How to Become a Celebrity

Setting the Stage

Choose your type of celebrity. There are lots of different kinds of celebrities from singers and actors to bloggers, fiction writers, humanitarians, models, and even chefs. To become a celebrity, you have to pick an area to become a celebrity in. Simply 'being a celebrity' isn't going to get you very far, as it is too vague a goal to work towards. It's also good to decide whether you're looking for that 15 minutes of fame or whether you want your celebrity to be a lifelong endeavor. The former is easier to accomplish, but won't give you much lasting power. The latter takes time and effort to accomplish, but will last much longer.

Practice. If you're wanting to be a celebrity at something, you're going to have to work at it until you're at a level that makes people want to invest in you. While it's true that celebrities aren't always the best at what they do, they still tend to be good at it, whether it's acting, singing, writing, or cooking. Put in 1 hour every day at your chosen field. This will help get you focused on your creative endeavor and keep you focused towards your goal, which is having people know you and your work.

Be creative. There is a lot of the same old same old out there, and it is true that copy cats can become well known (think the many copy cats of books like Twilight or Harry Potter), but it's the original product that is remembered the best. You also need to put a lot of effort into this. This means, you can use the work of others as a jumping off place. You'll need to add your own flare, or individuality to what you're presenting. For example: if you want to write a vampire novel, that's great! But instead of copying the Anne Rice or Twilight formula of pretty immortal vampires, come up with something unusual about your vampires, something that readers will be intrigued by and remember. Being creative basically means having something that people will remember, because it stands out. Of course, this can backfire if you're too focused on complete originality (there is no such thing), but you should tease out what specific and original thing you have to offer, because that will help when you're selling your project. Try finding a way to bring your reality into your work. In other words, be resourceful and use what you have to make yourself shine.

Study celebrities in your chosen field. You need to see what is popular in your chosen field to know how to market yourself so that people want to see you and you'll get a good idea the things you want to avoid and the things you want to emulate. See how those celebrities got famous. Chances are, however, you won't see all the background work that went into getting them to their celebrity status, but you will be able to see where they started. For example: a lot of celebrities talk about their early years and what they did to further their careers. Study how and where they got the break that allowed them to become a celebrity and how much work they had to do simply to get to that place.

Locate people who can help you. Part of becoming a celebrity is about who you know and who is helping you achieve your goal. This doesn't necessarily mean befriending a celebrity, but it is good to find someone in the industry to act as a sort of mentor, to help you avoid pitfalls. You'll want to hire, or at least speak with a marketing professional, since a lot of getting famous comes through marketing yourself and you'll want, if possible, to have an expert's opinion on how best to market yourself. You really will want to acquire a mentor of some sort, someone who has experience with the area in which you're interested in becoming a celebrity. For example: if you're wanting to become a published (and celebrity) author, seek advice from other writers. Look around your city or town and see if there are others who are going for the same goal and work to help one another out.

Becoming a Celebrity

Develop your image. This is a version of you, since you don't want to pretend to be someone else, but a more idealized version of you. It's the person who you'll be publicly and which you'll capitalize on when you're marketing yourself. Basically, there are two different people in this equation. There's the real you, which is fallible, imperfect and then there's the idealized you (which is the one that you're going to be selling). The idealized you is perfect, amazing and awesome. The times when you need to use this image are when you're selling yourself and your product (book, singing, cooking, etc.) to others, whether it's the general public or a publisher or music producers. Just remember, the idealized you only needs to be on for a short period of time, and then you can go back to being your usual self.

Market yourself. This is the big one, because if you can't market yourself you're not going to be a celebrity. People who make celebrity status are the ones who create an image and then know how to effectively sell that image to whatever industry they want to be part of, as well as to the general public. Explain why you're unique. Part of marketing yourself is to show why people should be interested in you. What is it about your work and your presence that people should like. Be persistent. Marketing yourself means being visible and being visible means you have to keep marketing yourself. For example: if your book keep getting rejected from publishers, submit things (like short stories) to literary magazines to get writing credits that will help your writer's image. Before you can go on big media circuits to the Daily Show or Ellen, you'll need to set yourself up on local t.v. and radio, so that people will be able to see that you're a good person to interview and that you are providing interesting and unique product. When you've gotten yourself set up in whatever it is you want to become a celebrity in, contact your local news outlets and let them know what you're doing. Again, be persistent. If they aren't immediately interested, keep doing what you're doing and keep letting them know what you're up to.

Use social media. Social media and the Internet have helped a lot of people gain some amount of celebrity (or notoriety) and so it's definitely an avenue you want to consider when you're attempting to become a celebrity. While it's probably not best to rely on social media alone, it can definitely help. One of the most important aspects of social media is having a constant internet presence. Set up a website that showcases your talents. Get on YouTube and create a vlog. Become part of the Tumblr and Twitter communities. You can talk about things other than your talent (and should because otherwise people will lose interest). You want to create an interest in you, so make sure you're using the idealized you, because you are still marketing yourself in these interactions. Look at people who have achieved fame through social media (especially through YouTube) and consider what they did and how they did it. Justin Bieber is one of the most obvious ones, as he was discovered through his YouTube videos, but again it was perseverance and talent (he does have musical talent) that helped cement what he created by putting himself out there. Another example could be John Green who does YouTube videos back and forth with his brother Hank Green, but who has also become a bestselling author. He created the groundwork to delve into writing because he already had a following and had already, in a sense, proved that his image was marketable. Proving yourself marketable through social media, can greatly help your marketability in the long-term.

Develop a relationship with other celebrities. A good way to break into a field is to have someone who is already a success in that. It isn't easy to just 'make friends' with a celebrity, since a ton of people are already trying that. Approach them in a public setting, if you can. For actors, or writers, there are workshops and panels that they sit on for events that you can attend and meet them. You can also connect with a lot of celebrities through social media, where you can ask them for advice. Sometimes it's good if you have a moment with them to ask for tips on how they got to where they are. Many people are happy to share their advice and their experiences with someone who is interested.

Maintaining Celebrity Status

Keep innovating your ideas. One you've achieved your celebrity status, you'll want to keep a hold of it. A good way to do that is to change things up. Experiment with different ideas and options. Do more than one thing. If you're a singer, for example, try out dancing or modeling or acting. Branch out into comedy. Utilize these things in your music. Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Knowles, Singer & Businesswoman Be willing to work hard and push yourself. "I can never be safe; I always try and go against the grain. As soon as I accomplish one thing, I just set a higher goal. That's how I've gotten to where I am."

Maintain a good relationship with your fans. Your fans are the ones who got you to the place you're at, through their own devotion to you and by passing the word about you along to other people. Treat them with respect. Thank them in interviews and in person. Consider occasionally releasing something free for them (a free story download, or a free song). If someone (especially a fan) offers criticism of whatever you're doing, don't get angry at them. Instead, if it's abusive, respond appropriately by blocking them or having the authorities deal with them (this can mean something like the admins on Twitter, etc.; it doesn't necessarily mean the police), and if it's not abusive, respectfully engage the person to find out where they are coming from.

Use your status positively. If you've become a celebrity it means that a lot of people are watching you and learning from you and taking what you say as the gospel. There's a lot of responsibility that comes with making that sort of impression on a large group of people. Organize and participate in fundraisers for good causes (ending hunger, making sure everyone has access to health care and clean water, ending slavery, and sex trafficking). Give money to these causes Raise awareness for these issues through social media and through your own work.