Artists | Grow Your Audience From 0 in 90 Days! (Deep Dive.)

Growing an audience from zero can feel really daunting as a creative person because you have all this stuff that you're just trying to make you want to be an artist first. So how do we be an artist and grow an audience around that art in a way that's not daunting, that feels fun, that feels exciting. That's what we're going to talk about today. I'm going to give you a full 90 day plan for you to take and execute and, and run with. I promise you that if you focus on the things that we're going to talk about today, you will see improvement and growth in your community. So let's just jump into it here. Today we're talking about how to grow your fan base from zero in 2022. But I'm going to guarantee you that wherever you're at in your journey, if you're watching this months later, this is still going to work. Why? Because we're not talking about a bunch of algorithmic things here. We we're talking about tried and true, proven methods of community growth and building relationships with people. Right? So that's what we're looking at today, how to grow your fan base from zero in 2022. So the first thing I want you to think about is that a number is not the goal. Building a community is. What do I mean by that? A community is a feeling of fellowship with, with others. That feeling is a result of sharing common attitudes, interests and goals. Really important that you recognize this, right? If you haven't listened to any of my teachings before, everything that I talk about is that your art does not speak for itself. We believe it does, we want it to. And that's the romantic side of what we hear. But the truth is your art has never spoken for itself. Something has always or someone spoken for it. What do I mean? Think about it this way. Radio, media, like magazines, your friends, whatever. If you're a musician, that's what's speaking for your art, right? If you're a visual artist, you have galleries. Again, friends. A lot of times artists will blow up because some other trusted source has claimed that they have something that other people do not. And now because that trusted source has given that information out, they blow up. Am I saying that they don't have something special? Absolutely not. What I am saying is that you also have something special. And what happens in those moments where someone is bringing new art, new music to you? They are sharing it as a feeling of fellowship with you, right? They're sharing a common attitude, a common interest Maybe even a common goal. So what we're doing here is we are focusing on building a community, right? Because a number is not the goal here. Building a community is. Now, if you focus on the numbers, there are a couple things that will happen. Number one, you will always be disappointed because at some point you'll hit that number and then you're just going to be looking for the next number. There's no real end in sight. Number two, you'll get really frustrated because you're not seeing the wins. This is a long game that we're playing here in terms of building a community that really supports your work. And what we see on social media, truthfully is the 1%, primarily these people that are huge, they are 1 percenters. But there are thousands and thousands of creatives out there that are doing really well without the biggest audience. And that's what we focus on here at Stop the Starving Artist. So when we focus on the number and not the people on the other side of the screen, we are chasing shallow results rather than deep seated community members who will support you and your creative work. So that's why we really focus in on this. So this is your 90 day plan to grow a community around your creative thing, whatever that is. Again, the medium does not matter. Number one, I want you to identify three to five of your favorite things that you like to go deep on in your life. For me, I like to talk about mindset, meditation, spirituality, obviously, creativity, art, those kinds of things. I also love hot sauce and Boston terriers and my kids. Right. So I might identify three to five things here that I want to discuss.

Over and over. And then we're going to add your art in the process of making your art. And that is going to become your, your content buckets. Right. So when we talk about content buckets, what I mean is that we want to simplify everything for you in terms of growth. I know that having a strategy and putting stuff out into the world is not easy. So I want everything to be as simple as possible. How do we start with that? By having three to five things, plus your art and your process that you are constantly talking about. And you can just cycle through those over and over. And that's really going to help you push through and just simplify the whole thing. Okay, so the second thing I want you to do is to identify your ideal fan. This feels daunting to a lot of creative people because we're like, well, what is my ideal fan? I have no idea. Like if you thought, okay, if I'm Talking to somebody right now, one person specifically, you're probably going to think of somebody that you know. So a good place to start is there who is someone in your circle that you love to have big conversations with, that you love to go deep with on things. A lot of artists end up just reaching other artists because all they talk about is their art process and their art who, you know, it's like, if I just talk about camera gear, who's going to pay attention? Except for the photographers and videographers, because they're the only ones that understand that lingo. Make it up as you go. Think, if I had someone, just one person in mind that I want to talk to, who would they be? And, you know, why would I want to go deep with them? Okay. The third thing I want you to do, and this is where it can get a little more difficult, is to outline their problems. When I think of you, which I do think of you, if the things that I say resonate with you and I discuss specific problems that I feel like you have and it hits you somewhere, that's not by accident. That's because I've thought about this and I've outlined who I want to speak to. Because I don't want to deal with people who just want to be famous. For instance, I want to work with people who have a mission behind what they want to do. Or if they don't have a mission, they want a mission behind their creative work that they make. So what kind of problems does that person have? Well, often they feel like their art isn't necessarily enough to do that yet they may feel like they don't have enough time in their day. They don't. They feel guilty when they work on their creative stuff instead of doing the work that is responsible. Right. And I've thought about this because I've talked to those people. You may have this person in your life that you go deeper on. Ask them, like, what are your frustrations in your life? What are you dealing with on a common basis? Is it, you know, self doubt or anxiety? And what's bringing that on? And the reason we do this is because we want to be able to talk directly to this person and bring up the problems that they might have.

So outline this person's problems. Okay. Outline this person's problems. The fourth thing that we want to do is pick one platform. Create content using your strengths. This is very counterintuitive to what a lot of people teach, which is you need to be everywhere, all the time. I believe if you're starting from zero. You're probably not really good at making content yet.

Why? Because it's a skill to be able to communicate with someone well on these different platforms. And so if you pick one and you say, I'm really good at telling stories, well, then make it as simple as that. Pick the one platform, play to your strength, and just tell stories over and over again, right? Start there. Maybe you're really good at video, then you should use video. Maybe you're, you know, great with your art and, you know, you still want to talk about these things. Then start there. Start by showing your art and your process and then talking about your everyday life. Bring those two things together at the same time. But I would encourage you to figure out how to bring yourself on camera. We want to get to know you as a person again. We want to feel like we trust you. And so when we feel that way, then we will become a part of your community and eventually support you in your work by either buying a product that you have or supporting you through whatever other means that you're looking for. So pick one platform. Create content using your strengths. Okay, let's go back and just look real quick. Number one, identify three to five of your favorite things that you like to go deep on. Then add your art and your process of making art. These are going to be your content strategy, like your content buckets. Then number two, identify your ideal fan. Number three, outline their problems. Number four, pick one platform and create content for them using your Strengths. Here's the 90 day plan for how you're going to do that. Right, we're going to do the following things. Pick the platform that plays to your strengths and post as often as you can. Okay? So whatever consistency looks like for you, that's what you focus on. Don't get caught up in. You've got to do three posts a day. Get caught up in what am I capable of doing that keeps it fun and exciting for you and allow yourself the chance to slip if you do and just get back on the horse. I often say building a habit is not about doing it for 60 or 90 days straight. It's about having the grace to, to forgive yourself when you don't do it. And then looking at the evidence that says you have been doing it in the past, therefore you can continue to do it in the future. Because that mindset shift is going to be everything. When it starts to get into consistency, the second thing I want you to do is talk about the things in your buckets. Again, consistency is key here. So look for different ways that you can talk about the same subject by either teaching, motivating them to move forward, or inspiring them on what their possibilities are. So you're going to look at these problems that they have and you're going to talk about how you've dealt with those problems. You might teach them something. So again, if I'm talking about meditation, I might be able to teach them a meditation idea. I might be able to bring in tools that I use, apps that I like, whatever it is, these are great things to get started with. And then you're also going to present your art and your process of your art. So you have your three to five buckets plus your art and the process of your art. Okay, what we're doing here is we're developing a full idea of who you are as an artist, because again, we talked about in the beginning, your art doesn't speak for itself. Why do we like the artists that we like? Usually because we feel like we have a connection with them. We know something about them that's exciting. Think about your favorite creatives. It's almost guaranteed that you know something about them that's really. That makes you feel a deeper connection or excitement toward them. So when you talk about these things in your buckets, that's really going to be helpful. Then I want you to do a monthly evaluation. So every month. And don't get caught up in this every week or every day. I tend to get caught up in it way too often every month. Look at the posts that have performed the best, look at the analytics on the platform that you're in, and then double down on the posts that have done the best. So the first 30 days, you just make stuff, make stuff, make stuff. At the end of that 30 days, go in and evaluate which ones are getting the most views, which ones are keeping people's attention, what's getting you new followers or new subscribers, and then double down on that type of content in the following month. Rinse and repeat, right? Then this is where you really start to make it happen. I want you to talk to those that engage with you, contact the people that like your posts that leave you a comment, and engage with them through DMs or email and ask them why they like the stuff that you make. Ask them what resonated with them in the stuff that you were putting out there, and then ask them how you can help them further. How can you help them further? And take notes on this, you guys, because when you understand this person more, because what we've done in the Beginning now. See, what's happening is, is you've outlined your person and now we're refining that person because you're getting people in. And now you can talk to those people and say, oh, I missed this. I didn't talk about this yet. And you can start to add those to your content buckets. Add those things to your ideas and what you're putting out there. Super, super powerful stuff, okay? So engage with those people and then include your community in your content. Make stuff that includes your community members and the people that engage. So how can you do this? Practical way is to, like, just take a video with them and use them or go live with them. Things like that. The more that they appear in your content, the more the new people will realize that there's something bigger happening and they'll want to be a part of it. Another thing you could do is showcase comments and emails that you're getting if you're on Instagram, in your stories or if you're on TikTok, you know, answer questions that you have. Anything like that is going to show that you appreciate and care about the community, and that is everything. Then I want you to share what inspires you. Share the things that inspire you that other artists put out there, especially things that align with your ideal audience and ask for permission from other artists so you can share their stuff. Right? Don't be afraid to share stuff from smaller artists either. I think that's really important. Build those relationships with those smaller artists and then use that relationship to collaborate with them. Go live with them on Instagram, because when you do that, you're sharing an audience. You'll get in front of theirs, they'll get in front of yours. Right? So collaborate. Make content together. Go live together. Build your audiences together. Share each other's audiences. I often say that this isn't a competitive space. Nobody is just a fan of one person. We can all benefit here. And then lastly, get better. Study story and communication. Use this channel as a resource. We're going to talk a lot about these kinds of things, right? Use this podcast as a resource and then ask for feedback from other people. If you need professional feedback, I offer consultations. Or you can come be a part of my program. Right? But find a community of people that want to help you grow and, and who are on the same wavelength as you continue to get better. Getting better is so, so, so important. I'm so excited to see what you do with this. Let me know in the comments below and make sure you go check out this video where I go deeper into how you can be more productive and more disciplined in your creativity this year because I don't want you to lose sight of being creative. That is still your number one.