1,000 True Fans
1,000 True Fans
A healthy alternative to the never-ending pursuit of "going viral."
“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, Co-Founding Executive Editor at WIRED Magazine
I first came across this quote while reading Tools of Titans, a collection of quotes and advice from some of the most “interesting” and successful people on the planet, based on years of interviews conducted by author Tim Ferriss. Disclaimer; a lot of them are also insufferable, and think that their investing or tech expertise makes them an authority on morality and spirituality.
I’d say 20% of the book is helpful and thought-provoking, which isn’t bad for such a massive compilation of people from such diverse walks of life. I certainly could’ve done without the all-too-predictable “my sauna/cold plunge morning routine in my $100 million Silicon Valley mansion is the secret to living a fulfilling life despite my three divorces,” or the in-depth testimonials of demon-led ayahuasca trips in South America. I grew up in Boulder; I have very little tolerance for psuedo-spiritual faux individualism created by marketing executives in a Fortune 500 boardroom, where everyone’s a self-proclaimed industry disruptor parroting what all of the other disruptors are saying.
But I do like this quote. I’ve thought a lot about how counter-cultural this advice is. It seems like almost everyone these days has one common goal: going viral. Social media actually rewards it; low quality, low-IQ reels and videos often get 10-20x as many views as incredible still photos and intellectually stimulating infographics.
Follower count has become a status symbol that divides content creators, influencers, and even just regular social media users into “tiers.” Losing followers is enough to send folks into a depression spiral, wondering what they’re doing wrong. The algorithm is a harsh taskmaster.
The same is true of the business world, where it’s all about “scaling,” “going 10x,” and going from “millions to billions.” Bigger, and more, is always the goal, and growth is the sole indicator of success.
But what if you’ve got something to say, a message you believe the world needs to hear, or a product/service that you’re passionate about and that you know will enhance the lives of those around you, but you don’t have a dedicated marketing department, two hundred thousand followers, or millions of dollars in revenue?
The good news is that, in most cases, you only need 1,000 true fans.
What is a true fan? Kelly explains:
A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can’t wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans.
The 1,000 true fans theory says that, rather than seeking “breakout fame and a customer base of millions,” entrepreneurs/creators should aim to do two things:
Acquire 1,000 true fans/loyal customers
Earn a profit of $100/loyal customer per year
Depending on the product or service, this might just be a starting point. But it’s a good one. Kelly offers a few practical considerations to get started:
It’s easier and better to give your existing customers more, than it is to find new fans
Corporate marketing agencies know this well. Studies show that it can be 5x as expensive to acquire a new customer (“customer acquisition cost”) than to keep an existing one. Increasing customer retention by 5% can increase profits by 25% or more. And the success rate of selling to a customer you already have is 60-70%, while the success rate of selling to a new customer is 5-20%. These are obviously ballpark numbers, but they represent well-researched marketplace realities.
You must have a direct relationship with your fans
When you hear the word “fans,” don’t think this just applies to influencers or celebrities; Kelly isn’t referring to “fans” of you as a person, like Ronaldo, or Chris Pratt, or Taylor Swift have. He uses the term “fans” here to represent anyone who patronizes your business; it’s interchangeable with “loyal customers,” but it’s better to have “fans” than “customers” because fans are even more loyal. The goal is to turn customers into fans by going above and beyond to the point that they can’t help but become a raving fan of your business. Wendy’s has customers; Chick-fil-A has fans.
The important part here is that you have a direct relationship with your “true fans.” Middle men, no matter how crucial to your business, will degrade that relationship and make it less likely that you will acquire or maintain your 1,000 true fans, regardless of how many customers you have. Think about bands you like who personally respond to fans’ Instagram comments vs. bands who just let their record label social media team do their official posting. There’s a huge difference!
The internet has made the niche universal
Kelly explains:
If you lived in any of the 2 million small towns on Earth you might be the only one in your town to crave death metal music, or get turned on by whispering, or want a left-handed fishing reel. Before the web you’d never be able to satisfy that desire. You’d be alone in your fascination. But now satisfaction is only one click away. Whatever your interests as a creator are, your 1,000 true fans are one click from you. As far as I can tell there is nothing — no product, no idea, no desire — without a fan base on the internet. Every thing made, or thought of, can interest at least one person in a million — it’s a low bar. Yet if even only one out of every million people were interested, that’s potentially 7,000 people on the planet. That means that any 1-in-a-million appeal can find 1,000 true fans. The trick is to practically find those fans, or more accurately, to have them find you.
This should be incredibly freeing for creators and entrepreneurs. Rather than having to compete with the big names in any given industry, in most cases, you now have the freedom to find that which you’re passionate about and turn it into a fruitful endeavor, no matter how obscure.
I know a guy who makes well into the six-figures selling refurbished, luxury watches on eBay, and recently heard about another guy who makes a livable wage selling hardcopy calendars with scenic photographs of farm landscapes. He doesn’t even have social media or e-mail, but has maintained a core group of about 2,000 customers for nearly three decades.
The key here is mastering a true niche, no matter how specific; it’s incredibly hard to gain true fans when your product, service, or message is so general and broad that it looks identical to hundreds of others. There’s almost zero chance you’ll gain true fans writing a blog about “the best family vacations.” They are a dime a dozen. But how about a blog that writes about “the best family vacations for children with special needs,” or “family vacations on a budget for Americans stationed in Okinawa?” I think you could easily acquire 1,000 true fans in these spaces, provided that your articles are detailed, interactive, and well-written.
Less than .00001% of us will achieve international fame. The alternative needn’t be poverty; there is a third option, and that’s earning a livable income (or a decent side income) doing something you love, provided there are people willing to pay you for it. As the old adage goes, “if it works, it ain’t stupid.”
The Summary
Internet clout is a never-ending rat race governed by a ruthless algorithm that demands more and more. It’ll have you laying in bed at night grasping for ideas on how to get more likes, shares, and followers, sacrificing your dignity and personality just to echo what all the cool kids are saying in the hopes that they’ll throw you a bone.
With 1,000 true fans, you probably won’t become filthy rich, insanely famous, or recognized in international airports. But you absolutely can earn enough to make a decent living or side income. And the beauty of this model is that you can focus on the wants and needs of the people you know, not spend countless hours trying to predict what will resonate with the people you don’t know.
Don’t sacrifice your principles, morals, or interests just to gain a few more faceless numbers in cyberspace. If you have a message, or a service, or a product, that you believe the world needs to hear, or see, or use, give it a shot. Even if you gain only one fan a day, in three years that’s over 1,000 people.
Outside of a small niche of YouTube creators and product promoters, going viral doesn’t pay the bills. A person with 1,000 true fans is far better off than a thirst trap kween or gun guru or political edge-lord with millions of “followers” who is always chasing the trends and shifting with the breeze.
If this article brought something to your mind, I’d encourage you to take action. Focus on relationships with your customers or users, and over time, they’ll become your biggest fans. You don’t have to (and shouldn’t) quit your job or empty out your savings to pursue this interest, at least not yet. Just take small, calculated steps in your free time and see what happens. What do you have to lose?
The world has plenty of people sharing and repeating the same things trending on Twitter to try and make a quick buck; what it desperately needs is people creating things they love and are passionate about, and doing so with excellence, love, and care.
Read the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and consider what you will do with the time and talents that God has given to you, remembering that, “wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it” (Proverbs 13:11).
If you decide to start something, let me know! I wish you the best of luck.
LC
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. - Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)