It’s no accident that the “Rockstar” metaphor is one of the most cliche and ubiquitous metaphors in social media marketing, music writing and life in general.
But sometimes the rockstar metaphor works, and as a result, the myth of the rockstar can teach you a lot about stage presence and how to rock the main blogosphere stage like a Headlining Blogger.
We recently discovered during our adventure with Kip Winger and Rock n Roll Fantasy Campers that being a rockstar is most likely just a myth.
But still, as live music fans, we’re addicted to the rockstar myth and desire to live it out our rockstar fantasties, because the phrase “Being a Rockstar” is pregnant with the alluring promise of escape, euphoria and nostalgia, which are all key elements you also encounter during the deeply emotional live music experience.
And because concerts are extremely emotional experiences, the rockstar metaphor is a very popular and effective creative writing tool.
Whether they mean well or not, online marketers, music magazines and crafty social media bloggers love to leverage the alluring association of the rockstar metaphor and everything the rockstar lifestyle promises to help get their message across or sell you on their products or ideas.
Is the Rockstar Metaphor Dead?
No, the rockstar metaphor will never die.
And unfortunately, there will be bad uses of it.
But thankfully there will be good uses too.
That said, as I’ve shared before Copyblogger is a regular read for me because they consistently publish helpful tips and guides for bloggers who want their copy to well…rock like a rockstar.
And this recent guest post by Logan Zanelli puts an interesting and fresh spin on the rockstar metaphor with his “Rockstar Guide to Getting More Traffic, Fame, and Success.”
And there’s a few reasons why this post will get your live music blogging juices flowing.
For starters, I like the connection Zanelli makes between the attributes of a successful headlining live performer, who’s rocking the crowd night after night, and the qualities of a A-list blogger who’s rocking their blog audience post after post.
And I especially like this part:
“That’s stage presence. Knowing what part of your authentic self connects with your audience — and then choosing to emphasize that aspect — is the first step to becoming the main act instead of just the ho-hum opener.”
That snippet rings true because, as we learned in our interview with Terry Starbucker, the best live performers know how to lead a crowd to higher ground and truly lift us off our feet.
The best performers give us something more than just a great show. They change our lives.
Headliners Vs. Openers: Who’s Really The Best?
Though I do agree with Zanelli’s point that, when it comes to live performance, it doesn’t pay to be just a “ho-hum opener”.
But as far as concerts, I wouldn’t write-off openers completely, because, we can be surprised unexpectedly.
And if the talent is there, we all know that the tables can turn and openers can actually give headliners a run for their money. But only if they’ve clearly got talent and are winning you over with their show.
And the same goes for up-and-coming bloggers who have yet to be discovered. All it takes in the right mix of talent, timing and patience.
How do Opening Bloggers get to be Headlining Bloggers?
And as Zanelli’s points out, in order to be a headlining A-list blogger you have to put the time in and find what it is that makes you unique and then develop the hell out of your uniqueness.
That’s what the best live performers do through constant touring as they refine their live show.
And besides having a community to support you, refining your blogging craft by consistently writing everyday is one of the things you must do.
I work at it all the time as I try to improve and perfect all aspects of Live Fix. And that’s exactly what you need to do too, if you want to be a “headlining blogger”.
What’s Zanelli’s Concert Fan Story?
Zanelli’s article really got me thinking about the connection between writing compelling copy and live performance, so I took a cruise around his site and enjoyed many of this other live performance-related musings and tips for aspiring rockstar entrepreneurs.
It was great to learn about his “one rocker’s story” too.
But I didn’t find anything that specifically explains why he loves live music so much. Who knows? Maybe we can find more about that out in the future?
I hope we do get to learn more about his concert fan story. And I’ll be sure to let you know when we do.
What do you think about the use of the rockstar metaphor in blogging, music writing and social media? Where else have you seen it used in a fresh and creative way?
