How to Build an Audience from Scratch

Are you struggling to make money as a content creator?

In my experience, this is often the result of problems with?identifying and attracting an audience.

Creators who are struggling tend to fall into one of three camps:

They work their butts off creating content but have no audience to share that content with

They have an audience who they share their content with, but it’s not the right audience, or

They have awesome content and the right audience, but they’re sharing the wrong content with that audience.

In this post, we’re going to talk ALL THINGS AUDIENCE!

Let’s get you on the right track so you can start building the (right) audience from scratch.

Why It’s So Important to Build an Audience

Building an audience is critical to your success as a content creator, and yet nearly one third of creators struggle to connect with their target audience.

Building an audience is critical to your success as a content creator, and yet nearly one third of creators struggle to connect with their target audience.

But WHY is it so important to build an audience?

Simply put, you can’t just be creating content for content’s sake.

This is like throwing stuff against the wall and hoping it sticks!

Your content is meant to serve the specific needs of your audience. When you have an audience, you learn what they need and what questions they want answered.

Then each piece of content you create answers those questions (more on this later in this post!)

Keep in mind the importance of having an “owned” audience. It’s not enough to simply have an audience on someone else’s platform – namely, on social media.

You want to build an audience from scratch you have to have direct access to so you can continue to market to them and nurture those relationships over time.

4 Strategies to Build an Audience from Scratch

Ready to start building an audience? Here are 4 strategies to get you started.

1. Move your audience from social to a place you own ASAP.

If you’re like most creators, you probably already use social media to reach your audience.

And while social media can be a great way to initially find people, it?shouldn’t?be the only – or the main – place you continue to connect with them.

On social media, you’re at the mercy of algorithms, meaning you never quite know if your content is going to find its way to the right people.

Even if you’ve built a huge audience on social, your posts are generally only going to reach a small fraction of that audience. In fact, one recent study estimates the?average reach of an Instagram post at 13.51%, and just 8.6% for a Facebook post . Not only that, but those numbers are steadily declining.

One recent study estimates the average reach of an Instagram post at 13.51%, and just 8.6% for a Facebook post. Not only that, but those numbers are steadily declining.

This can be extremely discouraging!

This is why it’s SO important to move your audience from social media to a place you own ASAP.

When you move people to a place you own, you have the ability to communicate with them directly, and are no longer reliant on algorithms.

You can move people to your website or blog, or better yet, to a community you’ve created using a tool like?Skool ?(this is where we’ve built our?free Authority Creator community ?and it’s AH-MAZING!!).

Using a tool like?Skool ?lets you put all your courses, communities and events in one place, so your audience always knows how and where to connect with you and their fellow community members. You can even email ALL your members with the click of a button.

Using a tool like Skool lets you put all your courses, communities and events in one place, so your audience always knows how and where to connect with you and their fellow community members. You can even email ALL your members with the click of a button.

Speaking of which…moving people to your email list should be your #1 goal!

Once someone is on your list, you can continue to communicate with them, sharing valuable info and establishing yourself as a trusted expert in the field.

This way, when it comes time for them to make a purchasing decision, YOU’RE top of mind!

2. Create a lead gen that attracts people who will ACTUALLY buy from you.

Your lead gen will be the #1 tool you use to move people from social to your email list.

Problem is, many creators create a lead gen that’s too generic to be effective.

Here’s what I mean: they create an amazing lead gen that attracts a bunch of people…BUT those people aren’t necessarily the ones who will ultimately make a purchase.

Sure, these creators get lots of people on their email list, but those leads never end up converting.

Instead,?focus on creating a lead gen that attracts the RIGHT people.

Think about the main problems or pain points your customers or clients struggle with, and create your lead gen with that problem in mind.

Show your people YOU’RE the one who can help them with their problems, and when it comes time to buy, you’re the one they’ll come to!

3.?Create 10 pieces of content that answers the questions your ideal person is asking.

It’s not just your lead gen that should target the right people.

What are the top questions your ideal person is asking?

Create 10 amazing pieces of content that answer the questions they’re asking and/or that your people would need to believe in order to make a purchasing decision.

That’s it!

With just 10 pieces of content you can attract an audience of buyers – of people who want?exactly?what you’re offering.

With just 10 pieces of content you can attract an audience of buyers – ofpeople who want exactly what you’re offering.

When you create content around these questions, make sure you’re using the same words or phrases people are using when they ask these questions.

This will not only help your content get found in Search and on social media, but it will show your people you REALLY understand and have the answers to their questions!

4. Build your content machine on YouTube.

If you’re not yet creating content for YouTube in 2023, listen up!

YouTube is one of the only places you can actually get your content found if you have a small or non-existent audience.

YouTube is one of the only places you can actually get your content found if you have a small or non-existent audience.

Whether people are searching for the answers to their questions on Google or on YouTube, your videos are potentially going to pop up…even if you have NO subscribers!

When people find your content in this way, they’re likely to see you as an authority in the field. And when you can show them you actually have the answers to their questions, this just cements your reputation as a go-to expert!

5 Barriers to Building an Online Audience

If you’re like many content creators, you may find yourself nodding along to my suggestions above – but might also find yourself facing certain barriers whenever you try to build or grow your audience.

There are 5 things I find get in the way of building an online audience from scratch.

1. Competition.?There’s a lot of competition out there for attention and engagement online, especially on social media. This can make it very difficult to stand out!
2. Discoverability or amplification of content.?It’s not enough to simply create content. This alone won’t attract an audience! You also need to make sure your content is discoverable and that it consistently attracts new followers or subscribers.
3. Lack of time, resources and know-how.?Building an online audience takes time, effort, resources and know-how. It requires that you create consistent and high-quality content that you know your audience is searching for. And it requires that you know how to frame this content in a way that actually leads to sales!
4. Technology and equipment.?Depending on the type of content being produced, having access to the right technology and equipment may be necessary. This can include video equipment, a website builder, email marketing tools, a CRM, a funnel builder, social media scheduler…the list goes on and on! This piece alone causes many content creators to give up before they see results.
5. Understanding your audience and having the correct MESSAGING.?It can be challenging to clearly articulate the transformation you offer, and then translate that to the needs and preferences of the audience…especially when you’re just starting out. But remember, a confused audience doesn’t buy! Get crystal clear on the transformation you help your audience achieve and then incorporate this into ALL your messaging.

Final Thoughts

I trust this post has shown you why you need an audience, and how you can start building one.

However, if you’re like many creators, you may feel overwhelmed at the prospect of going it alone.

If this describes you, I’ve got you covered.

If you want to build an audience FAST, using proven tools and strategies, you may be interested in our?Authority Creator? program .

Inside the program, we give you ALL the tools, templates and support to start building an audience and generating $10K/month as a content creator. Inside the Authority Creator? program, you’ll get:

• Unlimited funnels and a funnel builder
• Unlimited websites and blogs with a website builder
• Unlimited email campaigns and automations
• Two-way text messaging and text message automation
• A social media scheduler AND complete social selling system
• Unlimited pipelines and a customer CRM
• Complete contact conversation and activity history
• Invoicing and easy payment links

In addition to all this, you’ll get a fully built account, already loaded for you with our proven, pre-designed funnels, automations, email & SMS campaigns, all your calendars and pipelines tailored for your needs…and more.

Plus, you'll get access to a private community of business owners just like YOU, with 12 months of weekly coaching calls to get the support you need so that you know you're doing it right.

In other words, we give you a business in a box and support you along the way!

This is truly the BEST way to hit the ground running with your very own, lucrative content creation business.

The program is currently enrolling new students, so don’t miss out.?Click here to schedule an application call today!