case study: getting subscribers (part 1)
How do you get followers, and then keep them? This case study details that process, warts and all. Part of a series.
I have a brand new site and want to supercharge my subscriber list. What should I do? Where should I start?
Initially, I was going to do this whole thing behind the scenes, but this is exactly why I made this site, i.e., to show newer authors and creatives how to build a following and forge a new brand from nothing. It will involve using lots of different skills and resources, but I'm sure to make mistakes along the way, too. That's perfect—the mistakes are where the most valuable lessons tend to be!
I'll roll out this plan over time, step by step, so you can watch over my shoulder as I do it. I'll explain each step of what I'm doing and why, and show the unvarnished results. Crucially, you'll get to see my course corrections... because no plan ever survives contact with the enemy.
principle 1: brand crush
Seth Godin once said:
Generosity + Magic = Brand Crush
So powerful was this statement that I posted it on my office wall for years. It's my guiding light. Godin breaks down that formula as:
- Give people far more than they expect (generosity)
- Give people something truly unexpected (magic)
It sounds so simple when you spell it out, right? But delivering on this simple premise is rarely seen in the wild. When you think of a company known for being generous and magical, how many companies come to mind? You can maybe count them on one hand.
principle 2: connect with fans
This principle is a spiritual cousin to Principle 1. It comes from Mike Masnick's 2009 speech at the MIDEM Conference:
CwF + RtB = $$$
Masnick's formula uses two acronyms: CwF stands for Connect with Fans and RtB stands for Reason to Buy. For this early stage of building fans, it's entirely about CwF, an approach rarely seen in most companies, as I said before. To truly connect with fans, you need to serve customers but also connect with customers. Connection comes from listening to them and also making them feel heard. It's hard work. Customer connection can't be quantified on a spreadsheet so it usually gets deprioritized which is why customers feel overlooked and distrustful of most sales and marketing.
To clarify, you may have a very successful business without ever connecting with fans. This is not what I am talking about (or what Masnick was talking about in 2009). I am talking about connecting with fans to such a degree that that they will go out of their way to buy anything you offer them. If you have a successful business which doesn't connect with fans, you might be the only real competitor in your market... so don't be surprised when someone else offers a cheaper product or better customer service and your customers flee without leaving a goodbye note.
principle 3: bamboo farming
The bamboo farmer tills the ground for years without harvest. Everyone mocks him. Then one day, 20 years later, bamboo shoots grow. And they grow so fast that the farmer can't cut it down fast enough.
Amanda Palmer tells this story in The Art of Asking and related TED talk and that philosophy touches every aspect of how she interacts with her fans. It's why people tattoo Palmer's name on their bodies. It's why Palmer raised $1.2 million in crowdfunding. Follow her on social media and you'll see what this looks like in action.
Creating a following is a long game. It takes consistent and sometimes grueling work so you have to love it when it pays you nothing. You have to dive into it and accept that the payoffs won't come until much much later. Get used to it. To sustain you in the dark hours, though, celebrate each new follower as if they were royalty. Yes, it can be hard work. And yes, it's so so so worth it.
Make something amazing. Do something unexpectedly cool. Ensure others feel seen and heard. Keep at it for years. These are the underpinnings to forge an unbreakable customer bond.
the steps
To take my first steps on this path, here is each phase I'm doing, and the questions I'm asking myself as I progress:
- Who is my audience? What do they want? How can I help them? What can I offer them of real value that costs me little to nothing to give away but which they would gladly pay money for? If they're willing to pay $5-$20, I'll give it to them for free. If they're willing to pay $100, I'll give it to them for $20. (Bonus points if I can make it so unique and personal that nobody could possibly copy it without appearing inauthentic.)
- Design a single page PDF download to bring in subscribers (aka, a lead generator). This PDF will live in my Google Drive, and be downloaded via a clickable link from Google Links. The link will only go out to web site members (free membership).
- Run a cheap traffic ad on Facebook pointing to a signup page that takes them directly to the download link page.
results may vary
Depending on the web sites you use, this overview may deviate but the overall strategy remains constant: Create something super valuable people will love, use it to lure them onto a newsletter you control, and do everything possible to keep connecting with subscribers so they stick around. There's so much to unpack in that, but you get the gist for now.
offer test #1: a free flow state checklist
I made a killer checklist to help creators quickly get into a "flow state" for writing. I use it myself and have even used it as a lead generator but I'm not sure if it will work as a lead generator in this context. Regardless, the PDF can be offered digitally, it's readily on hand, and should be highly valuable to the right people. Until I find a better lead generator, this will be my first real test.
That last part is key: this is only a test. Everything, in fact, is a test. I have a theory this will be a useful lead generator, but I don't really know for sure until I test it.
Part 2: Running a Meta traffic ad
