“To be a successful creator you don’t need millions. You don’t need millions of dollars or millions of customers, millions of clients or millions of fans.
To make a living as a craftsperson, photographer, musician, designer, author, animator, app maker, entrepreneur, or inventor you need only thousands of true fans.”
- Kevin Kelly
These were the words of Kevin Kelly, an author and creator, in his 2008 essay named “1,000 true fans.”
16 years later, and his words ring even truer.
Finding your 1,000 true fans brings a disproportionate amount of profit, brand loyalty, and word of mouth.
But who are your true fans?
Your true fans in business are your loyal customers.
They are the people who give 5-star reviews, refer your product to others, and choose to continue buying from you even if a competitor costs less.
As an entrepreneur, you need to nurture the relationships with your existing customers.
You can 10x your revenue without adding a single customer if you can turn 20% of your customers into true fans (or loyal customers).
Here’s how to do it.
1/ Find your true fans
You probably already have some true fans in your business.
They might be people who…
Share your content
Give 5-star reviews
Are repeat buyers
Figuring out the characteristics of your true fans can help you reach them and strengthen your relationship with them.
(If you want to learn how to get testimonials from your true fans, check out this article: How to get killer testimonials that build instant credibility)
2/ Give your fans a quick win
As soon as people interact with your business, reward them with a quick win.
Giving your prospects a small, immediate result before they buy anything is huge.
It builds trust and makes a great first impression for your brand without the prospect having to commit to buying anything or spending a lot of time.
A quick win can be…
A short guide (Optimize your bio in 5 minutes using this formula)
An exact script or template (Use this DM script)
A checklist (Use this checklist to find the best platforms to market to your target audience)
The quicker the viewer can get the win, the better.
3/ Build a community for your customers
Create a community where your fans can talk to you and to one another.
This creates a space for your fans to connect over the shared interest in your brand, increasing the happiness of the fan and the positive association with your brand.
You don’t need a big community. It can be as simple as a…
Reply thread
Discord server
Select email list
Rewards program
The point is to make your customers feel like insiders and connect their identity to your community and brand.
4/ Deepen your relationship with your fans
Build a stronger relationship with your true fans and customers.
You can give them limited-edition merch, access to Q&A sessions, or special discounts.
If you have a smaller audience, you can offer these fans personalized experiences.
These personalized experiences will differentiate you from big, corporate brands who don’t respond to their customers.
Some additional ways you can deepen those relationships:
Personally thank your customers
Instead of discounting for new buyers, discount for existing customers
Send personal emails and updates to your community
Let your customers give feedback by asking questions, requesting products/features, voting on topics.
It’s coming out soon…
I’ve spent the last three months researching, compiling, and writing Reddit Deconstructed.
I was supposed to launch it a few weeks ago, but I had to spend more time on the content and on making sure it’s perfect (at least to me).
Here is one of the three playbooks.
Of course, as my own true fans, a small group of you will get early access and a price that won’t be available at the general launch. (In exchange for some feedback I can use to improve it).
See you soon,
- Warren
PS: If you want to read Kevin Kelly’s “1,000 True Fans” essay, here is the link. It’s not too long and is very interesting.