[Tipster] Minimum Viable Audience

In this edition of Tipster, we discuss the minimum viable audience. 

Only 1,000 True Fans

If you want to write, you want people to read what you write, right?

Melissa and I recently worked on a memoir for a wealthy, orthodox Jewish businessman who published only 50 copies for his family.

So not everyone wants to write for the masses.

But most of us want more than 50 people to read what we write. At least I do.

In 2008, Kevin Kelly, who co-founded Wired Magazine wrote a blog post called "1,000 True Fans." Here is a quote from the piece:

"To be a successful creator you don’t need millions. You don’t need millions of dollars or millions of customers, millions of clients or millions of fans. To make a living as a craftsperson, photographer, musician, designer, author, animator, app maker, entrepreneur, or inventor you need only thousands of true fans."

He goes on to say in the article that in esence, you need only about a thousand true fans to make a decent living.

Minimum Viable Audience

Most of us don't need to make a living from our writing,

But we definitely want to influence the world. Otherwise, why write?

To influence the world starts with building a small following, what Seth Godin, a marketer, called your "minimum viable audience."

As you think about your writing, don't think about writing for the masses.

Think about how you can build a small audience for your writing.

Start, in fact, with your Christmas or holiday list. Most of us have at least 50 people on that list.

The point is not to get discouraged if what you're writing is not consumed by tens of thousands. Continue to write.

Continue to press "publish" on your blog.

Continue to work on that book idea.

Continue to write from that place of passion.

Your writing needs only to be read by a few. That's how real change happens.