Similarities Between Stand-Up Comedy and Marketing

Truly great comedians invite you into their lives naturally. I recently spoke with Kevin Nealon, an SNL alum, on my podcast, and he mentioned that as soon as you try to get a laugh, the audience will notice and you'll lose them.

A great comedian is authentic and vulnerable, making it feel like they're speaking to just you rather than at you--whether they're performing for 50 people at a comedy club or a sold-out stadium of 20,000. It's not about the number of views or likes they can get. It's about the connection they can create with you and between you and the other people in the audience, creating a community.

When I am hosting a meeting, I skip small talk about the weather or my weekend. Instead, I observe the environment or recall something that someone in the meeting mentioned last week. For example, if there is art in the room, I may mention the art that I have in my own condo. Or, if someone mentioned that they are going to Coachella, I’ll ask if they saw Blink 182.

Similarly, comedians often do crowd work, observing in real-time what someone in the audience is wearing and playing off that as a way to connect with them immediately. They also do callbacks, revisiting something that happened or was said during the set 30 minutes ago, which becomes an inside joke with the audience.

When a comedian takes the stage for the first time, they are taking a risk. They associate the number of laughs they receive with their own worth, but they still decide to open themselves up to both positive and negative criticism. Being vulnerable can be challenging, but it also showcases the comedian's bravery and determination, which often wins over the audience.

Similarly, a great marketer or entrepreneur does not let external factors get in the way of making decisions confidently. They recognize that there is always an element of uncertainty in any venture, but instead of letting this uncertainty freeze them up, they use it as fuel.

It gets them to constantly innovate and adapt, which helps them stay ahead of the competition. By embracing uncertainty, they can take calculated risks and make bold moves that ultimately work out.

Businesses are increasingly creating original memes to help build an approachable and relatable brand. Comedians have been performing real-life memes in person for years, even before memes became a thing online. In this case, the jokes and physical delivery serve as the caption and photo of a social media post. Sebastian Maniscalco is a good recent example of this. The harder the laugh, the more relatable the joke - - meme.

Look beyond your direct competitors by exploring other industries. Your company can be one of the first to try something new in your industry.

Listen to SNL Alum, Kevin Nealon, on the podcast

• Spotify

• Apple