How to Get Famous via Social Media

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How to Get Famous via Social Media
I recently signed up to newsle, a site that crawls the web for “news” or online mentions of you
and your FaceBook plus LinkedIn contacts. On your homepage you will see a little box “Your
Most Famous Friends.” I wasn't at all surprised that WPBeginner founder, Syed Balkhi and Co-
founder of Rotten Tomato, Patrick Lee made it to the list , as online entrepreneurs generally
appear high on search engine results but my public relations colleagues (primarily those in
community engagement roles) totally kicked the butts of my celebrity friends, including Asian
pop sensation JJ Lin who has a 616K following on FaceBook alone, in spite of a FaceBook ban
in China! Since newsle is in its beta stage, I'm sure this is an algorithm issue that will soon be
sorted out. However, it got me thinking about f ame in the age of new media and how it is within
reach of anyone.
How to Get Famous via Social Media
Find Something You're Passionat e About
7 years ago, a 19 year old Scott ish boy had a dream of making a dif ference, and from his
bedroom, Mashable was born. Social media requires a massive t ime commitment over an
extended period of time, so unless you are passionate about your chosen field of interest,
become a social media celebrity is simply not sustainable.
Create a Social Media Presence
5 years ago, a 12 year old teenager uploaded a YouTube video of his music that was
discovered by former marketing executive, Scooter Braun a year later and became one of the
most influent ial musician of today. If Justin Bieber did not create a YouTube account he will
probably still be in a Canada high school, unknown t o the world. Whether you choose to blog,
vblog or simply create YouTube videos, you need t o start your social media presence and
upload original content.
Understand Marketing
Philology is a field so obscure, it even looks boring. However, sex sells and Marina Orlova
maximised that knowledge to her advantage by creating a sexy school teacher persona for her
YouTube channel and webpage HotForWords. While sex appeal is not appropriate for many
niches, a strong positioning of your product (YOU) is essential to create your unique selling

point. Could it be humour or a gap within a niche that has yet to be exposed? Pick up a book on
marketing and start your competitors research on exist ing social media sites.
Create Strong Cont ent That Will Go Viral
Following the footsteps of Bieber, PSY's YouTube video Gangnam Style, went viral and the K-
pop singer was of fered a record deal with Scooter Braun. In the world of social media, content
is king, so thrive to be the best in your chosen specialisation, because fluf f will get you nowhere
in this business.
Also, it's important to note that PSY, Gotye, Marie Digby and Carly Rae Jepsen all had existing
record deals prior to their YouTube clips going viral. Social media merely turned already talented
and awesome but lesser known artists into overnight sensations.
Be Proactive with Social Media
Back to my observations on newsle. The common trait between my list of “Famous Friends” as
selected by newsle is their regular use of social media. In Syed's case, his regular content
generation for blogs WPBeginner and List25, alongside SEO tricks such a Google+ plugin on
WPBeginner, generates a massive online trail of information. Aft er Pat sold his shares in Rotten
Tomato, he actively engages with users of his next venture AliveNotDead, an online community
for artists, via blog comments. For the rest of my public relations and community engagement
colleagues, well, they tweet, facebook, pin, google and blog for a living. One of the keys to
being famous, I guess is having your name pop up everywhere, so find something you're
passionat e about and start building your online presence today. Who knows, you might be the
next social media celebrity!