Build Your Audience: A Creator Economy Guide

Understanding Audience Anticipation and Brand Building Online

How can one effectively predict the content that individuals will desire before they even realize it themselves? Determining the online locations and preferences of your target demographic is crucial. But fundamentally, what defines a creator in today’s digital world?

Insights from TechCrunch Disrupt 2021

During TechCrunch Disrupt 2021, a panel discussion featuring Julia Munslow, special projects editor at Yahoo News; Alexis Gay, comedian and host of the Non-Technical Podcast; and Sushma Dwivedi, head of communications and brand marketing at Daily Harvest, explored these questions. Each speaker offered unique perspectives on building a brand online, navigating the high expectations of the 2021 social media environment.

Regardless of whether you represent an independent creator or a larger company, prioritizing connection with the appropriate audience is paramount before initiating brand-building efforts. Given the proliferation of platforms and increasingly sophisticated content, it’s vital to remember that audience growth isn’t solely about achieving a massive follower count.

Focusing on Audience Identity

“Attempting to appeal to everyone, regardless of brand size, is ultimately ineffective,” Dwivedi stated. “To truly mobilize a dedicated customer base and generate momentum, it’s essential to deeply understand their needs, their online presence, and the communication styles they respond to on those platforms.”

Identifying where your desired audience resides online is the first step. As new social platforms and products continually emerge, this process often requires experimentation. Daily Harvest found success with TikTok, but Dwivedi emphasized that not every experiment yields positive results – and that’s perfectly acceptable.

The company explored Clubhouse during its initial surge in popularity, but ultimately found it wasn’t a suitable fit due to the visually-focused nature of their brand and audience.

Authenticity and Platform Alignment

“The key for us is to determine what aligns best with the content we create and offer,” Dwivedi explained.

Once you’ve identified the appropriate platforms, communicating with your audience in an authentic voice is essential. This often involves adopting a more natural tone – avoiding industry jargon – and becoming intimately familiar with the communities and platforms they frequent. Thorough research is key to achieving this.

The Yahoo News TikTok Success Story

The investment in time and effort by Munslow and her team at Yahoo News resulted in over 1.4 million followers and 79 million likes on TikTok, a platform often challenging for brands. Their success stemmed from genuinely understanding the interests and values of Gen Z users:

“We actively studied TikTok and immersed ourselves in the community. From the beginning, we treated Gen Z and young people with respect, believing they were genuinely interested in current events. They are a politically engaged generation, and their choice of consuming news on TikTok doesn’t diminish their concern – it simply reflects a different consumption method. We realized we could communicate with them conversationally, sharing interesting discoveries as a friend would.”

Through platform analysis and content experimentation, the team discovered their audience craved concise, unbiased news summaries, free from the sensationalism often found in traditional media. This approach fueled the account’s rapid growth.

Prioritizing Audience Quality Over Quantity

Gay, after leaving Patreon, emphasized the importance of building your audience, rather than simply building an audience.

“While rapid growth is achievable through various tactics, it often results in an audience that lacks genuine connection to your work. Focusing on slower, deliberate growth fosters a more engaged and supportive community,” Gay said. “Ultimately, you want an audience you can actively engage with, not just a large follower count.”

A quality audience is more likely to purchase products, attend webinars, or otherwise support your endeavors.

“An audience that doesn’t care about your creations won’t take action – they won’t watch your videos, buy your products, or attend your events,” Gay added.

The Value of Creators and Their Expertise

Deliberate growth, though potentially frustrating, is a sustainable strategy for creators and brands aiming to produce resonant content. Munslow highlighted the importance of recognizing and respecting the expertise of creators.

“I believe everyone is a creator in some capacity, and brands should take creators seriously. Their work is demanding. Brands should leverage the power of creators because of their profound understanding of these platforms,” Munslow concluded.

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