Building an audience of 10,000 may seem like a daunting task, but it’s actually not as hard as you think. In fact, you may not even need an audience of that size to be successful.
Kevin Kelly, the founding editor of Wired magazine, wrote a famous article called “1,000 True Fans.” In the article, Kelly argues that if you can create an audience of 1,000 true fans, you can make a living from your work.
A true fan is someone who is willing to buy everything you create. They’re not just casual followers or subscribers. They’re your biggest supporters and cheerleaders. Imagine having something you sell for 100 to your audience of 1000 and you can see how this can be attractive. With modern social media, the idea of ‘more’ is often pushed. 1000 is not big enough, you need 10,000 or 100,000 before you can start to be successful.
So, how do you build an audience of 1,000 true fans?
1. Know your audience.
The first step is to know your audience. Who are you trying to reach? What are their problems? What are their goals?
The more specific you can be, the better. Instead of targeting “everyone,” target a specific niche. For example, instead of targeting “business owners,” target “small business owners in the healthcare industry.”
Once you know your audience, you can start creating content that is relevant and valuable to them.
2. Create high-quality content.
The best way to build an audience is to create high-quality content that people want to consume. This could include blog posts, articles, videos, podcasts, or even social media posts.
Your content should be informative, engaging, and helpful. It should solve a problem for your audience or help them achieve their goals.
We talk about this a lot in our blog on How to attract your audience to absorb your content
3. Be consistent.
Consistency is key when it comes to building an audience. You need to show up regularly with new content and avoid the dreaded procrastination.
This doesn’t mean you have to publish new content every day. But you should create a schedule and stick to it. For example, you might publish a new blog post every week or a new video every month. Having clear goals about how often you want to be posting can help considerably.
4. Promote your content.
Once you’ve created great content, you need to promote it. Share it on social media, submit it to directories, and reach out to other bloggers and influencers in your niche.
The more people who see your content, the more likely you are to build an audience.
5. Be patient.
Building an audience takes time. Don’t expect to have 1,000 true fans overnight. Just keep creating great content and promoting it, and eventually you’ll reach your goal.
It can take 3-12 months to build an engaged audience but don’t be disillusioned if you don’t start getting a lot of engagement in the first few months, this is the hardest hill to overcome. If you stick with it, it will get much easier from thereafter.
Building an audience is like dating. You need to be patient, persistent, and willing to put in the work. But if you do things right, you’ll eventually find your true fans.
Conclusion:
Building an audience of 1000 is not as hard as you think. By following the tips above, you can start building an engaged audience of true fans who will love and support your work.
Remember, you don’t need a huge audience to be successful. Just focus on creating great content and building relationships with your true fans.
If you’re ready to overcome your limiting beliefs and become a successful coach, I encourage you to attend one of our 1-Day Coaching Diplomas to start your coaching journey. It’ll help you to develop a plan to achieve your goals and build a successful coaching business. You can also find our beginners guide to becoming a coach here.
