The best way to build an audience in 2025 (My 4-Step System)

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Mar 17, 2025

Jonathan Courtney, a specialist in audience growth, shares his insights on building an engaging audience for 2025. He presents the ACP framework, emphasizing the importance of identifying your audience before product development. Courtney discusses the four-step playbook: understanding who you're creating for, finding your unique content format, building effective systems, and setting a primary goal. He also highlights the 'reply guy' strategy on social platforms as a simple way to start engaging. Building an audience is depicted as a vital insurance policy for future business opportunities.

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INSIGHT

ACP Framework

Start with your audience, then build a community, and finally, develop your product.
This ACP framework gives you options and confidence when launching.

ADVICE

Identifying Target Audience

Focus on a specific niche and understand their unmet needs to create unique content.
If engagement is low, broaden your niche slightly to gain initial traction.

ANECDOTE

Broadening Niche for Traction

Jonathan Courtney's company initially struggled to gain traction with design sprint content.
They broadened their focus to UX design, attracting a larger audience, and then funneled them towards design sprints.

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How to build an audience in 2025: https://www.startupempire.co/build-an-audience

I’m joined by Jonathan Courtney to jam on how to build an audience in 2025. We explore various tactics including finding your unique format, implementing consistent systems, and measuring progress against clear goals.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:58 - The ACP Framework
04:06 - Step 1: Identify Who You're Creating For
10:05 - Step 2: Find Your Format
19:43 - Step 3: Build Systems That Stick
24:52 - Step 4: Pick ONE Primary Goal
28:08 - Where to Begin? The Reply Guy Strategy
31:08 - WHY Building an Audience Matters

Key Points:

• ACP framework for building an audience in 2025: Audience (people passionate about your niche), Community (hardcore followers), and Product (what you sell)
• The four-step playbook includes identifying your audience, finding your format, creating systems, and setting goals
• Starting as a "reply guy" on platforms like X (Twitter) is recommended as a low-pressure way to begin building an audience
• Building an audience serves as an "insurance policy" that provides options for future business opportunities

1) The ACP Framework: Your Foundation

A = Audience (people passionate about your topic)
C = Community (your hardcore followers)
P = Product (what you sell to them)

The KEY insight: Start with audience FIRST, then community, then product.

Why? Because audience-first gives you OPTIONS and CONFIDENCE when you launch.

2) Step 1: Identify Who You're Creating For

Don't just create random content. Be strategic!

• Focus on people interested in YOUR specific niche
• Understand what they're NOT getting from others
• Find your unique "sauce" (Greg gives away ALL his startup ideas)
• If not getting engagement, start one level broader than your niche

Example: Jonathan's company wanted to be known for design sprints, but started with broader UX content to build audience first.

3) Step 2: Find Your Format

Your format is HOW you deliver your content. This is CRUCIAL but often overlooked!

• Test one format each business day
• Look for formats OUTSIDE your niche (don't copy what's saturated)
• Consider what's working platform-wide (short-form video in 2025)
• Focus on what feels NATURAL (or you'll quit)
• Test for 90 days and let data guide you

Remember: Formats have lifecycles! What works today might not work in 6 months.

4) Step 3: Build Systems That Stick

The difference between creators who quit and those who succeed? SYSTEMS.

System breakdown:
• Build a "creative faucet" routine (what gets your ideas flowing?)
• Create an ideas capture system (Greg uses Apple Notes)
• Schedule weekly time to turn ideas into content
• Be strategic with timing (post when your audience is active)

5) Step 4: Pick ONE Primary Goal

Don't try to do everything at once!

• Choose ONE metric (100K followers? 25K email list? $1M in sales?)
• Measure your formats against this goal every 90 days
• Optimize for your goal, not vanity metrics
• Remember: attention is SCARCE - build it as an asset

The BEST advice: Just start! Don't get stuck in analysis paralysis.

6) Where to Begin? The Reply Guy Strategy

Feeling overwhelmed? Start as a "reply guy" on X:

• Less pressure than posting on your own profile
• Lets you experiment with formats
• Builds connections with established creators
• Gives you confidence before going solo

7) WHY Building an Audience Matters

An audience is your INSURANCE POLICY:

• Gives you clarity into your niche
• Creates a pool of potential customers/users
• Provides job opportunities during recessions
• Allows you to monetize when needed

Notable Quotes:

"The audience first approach gives you so many options, also gives you so much confidence when you release something and people actually use it." - JC

"I think the number one reason why anyone should create an audience is to have something to fall back on, period. It's like an insurance policy." - Greg

Want more free ideas? I collect the best ideas from the pod and give them to you for free in a database. Most of them cost $0 to start (my fav)

Get access: https://www.gregisenberg.com/30startupideas

LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/

BoringAds — ads agency that will build you profitable ad campaigns http://boringads.com/

BoringMarketing — SEO agency and tools to get your organic customers http://boringmarketing.com/

Startup Empire - a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.startupempire.co

FIND ME ON SOCIAL

X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/

FIND JONATHAN ON SOCIAL

X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jicecream
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-courtney-4510644b/
AJ&Smart: https://ajsmart.com/