Summary: You all didn't need yet another essay on how to build an audience, but I still get asked all the time about how to build an audience for your blog, your mailing list, or your podcast. Thus, here are some quick notes on the matter. First, allow me to share my simple six-step plan to building an instant audience: 1. Have a sordid affair with a well-known political leader. Be sure to get caught! 2. Join the military and win the Medal of Honor, and have the story made into a major motion picture. 3. Be the victim of a well-publicized crime. 4. Serve on a jury for a well-publicized murder trial, and write a best-selling insider's account. 5. Become an A-list actor and win a few Academy Awards. 6. Film a dirty home movie as a youth. Be sure to have it leaked later in life. That's right! Do one (or all six, to secure a larger audience) of these six steps, and you will build an instant-audience overnight! Just like that! Launch some new social media profiles, and get followed and liked by tens of thousands within hours. Boom. Simple. So yeah. Right. Doesn't happen that way. You have to earn it. You have to work it. And you've got to chip away at it each and every day. Every damn day. So here is a legitimate six-step plan you can follow to begin building your audience: 1. Write guest posts. Probably one of the best ways to build your own audience is to serve someone else's audience by submitting guest articles. Do this as often as you can, to a relevant audience. Getting your helpful content exposed to someone else's audience often leads them to click-thru and check out your own platform. If they see value, they may stick around and join your journey. 2. Deliver presentations. As often as I can, I volunteer to deliver presentations to local conferences, or speak to local business associations. Why? Well, for one, I want to provide learning to the audience. But two, I always get new people to sign-up to my mailing lists, or follow me on the social networks...thus growing my audience. 3. Conduct webinars. Create an online workshop that teaches people things. Offer it for free. Share it freely online. And as people sign-up, you begin to establish a relationship with people who might become part of your audience for the long-term. 4. Appear on other's podcasts. Obviously, similar to authoring guest posts, but when people invite you to appear on their podcast, do it! Again, get exposed to their audience. Don't promote yourself, but instead, offer up some knowledge that helps your host's audience. 5. Build relationships one person at a time on social media. How did Gary Vaynerchuk do it? He spent countless hours talking with people online. Still does. While you are watching football and Netflix, people like Gary are engaging with people one at a time. And over that time, your audience grows. Most people won't do this. Instead, they will just bitch about how much time it takes. 6. Create good stuff, material that is of interest to your market, and actually helps, serves, and benefits. I hesitate to add this, because I hate it when people say this, but frankly, it needs to be said. You actually have to sit down and create actual content (articles, podcasts, videos, photography, paintings, sculpture, drawings, music, training, etc...). [What other strategies would you add? Please mention in the comments below.] But all of this is hard. And it is why most people don't build an audience for their blog, newsletter, or podcast. They aren't willing to put in the time, aren't willing to do the grunt work. But this is what it takes. I was talking with a gentleman who was launching a new food + wine show, and he said, "I want to be the guy who is recognized by all the chefs and restaurant patrons in town when I walk into a restaurant!" Nice goal. To date, I don't think he's invited even one person to join the show's mailing list. Sorry pal,
