Oh boy, this was a wonderful suggestion of a comedy blog article to write…and one that I’m absolutely terrible at.
This article is about knowing when to, or when NOT to, make “That” post on social media, as a comedian.
You know the post I’m talking about! That one sharing your political opinion about the very polarizing issue. That one where you stand up for something you believe in, or speak out against something you don’t. That one you just HAVE to right because there is an injustice somewhere that you know the world nears to hear your take on.
THAT’S the post I’m talking about. Should you write it?
The short answer…I don’t know.
The longer answer, well, that’s what the rest of the blog post is about.
I hope that after you read this blog post you don’t feel like I’m giving you a clear “Yes” or “No” to this question, but that I’ve given you some factors to consider before posting.
Before I dive into those factors and questions, let me make 2 bold statements about you and your social media if you’re a comedian or aspiring comic.
1) Social media is no longer just “social” when you are an entertainer.
Facebook was my first social media. I remember when I made an account as a freshman in college. It was meant to connect to other students and to socialize, hence the name, social media. I loved it! I shared about what I was doing that day, I made up ridiculous statuses just because they were funny, and I posted pictures of my awesome friends and I doing awesome things…These were simpler times.
For me, and you if you’re a comedian/entertainer, we are not living in those times anymore. Your social media is tied to your brand. It’s free publicity, it’s how to connect with fans, it’s part of your press kit. I have never been more active on social media now that I am an entertainer, but it is far from social…It might as well be called “Work Media” because it’s part of my job…If you are an entertainer or any kind of public figure, your social media represents your brand and what, or who, you’re trying to sell.
1) Everything in life, including your posts, follows the law of Cause and Effect.
Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “your actions have consequences.” This is true, but it sounds very negative…like we’re assuming your action is going to cause something bad to happen.
I prefer to consider the law of cause and effect…if you do something, something else will happen.
If you make a post, people will see it. And those people will have a reaction, even if they don’t “react” to it. There is no such thing as a meaningless post. So as we post, especially as it pertains to our brand as comedians, we need to recognize everything we post involves cause and effect.
So that being said, here are some factors to keep in mind as you make “That” Post
You Are Building An Audience, and They Will See Your Post
Comedians are nothing without an audience. Well, we are technically just a person telling jokes to an empty room, which is sad.
The key to growing as a comedian is building your following and if you want “bigger and better” gigs, you’ll need to prove that you can fill those rooms before the bookers book you. And you’ll need people that like your content and act to willingly show up to said rooms.
It may start with our family and friends, but the longer you do comedy it will expand from there. Always remember that these people who are fans of yours, or maybe still figuring it out, will observing your social media and every day choose whether they want to keep following or press unfollow.
With that in mind, here are things YOU need to figure out.
Maybe you want those people to know your opinions on certain issues. Maybe the people that follow you love your content, but would disagree with your politics or other values. Maybe they love you BECAUSE of your politics and other values. Maybe they would unfollow you if they knew about said politics and other values.
Do you want to share these parts of yourself with your following? Or do you think it’s none of their business? Will knowing your thoughts on the hot topic issues help or hurt your numbers? Also, if it hurts your numbers, are you okay with that?
These are questions and considerations you might want to think about BEFORE you make a controversial post.
People That Book Rooms Also See Your Post
Here’s a friendly reminder that club bookers and folks that produce shows are people too. They eat, they have feelings, and they also have social media!
And they are in a lot of the same Facebook groups as you. And just like you, they have a news feed they scroll through every day. And yes, if your post is doing well with lots of reactions, comments, and controversy, they could see it and choose not to react or comment.
So with your hot takes post, or your political post, ask yourself is this something that’s worth potentially not getting work for? Also remember the opposite may be true, someone may see your post and like you SPECIFICALLY because you made that post. Both situations have happened to me.
Additionally, and comics please read this with as much love and concern as I truly mean it with:
Don’t Complain about Comedy on Social Media
If you want to aire out your grievances about a comedy scene, the comedy club, or a particular comedian, just know other comics and bookers will see that and it will shape their opinion of you, which might affect your bookability.
I remember a club owner say at a festival once that she keeps up with who the crazy people are who rant on social media about comedy, and she absolutely does not book them. As a crazy person who rants, that was a very formative moment for me.
And I know if you are a long time friend or follower of mine, you have seen enough posts of mine that might be leading you to think, “Really? Drew is saying this? I mean, Drew have you met you?”
I know…and I have…and that’s why I am taking this point to remind you of this. Bookers see your posts, and form opinions on you based on what you are sharing. I’m not saying don’t share what you want to share, I’m just saying keep that in mind.
That being said, maybe this is precisely why you want to post what you need to post. If stuff is really bad maybe it’s important to make the post about it to raise awareness, or to speak out against it, or to make sure your people (and everyone else) knows you are not for whatever is going on.
That’s fair, just know, when you post it, people see it.
What’s The Point?
This is the question you should ask with everything you ever post on any social media platform. What’s the point of this post?
Is it to inform? Is it to create a fuss, and more engagement? Is it to make a point? Is it to share a personal view? Is it to bring more followers? Is it a form of self expression to “get it off your chest”? What’s the point?
If every post you make causes an effect, it’s important to consider the probable effect of the post as it pertains to your online presence.
I am not saying there is a right or wrong answer to whether you should post what you’re posting (Though I think if you think hard enough, you’ll figure out that answer!) I am saying, be honest with yourself about WHY you are posting what you’re posting.
PS: in my opinion, I don’t think a single person has changed their mind about a significant issue based on a post they have seen on social media. Maybe when it first started, but definitely not in today’s world. I could be wrong, but if your post is meant to change minds…you might be swimming upstream only to fall off a waterfall.
A Personal Story
Before wrapping up this week’s blog post, I wanted to share with you a personal story about how this topic is relevant to my own life as a comedian.
A few weeks ago when the Charlie Kirk shooting happened, and all the “social media craze” occurred, I absolutely got wrapped up into it.
I’ll spare you the details, but the whole event triggered a lot of “hot button issues” for me and I made a lot of opinionated posts. Opinions that i still, to this day, stand by 100%.
Some people found a lot of value in what I posted. Literally 2 days ago at a show a person came up to me and thanked me for making the posts I did, as I put into words how they felt and they said they were “too scared to post it”.
Other people….very much did not like my posts. Lots of Christians told me I’m going to Hell. People unfriended me, unfollowed me, and argued with me a lot online.
It was a stressful experience for me. It was also eye opening in a lot of ways for me. One of those ways, as it pertains to this topic, was that it was a reminder to me how many in my small following are Conservative Christians who think very differently on “big issues” then I do.
Even though i might disagree with them on very important things, I really didn’t like the fact that because of my social media posts, they stopped identifying me as an entertainer that they wanted to be entertained by. I’m not their pastor, I’m not their parent, I am not here to help them be a better person…For me, when I entertain, it’s meant to create a fun escape from the crazy world where folks can laugh and have a good time…And, for me, it was bothersome that some of these people felt less connected to that because of my posts.
So what I decided, for myself, is that I will be posting less opinions on controversial stuff on Facebook (maybe I’ll keep it up on Threads!) but I won’t shy away from honest opinions in podcast interviews, and in person interactions. I don’t like conflict, and I don’t like getting in fights with people. I have strong opinions, but it’s not important to me that everyone who listens to my material agrees with my opinions.
By the way, you don’t have to agree with my stance on this, but I encourage you to form your own and start asking the hard questions surrounding what you post online. The last suggestion I will share with you is take some time today and check out the online presence of other comedians that you respect who have careers that you’d like to emulate. I promise you they have taken time to consider what their posts do for their careers and have acted accordingly, so you should do the same.
As always, thanks for reading and have a wonderful week!
What did you think of this article? Do you have any opinions or points that I didn’t write about that you feel need to be heard? Please comment below with them! Also if you have any suggestions for future comedy blog posts, please share them with me and I’ll add them to my list of things to write about! Thanks in advance and have a great day!
