, never gave them a banner, or nothing. And then they're just like, wow, nothing's being shoved down my throat." Liquid Death's head of brand, on JUST Creative, 11:55.
- They made 80 snowboards with Capita that nobody could buy and gave them to the top shops. Any shop that demoed the board got a case of Liquid Death and had to post about it. (Liquid Death)
Bands got their own version. Any band, or friend of a band, can get a custom code and keep about half the profits from orders on it. For one month, bands got fifty percent of profits on Whole Foods sales, so they sent fans to Whole Foods. (Liquid Death)
Check who can afford to leave. Liquid Death's CEO says skaters can't walk away from Monster and Red Bull.
Seeding builds the base. A famous face can then put the brand in front of everyone at once.
How does Liquid Death pick its celebrities?
Write the funny idea first, then find the famous face who will do it.
Liquid Death uses celebrities to earn media, not to buy impressions.
Their rule is simple. Design the funny Liquid Death idea first, then check if the celebrity is willing to do it. (Liquid Death)
- For a campaign aimed at moms, they needed a pregnant celebrity. Within days they found Kelsey, about 8 months pregnant, flew from LA to Philly and shot at her house. It became one of their most successful campaigns aimed at moms. (The CMO Podcast)
Liquid Death's own chief executive put the earned media on its Tony Hawk stunt at $15 million, an estimate nobody outside the company checked. Chief Marketer
Each of these plays takes people, time and a lot of follow up.
Can someone run this for my brand?
Most brands can start with the seeding part, and that is the part we run with you.
Get creators coming to you, and asking for less money.
If you have some of the steps in place, we audit what's missing in each and how to take it further.