When media ads were only found in newspapers and periodicals, and sales letters were delivered by a mailman and not a server (i.e., before the internet), companies used to build products first. And audiences later.
The internet changed the game.
Build a solution.
And Scale.
The main idea is to “write to connect and attract the audience that resonates with your interests.”
Building an audience-first product follows the three steps up there. And here’s how to do it:
1) Build an audience: Share your ideas and write about things that nobody else is writing about.
When you write in-depth about a more abstruse subject, you attract people at the outer edges of the personality curve.
In other words, do not write to please a search algorithm. Write for your own interest. And by doing this, Google will eventually reward you.
It’s also easier to stick with the project long-term.
This is a good way to get an audience without paid ads. More elbow grease and time but likely higher quality traffic.
2) Build a product: You should create a solution that solves a problem for you and your audience.
Business is about providing needs and wants. Ideally, the solution solves a problem for yourself.
3) Scale with software and contractors.
If you set up the right processes, you can automate the work using software and code.
If you can’t automate a process with software, you can delegate it to contractors and personal assistants.
This will remove the hassle of hiring an employee.
While the audience-first idea is not new, writing for a specific interest can actually be a winning strategy.
While everybody creates their content plan based on the most researched keywords, you create deep unique content based on your own experiences and interests. You can even create your own keywords (e.g., “the skyscraper technique” and its popularity in SEO circles, especially for link building).
And that ultimately allows you to differentiate from the pack.
