How to get true fans: pick a sentiment

Kevin Kelly’s legendary essay about a 1000 true fans was an eye-opener for many people who had been trying to live from what they love to do most. He wrote that whether you’re a blogger, musician, aspiring film maker, or painter: you’re in need of a 1000 fans who are willing to spend 100 dollars per year on your work (acquisitions, merchandise, donations, tickets, you name it).

Since this article was published, many people started thinking of ways to reach and keep fans. Kathy Sierra has written about creating passionate users. Seth Godin has said we have to be a purple cow and be patient. And I would like to add, in all modesty, that you have to pick a sentiment.

Inspiration for this article: MGMT’s show at a rock festival

I got this idea when I admired the psychedelic pop group MGMT at Lowlands, one of Holland’s most popular music festivals. A friend and I discussed why we thought this band rocked. My friend said he liked the lyrics, which concern topics like freedom, hedonism, anti-establishment, and the use of mind-altering drugs. From “Time to Pretend“:

this is our decision, to live fast and die young.
we’ve got the vision, now let’s have some fun.
yeah, it’s overwhelming, but what else can we do.
get jobs in offices, and wake up for the morning commute.

MGMT at Lowlands, photo by Anne Helmond

MGMT represents a lifestyle a lot of urban kids secretly crave – but don’t dare to adopt. The singers Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden know that, they even address the fears of these young lads:

i’ll miss my sister, miss my father, miss my dog and my home
yeah, i’ll miss the boredom and the freedom and the time spent alone.

By listening to MGMT’s music, thousands fans – including my friend and I – have the feeling they actually are part of this revolutionary wave of kids. Even if they’re secretly afraid of anything that comes close to drugs. This shared sentiment is an important part of MGMT’s recent success.

How you can address a sentiment

Would it be possible to do the same thing with your work? Absolutely. This is how:

• Buy a bottle of your favorite liquor and call a friend who is on the same creative level as your are;
• Start talking away, discuss the important topics of life, don’t be afraid of philosophical conversations, and don’t feel any shame: find out together what you really want from life. Do it Four-Hour Work Week style: ignore all the “normal” boundaries;
• Scribble down some thoughts on how you can put that theme in your work or marketing;
• When sobered up, write down a mantra and adjust your work and PR to it.

(I don’t want to promote the use of alcohol, but it does help to get rid of some basic mental structures that block a radical kind of thinking. Oh and yeah, you’ll get rid of brain cells as well)

If you’re a writer, let your main character do stuff you secretly want. Like J.D. Salinger did with Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye. He took some of his own unhappy youth experiences and blended it with things he should have done back then.

Adopted the profession of a blogger? I would like to give a general advice in this, but that’s nearly impossible due to the enormous diversity in the blogosphere. Though I can tell you my story, which might inspire you.

I secretly want to be a rock star

So yeah, I’m professional blogger now. But secretly (well, until I now I guess) I’d prefer to be a rock star for a while. Unfortunately my musical gifts don’t get me any further than an old factory in a small town called Zaandam, thus I’ll have to put some rock in my writing and personal PR. Just take a look at the design of this blog and the metaphors in my blog posts to see what I mean.

Maybe this would also be a good time to give you a little scoop. Edial Dekker and I have chosen a rock start theme for our upcoming blog conference in Amsterdam. Call it wishful thinking, but the tag line “Rockstars of the Web” will soon sound really familiar to you.

[Photo credit: my favorite concert photographer Anne Helmond]