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I'm listening to Tom Webster's book (so good, like stop reading this and buy it now good). It might have been called “Your Baby is Ugly.” It's actually called “The Audience Is Listening: A Little Guide to Building a Big Podcast” and I am suspending listening to anything but this book this weekend. https://geni.us/tomwebsterbook
In the book, Tom discusses how many people “Don't Get” Bon Jovi's popularity.
To this, I say Bon Jovi was Taylor Swift before Taylor Swift.
1. Million Dollar Smile
Watch the Bon Jovi documentary on Hulu, and most of the first episode is pictures of John Smiling. “Here is John Smiling. Here is Jonn smiling on a bus. Here is John smiling with a hat. Here is John smiling with sunglasses. By the way this “docuseries” is really just the biggest trailer for a future tour (we're not that stupid are we)? This brought in the female audience.
2. Identifiable Lyrics.
I was in my 20's when he was popular and I was falling in and out of love (a Bon Jovi song title). Here are some lyrics from a song called Shot Through the Heart from his first album.
Would you be content to see me cryingAfter all those little games you put me through?
After all I've done for you, you're lying
Wouldn't it be nice to tell the truth?
Didn't somebody somewhere say
You're gonna take a fall?
I gave you everything
Now here's the curtain call, and I'm
Shot through the heart
As I lay there alone in the dark
Through the heart
It's all part of the game that we call love.
Now, picture a young girl crying on her bed, and this becomes an anthem. When you're a teenager, you don't know what you don't know about relationships, and when the breakup comes, you feel shot through the heart.
3. Where are the dudes?
So how do get a male audience? You bring in a really good guitar player named Richie Sambora. The first two albums especially were classified as hard rock (see “Get Ready” from the first album). So yeah, John was cute, but I wasn't looking at that smile, I was watching Richie's fingers. Sadly Richie has been struggling with alcohol over the years and I'd love to see him straighten up. As I'm typing this, I'm listening to “The Price of Love” of Album #2 7800 Fahrenheit, and the solo in that song is just tasty.
4. You Work Your Ass Off
If you watch to Hulu doc, they toured relentless opening for big acts. (So, get in front of people who should know you but don't.)
When I was in a band, I said we would play anywhere there was electricity and people, and John did that as well with a much bigger bus. I've also seen him live twice, and he tells stories (always a winner).
And, oh yeah, they are talented. Back then, there were no backing tracks. You either had it or you didn't, and they sounded great. He also showed tons of gratitude.
So as I was thinking about this (Thank you Tom, I love people who make me think) I went, “holy crap – he was Taylor Swift. He's not the best singer ever, but he has really catchy songs, going to where his fans are, and putting on a good show.
Fast-forward to the mega-rich John, who is helping to feed people near his hometown via a soup kitchen-type setup where you work for your dinner, in addition to buying football teams.
Check out Tom's Book at https://geni.us/tomwebsterbook and if Tom is not enough, check out his wife Tamsen Snyder Webster as her books are amazing as well. What a duo!
Know About vs Know
One of my best mistakes was accidentally inviting my entire email list to join me on Zoom (one-on-one) for some market research. I wanted to know why they liked the show and how I could improve it. I originally thought I would send it to ten people, but it went to my ENTIRE list. So, for two weeks, I had meeting after meeting. It was the best mistake I've ever made.
If you really want to grow your show, it's one thing to “Know About” your audience, but when you can lose the “about” and actually KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE, the guesswork goes out the window, and you can make content that resonates with your audience.
-image courtesy of Roberto Ferló
