How to Become an Online Celebrity by Emulating Jay Leno

Jay Leno's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame by Te lo juro por Madonna

Many of us who are creating content are doing so with the clear motivation of building an online personal brand. There are lots of venues to accomplish this - blogs (yes, still), Twitter, MySpace, digg, Flickr and YouTube, just to name a few. For some, becoming famous online can reap great rewards - often financial. Look at my friend Kevin Nalty for example. Plus in this era of personal branding, your company can stand to benefit as well.

I don't personally know Jay Leno, but if I did I would buy him a beer. Despite all of his success, he still gives the impression that he remains a hard working, down to earth guy. You can learn a lot about how to become an online celebrity by emulating some of Leno's steps. Here are five things that make the great chinned one so good at what he does and the lessons for any online content creators who dream of making it big. (Almost all of these come from one of the best articles I have read to date on the Tonight Show host.)

1) Be incredibly focused on delivering a quality product

You might not think of your blog, podcast, video or Twitter stream as a product, but it is - it's a product of you. Great products often build great brands. It's no different on the web or in showbiz.

Jay Leno knows this. In his case, his primary product consists of jokes. If his jokes start to stink then so goes his brand. Leno reportedly screens 200-300 potential jokes from his writers each day for his nightly monologue. Only the funniest ones make it into the 11-minute Tonight Show bit.

The lesson here is to make sure you're consistently putting out a quality product. Take your time to get it right.

2) Talent is never enough. It takes a champion work ethic and passion to succeed

Now, you might think this is crazy, but Jay Leno hasn't taken a vacation in 20 years and he rarely takes days off. Further, he spends 150 days on the road doing stand-up gigs, even though he clearly doesn't need the money. Often when he wraps up taping the Tonight Show he and his wife will hit the road for a gig in Vegas. He loves to perform and it shows. (Confession: I haven't had a vacation in three years myself and I don't feel I have missed a thing.)

As I think about the bloggers I look up to and read - Om Malik, Jeff Jarvis, Dave Winer, Mike Arrington, Scoble, Rex, Gina Trapani and others - I can't remember the last time they took a day off. Many, if not all of them blog weekends as well. Now some have other byliners on their blog. But make no mistake. These are the stewards of the blog brands.

3) Be a man or woman of the people

Despite many long hours working and cris-crossing the country for gigs, thanks to his blue collar roots Leno remains a man of the people and always upbeat. His Jaywalking segments reveal just how comfortable he is with ordinary folks like you and me. Further, according to the Fortune piece, he's low maintenance and never a prima donna.

The lesson here is if you make it big and you get a Google PageRank of 8, don't let it go to your head. Mike Arrington of TechCrunch knows this and he gives interviews from time to time to bloggers I never heard of.

4) Have something to sell, but also let others sell on your stage

Fortune in 2004 wrote: "(Leno) will go almost anywhere and do almost anything to win friends and influence people." However, that's not all. He is a good listener and he lets his guests all get in their plugs. It's part of the game.

Every blogger or serious content producer has something to sell. That's not to say this isn't just art for some, it is. Still recognize that selling ideas drives a lot of the conversation and let people get those points in too. Further, make sure you know what ideas you want to sell and own them.

5) Stay a little bit paranoid and push your comfort zone

Finally, it's true in life that only the paranoid often survive. Leno once tuned into the Laker game and spotted his competition in the stands. He responded by writing more jokes. In addition, he tests new material onstage at the Hermosa Beach Comedy and Magic Club on Sunday nights.

The lesson here is to never rest on your laurels. Know what your skills are/aren't but don't be afraid to test new ground. When I first tried Twitter I didn't get it. Now I don't know how I live without it and it helps me create better, more meaningful content here while also driving my brand.

Comments

[joshua strebek]

Nice post Steve. Seems like a no-brainer after you read it.. important though not to forget.

[Glenn Fleishman]

This confuses a pathological need for attention and approval with success.

This confuses the idea of "not working" with "not being valuable."

This is a strategy that produces a partial human being.

This is not a way to produce social relationships that aren't dependent on status and money.

It's no way to raise a family, either.

I have read what seems like thousands of accounts of people who, after conducting themselves in this way, find themselves alone, still unhappy, and sometimes with the trappings of wealth. They aren't happy, change their life, and sometimes achieve something that has lasting satisfaction.

Comedians aren't great role models. If the spate of suicides and attempts among relatively successful comedians and comic actors isn't a good indication of the deeper trouble that drives most (but not all) humor, I don't know what is.

I'd rather emulate Jerry Seinfeld. Work incredibly hard for a while. Be massively successful, but don't overwork (he didn't make movies while making Seinfeld). Retire to enjoy other stuff you do, picking projects that make sense. Make time for your family (which he started post-Seinfeld).

[Glenn Fleishman]

I should add that I put my money where my mouth is. I was working at Amazon.com in late 1996 through early 1997. I was working most of my waking hours. I was doing quite well. I had a huge pile of options. I met my now wife, and decided (among other factors) that I could either stay working that hard, lose her, and become wealthy; or leave, work less hard, and have a real life.

I chose the latter. I walked away from several million dollars of stock if I had simply punched the clock for another six months. It wasn't worth it. I have two beautiful children and a marvelous partner, and I have no regrets.

[Dr.Mani]

Enjoyed that post, Steve. Thanks for sharing that, especially the bit about working hard. Reminds me of someone else saying he finally became an overnight success - after working hard at it for ten years!

All success
Dr.Mani

[free ipod touch]

Nice job post. Keep up the good content in your blog! :)

[Dan Schawbel]

I'm happy you posted this Mr. Rubel. Basically, personal branding is about passion, drive, motivation, inspiration and support to succeed.

[Dan Blank]

Steve - thanks for the link, I just read the entire article on the Fortune site. I love reading profiles like this. While I agree with other comments here that balance is often needed, and I personally have a strong belief in the importance of spending time with family... reading about Jay's passion is just infectious. He is a positive person, and makes others feel the same way. Obviously, he must have struck a unique balance in his life with family and hobbies.

Hats off to you for linking to an article from 2004! All to often, it seems to be a constant race among bloggers to only post about the most current topics. If it is 12 hours old, many don't seem to bother.
Have a great day.
-Dan

[Jeff]

What is most impressive about the Jay Leno example is the incredible results one can get even though you may not be the "best", or "most skilled" at what you do.

How many people would list Jay Leno as the best comedian? How many would even inlude them in their top 10 or top 20?

How many people would list him in the top 5 greatest talk show hosts?

Yet -- despite the fact that he is not thought of as the most skilled, he is known as one of the hardest workers, passionate - enjoying his time with the viewers and his guests...

It's a great lesson for all of those who are passionate about dominating a certain market, but don't feel they may have the charisma or kahunas to get to the top.

Great post.

Jeff

[Pick Up Artist 4 Life]

This is a great post.

Another thing about Jay Leno is that he hasn't spent a penny of what he earned doing the Tonight Show (paranoid he'll lose it all). He only spends what he makes on the road, which may be why he's on the road so much.

It goes to show that when you do what you love then you'll go to amazing heights.

Adam

[Jim Smith]

The five success factors you mention are good not only for online endeavors but work across the entire business spectrum. Thanks for a nice post.

[Jim Smith]

The five success factors you mention are good not only for online endeavors but work across the entire business spectrum. Thanks for a nice post.