All posts by Jett Lawrence

Do you remember when MTV release its series titled The Real World back in the day? Seven strangers, picked to live in a house, and have their lives taped.

It changed television and the entertainment industry forever.

Some of the most popular reality series just had the participants pack carry on luggage and show up at the destination for filming with no information or warning. This added to the element of surprise.

The producers realized that if they combined personalities that could clash and cause drama they had a hit series on their hand. The public couldn’t get enough. It was like watching a real life circus. The personalities the grouped together for reality tv was like mixing fire and gas — and the outcome was the same. A total explosion.

There are three main reasons why reality tv made such an impact on the entertainment industry.

It Drove Production Costs Down Significantly

Before reality tv the producers would have to sign big name actors to contracts that paid them a lot of money per episode. When you consider all of the cast members that contributed to a large number.

Well, with reality tv, the cast was essentially free. They were not compensated, and later down the line, those that were, it was a very small number. There wasn’t a lot of editing and production time needed either, as the footage was mostly raw. That is why is was so appealing — it was new and different.

Made Producers See That There is Endless Talent Available (Cheap)

As reality tv took off in popularity the producers noticed that they were creating super stars out of people who prior were unknowns. They were regular people with regular lives and jobs.

Then, they got on a reality tv show and their lives changed overnight. They were instantly famous for doing nothing.

“The ‘stars’ didn’t need to be paid. There was always a mile long line of people willing to let the wold watch them for free. They just wanted the exposure,” says Chris Dziak of Pure Nootropics. And that line continues to be long to this day.

Now there are reality programming on almost all of the major networks. Why? Because it’s popular and it’s so cheap to produce.

Showcased The Power of Personality

“People became addicted to reality tv because they put the craziest personalities together under the same roof,” says Darryl Howard the o-shot specialist. “It’s the reason it took off like it did.”

Talent was thrown out the window, because they were reality stars. They were not expected to have any acting or performance talent.

The only thing they were expected to do was be themselves and if the producers picked correctly that alone would be the recipe for a hit tv show.

This recipe has been duplicated over and over, and applied to different concepts and by different networks. And it continues to work very well. There is no sign of reality tv slowing down. The studios love it cost-wise and the viewers love it entertainment-wise.

Celebrities have such a loyal following that their audience is almost priceless when it comes to brand partnership agreements. If they post something and hint that their followers should buy it, you can almost guarantee a sellout.

Before, you had to go through agents and it was a battle to even have the chance to talk to a celebrity about marketing your company. Now, all it takes is a DM and you can be in touch directly.

Sometimes you will work with them directly and sometimes an assistant will be the point of contact. The point is that the communication barrier is down. You can get in touch with almost any celebrity you can imagine.

Now, you have to have realistic goals and be aware of how expensive it can be. To have Kylie Jenner post your product on Instagram it will cost you a cool $750,000 or more. Here are some tips to consider in the event you are able to find a great celebrity partner.

Have Them Promote to Their Social Following

This is the main goal of any celebrity partnership. You want access to their huge audience. The best approach is to have them post your product naturally. The less it appears to be an advertisement the better it will perform.

“The right celebrity partner that also has a massive social following can instantly drives sales,” says Chris Moberg of Slumber Search. “Look for celebrities that have an audience that matches your target demographic.”

Create Blog Content with Their Likeness

If your website and blog receives a good amount of traffic already you can boost conversion rates significantly by including images of your celebrity partner on your website and within the blog content.

When you are making blog content featuring a celebrity partnership keep it simple and let them be the main focus. You will want to use a very simplistic blog theme like the one used here.

You want someone to land on your website and realize “so and so” is a brand partner. That builds instant credibility and trust, which translates into sales.

From little subtle images of them with your product in the sidebar or including their likeness on your checkout page, it’s an instant conversion booster that will skyrocket your sales.

Run Paid Ads Featuring Them

Just as a celebrity partnership can help you generate sales by having them organically post your product, using their image in your paid media campaigns will also create a buzz that leads to more sales.

“Make sure to work out an agreement that allows you to use the content they create on social media in your paid campaigns,” suggests Tony Rush of truck sub box company HiFi Sound Connection.

You can re-post what they post and you can also do a one time photo shoot and use it as an opportunity to take several different images that can be used in campaigns throughout the year. You will have to plan in advance as their time is very limited (and expensive).

You have probably watched the hit TV show Shark tank, or at least seen it being advertised. It’s been on the air for 10+ seasons and it really helped to bring the world of entrepreneurship mainstream.

It made people understand that they could do anything they dreamed of, as long as they were willing to work hard (and it was a good viable idea). There is a lot you can learn about business just by watching the show. The way the guests pitch and conduct themselves, to how the sharks respond and what questions they ask — it’s a great business lesson every episode.

Actually, there are many valuable business lessons brought to light each episode, so let’s go over a few of the most important ones right now.

You Have to Always Be Prepared

Preparation is key — in the shark tank and in real life — and when someone who is pitching in not prepared it becomes very obvious and very quickly. The sharks have no problem calling them out on the spot and letting them know that they made a huge mistake by entering the tank unprepared.

“One way to fail is to never be prepared,” says Lisa Rush of phone support outsourcing company Staff Outsourcing. “You have to always be prepared for every aspect of your business — every day.”

The minute you aren’t prepared you let your guard down and you become every vulnerable. This is when little costly mistakes are made that can ruin your business and have a negative impact on your future growth potential.

Always Know Your Numbers

I can’t tell you how many times I have watched this show and when the sharks ask a question like, “What does it cost to make?” or “How much does it cost you to acquire a customer?” — and the person has a deer in the headlights look on their face.

“Not knowing what your customer acquisition cost is for example, just shows how unprepared you are,” says Henk Schipper of Jaloezieen Fabriek. It’s impossible to run a successful business without knowing the numbers inside and out.

This goes without saying, but if you are ever talking to potential investors and you don’t know your numbers, how do you think they are going to react? There is no way they will part with their money and give it to someone that doesn’t even know what a customer costs to acquire.

Understand The Value of Partners and VC Money

Bringing on a parter or an investor is going to end up costing you money. You have to fully understand this. If you take on an investment you are giving up a part of your company.

“Funding is not easy to come by, no matter what Silicon Valley makes you believe,” says the owner of National Pool Fences. “When you do have the opportunity, understand fully what that means.”

Are you prepared to give up 25%? 30%? If the business takes off and becomes successful you never regain that stake. Be 100% certain that you can live with all of the possible outcomes before you sign on the dotted line.