How to Be the Comic Who Always Gets Rebooked (Despite Being Average)

They say talent rises to the top - here's how to float in the middle forever: 1. **The Yes-Man Strategy** - Take every spot, even the 3PM Tuesday "senior discount" show. 2. **Booker's Best Friend** - It's not nepotism if you call it "supporting the scene." 3. **The Set Chameleon** - Have one clean corporate set and one filthy bar set (same jokes, different delivery). 4. **Social Media Mirage** - Buy 5,000 followers (if 80% are bots, that's still 1,000 "fans"). 5. **Tech Guy Gambit** - Volunteer to run sound - it's the backdoor to stage time. 6. **Fake Humility** - "I'm just happy to be here" (while mentally stealing the feature act's material). 7. **Strategic Laughter** - Cackle at the booker's jokes like they're Richard Pryor reincarnated. 8. **Name-Drop Fu** - "Me and [Famous Comic]? We go way back... to that one open mic in 2017." 9. **Credit Inflation** - Call that podcast appearance "a nationally syndicated special." 10. **The Hustle Myth** - "You gotta grind" is code for "I'm not actually funny." 11. **Material Recycling** - Repackage old jokes as "my new hour of fresh perspectives." 12. **Industry Plant** - Date someone influential just long enough to get booked at their club. 13. **Geographic Hack** - Be the "local favorite" in three different time zones. 14. **Nostalgia Play** - "Remember that bit from 2019? It's vintage now!" 15. **The Long Con** - Outlast the talented comics who quit out of frustration.