The most influential blog post in the history of the creator economy is misunderstood by most creators.
Because one word in the title is misleading.
Kevin Kelly’s 1,000 True Fans essay is brilliant and its general concept that you don’t need millions of fans to earn a good living as a creator is even more true today than it was the day he published it in 2008.
But…
Using the word “fans” in the title has had the unintended consequence of leading creators to desperately chase attention, impressions, likes, and followers instead of focusing on attracting buyers.
How different would things be if that post had been titled “1,000 True Customers?”
Would creators optimize for more important things?
Would they be more successful?
Would they be less hard on themselves?
Would they be less likely to burn out?
Would they create more unique and valuable products?
Would they pay closer attention to their buyers and serve them better?
Probably.
The irony is the title “1,000 True Customers” actually more directly aligns with the advice Kelly shares in the post itself.
Consider these excerpts:
“A true fan is defined as a fan that will buy anything you produce.”
“A thousand customers is a whole lot more feasible to aim for than a million fans.”
He’s specifically talking about attracting buyers and even calls them “customers” in the piece!
And yet…
Most creators are more focused on how to “grow their audience” than how to attract more buyers or convert their existing “fans” into customers.
I’m thinking about this a lot in my own business and creative work.
I’m asking myself questions like:
How much of what I’m doing is designed to attract fans vs. customers?
Would I be better off writing a newsletter only for my customers than for anyone who wants to sign up for it?
What metrics do I really want to optimize for?
These are not easy questions to answer, but they’re important to consider.
In your own work, do you feel like you’re optimizing for customers or falling into the trap of chasing fans?
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• How The Creator Economy Changed What It Means To Be A “Creator”