…every single night.
Not physically dying you understand, but comedically dying – which is far, far more agonising.
What’s worse is that he was dying, and he didn’t know why.
He was doing the same material he’d been doing for years – rock-solid material that killed every other night…
…but something wasn’t right.
Eventually, he discovered what was killing his act.
Pay attention, because it might be the same thing that’s killing your content.
(Has anyone else noticed that there’s a lot of death in comedy, with comedians either “killing it” or “dying”?)
One a recent episode of his podcast, Joe was talking to Bill Burr about pre-gig routines.
Rogan said that he started to notice that his act ALWAYS fell flat when he did one particular thing before a gig.
One simple thing was all it took to ruin his act.
And it wasn’t a big thing either – certainly not the kind of thing that you’d suspect of being a difference-maker.
Here’s the thing that was costing Rogan laughs…
…conspiracy theory videos.
Rogan noticed that, when he watched conspiracy videos about aliens, 9/11 or the fictional female orgasm before he went on stage…
…he DIED!
He couldn’t put his finger on exactly WHY though.
After all, nothing on the outside changed.
He still did his set.
The same set he’s done for YEARS…
…but “something” was OFF.
There was something in the non-verbal / body language side of his performance the audience was picking up on.
The audience could tell.
Watching the videos changed how he presented his material somehow.
So he stopped watching videos before going on stage and, as soon as he did, he got massive laughs again.
There’s a lesson here – what you put into your mind affects what comes out of it.
Garbage in, garbage out.
“So what? I’m not headlining comedy clubs and I don’t even like conspiracy theory videos. Why should I care?”
Here’s why –
This isn’t just relevant to going on stage and making people laugh. It works for writing and creating content for your business too.
Maybe the reason your “10 ways to have a happy morning post” didn’t quite land is that you wrote it after screaming “SHOES!” and “TEETH!” at your kids for an hour before throwing them into the back of your Nissan Micra.
The audience can tell.
Maybe your video didn’t get as many likes as you’d hoped because you knew you were rushing and had 1,425 other things to do that day?
The audience can tell.
I’m well aware that this kind of thing is very easy to spout off in an email, so let’s look at a quick way to avoid this problem when you’re creating anything.
Think about the EMOTION you’re wanting to convey in your content…
…and expose yourself to something that stirs that within you before you start typing or hot record.
Want to create something profound and spiritual?
Have a quick read of those Chopra, Tolle and Coelho books you put on your shelf to impress nosey house guests, or bust out 20 minutes of orgasmic “Oooommmmss” as you meditate to the sound of water cascading onto a tin roof (7th version).
Want to put OUT something fun?
Put something fun IN first.
It doesn’t have to be something hilarious, like stand up comedy.
Remember, the aim isn’t to be funny, all the time. We just want to be lighthearted – to have a bit of personality, so anything that makes you smile and puts you in a good mood is perfect.
It could be –
…that YouTube clip of a cat being scared by a cucumber…
…parkour fails (my personal favourite)
…embarrassing family photos…
If you want to create something fun and lighthearted that your audience will love, your first step should be to absorb something that puts you in a fabulous mood.
Because the audience can tell.
…and they’ll thank you.
…by opening their wallets and giving you their money.
So, that’s your first task –
START FINDING FUN THINGS!
Instead of a “swipe” file, create a…
…er…
Dammit. I was hoping there was going to be a synonym for “fun” that rhymed with “swipe“.
Just start finding stuff that makes you smile.
Funny in, funny out.
Let me know what you find. I’m always on the lookout for new things!
John
P.S. Looking for some quick, easy business-y comedy wins? Here’s a good place to start…