Why, hello there. Do you plan to subscribe to Unicorn Free? If so, you might be the one that tips me over the ginormously important 2,000 subscriber mark.
I’m so excited to crest that magical number. Soon I will be awash in riches and cabana boys!
Because it’s nothing at all to sell shit when you’re famous, right? All you have to do is crook your little finger and your 2,000 True Fans come a-runnin’, wallets outstretched.
Ahhh, Not Quite…
Reality, as it turns out, is a little bit more nuanced.
Is it easier to sell things when you have an audience of tens thousands, rather than an audience of tens? Yes. No. Maybe. It depends.
The Weblebrity Litmus Test
As Professor Cosmo has taught us, wherever there is nuance, there are hackneyed quizzes to stamp it out.
Here’s one for you to help you analyze the value of your audience (or potential audience):
What Type of Internet Famewhore are You?
- Is your audience a coherent group audience…
- …or a group of unique & beautiful snowflakes — the only thing they hold in common is you?
- Do they trust you?
- Do they follow you for humor value, old-style celebrity (you’re just… famous)…
- … or out of interest in your work/skills/thoughts/involvement in things/hobbies?
- Are you selling them something they want?
- Do they buy things like the thing you’re selling?
- Do you have any clue how to sell effectively?
- Do you annoy them with your commerciality…
- … or do they view your marketing activities as a lovely value-add?
If Your Fame Passes Muster…
Then it’s possible that your internet fame might actually help you sell shit! Hooray!
On the other hand, it might not. Fame is a fickle beast. It’s not pixie dust.
You can’t just sprinkle a thousand followers on your product and expect success.
True story: I’ve known Gary Vee for years now. A few times, he’s done me the favor of pimping one of my products to his audience… of nearly a million followers. And each time, it had no measurable effect whatsoever.
What to Do Instead of Seeking Fame
Fame can help — but only if it’s high quality fame, and under specific circumstances, and used properly. That’s an awful lot of conditionals.
The facts are in: A lack of fame is not the barrier you think it is.
Remember: It’s taken me over nearly 18 months to get to 1,900 subscribers. Folks may call me “internet famous,” but the facts are not quite so expansive. Thing is, even with <2,000 subscribers, I’m still having a grand old time living off income from my products. I’m not Richie Rich, but I’m doing just fine.
So take it from me: stop worrying about fame. Stop fetishizing numbers.
Don’t wait for your 15 minutes. Act now. Get out there and write, teach, share, make and sell awesome stuff.
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Love this! I always wondered what the correlation between fame and sales. Thanks for bringing it into perspective in an entertaining nuts and bolts way.
Thanks, Ann
Come back, cuz there are 2 more articles in this series that I’m working on now !
Great post! I agree that it is not the quantity of people, but the quality of the group. Building up that qualitative group is the difficult part.
Andreea, it’s definitely not the quantity, you’re right… but it’s not really about ‘quality’ necessarily for the other factors. You can have a 100% high quality audience, and they still may not buy what you sell, because they do not trust you, do not follow you for that kind of thing, you are bad at selling, or the product doesn’t match up with them in any other way.
It’s so much more complex than simply “quality,” I’m afraid!
Hey Amy,
Yeah, it certainly ain’t the numbers that really matter. It is hardly reach. The bottom line is engagement. I think that is hard for most to fathom. You don’t need a volume of readers; you just need the ones which are willing to engage you.
That’s the secret sauce.
Sorry, Leo, but you’re mistaken! Gary Vee’s followers are extremely engaged with him.
But him trying to pimp my products fails the test — their reason for following him is totally unrelated to the product of mine he told them about.
Amy,
FWIW, I wasn’t talking about Gary Vee in particular, just the fact that most people are enamored by numbers instead of actual true reach which in large part is determined by more by engagement. If you have a large list with very few (percentage wise) engaging, then you are simply working too hard in most cases.
But about Gary Vee, the bigger question would be did his referral in the very least drive traffic to your page…because if it did, then you are right; it was just a case of a bad ad match. If it didn’t, then the engagement probably isn’t as strong as you think.
Not arguing here but just stating my opinion.
I’m surprised by this. Is it including the people who still subscribe through the Slash7 feed?
Good question, Chuck. No, it doesn’t. Because nobody is still REALLY subscribed thru the Slash7 feed. When I post a new post, it gets about 30 views on the old feed, according to Feedburner. In short… negligible transfer. Sadly.
This was exactly what I needed to read. I’ve been stressed about the release of my first ebook because of a # that I’m supposed to be at for subscribers before I launch it. Now, I can let that go and just put it out there and then gather the people I know can learn from me (and want to learn from me!).
Thanks Amy!