11 thoughts on “The 4 Most Common Mistakes I Found When Browsing 50 Comedian Websites

  1. Josh you made some great observations. I personally
    have noticed the same things and kept all of that in
    mind when designing my own site. It is still a work in
    Progress as the opt in form is there but not hooked
    Up yet but also I’m not marketing yet.

    Also like you Josh I come from a marketing background
    And was glad to see someone else spreading the word
    And how to market yourself as an entertainer

    Thanks,
    Justin Zimmerman

  2. Josh Spector says:

    Hey Justin, nice to see you’re going to be using WordPress. I personally think that’s the best website engine out there – as evidenced by my use of it for this site!

  3. Thanks Josh,

    I do offline consulting for small businesses and like to use WordPress because of its simplicity and how quick I can build a site. Plus search engines love it.

  4. Great advice, and not too hard to address with some of the resources out there. With hit rates topping the 10’s, I am hesitant to rush out and grab up a mailing list management tool. But starting out the list sooner, rather than later, is good advice that I am appreciative of and willing to act on. Thanks Josh.

  5. Ryan Budds says:

    I agree that a site should have updated content to keep people wanting to come back, and mine definitely is lacking in that area.

    I used to have a WordPress site, and I would post on it often, probably at least once or twice a week. After a year or so, though, I don’t feel like I got anything more out of it than I have now with a “static” site. The decision to ditch the blog-style site and deliver a more information hosted site seemed like the right move, especially with all the posts I throw on Twitter and Facebook daily. I honestly see my site as a place to host my name and basic info as a comic with a real “dot com” address, and I see those other sites (where millions of people already gather) as my interactive areas.

    I do have plans to update my site this year, though. Plans include a podcast player for the podcast I started (mixcloud.com/jokingoff), the twitter feed thing that lets whatever you put on twitter appear somewhere on your site, and a better calendar system.

  6. Derik Boik says:

    Hey, I put my website link on your Facebook, so I’m guessing that you checked it out. Which makes me really glad because, according to your 4 mistakes, I’ve past the test on ALL. I am using WordPress with a blog on the homepage where I post new content almost everyday, I have an email sign up, no ads or stores, and I check my website every single day. Always enjoy your posts…especially this one because it makes me feel like at least I’m doing SOMETHING right.

  7. Cameron says:

    I don’t use email lists. And I don’t plan to.

    In general, I rarely subscribe to email newsletters, no matter how big of fan I am, and if I do wind up on a list somehow, it mostly annoys me (again, no matter how big of fan). And I imagine that I can’t be the only one that feels way. If I want to keep up with somebody or something, I’ll do so on Facebook or Twitter.

    It basically boils down to that if I don’t like the way something is promoted to me, than I am not ever going to use those same strategies to promote to other people, no matter the benefits it might provide me.

  8. Josh Spector says:

    I know what you mean, but that actually brings up a bunch of other issues.

    The reason email lists annoy you is probably because too many people just send spammy, annoying emails once they get your address and they don’t actually provide any value. That’s not a problem with the medium, that’s a problem with the way it’s used. I definitely wouldn’t recommend spamming people through email, but being clear about what people will get if they sign up and then delivering that – and ideally what you’re sending has value to them.

    Also, keep in mind that there’s no “rules” when it comes to this stuff. You could create multiple lists and literally let people sign up for exactly what they want to get – separate lists for show updates, new content, or whatever else you’re up to. It’s really about giving people more options to get connect with you in whatever way they choose.

    Facebook and Twitter are great and I’m certainly not knocking them, but the problem is that it’s way too easy for people to miss your updates on those compared to emails. The reason I say email is most valuable is because that has the greatest likelihood of a person seeing whatever you want to tell them.

  9. Ian Barnes says:

    I love you articles Josh, but I have to disagree on the e-mails list vs. facebook/twitter part. You can send a newsletter through facebook quite easily, also I too have signed up for e-mail lists for artists I like, and despite original and interesting content (well written news letters), eventually I stopped reading them. I personally want my e-mail for business and close friends, the rest should just be on facebook like the rest of the world. I would rather have a nice simple, well designed splash page and provide links for my fans right there. That way I don’t have to worry about my site crashing or whatever, when people find my page they usually find me on facebook, then we are interacting etc, which seems to be (as you mentioned in another article) where a lot of the arts are heading these days. Thanks again for all the insight, it is tremendously helpful.

  10. Josh Spector says:

    Hey Ian, thanks for the comment. I don’t really disagree with anything you said, but I’d point a couple additional things out.

    Obviously, you can’t force somebody to join your email list and if they’d rather just follow you on Facebook or Twitter, that’s perfectly fine.

    My point is that an email subscriber is more valuable FOR YOU because there’s a greater chance of them seeing what you want them to see than there is on Facebook and Twitter. Any connection you can have with a fan is worthwhile and you should give people the options to connect with you however they choose.

    But when less than 5% of your Facebook fans will typically ever see your updates (yes, that’s the actual rate) and a decent email list can have an 80% open rate, getting an email subscriber is more valuable for you than a Facebook fan.

    That said, any connection is a good connection.

  11. To add to that, you will own your list. With Facebook and Twitter you have to count on them staying around. Just look at how less population MySpace has become since its reign as top dog.

    With that said, you can have followers/subscribers/fans on all of the mediums because now when you update they have multiple chances of seeing your content or show updates. just my 2 cents

Leave a Reply to Derik Boik Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *