George Kao says creators waste energy on critics when they should focus on true fans instead. He estimates most creators have thousands to tens of thousands of potential supporters online, built over years of consistent work.
Questions this video answers
11 years
More than $100,000 (USD) per year
4.5 billion people on the Internet
2.1 billion people reachable with Facebook ads (in the last 30 days)
Chapters
When you are afraid to make content, when you are thinking about the judgment of certain people, who. Who are you thinking of? When you think of that judgmental comment you might get? Who is that? When you think of the judgmental look or the judgmental voice of somebody who might make you stop your making your content, who is that? Well, let me. Here's the. Here's the truth of this. That person and people like that are not your true fans. They are not the ones you should be making content for. And when they make a judgmental comment, which sometimes they might do, they are simply showing themselves to the world as a judgmental person. It's unfortunate that they reveal themselves that way, but that's what they do. You are not making content for them. Stop thinking of them. You know what? You know who I want you to think of? I want you to think of somebody who. For whom you. You can make no mistake. You could. Doesn't matter what you do. Doesn't matter how unpolished you are. Doesn't matter if you make mistakes in what you say, if you forget what you're going to say. Doesn't matter if your writing isn't perfect. It doesn't matter if you got the facts wrong, but you tried anyway. That person still loves, still like, likes the way you show up. They still like it. They still really enjoy it. That is your true fan. And guess what? There are probably 10 to 20 to 30,000 of your true fans on the Internet. But they just haven't met you yet. And they're looking for someone like you on your topic, whatever topic you want to talk about, they're looking for someone like you. So why are you thinking of the judgmental person when you should be thinking of the person who's like, where is. You know, I'm just looking at some of the names here on the. On the live video. You know, where is Michael? You know, where is Elena, right? Where are they? Where are you? They just haven't found. They haven't found you yet, and they can't wait to find you. So being yourself is all that you need to be for them to love you. That's the amazing thing. And this is why I try to show up. This is funny. I try to be as boring as I can because I don't mind losing some of you, okay? Because it doesn't matter how boring I am. Doesn't matter how. When I make mistakes, I lose my train of thought. I go in a different direction. I come back unpolished. Doesn't matter. My true fans stay with me, it's just. That's the definition of a true fan. It's not like you have to try this with me. If you naturally keep on coming back, that means you're a true fan. And there are people like that for you, too. There are tons of people. When I first started, none of my friends and family were my true fans. Like, nobody cared. None of my friends and family bought my courses. When I first started 11 years ago, none of my current. I had to go out there and find true fans who then started to buy some of my courses. And then they liked it and they kept going and they bought. That was. I had to go do that work. And that's what I'm asking you to do as well. Now, of course, I have. If I'm really, really conservative, I have probably a couple dozen Tru fans who buy many of my courses. If I'm less conservative, I have a couple hundred true fans who buy a course from me every now and then. But they keep coming back, you know, every year they might buy one or two or three or, you know, whatever. And my true fans, every year, they buy five or six or whatever. But there's always a spectrum of fans, right? But you have. You have. Like I said, everybody has tens or twenty thousands of them out there. You just haven't found this yet. And I want to tell you, even with my a few dozen true fans that I have, I make more than $100,000 a year. I mean, I don't like to flaunt my money and whatever, but I just have to tell you that it works. I am in an extremely competitive industry. How many people do you know who do marketing and business experts? They're like, you throw a rock and you'll hit 10 marketing experts. You know, there's so many of us out here, right? It's extremely competitive, and yet I make it work. I make more than $100,000 US dollars a year. And it's been going 11 years straight now. So I'm sorry. First year, I didn't make 100,000. I always forget to say that. Second year I did. And then. And then on, on and on. So I have been making good money for years and years and years with a few dozen true fans. And I feel like I'm just getting started. Like, I barely got started. Like I said, all of us have at least 10,000 true fans on the Internet. How did I come up with 10,000 true fans? Here's how. There are 4.5 billion people on the Internet. 4.5 billion okay. And that's huge. And that's like so many people. You can't even imagine how many people on Facebook alone with ads. I just checked. Today you can reach 2.1 billion people with Facebook ads. 2.1 billion people have seen a Facebook ad in the last 30 days by advertisers like me and like you. You can run Facebook ads too. Instagram ads, Facebook ads, all combined. 2.1 billion people. 2.1 billion people. If I'm being super conservative, like 10% of those people. Okay, that's. That's too broad. 1% of those people. 1% of people who are on Facebook ads. That's. That's small, but that's still too broad. 1/10 of 1%, 100th of 1%. Down to 10,000 people. 20,000 people. Your true fans is not. Is not unrealistic to name that number. So they are looking for you. They're looking for somebody just like you. They will like the way you talk about your topic more than anybody else who talks about your topic. That's the definition of a true fan. So you got to get out there with your content so that they can find you and that they can be helped by you. And you don't have to be anybody except who you are. That's the wonderful thing. I hope this helps you get out there. Forget get the judgment of anybody else. Your current audience is probably not your true fans. Think about the ones who. With. For whom you could be. Just be yourself and they will love you just for who you are because they're out there. They're looking for you. Go. And be found by them. Go. When you make content, think of them. Think of them with their. With their just totally accepting and supportive and encouraging look or, you know, presence or comments or whatever. So I hope this helps be well.
