Rory has spent nearly a decade crafting magic tricks for TV shows globally. This year, he unveiled his magical creation – Book A Magician, an online directory that aspires to become a comprehensive booking platform for professional magicians.
The genesis of this venture came to Rory during the pandemic while writing a newsletter for magicians called “One Ahead.” As a TV writer for comedy and entertainment shows like “Magic For Humans” on Netflix, Rory’s familiarity with magicians grew, leading him to discover a gap in the industry.
At a convention earlier this year, the poor quality of magician websites became a topic of discussion among Rory’s friends. Determined to bridge this gap, Rory impulsively bought the domain bookamagician.com at 2 AM. Armed with a $1,500 investment and a vision, he embarked on a journey to create a platform that would not only help magicians showcase their talents but also make it easier for event organizers to find and hire them.
The process of building the first version of Book A Magician was an exercise in resourcefulness. Rory started with a cheap Webflow template for real estate websites, adapting it to fit the needs of his magical venture. The result was a minimal viable product (MVP) with a simple sitemap featuring magician profiles, backlinks, and contact buttons.
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With an annual fee of $299 and a commitment to take zero commission on gigs, Rory’s platform attracted 103 magicians from around the world within just three months of its launch. The journey, however, wasn’t without its challenges. Rory acknowledges the importance of valuing your product, a lesson he learned when getting people to sign up for free proved challenging, but convincing them to pay for the platform was surprisingly easy.
The launch strategy involved a gradual approach, with Rory promoting the platform in his newsletter for four months while it climbed the search rankings. A soft launch with a limited-time lifetime fee of $99 for early adopters yielded 50 paying members, showcasing the perceived value of the service.
The key to attracting and retaining customers in the early stages revolves around emphasizing the value of backlinks. Magicians joining the platform receive a backlink on their profile, boosting their website’s search rankings. Rory also leverages backlinking between his various projects to organically grow the platform’s backlink profile.
As Rory navigates the challenges of growing the business, his focus remains on enhancing the website’s SEO and features. Intending to create a platform that can automate the booking process for magicians in the future, Rory dreams big and advises fellow entrepreneurs to trust their instincts, make small affordable bets, and focus on scalable business projects.
Today, Book A Magician stands as the number one result for the search term “book a magician” in the USA, marking a promising start to Rory’s magical journey. As he continues to refine and expand his platform, the future looks bright for both magicians and those seeking to add a touch of magic to their events.
