What do you need to earn a living as a creator? What milestone must you hit before your life can revolve around your passions rather than a 9-5? While that milestone often feels obscure, an essay by Kevin Kelly outlines one straightforward rule for success: 1,000 true fans.

In this episode, Charli, Haley, and Miguel discuss what it means to have 1,000 true fans, what defines a true fan, the benefit of quality over quantity, and why relationships always matter when it comes to fans.

While you may have hundreds of thousands of subscribers on Youtube or one million followers on Instagram, do you really have 1,000 true fans? And is that number really what determines creator success?

“It makes this concept of being a creator really attainable to people that don’t understand how you actually earn a living as a creator. And I think that’s the big question mark. How do people earn a living as a creator?” ~ @HaleyJanicek

Main takeaways

[07:38] Be intentional when building your subscriber list by focusing on your niche and giving the most value possible to people interested in that niche. So often we focus on quantity over quality, and the 1,000 true fans concept proves the value of quality.
[10:20] Having quality subscribers is beneficial for brands as well because they want influencers to have more engaged followers who are more likely to buy an endorsed product.
[19:26] The creators of which most people consider themselves true fans, are creators they feel a personal connection to, and relationship with. So building that relationship is essential for developing true fans. Most of the time, that aspect of your job as a creator can’t be outsourced.
[26:57] True fans are the source for generating more fans. They introduce new people to your work, so even if they’re not directly paying you for your products or services, they’re helping you generate revenue indirectly.
[28:40] There’s more to success than reaching a certain number. There’s a nuance to your income source as a creator, such as the products you develop, the price you sell it for, and the content you continue to create.
[35:27] People’s tastes and interests naturally change over time. Your true fans from five years ago may not be the same true fans you have today. In sum, never stop trying to generate new fans, no matter where you are in your journey.

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