How to Gain Your First 1000 Fans in 7 Steps
Hey Friends -
Welcome to the Artist Development Newsletter.
Every Sunday, I send an email providing actionable tips for artists and industry on one area of the music business.
Last week we talked about 3-steps to turn your ideas into actions.
You can re-read last week’s newsletter here if you want to refresh.
Today we will discuss building your first 1000 fans in 7 steps.
Let’s jump in.
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Most artists struggle when they start their careers.
The list of reasons is immense:
- Wrong genre
- Wrong messaging
- Wrong target fan
- Wrong songs
- Wrong recording
The list goes on and on.
Want to give yourself a better chance at success?
Here are 7 steps I would follow if I were starting from 0 today:
Step 1: Create your target fan
To begin with, imagine if you could have 1000 of 1 particular fan; ask yourself what they would embody.
What values, what vibe?
You should start with one person with qualities that represent your music.
Once you answer what that fan represents (hint: you are your first fan), you can focus all your energy on your audience.
What is the easiest way to identify this?
Examine your interests.
What are your passions?
What are your values?
What is your style?
Start there.
Example: Let’s say you and all of your friends love punk rock, equality, and jean jackets with patches.
Boom!
You now have a target audience, a message to rally around, and leads for your merchandise.
Step 2: Create a clear plan for reaching your audience
To reach your audience, you want to make it as prominent and easy as possible for them to understand who you are and what your music represents.
Point A → Point B
Create a plan that aims at your target audience.
Example: “The 2-week-hometown-takeover” that converts fans of punk rock, equality, and jean jackets with patches into fans of your new project in your hometown.
Tools:
- 1 Song
- Free patch with band name + “value” your project represents.
Step 3: Identify where to target
- Does your audience hang out at a specific bar? Target the bar.
- Does your audience hang out at one particular coffee shop? Target the coffee shop.
- Does your audience hang out at someone’s house? Target the next party.
It doesn’t matter where the location is; it just matters that you know where to reach your target audience.
Step 4: Setup, your free fan club
You don’t need to overcomplicate this.
To start, all you need is an email sign-up form.
Create a simple landing page with an email sign-up.
CARRD is a great cheap option to get a quick landing page up and running.
Next?
Step 5: Find some fans.
Between your local plan of action and the internet, there are zero excuses for not being able to find some fans.
- Locally, start targeting the bar or coffee shop, and ask if they’ll play your single X amount of times per day in exchange for some free patches and tickets to your first show.
- See if there is a message board you can hang a flyer (include an image of your patch with your name + value statement and a call to action to join your fan club on your website.)
- Digitally, post (1) long-form video per week on YouTube.
- Chop it up and put: 15-second clips on TikTok 2x per day.
- Do the same on Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook.
- Tweet the same video clips with your landing page link.
- Find like-minded artists, and DM their fans a link to your video or music.
- Find like-minded Facebook groups, and share your videos, fan club, and single.
You want to find which of these methods leads to your audience and then double down on what is working.
Step 6: Turn fans into customers
Once you have a few fans, start selling a product.
Add a link to your landing page to buy a second patch.
Add a link to buy a T-shirt with your patch logo on it.
Have fans worn your product?
Get photos, and share them on your landing page and social media.
Post them everywhere, so people see they are missing out on being a part of what you are building.
Let social proof work as a lead magnet.
Step 7: Create a system for repeatable promotion
Great businesses have repeatable systems.
You should know exactly where you’ll target your new audience each week, the same way you should know precisely when you will post on social media each day and why.
Observe what direct marketing and what social content leads to engagement.
Experiment with different types to gain attention and observe what leads to conversions.
Here is a realistic goal to aim for:
Find 4 people who will sign up for your email list per day.
4 x 365 = 1460
That is how to create 1000+ fans from scratch in less than a year.
I hope this encourages you to get started.
See you next Sunday!
Neil Mason
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