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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
