Why is it that some artists have an exploding fan base and others struggle to get anyone to sign up on their mailing lists?  Is it just that they had more friends to begin with?  Some of them did.  But once you go beyond family and friends, there is one thing you can do that will either severely limit or greatly expand how many audience members you turn into serious fans.   Want to know what it is?  Good.  The key is how well you make your audience a part of your world.

Here’s an example.  In the hyper competitive world of tv talk shows, Ellen Degeneres has skyrocketed above the competition.  What is she doing differently?  She is not just entertaining, she is involving her audience in her own world.  O.k.  To be fair, other talk shows use the whole ‘interaction’ model too.  They solicit questions and responses or let a lucky audience member read from the teleprompter.  And while there are interactive parts of her show too, Ellen does something unique that immediately establishes who she is (let’s the audience know what they’re getting) and  involves every member of her audience (and welcomes them into her world).

How does she do it?  She starts every show with a freestyle dance.  And once she’s got everyone getting down, laughing and feeling good, she can talk about just about anything and have them all on her team.  That’s loyalty gold.  And it’s something you can do too.

Many artists think of audience involvement as the part in the show where you get people to do the wave or clap on cue.  That’s not what I’m talking about here.  Anyone can do the ‘trained monkey show’ as I always think of it.  But in a world filled with prerecorded, lip synced performances, what people want more than ever is authenticity.  They want to know who you really are and why they should buy into you.

So maybe you’re not a zany comedian who has a crazy dance for any song known to man.  It’s not about copying what someone else does, it’s about applying the concept to who you really are.   Are you a nerd down deep?  A skater?  A dancer?  A gamer?  If you had to describe yourself in ten words, what would they be?

Now answer this; what are the top ten things that make you crazy happy?   Now how can you channel the most universally popular thing on your list into an interactive part of your show so people get a sense of who you are and are welcomed along for the ride?

I know.  I know.  Some of you are thinking, “But what if what I like doesn’t appeal to some of my audience?”   It won’t.  You can’t be all things to all people.  And that’s really a beautiful thing because if you water down who you are to appeal to the masses, your audience will never really connect with you deeply enough to become true fans.  On the other end, if you’ll take the risk to be distinctly you, you will connect immediately with those who dig what you dig and they will tell others who share similar personalities or interests and on and on it goes.    You’ll find it easier to get and keep fans because all you have to do is be you and they’ve already signed on for that.  And soon YOU’LL be the one with the exploding fan base.

What ‘one thing’ sets you a part?  How are you welcoming your audience into your world and how is it working?  Leave a comments and let everyone know.