How to Get Famous While Young

Co-authored by Beth Cormack

Last Updated: January 23, 2023 References

Becoming famous usually involves doing something to make yourself famous, from doing something outrageous to developing your talent. You can also help yourself out by developing a personal brand. In turn, you need to market your ideas and brand for people to begin to recognize your name.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Doing Something to Become Famous

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Be unique. Uniqueness stands out in a crowd, especially when everyone else is trying to follow the crowd. Therefore, try to be your own unique person, doing something unusual in whatever field you choose.^{[1]
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- For instance, McKayla Maroney, though famous for gymnastics, became even more famous for her a particular scowling look she sometimes had. She let herself be unique, rather than pasting a smile on her face through the whole competition.^{[2]
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- Another person who became famous this way was Bobak Ferdowsi. As a member of the team who helped land a rover on Mars, he was already a standout in his field. However, when people saw his mohawk in a livestream of the event, he became famous all over the internet.^{[3]
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2
Make a unique invention. Some people become famous for the things that they invent. The best way to invent something is to start with a problem. What everyday problem bothers you or your family? What kind of solution could you come up with to solve it? If you come up with a new solution for an old problem, you could easily become famous.^{[4]
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- For instance, Mark Zuckerberg is famous for beginning Facebook at a young age. He saw a need for an online social network based on college campuses (originally), and he worked to make it happen.^{[5]
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3
Do something for other people. Some people have become famous by being generous. Here's the kicker, though--it has to be you doing something generous in an unusual or outrageous way.^{[6]
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- For instance, maybe you raise money for a charity by swimming the Mississippi and get people to donate for every mile you swim.
4
Try auditioning for a reality show. While some reality shows require particular talents (cooking or singing, for example), others require very little talent at all. Watch some of the more recent reality shows to get an idea of what you'd like, then find their audition times on their website. Many people have become famous on reality television shows.^{[7]
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Break a world record. This method could take a little time as you do have to work on some talent or task. The easiest way to figure out what you could do is to look through the Guinness Book of World Records. Find one you think you could break, and then work on making it happen. When you finally do try to break it, you'll likely need an official there from Guinness to verify it.^{[8]
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Show off your talent. Of course, many people become famous just by being very talented in one area. If you've got innate talent, you could spend some time developing it while you are still very young. In fact, very talented kids often become famous for awhile because people are fascinated by someone so young being so talented. If you're under 18, try asking your parents if you can post videos of you performing your talent on a site like YouTube, which you can then share with your friends.^{[9]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Creating a Personal Brand

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Define what your brand is. That is, when you're building a brand, you have to decide what you want people to think when they hear your name. You don't have to be fake, but you do need to decide what parts of yourself you will present to the public. In other words, you want some consistency.^{[10]
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- One example of a YouTuber who created a personal brand is Hannah Hart of My Drunk Kitchen. Her personal brand relies on a pinch of silliness with a side of compassion, as she encourages people to get involved in their communities.^{[11]
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Decide what you have to offer. When building your brand, you do need to offer something to the world. You know about things, and you can use what you know. In other words, your brand can be about what you are an expert on, whether it's robots, cooking, or painting pretty nails.^{[12]
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- For instance, certain bloggers rely on their expertise to build their brand, such as Joy the Baker, who began a baking blog to share her love of baking with others. She's gained a number of followers due to her precision in cooking, her imaginative recipes, and her honest writing style.^{[13]
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3
Present yourself to the world. With all the social media platforms out there, it's easy to start sharing content with users. You can write blogs, tweet, make videos, or take photographs. Some people do all of the above. Basically, you want to start showing off what you know about by sharing expert content.^{[14]
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- If you're serious about creating a brand for yourself, you should consider creating your own website. That way, your fan base will have one landing place to find out all about you.^{[15]
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4
Take time to network. Being famous is a business. That means you need to continually be on top of putting yourself out there. On the internet, networking is done through bonding with other content creators. In other words, you need to comment and share other people's content to help push yourself ahead as well.^{[16]
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- You can also try techniques such as blog tours, where you ask certain blogs (relevant to what you do) to host you as a guest. The host could interview you, or you could write a guest blog post.
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Take down anything that doesn't fit your brand. Take a critical eye to all of your social media. Whatever content doesn't fit your prescribed brand should be taken down. You can also set up a Google Alert for your name to see what is being said about you out there.^{[17]
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- For instance, if you are trying to portray yourself as family-friendly, you might want to take down pictures of you out partying.
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Curate your posts. That is, don't post everything that comes into your hand. Every time you think about posting an update, a blog post, or a photograph, think about whether it fits into your brand or not.^{[18]
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- For instance, if you're trying to portray yourself as silly and fun, posting serious posts about recent events may not fit your brand.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Marketing Yourself or an Idea

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Contact producers. If you have a book or album to promote, you can try contacting producers directly. Look on the websites for the shows you think are a good fit, and find the contact emails for the producers. You can then pitch your idea directly to the producer. If you're a good fit, she may bring you on the show.^{[19]
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- Don't just try one and stop. You have to be persistent. Keep trying producers from different shows.^{[20]
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Start smaller. Don't jump to the national shows first. Start with local television shows or local news. Once you prove you can handle yourself on television, bigger shows will be willing to pick you up.^{[21]
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- Shows are looking for people who are polite and engaging and who have something to say.
3
Find similar brands. If you can find people who produce similar content but who are more famous, try to befriend them. By associating with other popular brands, your brand can become more popular.^{[22]
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- You're likely to run across people who have similar brands just by reading other blogs, watching videos, and engaging in social media. Once you find other people like you, start engaging with their content, by replying to their posts and commenting on videos. You can also meet people at blogging and vlogging conferences.
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Be engaging. That is, whatever you do post on social media should not be bland. It can be mundane in nature, such as an update about your daily life, but it should have a spark of you in it, something that makes it engaging to your readers.^{[23]
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Expert Q&A

Question

How can you get 1,000 followers on TikTok?

Beth Cormack
Social Media Manager
Beth Cormack is a Social Media Manager based in Washington, D.C. With five years of experience, she specializes in multi-channel social media marketing and storytelling. She earned her Master of Professional Studies from Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies and her BA in Communication from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Beth Cormack

Social Media Manager

Expert Answer

On TikTok, the key is to be engaging and provide value to your audience. The best way is to find a niche that you're an expert in, whether it's cooking or some type of sport, and focus on creating content around that. The more consistent you are with posting about it and the more interesting, the more people will find you.
Question

How can I become a famous dancer at the age of ten?

Community Answer

You can ask your parents to allow you to audition at a dance company, which can help you to get noticed by professional dance coaches.
Question

I am eleven and want to be famous for my writing. What can I do?

Community Answer

Submit your pieces to magazines and other publications, including writing contests.