Longtime reader Brian responded with a question and some commentary regarding my “Anti-Social” media article Tuesday…
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Bru,
The article makes sense, however, I wouldn’t say no to an Oprah endorsement, but that raises the question:
Is social media “fake” influence while Oprah is REAL influence? There’s no doubt she has made many people wealthy and famous through an endorsement.
So, maybe, we still do value what is real, and while we may gawk at others in large numbers (likes, etc.), we may also intrinsically know that they are not real.
Brian in Vegas
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You make a great point… She absolutely has made certain people wealthy and famous. Key words= certain people
The authors she endorsed in her book club became immediate best-sellers (and rich) as a result. From 1986-2011 this became known as The Oprah Effect.
The concept refers to the power of a single media member to drive sales for a guest he or she recommends.
For example several years ago when the Enell sport bra appeared in the “Favorite Things” section of Oprah Magazine; eight months of inventory sold out in three days and sales jumped 112% in one year.
Here’s the kicker though…
If you don’t have a book, product or service for her to endorse or pitch for you, you get zero mileage out of the appearance. Just the proverbial “15 minutes of fame”. And last time I checked the bank doesn’t accept fame as a form of mortgage payment.
Regardless of whether it’s The Queen of All Media (Oprah’s nickname) or any other media outlet for that matter, if you have a product or service to sell being on Oprah can help, otherwise it’s worth less than you’d think.
Today the best media outlet that moves the needle for folks are podcasts. The biggest being Joe Rogan’s podcast, he helps comics sell out theaters, authors sell books, and creators sell product. How much? So much the noticeable sales bump guests experience immediately after being on his podcast is referred to as “The Joe Rogan Effect”. So basically, he’s the new Oprah.
In the May issue of my $49/month Yesterdays Underdog newsletter I wrote about how you can use media appearances as the best and least expensive way to get new leads and build brand awareness for your business. (Assuming you have an actual product or service to sell.)
One of the perks of membership is having 24-7, 365 access to back issues like this one. Lucky for you it’s not too late to jump on board and take advantage of this. Go here… www.YesterdaysUnderdog.com