Phron Weekly #11: Kevin Kelly's 1,000 True Fans Essay

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to the eleventh edition of Phron Weekly! This week's review explores divided attention and Kevin Kelly's creator framework for building 1,000 true fans.

Reflections and Growth

Confucius was an ancient Chinese philosopher whose teachings emphasized morality, self-discipline, and social harmony. While there is no definite record of him stating this, the quote aligns with his overall teachings in the Analects. The quote reflects traditional Chinese thought, often using nature and animals as metaphors to illustrate human behaviors.

The image of a man chasing two rabbits illustrates the struggle of divided attention. Rabbits, known for their agility and speed, represent goals requiring concentration and effort. Chasing both rabbits splits energy and focus, reducing the chances of success with either.

Success requires clarity about which goals are most important. Without a clear sense of priority, efforts are diluted, and time is wasted. In the past, I struggled with aiming for too many things, and I suffered until I focused on a single goal: my mission statement. Focus is key, and divided attention can lead to inefficiency and burnout. To make meaningful progress, we must channel energy into a single meaningful pursuit rather than scattering it across multiple, often competing, objectives.

Your Next Move

This week, consider what goals you are chasing. Are you aiming for too much and spreading yourself thin? Can you pinpoint a higher-level goal that you can strive for?

Business Insights

The Power of 1000 True Fans

Last week, while listening to an audiobook, I heard a reference to Kevin Kelly's "1000 True Fans" Essay. The essay argues that creators do not need millions of fans to succeed; instead, 1,000 dedicated "true fans" are sufficient to sustain a creative career.

A true fan is someone so loyal that they will buy almost anything and everything you, the creator, produce. These fans will spend their free time obsessing over your craft. They will subscribe for anything extra that you provide. They will drive hundreds of miles to see you perform. Kelly argues that if you have roughly a thousand true fans (also known as super fans), you can make a living.

The math is simple. Each year, you must produce enough content to earn, on average, $100 profit from each true fan. Earning $100 from 1,000 fans annually gives you $100,000, sustainable living at most locations. While the exact numbers can vary based on your market and needs, the principle holds. The core idea is that you can earn a living by providing tremendous value to a small subset of people. As a creator, financial goals become more feasible when focusing on true fans.

Most creators dream of becoming the next greatest person in their craft. While I won't argue against these dreams, aiming for 1,000 true fans is a more effective medium-term goal that may ultimately lead to your stardom. Of course, not every fan will be a true fan. For every true fan, you may have two or three regular fans. These regular fans may occasionally buy your product and expand your income. They may even expand it tremendously. But still, you want to focus on your true fans as they will bring enthusiasm felt by others and increase the patronage of regular fans. True fans will spread your work to others and organically expand your base. Your true fans become your chief marketing force for the ordinary fans.

Along with this theory, Kelly points out other considerations for this pursuit. First, he argues that you must have a direct relationship with your fans, meaning they must pay you directly. Direct payment is increasingly possible with the rise of Internet services. Second, you can use your true fans to finance your endeavors. Having your fans finance your next product for them mitigates risk and is genius. Many crowdfunding platforms worldwide allow you to structure funding for your projects. Finally, you must consider the effort to cultivate a thousand true fans. The pursuit is time-consuming, nerve-racking, and not for everyone. Many creators don't want to deal with fans and shouldn't. In this case, creators can hire someone to manage the fans while focusing on their craft. However, adding a helper will alter the calculations and require more true fans.

Kelly's "1,000 True Fans" essay highlights the value of focusing on a niche audience rather than trying to appeal to the masses. No matter how successful you are in reaching your goal, you'll be surrounded not by shallow captivation but by genuine appreciation.

Some action steps for you:

• Apply the 1,000 true fans framework when launching new ventures. Instead of overwhelming yourself by targeting everyone, focus on earning the loyalty of a core audience.
• Build a targeted, engaged audience by solving a specific problem or serving a unique interest. The smaller the niche, the stronger the connection.

Here's a link for you:

• Kevin Kelly's 1,000 True Fans Essay

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Disclaimer: The content of this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.