Audience vs Community

You can attract an audience or you can cultivate a community.

Attracting an audience is fine. You make cool stuff, post it, show people your personality. Go to events, flex on the ‘gram, choose from the opportunities that come to you. It’s fine. But it’s extremely difficult. Success is impossible to predict. Singular-focused audience building turns decent people into clout chasers. 

Cultivating a community is better. You make meaningful stuff, post it, show up for people no matter their personality. Buy people coffee, share your story, create your own opportunities. This is also difficult, but success is easy to predict. A generous person who fills a real need in the community will be supported by the people they serve. It might take a few years, but it will happen. This has been the backbone of commerce since people started making things. Singular-focused community cultivation turns normal people into local legends. 

Attracting an audience is a self-focused task, where people try to become a mini celebrity so they can live the lifestyle. Cultivating a community is a service-focused task, where people gain knowledge and skills to fill the needs of their community. 

How do you cultivate a community? Respond to DMs from people who have nothing to offer you. Reach out to people who you genuinely want to learn from. Listen to what people need. Then develop art, products, and services for those people to fill a need. Show up every day, no matter if you feel like it. Be a professional. Treat everyone with respect. 

If you’re bummed that your audience size isn’t growing, you’re missing the point. Change your focus. Take it off yourself, find a need in your community, and then fill that need. Guess what? People who cultivate community usually grow their audiences too.