Self-published writers and bloggers often desire having a big email list. This is a mistake. I know from firsthand experience.
Having a big list does not lead to success online. Do you sell eBooks, products or services? Having a big list is not the answer. Big email lists are groups of large numbers. Large numbers do not buy your eBooks. Large numbers do not hire you. Large numbers do not buy your products. Numbers are not sentient. Numbers cannot do anything. Numbers cannot feel anything.
Highly targeted, deeply interested human beings buy your stuff. Someone craving my life of travel buys my eBook:
How to Retire to a Life of Island Hopping (Part 2)
This shows why having a hyper targeted email list is most important. I recall a millionaire blogger who stressed how he built a small list. But every member of the list deeply wanted his offerings. He became a millionaire not because he had a big list of numbers. He became a millionaire because he had a small list of highly targeted, rabid fans who:
- loved his work
- bought his stuff
- hired him
- endorsed him
- promoted him
Imagine having an email list of 100 highly targeted, rabidly loyal human beings. Every single person buys your $20 eBook on the release date. 100 times $20 equals $2000. Imagine if 10 of those rabidly loyal human beings hire you to coach them over the next month. 10 times $2000 equals $20,000. Right there, you profited to the tune of $22,000 with a 100 member email list but those 100 human beings are hyper targeted, rabidly loyal, fans.
Do you see why chasing numbers is a bad idea? Do you see why serving highly interested human beings generously is a great idea?
I email only active subscribers. My list has to make emailing my list worth my while. I care less about big numbers. I email only serious, highly targeted, loyal fans who deeply desire my content. Hyper targeting my list allows me to grow my traffic, profits and overall blogging business. But only because I focus on helping loyal human beings versus chasing big numbers.
Some bloggers boast of getting 50 subscribers daily. Awesome. But how many of those 50 human beings would quickly pay $250 per hour for your coaching? Would any of those 50 human beings pay even $4 for one of your eBooks? Put your ego to the side. Be honest about your blogging drivers, whether being human or number focused. Bloggers often desire big numbers but how many highly targeted, rabidly loyal, paying fans reside in those big numbers?
At the end of the day, only loyal blogging fans matter. Loyal blogging fans buy your stuff, promote you, endorse you, hire you and allow you to become a professional blogger. Loyal fans allow you to live your dreams through blogging. Loyal fans position you to profit handsomely. Everybody else? Small potatoes. I keep it real. I learned this lesson after blogging for 10 years. I learned this lesson after blogging for 15,000 hours.
Highly targeted, loyal fans make you money. Everybody else has a small part to play on your blogging journey.
Be kind to all. But be loyal only to your most loyal fans. Where your attention and energy goes, grows.
Be generous. But reserve your greatest generosity for loyal fans.
Trust only your loyal fans, friends and respected blogging leaders in your niche. Release everybody else.
Build a highly targeted, loyal community of fans around your blog. Give virtually all of your energy to these folks.
Growing a hyper targeted list of rabid fans will take you places you never dreamed of.
Focus not on growing a big list but generously, loyally serving a small army of rabidly loyal fans.
That’s how you succeed online.
