I love to laugh. Who does’t? I was watching one of John Mulaney’s comedy specials and thinking about how hard it must be to come up with content that makes people laugh out loud. My next thought was, “Is comedy harder than domaining?” At that moment, I realized domains have more in common with stand-up comedy than most people think. Both involve timing, creativity, and understanding your audience. And just like a comic on stage, sometimes you crush it… sometimes you bomb. In the spirit of fun but factual, here are ten ways domains and comedy overlap.
1. Timing is Everything
In comedy, a joke told too late doesn’t land. Domains are the same. I learned that the hard way with PlasmaTV.com. By the time I bought it, plasma screens were already being replaced by LED and LCD. At one point, that domain would have been gold. Instead, I was left holding a punchline that had already passed. Timing makes all the difference.
2. Short and Punchy Wins
The best jokes are tight and memorable. The same goes for domains. Zoom.com—that’s a win. BestOnlineVideoConferencingPlatform2025.com—that’s a guy at open mic nobody remembers.
3. Setup and Payoff
A good joke builds tension, then delivers. Strong domains do the same. DollarShaveClub.com sets up cheap and exclusive in one breath. Branding. The payoff? A billion-dollar exit.
4. Bombing
Every comic bombs. Every domainer has a portfolio with plenty of duds. I’ve got names I can’t believe I paid renewals on. The key is not letting the misses stop you from trying again.
5. Originality Matters
Nobody laughs at the fifteenth knock-knock joke. Same with knockoff domains. Facebok.net isn’t clever, it’s a lame hack. The good stuff is original and gets remembered.
6. Audience is Everything
A joke that works in New York might flop in Omaha. Domains are the same. A clever .io might be gold to a tech startup, but meaningless to a local bakery. Know who you’re pitching. I can’t stress this enough.
7. Hecklers Come With the Territory
Comics deal with drunks yelling from the back. Domainers deal with lowballers and “you’re a squatter” emails. Either way, you can’t let it throw you off. Stay calm, keep control, and move on. Unlike a skilled comic who can comedically burry the heckler, domainers are better off turning the other check and focusing on selling.
8. Reputation Builds Slowly
Nobody becomes a headliner after one set. Same for domains—you don’t build credibility off a single sale. It takes years, deal after deal, to prove you belong. Let at all the domain legends we follow as examples. They all started somewhere.
9. The Best Work Looks Effortless
A polished set looks like the comic is riffing off the cuff, but it’s been rehearsed a hundred times. Great domains feel obvious, like they were just waiting to be registered. In both cases, it only looks easy from the outside. And the polished domaines has spent time and effort building and developing his or her skillsets. Reading blogs, studying the market, learning negotiation tactics, etc.
10. Every Day is Another Shot
Comics go on stage night after night, never sure how it’ll go. Domainers chase drops, auctions, and buyers, never sure who’ll bite. Some days you walk off with crickets, other days you get a standing ovation—or a five-figure sale. Hang in there. We are all rooting for you.
Comedy and domains both take guts, patience, and a sense of humor. You’ll bomb, you’ll get heckled, you’ll second-guess yourself. I still shake my head when I think about buying PlasmaTV.com right as the technology was being replaced. That was my “bad set” moment. But just like comedy, you keep going back on stage and learning. Because when the timing is right and the audience connects, it’s worth every flop, every renewal fee, and every missed punchline. I’m here all week, try the veal.
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