Comedians posting clips from their tight five on social media is not new. Growing your online following has been important for scoring more significant opportunities for years. However, recent additions and changes in the social media landscape have allowed new generations of comedians to interact with fans like never before.
It used to be that getting stage time in front of an audience meant signing up for an open mic (and buying a cheap drink) before watching thirty to forty of your peers give their hot takes on dating before you got three minutes with the microphone. Thanks to the smartphone burning a hole in your pocket, now you can connect with your audience whenever you want.
Get in on the trend
When you open your Explore or For You Page (fyp), you undoubtedly notice the surge in comedic skits, characters, and trends in your posts and videos. Just like audiences at a comedy show love to laugh along with or be part of a comic’s crowd work, viewers eat up the funny posts because they’re easy to engage with and relate to. Scrolling through social media is often an impulse for stress relief throughout the day. So, it makes sense that comedians using humor to navigate the pains of everyday life are popular.
Plus, if you’re fluent in brain rot (as the kids say), you probably realize that comedy is a large part of the universal internet lingo now incorporated into our everyday language. The jokes we use with each other now have their roots in internet culture (my Roman Empire) more than popular TV shows (that’s what she said). Comedians who can harness or make a viral moment can create content that the algorithm generally loves promoting because people are likelier to engage with it.
Find your niche
Thanks to TikTok’s approach to promoting content, as outlined by The Infinite Agency, having a viral moment is no longer limited to people with a massive following. TikTok tests posts with a smaller audience to see how it performs before deciding how much to promote specific content to the rest of the platform. So, comedians can focus on honing their voice and creating quality content that resonates with a particular niche instead of immediately trying to gather followers. Think of it as the open mic that’s not in the illegal basement of your local bar!
Being judged by the algorithm and a panel of your peers might be a way to let comedians, who might not otherwise get stage time, connect with audiences like never before. However, it’s not necessarily a fast track to fame, fortune, and a whole line of merch with your slogans. In addition to following some of these tips and tricks to build a solid foundation online, hopeful comedians should spend time interacting with their audiences.
Storychief reports that Instagram’s algorithm, for example, prioritizes posts that get immediate attention from their audiences. So, it’s helpful to be active as a creator to keep those interactions alive. Getting in the comments, following other relevant accounts, going live, and scheduling time to log on and be active regularly can help fuel your growth.
Establish your brand
While it’s prudent to use trends that could help put you in front of new audiences when relevant to your content, it’s easy to get lost in the oversaturation. However, you have one thing that’s not replicated easily: your brand!
Branding and comedy seem to belong on separate ends of the corporate spectrum, but every successful comedian has developed their brand. They might refer to it as their voice, their persona, or their specific style of storytelling that has created their following, but it’s all branding.
When it comes to comedy, the best way to establish who you are — and your voice — is to practice! Whether at an open mic, by writing up sketches, or by filming an idea you just can’t get out of your head, you’ll soon get a clearer idea of what makes your comic brand different and unique — and eventually, your fanbase will recognize it.
If you’re struggling to figure this out, try brainstorming a list of everything you’re passionate about. What’s that thing that you could talk someone’s ear off about? What’s the number one thing that your closest friends know you for? Maybe you could spend an entire party discussing the history of plumbing in Seattle (this one is pretty wild if you want to look it up), or perhaps your ambition to build a house in the woods keeps you up at night, or maybe you want to win the county fair pie competition. Got it? Next, think of ways you can combine that with your comic flair to create a brand that is completely, utterly, no doubt about it, you.
Once you have that down, look at this Forbes article, which outlines some steps you can take to make your accounts uniform and easy for your fans to find, no matter what platform they’re on. Then, start talking about yourself! Self-promotion is not always the most comfortable thing, but this is where a healthy dose of conviction comes in. Think of it this way: you’re offering your exceptional talent online for nothing more costly than a follow and a like! Shout out your accounts on all your platforms, keep the conversation going with your community, and follow other comedians whose work you like and admire and who you might want to collaborate with.
If Social Media is a car, you’re the driver
Make no mistake; posting on apps like TikTok and Instagram can help you propel your comedy into the World Wide Web, but ultimately, it’s just a tool. As Holly Phillips writes in this blog post about how to grow on social media, no app will automatically make you famous overnight — you only get out of it what you put in. It’s also essential to avoid putting your eggs all in one basket.
This Rolling Stone article, which interviews some of the biggest social media comedians today, highlights how social media has helped amplify the voices of those potentially left out through more traditional media platforms. However, social media can be unpredictable, and transitions from the pocket to the small screen aren’t always smooth.
Because of this, comedians should pay close attention to the constantly shifting landscape to stay abreast of trends or potential opportunities. If you remember the siren song of internet dialup, you’ll remember that before Facebook, there was MySpace, and before YouTube’s glow-up, there was Vine. Every app has evolved over the years, and just like you have all your important projects backed up, make sure you’re growing your comedic brand outside the realm of just one app.
There’s no argument that social media has already impacted the real-world comedy industry and will likely continue to do so into the future (although nobody’s exactly sure how). However, one thing remains true: whether you’re looking to grow your online following or use social media to propel your stand-up career, it’s all about connecting with your community and audience. Following relevant accounts, staying up-to-date on events, networking, and collaborating with others will help you ride the waves of change, no matter where they go.
Social media is just one ingredient for success
While it’s not the only thing that will launch a comedian to success, social media has become an indispensable tool that can connect them with their audiences in ways they could never before. Time in front of an audience is one of the best ways for a comedian to improve their craft and establish their brand and voice, and thanks to the phone in your pocket, you no longer have to drive to an open mic to do it!
Plus, your audience doesn’t have to buy a show ticket or have the right streaming service to see you perform. Thanks to the omnipresence of our phones, social media apps are quickly becoming our first choice for quick entertainment. They’re only a scroll away from discovering your work!
Social media allows you to connect with your niche, find an audience that might not have heard of you otherwise, and reach out to other comedians to collaborate with. Thanks to TikTok’s current algorithm, getting noticed online is no longer only about a massive following. Smaller test audiences are giving new talent a chance so new comedians can feel free to experiment and create exciting new content.
Stay weird and start posting. (And let us know if Manychat can help take some of the manual work of replying to a growing number of Instagram DMs off your hands.)
