Most people are obsessed with the "Big Number." You see it everywhere on LinkedIn, Twitter (X), and TikTok—creators bragging about hitting 100k followers or brands celebrating a million likes. It feels like the only metric that matters. But honestly? That’s a trap. If you’re starting out or pivoting your business, having only a few fans isn't just a phase you have to "get through." It’s actually your biggest competitive advantage.
Big numbers are often hollow. They’re vanity metrics.
Think about the last time you followed someone just because a video was funny. Do you buy their products? Do you read their newsletters? Probably not. You’re just a "follower," not a fan. There is a massive, often painful difference between a crowd and a community. When you have a massive audience, you become a performer. When you have a small, dedicated group, you’re a leader.
The Mathematical Reality of Only a Few Fans
Back in 2008, Kevin Kelly, the founding editor of Wired, wrote an essay called "1,000 True Fans." It changed everything for independent creators. His argument was simple: you don't need stardom. You don't need to be Taylor Swift or a Fortune 500 company to make a great living. You just need 1,000 people who will buy anything you produce.
But here is the thing people miss. To get to 1,000, you have to start with ten. You have to be okay with only a few fans for a long time.
If those ten people absolutely love what you do—if they’d drive 50 miles to hear you speak or pay $100 for a limited edition print—you have a viable business. If you have 10,000 people who "sorta" like you, you have a hobby that's eventually going to burn you out.
Let’s look at the math.
If you have 100 "true fans" who spend $100 a year on your work, that’s $10,000. It’s not a full-time salary yet, but the profit margins are insane because your acquisition cost is basically zero. You aren't running Facebook ads. You're just talking to people. You’re answering their emails. You’re learning their names. That intimacy is impossible to scale, which is exactly why it’s so valuable.
Why the "Ghost Town" Phase is Your Secret Weapon
It feels lonely when you post an update and only three people comment. I get it. It feels like you’re shouting into a void. But that "void" is actually a laboratory.
When you have a massive audience, you can't fail. If a major brand with a million followers posts something slightly off-base, they get "canceled" or mocked. The stakes are paralyzing. They end up playing it safe, producing bland, "safe" content that doesn't offend anyone but doesn't excite anyone either.
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But when you have only a few fans, you are free.
You can experiment. You can be weird. You can pivot from writing about sourdough to writing about 19th-century maritime history, and your four fans will probably just follow along because they like you, not just the topic. This is the period where you find your voice. You can't find your voice while screaming over a crowd. You find it in the quiet conversations.
Direct Feedback Loops
When a company like Coca-Cola wants to know what customers think, they spend $500,000 on focus groups. When you have a small circle, you just send a DM.
- You can ask them: "Hey, did this video suck?"
- They will actually tell you the truth.
- You can iterate in real-time.
Li Jin, a venture capitalist who focuses on the "Passion Economy," has argued that we are moving toward a "100 True Fans" model. The internet is getting noisier. General content is everywhere. People are starving for niche, high-intensity connection. They want to be part of something small. It makes them feel like they’re "in" on a secret.
The Quality Over Quantity Fallacy
We’ve been conditioned to think that more is always better. More money, more followers, more growth. But growth for the sake of growth is the logic of a cancer cell.
In the world of business and influence, "more" often leads to "worse."
Take the restaurant industry as a real-world example. There’s a tiny sushi bar in Tokyo called Sukiyabashi Jiro. It only seats ten people. For years, it held three Michelin stars. Because it only serves a few fans at a time, the quality is legendary. If Jiro tried to open 500 locations, it would just be another fast-food chain. The scarcity is the value.
The same applies to you.
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If you are a consultant, a writer, or a designer, having a waitlist of five people who are dying to work with you is infinitely better than having 500 people who are "interested" but haggle over your prices. High-intent fans don't ask for discounts. They ask when you’re available.
How to Lean Into a Small Audience
If you're currently staring at a small follower count, stop trying to "grow" it for a second. Instead, try to deepen it.
Most people spend 90% of their time trying to find new people and 10% of their time talking to the ones they already have. Flip that. Spend your time making your current only a few fans feel like they are the most important people in the room.
Send personalized voice notes.
Give away your best stuff for free to the loyal ones.
Build a "Manual of Style" for how you interact with people.
There’s a concept in marketing called "The Dunlap Effect," though it's more commonly known as "The Law of the Vital Few." It basically says that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. In the world of audience building, 90% of your revenue and support will come from 10% of your fans.
Misconceptions About Going Viral
Everyone wants to go viral. They think one hit video or one front-page article will solve their problems.
It won't.
Virality is a sugar high. You get a massive spike in "fans," but they are low-calorie. They don't know who you are. They don't care about your mission. They’re just there for the spectacle. Often, going viral is the worst thing that can happen to a small creator because it dilutes the culture of the community you've built. Suddenly, the comment section is full of strangers who don't "get" the jokes.
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Real growth is slow. It’s boring. It’s one person telling their friend, "You have to check this out." That word-of-mouth is the only marketing that actually lasts.
Actionable Steps for Navigating the Small-Fan Phase
If you're worried that you only have a handful of supporters, here is how you turn that into a powerhouse brand.
- Stop looking at the dashboard. Stop checking your analytics every hour. It doesn't help. It just makes you anxious. Focus on the names of the people who engage, not the number of people who don't.
- Create an "Inner Circle" experience. Whether it's a private Discord, a specialized email list, or just a group chat, give your core group a place to hang out. Let them talk to each other. When your fans start talking to each other, you’ve moved from being a content creator to a community builder.
- Optimize for "High-Trust" interactions. Instead of a generic "Thanks for following," ask a specific question. "What's the one thing you're struggling with regarding [Topic]?"
- Ignore the "Big Tech" Pressure. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok want you to chase the algorithm. They want you to make content for everyone. Don't. Make content for your 50 people. If those 50 people love it, the algorithm will eventually notice, but that's a byproduct, not the goal.
The Longevity of the Niche
The internet is fracturing into thousands of "micro-cultures." The days of the mass-market superstar are fading. We’re entering an era where you can be "internet famous" to exactly 5,000 people and be totally anonymous to the rest of the world—and that is a beautiful place to be.
You can live a normal life. You can go to the grocery store without being hassled. But when you want to launch a project, you have a literal army of supporters ready to go.
Having only a few fans is not a failure of marketing. It is a foundation for a sustainable, high-integrity career. It allows you to stay human in a world that is increasingly trying to turn you into a data point.
Focus on the person, not the profile.
Focus on the conversation, not the conversion.
The rest usually takes care of itself.
Next Steps for Small Audience Growth
- Identify your "Top 10": Look at your engagement over the last three months. Write down the names of the ten people who consistently show up.
- Reach out directly: Send those ten people a personalized message asking what they’d like to see more of. Don’t sell anything. Just listen.
- Refine your Niche: If your content is too broad, it’s hard for someone to become a "True Fan." Tighten your focus until it feels almost "too small." That’s usually where the magic happens.
- Update your bio: Change it from "I help people do X" to something that reflects the specific community you're building. Use "we" instead of "I."