How does one get to be an influencer/thought leader?

I've often disparaged people like Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, Kirk Herbstreit, Max Kellerman and the like because they have way too much influence. They're the people that millions of people rely on to make sense of the world or a particular sport or what have you and when they talk, people listen.

I guess that's the goal of everyone in this business, to be the person so many people rely on to make sense of things.

How did they get there? Work ethic, analytical skills, something else?

 

Do a lot of this:

 

I was thinking about Bill O'Reilly the other day and how many books he sold when he was a "thought leader" and now that he has the time to write more, he doesn't or nobody cares. So with Tucker, it's the timeslot - he was just as goofy at CNN and MSNBC - but nobody who heard what he had to say was "influenced." I do credit Rogan most of all for identifying and "gathering" a tribe that had no "voice." He speaks to and for a lot of people who aren't (or weren't) politically active or knowledgeable but have opinions, like MMA and smoking pot. And there are a lot more of them apparently than we realized. Because before they were too engaged in MMA and smoking pot.

 

They bought a hat.

 

IMO, the third guy on that list is pretty good. I really don't know what he's doing here, but played college quarterback at Ohio State and knows the game. He's a pretty damn nice guy, too. Not perfect - but nice.

 

This guy knows how to play the game.

https://www.youtube.com/user/ConservativeNewMedia

 

Just saying he has too much influence.

 

Tweet incessantly like a ditzy teenager who forgot her ADHD meds, act like every banality in your life is some grand statement about society, throw in a milquetoast hockey take once in a while, and boom The Athletic will hire you to cover the NHL.

 

Be Cools

 

It helps to be attractive, especially for women.