One secret to getting booked for your first stand-up comedy show
This article is part of a a series: From Open Mics to Paid Gigs.
Comedy Show Business Objective
- Discover one secret to getting booked for your first stand-up comedy show.
Be Incredibly funny and easy to work with
Each of the open mic comedians stood out because their comedy is distinguished from the other comedians; that one secret to getting booked for your first stand-up comedy show. For some of the comedians, I couldn’t remember their name but I could remember their jokes. That’s the same reaction most audiences have to a comedy show, they can’t remember the name of the comedians but they can remember some of the funny topics and ideas they laughed at.
- The secret is to be remembered as a very funny part of the show.
Earn compliments with this secret to getting booked for your first stand-up comedy show
A good way to know how well a comedian entertained the audience is to listen to the crowd as they leave the show. They should be laughing, happy, and raving about you!
- “That was funny.”
- “I liked the married comedian.”
- “The woman with the red hair made me pee my pants!”
Explain your act with audience testimonials
Listening to your live audience feedback, social media comments, and friendly advice can help you figure out how to explain your act to comedy show audiences. Hear how they describe your comedy. Interpret their feedback into a short, 25-word summary explanation of your comedy.
A few things you can do to figure out how people describe your comedy:
- Ask your friends to describe your comedy.
- Listen to what the audience says as they exit shows.
- Collect positive comments from social media.
One of the most fun parts of being a funny, original stand-up comedian is the challenge to create comedy that is different from others. A good skill to develop is to be explain your comedy and why it differentiates from other comedians on a show.
Which jokes and ideas define your comedy?
In this comedy writing challenge, you’ll rank your 5 funniest jokes and 5 least funny jokes. Ranking jokes helps you identify your own comedy criteria, such as most important jokes or dirtiest jokes.
Think about your upcoming gigs. Rank which jokes are going to get the biggest and best laughs at your next 5 shows. Estimating and predicting the quality and quantity of laughter helps you craft and hone material so it gets bigger and better laughs.
Super secret to getting booked: Listen to your audience
The next time you perform stand-up comedy, if possible, observe the audience as they exit the show. Listen to their feedback about the show. Look at their faces to see if they are happy and laughing. Later, write a short paragraph that summarizes what the audience said about you.
Congratulations! You completed this section!
Now that you’ve conquered this first challenge. you can successfully complete the rest of this series.
Suggested order
START HERE: From Open Mics to Paid Gigs (Series)
- Moving from Open Mics to Paid Gigs
- How some open mic comedians get booked for paid gigs
- What do you need to get booked for paid gigs?
- One secret to getting booked for your first stand-up comedy show
Scenario | Local Comedy Showcase
- Differences between open mics and paid gigs
- Developing enough material for gigs
- Comedy Writing Challenge
- Show Business Challenge
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