4 Steps to Gaining 1,000 True Fans

When I first read Kevin Kelly’s essay, 1000 True Fans, I was immediately blown away. Originally written in 2008 and later updated to account for the influence of social media and market changes, 1000 True Fans has been widely influential to many. I am hardly the first to recognize this piece; Kelly’s essay has also been featured in Tim Ferriss’ book , Tools of Titans.

I reflect on this piece at least once every year to remind myself of several things:

1. Staying true to my core is the best thing I could do.

2. I would rather be surrounded by true fans than a room full of yes-men.

3. Living life according to my standards keeps me sane.

Here is why you should keep Kelly’s essay in your back pocket.

You only need 1,000 true fans.

Your true fans are your most important audience—they will be your most authentic supporters. True fans are those die hard fans who would drive miles out of their way to see you. In his essay, Kelly advises us that attaining 1,000 fans is not as hard as we think, “Yet if even only one out of 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”.

If you don’t believe him, take look at some of our biggest stars. Chance the Rapper started his rap career routinely performing at Open Mic Night in Chicago’s Harold Washington Library while providing free music on SoundCloud. Before taking off with her most famous product, Chanel No.5, Coco Chanel rose from orphanage to build a platform singing in clubs and selling hats and clothes out of her first shop, Paris’s Rue Cambo. Many of the world’s most influential people started with a relatively small following.

Not everyone will be a superfan.

While hard to accept, most people you encounter will not rise to the level of a true fan—and that’s fine. The sooner you accept this, the better. You and what you have to offer is simply not for everybody. Kelly lets us know that you could also encounter ordinary fans who subscribe to you at times, but again—your true fans drive the ship.

Building a team of likeminded superstars will help you go so much further.

The larger your team, the easier it is to find your true fans. This means that in a team of two, you could have twice the following.

Always create work that your true fans will love.

Water the seed. Consistently create content and provide value for your main supporters—maintaining their loyalty should always be priority. In the words of Tim Ferriss, the target is not the market. Don’t aim for a million followers who sort of like your work, aim for 1,000 people who truly love what you have to offer.

I encourage you to read Kelly’s essay for yourself here. You don’t need to be in pursuit of a following to gain valuable lessons from his message. We all need true friends, partners and companions to keep us afloat.

#SelfLove #TimFerriss #KevinKelly #Fans #True