True Fan Tools
Simple tools for taking 1,000 True Fans from theory to reality.
The ingredients to create true fansFive simple questions that’ll help you earn true fans in a noisy world.
It’s all about emotionThe game we’re playing as creators isn’t about “making good content.” It’s about making people feel something.
Creating true fans through radical specificityTrying to make work for “everyone” is a one-way ticket to irrelevance.
How to make your creations magneticPositioning is a bit like magic. When done right, potential fans will stumble across your work, and shout “hell yes!”
Make a worthwhile promise, then keep itWe all strive to do “quality” work. But if your goal is to earn true fans, you’ll need to completely rethink what “quality” means.
Consistent generosity, reliable delightBeing consistent with your creative work serves two purposes. Earning true fans, and keeping them.
Ecosystems of delightEvery true fan takes their own unique path through your world.
True Fan FundamentalsEarning true fans is simple, but not easy.
Audit your fandomsThe tools for creating true fans are hiding in plain sight.
The golden ruleIf you wouldn’t appreciate a marketing tactic being used on you, don’t use it on your fans.
Stories worth revisitingMost creative work isn’t worth consuming more than once. And that’s a huge missed opportunity.
Stand against somethingIn which Rob goes on a rant about shitty, manipulative internet marketing.
Stand for somethingWhen you draw a line in the sand, you make it easy for your true fans to stand with you.
Invite them into a bigger storyAs creators, many of us are telling stories with our lives. Nothing will delight your fans more than the opportunity to play a role.
Do things that don’t scaleTime spent connecting with your fans is never wasted, and can pay off in ways you’d never imagine.
True Fan ToolsA menu of tools for ambitious creators who want to transform 1,000 True Fans from theory to reality.
Give them a nameThe shortcut for creating shared identity with and amongst your fans.
Build a branded personaHow to create the ultimate spokesperson for your creative business
The one-sentence persuasion courseThis is the most powerful sentence in the world. Please use it responsibly.
Build an audience mapA process for generating emotional resonance with your audience.
Magic mirrorWhen people gaze into your creative universe, what do they see reflected back at them?
True Fans & True FriendsSomething magical happens when you start treating your audience like friends instead of as internet abstractions.
Define your ideal fanDo you know who you’re creating for? Or are you just winging it?
Audit your flame-outsFind the ways that other creators have let you down, so you don’t repeat their mistakes with your own fans.
Make them the heroAn uncomfortable truth about how your creative work fits into the lives of your fans.
Give a damn about your peopleThe art of being a good citizen of the internet.
Play the long gameWhen it comes to building a true fan business, short-term thinking is a cancer.
Measure what mattersOn the uncomfortable tension between marketing metrics and true fan creation.
Bring them togetherCreate a space where your fans can connect, and where they feel like they belong.
Subvert shitty normsLet’s talk about obnoxious, insulting, predatory pricing practices.
Create inside jokesA shortcut for fostering a sense of belonging amongst your fans.
Tiny mirrorsWhen you rig up your business with tiny mirrors, your ideal fans won’t be able to look away.
Show them where the money goesHow to ensure your customers and fans feel really, really good about doing business with you.
Create proprietary ideasHow to become well known in a crowded market.
Build an oasisThe internet is a hostile, sketchy place. But your creative business doesn’t have to be.
Rabbit holesOn creating contextual pathways of delight, and making it easy to dig deeper into your creative universe.
Subversive CreativityOn the downstream effects of being brave and calling bullshit.
This thread went quiet here. It might pick back up someday.