Well well well. The timing of this article is, at best, questionable, and at worst, downright stupid. Isn't it? In my defense, I had drafted this one long before this whole Spotify covid misinformation and n-word shit blew over the internet.
However, if anything, these events make this piece all the more relevant.
Don't worry. I'm not going to make it a self-righteous ramble of my half-baked political opinions. There are plenty of those already, both for and against big Joe. My focus is entirely elsewhere.
Let me ask you. Have you wondered how big Joe Rogan is?
In the day and age of keyboard warriors, snowflakes, and cancel-culture, controversies like these can kill you. Ask Kevin Hart or Milo Yiannopoulos. Yet, here Joe Rogan is, standing tall as ever. But how?
It's not like he has any media houses or any corporations behind him. Spotify is only backing him because he brings in the numbers.
Damn, he draws more than 12M users for the company a month. No wonder the podcaster is on a $100M exclusivity contract by the company. The ROI is crazy.
So much so that amid this controversy, Rumble offered Joe Rogan another $100M deal to quit Spotify and join them instead. That too, without any censorship. And when Rogan declined the offer, their stock dropped by 17%.
Can you believe this?
Here's another one. Within 24 hours of Spotify announcing not to cancel Rogan, their shares increased by 8%.
This begs the question. How did this guy get too big to be canceled?
The answer might upset the mainstream media and some holier-than-thou virtue-signaling celebrities. But here it is.
A large scale of people relates to The Joe Rogan Experience. Unlike most people in business, he continues to be a people person long after his monumental success.
At least, that's what the numbers say. I mean, more people listen to Joe Rogan than Tucker Carlson, Fox News, and CNN.
That there is part of the reason behind such a massive outrage. People had such strong reactions because the name Joe Rogan and what he brings them means something to them.
Even the bloggers and vloggers trashing him are trying to cash in his brand. (Am I not doing the same? Yes. I'm. Thank you veeeeery much.)
Imagine Jimmy F̶a̶l̶l̶o̶n Kimmel having such an impact with his fake tears and all. Nor would you see nearly the same scale of outrage caused by his good old black face skits.
Love him or hate him, Joe Rogan had to do a lot of things right to share such a strong bond with his audiences. And if you are a content creator struggling to resonate with your audience, here are three things you can learn from Joe Rogan.
1. Bringing Something to the Audience That They Couldn't Get Anywhere Else
You do remember the whole Novak Djokovic and Australian Open mess, don't you?
Come on! It was just earlier this year!
If you do, you might be aware of the hilarious footage of Seven West Media newsreader Rebecca Maddern and her co-anchor, Mike Amor.
After covering the issue as professional mainstream journalists (as they thought they were off-air), they dropped the facade and started discussing the matter as genuine uncensored human beings.
Of course, according to sanitized mainstream media, the slip-up stirred 'mixed reactions.' However, if you see the comment sections on YouTube, you will see the general public lauding these reporters for their genuine take on the matter.
That's where Joe Rogan excelled far before anyone else.
It was 2009 when the first episode of The Joe Rogan Experience aired. At the time, the traditional print and broadcast media was the undisputed king of content. However, the problem with these shows and what they offer is that they have some very noticeable limitations.
Such as time constrain, over-direction from the studio executives, or the distinct disconnect from their audience.
"It's a way for people to broadcast something entertaining to the whole world and bypass the whole bullshit system of networks and radio stations.
Who the f*ck are these people are running this stuff? They are business-minded people telling artists and creative people what they can and can't do." — Joe Rogan
Even now, with their fake laugh tracks and paid crowd to applause and cheer, most late talk shows are out there to impress the audience at home instead of trying to connect to them.
Long-form podcasts, on the other hand, provide:
- More information
- In-depth discussion
- Greater authenticity, leading to tremendous mass appeal.
None of which you could get from the traditional media. So when the audience got a taste of what a genuine discussion looks like, they couldn't help but ask for more.
Authenticity over authority is the mantra here.
2. When Nothing Is Off-Limits Only the Sky Is the Limit
There are two ways where Joe Rogan was right to choose the podcast format, considering the ever-changing media landscape.
First, podcasts are much more adaptable to the current portable technology than traditional media. Gone are the days of flicking through channels or getting click baited by spammy articles.
Thanks to podcasts, you can listen to thought-provoking discussions on your device. That too, regardless of where you are or what you are doing. Four words. The accessibility is unparalleled.
Second, this format allows Joe Rogan to explore everything under the sky. Now, make no mistake. That's a far greater of an advantage than you realize.
Freshly ex-doctor 27-year-old Ali Abdaal holds 2.7M subscribers in his YouTube channel. Here's the catch. He, too, likes to talk about a diverse range of topics.
He has videos on how to type faster, investment, relationship, study, productivity, mental health, gadget reviews, relationship, entrepreneurship, book reviews, and let's just stop here.
Doing so, Abdaal is now making nearly $1.8M a year.
Here's what you need to understand. When you produce quality content covering such a versatile bag of topics, you give yourself a massive edge over your competitors.
- You become the go-to guy for a large scale of audience. It does a world of good to your brand.
- You are making yourself a platform far more lucrative for advertisers than those who only work on a limited range of subjects.
But, in reality, covering such a wide array of topics without losing the quality is easier said than done. That's where most people lose the battle.
While Ali utilizes his wildly effective team and his own superior learning skills to his advantage (the dude is from Cambridge, mind you), Joe Rogan has a far more simple solution.
3. Sharing the Same Level of Genuine Curiosity As Your Audience
"You are very very — curious. But also very very tough. It's interesting watching you because if you don't understand something, you'll go after the person." — Jordan Peterson on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience
At first, the Joe Rogan podcast was just him joshing around with his comedian friends. It was not until Rogan expanded his guest list beyond his comedic circle that his brand blew up.
That's where you would find two of Rogan's strongest USPs:
- His wide range of guests.
- His ardent curiosity.
No matter who you are, what you do, or what political ideologies you belong to, Joe Rogan has something for everyone — which would not be possible if not for these two elements.
Just look at his crazy guest list. It consists of physicist Bob Lazar, historian cum author Graham Hancock, fitness expert Dr. Rhonda Patrick, both on-screen and off-screen Tony Starks AKA Robert Downey Jr. and Elon Musk.
And what's most important is that they talk and express themselves as they would never do on other platforms.
Part of the reason is Joe Rogan himself. See. The thing is, Joe Rogan is a far more clever conversationist than some scripted parrots in shiny suits from the T.V.
In one of my previous articles, I had discussed the three main elements of being an effective conversationist than a loud one:
- Listen with patience.
- Ask the right questions.
- And acknowledge the differences with respect and empathy.
I even quoted Kate Murphy from his book You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters:
"The most valuable lesson I've learned as a journalist is that everybody is interesting if you ask the right questions. If someone is dull or uninteresting, it's on you."
That's where big Joe ticks all the boxes. He approaches his guests with an intent to learn and know. He doesn't waste time trying to play charming and likable. He asks the questions which you and I would ask.
It gives value to the people who are tired of getting lied to, who need more than juicy headlines to form opinions.
He treats you like an adult and exposes you to different people with different ideas, dialogues, and stories. And then you get to think it over by yourself.
What it does is that it creates a shared space for the host, the guest, and the listener.
In his book Poor Charlie's Almanack, Charlie Munger coins the term "Lollapalooza effect." In this effect, the outcome is greater than the sum of its parts. As Munger describes, it can work both positively and negatively.
Here, the impact of a variable grows stronger by using the momentum of the previous one, enhancing the potential efficacy of the next movement. That's how you get one extraordinary outcome by doing a lot of little things right.
That's what we have here with Joe Rogan's success. Here, the key variables are his willingness to:
- Reach beyond the limits of the traditional media before anyone
- Explore a wide array of topics on his platform
- Employ genuine curiosity and authenticity as the core of his operations.
If you combine them and multiply the sum with 10+ years of consistency, the big numbers I mentioned earlier in the intro will start making sense.
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