Dwayne Johnson is a name that is known for being one of the funniest men in Hollywood. Charming, intimidating, and hugely successful are three ways that you can describe the blockbuster actor.
However, there’s more to his success than what meets the eye.
His father wanted him to pursue a lucrative career in the NFL, but The Rock knew he wanted to join his father in the wrestling business. His father was ashamed that his son was recklessly throwing his life away. But he The Rock had a plan, and it would forever alter his trajectory as an entertainer for the better.
Recently, he has been involved in some commercial successes such as Jumanji, Baywatch, Skyscraper, and Rampage.
In fact, even after being around for a while he is still what many would consider to be the prime of his career.
So how can you model The Rock’s success in your own brand and create a trademark style that is lovable in order to attract a larger following?
If you want to be like The Rock, than you are going to have to learn the four reasons why he’s been so successful, and then apply them to your business.
Even if you aren’t a fan of his movies, there is no denying that he has some pretty surreal talent and an ability to connect with an audience that is out of this world. Learning how to copy his success can help to elevate your content to the next level.
Reason 1: He is audience driven.
Watching The Rock is like watching one of your best friends interact with you in your living room. It feels like he is speaking right to you.
This is intentional, and it took him years of training to master it.
His early days were spent in WWE learning to connect with live audiences. He also had to be a pretty good actor to make fake stunts appear as real as possible in front of thousands of live fans, who were often skeptical of the actor’s moves.
This practice made him a particularly good actor, and it is one of the reasons that he comes across as being so relatable even on the much larger Silver Screen.
So how can you hone the same skill of being relatable and use it for yourself?
One of the best ways is to actually speak in front of a live audience.
The more you practice the better you will get. This will help you to make all of your content (not just your keynote speeches) much stronger. Your videos will get more genuine and your blog posts will tell more stories. This one skill will make you seem even more relatable.
By speaking in front of people you can watch their faces and see their reactions to what they’re saying. This gives you invaluable feedback that you need as a content creator.
By getting comfortable in front of a room of your followers, you can get more prepared for doing Instagram Live when the pressure is on.
Reason 2: He knows that his brand platform is everything.
The Rock is a pretty sharp guy. He knows that he’s created not just an insanely powerful image for himself, but he’s also aware of the fact that his image alone isn’t going to take him to the next peak. Instead, he has to leverage the power of multiple brand platforms.
For instance, he did a great job of leveraging WWE and using that to build a worldwide fanbase.
Then, as a screen actor he played in roles that personified his bad boy with charm persona. This added to his mystery and made him an acting sensation. He didn’t stop there, instead he kept building a following by taking on more humorous roles and experimenting with different types of characters.
As a business owner you have to work at leveraging your brand platform. With The Rock he leveraged wrestling to dominate the screen.
With your business you need to find the one outlet that will give you the most traction and run with it. If your social media game is on fire, use that to promote your content pieces, but maintain the focus on connecting with people and sharing in social media communities.
If you are naturally funny and love to talk, Youtube may be the better move for you. However, the important thing to remember is to play to your strengths across multiple channels, while focusing on the one that brings the most impact.
The Rock isn’t as dramatic as Leonardo Dicaprio, or as serious as Tom Cruise.
Being able to know where your natural strengths lie is the key to maximizing your potential.
When you find your strengths invest in them, and work on improving your abilities. When you find the channel for getting your voice out there you will be able to make more of an impact.
Finding the right brand platform is an important part of the process that is often overlooked by a lot of content creators. However, it’s absolutely vital to your success, and this is one of the things that the Rock realized, even when his father was disappointed in his early decisions.
Reason 3: He uses his personality to give audiences an experience.
One of the major reasons that the Rock is so largely popular is because of his signature smile, his quick humor, and his ability to turn the stereotype of a dumb jock into something sensitive, funny, and smart. This range makes him memorable, and it makes people want to see his personality.
As a business owner, you are your own brand. The more you are able to leverage your ability to have a personality that attracts clients and customers, the better your company will do. When people equate you with your brand, the sky’s the limit, so long as they like you and how you present yourself. Some professionals think that personality gets in the way of customer and client decisions, but they couldn’t be more wrong.
In today’s Instagram world, we need to shine through with our personalities more than ever. In doing so it will help you to stand out. Even discussing things as simple as your market knowledge with clients and customers is something that helps you to define yourself over your competitors.
So the obvious question is how do you deal with people who don’t like your personality?
You do like The Rock did, and keep trying. When his father didn’t give him his approval, he went ahead and made a name for himself anyway. Don’t let other people dictate your success!
Reason 4: He has trust in the people he collaborates with
Business is all about trust. The more that people can trust you, the more that they will want to work with you. The Rock comes across as a pretty personable guy, and this is something that we can all learn from him.
In a NewsWeek interview, The Rock “revealed that he has no legal agreement with WWE, but because of his relationship with Vince McMahon, he knows that he can trust him with just one handshake, rather than a full-length contract.”
This shows his trust in his partners, and it’s the type of trust you have to have in yourself if you want your brand and business to take off. The Rock was an outlier, he was too big to be a movie star, and an-ex WWE wrestler–why would people want to see him act? He trusted the mentors, directors, and most importantly his own acting abilities.
“With Vince McMahon we’ve always been able to shake hands. That’s a very special relationship in this day and age, that we can operate with that level of trust.”
Give your customers, followers, and clients the benefit of the doubt. Trust that they know what they need, and that they will tell you how to make your final products better. Getting insight and feedback from the people who regularly subscribe to your email newsletter, view your Instagram stories, or read your blog is one of the fastest ways to make your content better.
But be careful that you don’t change too much. Remember, criticism is to be expected and is perfectly normal.
In the end, trust the people that you work with and that you make content for. Create a brand that encourages discourse and is a place where the community can express important concerns related to your industry. If you try to help people, and trust that things will go well, you’ll have a more collaborative attitude, which will reinforce your success.
Remember, this took Dwayne Johnson years to master, so don’t expect results overnight.
Trust in the process by committing to your craft, believing in your abilities, playing to your strengths, and not being afraid to show-off your personality. By leveraging your skill sets and finding the right platform, you will give yourself the best chances of long term success.
