What it Means to be a True Fan

 Do you have a favorite band? You know – the band whose songs you know all the lyrics to and your friends are sick of hearing about (One Directioners – I’m looking at you). The band who you always score concert tickets for, always buy their merch, and if there’s a meet and greet, you’re there. 

If you know what I’m talking about, then you already know what it means to be a True Fan. A True Fan is a diehard supporter – and they show their support not only by subscribing to your content, not just by liking your posts on social media, but by spending dolla dolla bills, y’all. And if you thought this kind of devotion and fandom was only for the Rolling Stones and Backstreet Boys of the world, you’re wrong – as a podcaster, this kind of fandom happens all the time. 

So, How Many True Fans Do You Have?

Here’s the good news: If you have subscribers whose names or profile pics you recognize, you likely already have some True Fans. It’s not hard to spot them, because they’re everywhere your content is, and they always engage. You can simply count them up to get a gauge of how many True Fans you have. You can also include your top-tier subscribers in your count! But if you want to know how many potential True Fans you have, it’s an easy calculation: We estimate that between 2% and 7% of your Followers have the potential to become True Fans of your show. 

How True Fans Impact Your Bottom Line

Alright, alright. It’s time we address the fact that not all podcasters are out here podcasting for the love of craft beer or nerd culture. There are a lot of really great podcasts out there that are started by companies both large and small, all in the pursuit of one thing: Return On Investment. And if you’re one of those big business podcasters of Wall Street, let us remind you that True Fans are just as important for you as they are for the little guy. 

After all, True Fans are the listeners who spend the most money with you and spread the word about your show. When you appreciate your True Fans, they’ll help more people find out about your show. And more listeners ultimately means more downloads, which means more revenue from sponsors. Not to mention, those new listeners could themselves turn into more True Fans. It’s a vicious (and profitable) cycle! So even if you’re podcasting in the name of profit, don’t neglect the value of The Listener Lifecycle. Otherwise, you could find yourself alienating your loyal listeners over time and having a dwindling audience, when we want your numbers going up and to the right. 

So, What’s Next?

Ah, so we’ve finally reached the end of The Listener Lifecycle. We’ve enjoyed producing this season and hope you’ve learned a lot about building and growing an audience of your own! As for The Humble Podcaster, we’ll be taking a hiatus to put this season into action ourselves as we launch a brand-new podcast. We’ll still leave all the episodes up as educational resources, so if you do decide to put your podcast journey off until next year (don’t you dare!), we’ll still be here to help. We’ll also be keeping the newsletter going, so if you haven’t already, sign up to receive the latest updates on HumblePod and our Brand New Secret Show!