10 Reasons Comedians Need A Website
If you're serious about being a comedian, you need to be serious about your online presence.
Independent Comedians understand this fully because you can get massive leverage by having your website running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Think about it, you are online more than you are on stage.
Why not use this medium to continue the conversation with those interested in seeing more after you've gotten off the stage.
Here are 10 reasons why having a website is important to every comedian.
1. Distraction Free
Anyone interested in your comedy will be free from distractions when they visit your website.
Owning and updating your website allows all your potential fans to be immersed in the experience you designed for them.
Ultimately, this assures full creative control in setting up exactly what your audience will see from the landing of your home page.
I've met many comedians that insist having a social media profile is sufficient, however they cannot see that their entire design is limited to the information standards of their profile.
The social media newsfeed is a dynamic and quick paced content generator, making your profile easily looked over.
2. Image SEO
We all know how important headshots are for a comic.
Something about getting a full on glimpse of your facial features adds a little extra to who you are as a comic and material.
As a comedy show producer, a headshot alone can make or break ticket sales.
Imagine what a quick google search of your name and seeing wonderful photography of you.
Getting a website allows search engines to easily discover your headshots and performance photos and add them to the image results for anyone searching your stage name.
3. Categorizing Your Comedy Persona
People in general compartmentalize information to better understand.
In this case, a website can compartmentalize who you are and create a comedy persona that can easily be recognizable.
And recognizability is a very powerful thing.
If your comedy can be recognized by those who can resonate with what you're saying/doing, you can skyrocket your following.
A website comes together to piece all the elements you create and align them towards a solid representation of who you are and what you are all about.
4. Home Base For Your Content
Comedians are naturally born creators.
We create the kind of content that allows humor to thrive in peoples lives.
And with the internet being so prevalent in everyones lives, having a go to place to connect with your creations is very important for your humor to have a foundation.
YouTube, may bring down your post, your instagram meme may be lost in the feed, or your viral video sketch can be found and have an official creator.
Websites can act as an online foundation or hub of where your creations come from.
5. Bio and Credentials
IMDb and Wikipedia bios are great, however it may not always be available depending on the level of your comedy career.
You can however, control and generate a reference sheet of your credentials and a well scripted biography of yourself.
Having this information readily available is very important if someone would like a reference before an interview or radio appearance.
As a matter of fact, it may just be necessary for any kind of booking.
It is imperative to have these references easily discoverable if you are in the market to make appearances or got on the road.
6. Online Property
What many people don't realize when it comes to buying a website URL is that it is a tiny internet investment, just like property.
Imagine OWNING the words of a .com address.
Whatever the words are, you own that label and concept.
For example, I recently purchased ComedyCalendar.com to work on a project where you can find local comedy shows conveniently based on your schedule.
If I were to have purchased comedy newspaper .com, or comedy book .com, the concept of the project would have been differently.
Owning online property allows your comedy to be represented by the labels you choose.
This is a VERY valuable asset to have especially in a connected world.
7. Build Your Audience
Just like owning tangible properties, your online property value can go up too.
With a website, having your traffic at a steady growing pace, can lead to more podcast listens, more video views, and most importantly more ticket purchases.
A website allows you to have complete control on the growth of your online traffic.
Traffic is the pulse of how effective your online presence is overall.
You efforts on social media, radio, podcast interviews and any other medium that puts your website up will add to the value of building your audience.
8. Ticket Purchases
If you made a late night TV appearance and someone loved your set, they can go to your website immediately and see where your next appearance will be.
And if your calendar of events is convenient enough anyone compelled to see you perform will make the effort to do so.
Ticket purchases, flyers, address, showtime etc is very important for a good turnout to your shows.
9. Contact Information
Imagine someone wants to book a comedian for a hotel gala and they have to send you a DM on Instagram.
Not very professional.
The best way to come off like getting booked is very serious to you is by having contact information on your website.
The words "For bookings please contact" can make a difference in your professional appearance.
It states that you've done this before and people can confide in your expertise and integrity.
Having an official website with this information allows these inquiries to be more reliable.
10. Become Official
Most importantly, a website makes you look OFFICIAL,
I've worked with some hilarious comedians that have over 3 decades in the game and they don't have a website.
This alone makes them come off irrelevant.
As a comedian you never want to come off this way.
You always want to be on top of your game.
You need people to get excited to see your performance and feel a rush after they click on your ticket links or video player.
A website allows your reputation to continue building momentum even after you step foot offstage.
If you need a website to sell tickets, merch, or get traffic for your content and advance your comedy career, send me an email: manny@comedynetworking.com
