Building Your Audience
Are you still with me? We’re right in the middle of this special blog series about my 6-part framework for building a successful creative business from scratch.
If you missed last week’s post about Step 2: Defining Your Ideal Customer, you can catch up on it here. It’s essential to know who you’re trying to attract before you can start reaching out to find them and invite them to join your creative community.
Today, we’re diving into Step 3: Building an Audience.
Why Building an Audience Matters
Here’s the truth: No matter how talented you are or how amazing your creative work is, if no one knows about it, it doesn’t matter.
But here’s the good news: You don’t need to start with something complicated or fancy to build an audience. You can start incredibly simple—just like I did.
When I first began my creative business, I didn’t have a big, flashy marketing plan. I didn’t have a perfectly polished website or a huge email list. What I had was a simple one-page PDF called “How to Get Started in Surface Design.”
It had just 5 bullet points. Nothing fancy. No elaborate graphics. Just straightforward, helpful information designed to attract the exact people I wanted to serve.
And guess what? It worked.
This is called a “freebie” or a “lead magnet”. All that means is that you’re offering something of value to the people you want to attract. In exchange for their email address, you give them this “freebie”. Building an email list full of your ideal customers is critical. My email list is my most valuable asset because it’s essentially my buyers list. And I care deeply about each person who joins my community.
I used that simple PDF as my main lead magnet for several years because it was effective. It brought the right people into my creative world and gave them a quick win that encouraged them to take the next step.
Over time, that simple lead magnet grew into a 20+ page free ebook as I refined my message and wanted to share student successes in surface pattern design. The lesson here is: Keep it simple. You can always get fancy later.
What It Means to Build an Audience
Building an audience isn’t just about getting more followers on social media or collecting email addresses. It’s about creating genuine connections with the right people.
Your audience is made up of the people who resonate with your work, who are excited about what you offer, and who are ready to support your business.
The 3 Key Questions to Ask Yourself
To effectively build your audience, start by answering these three important questions:
Question 1: What’s the simplest way you can start attracting your ideal audience?
Don’t overcomplicate this. Think about what you can offer right now that provides value and helps your ideal customer take a step forward.
For me, it was that simple one-page PDF with five bullet points.
Reflect: What’s one simple, valuable resource you can offer your audience to get them excited about joining your email list and creative community?
Question 2: How will you nurture and grow your audience over time?
Building an audience is about more than just attracting people—it’s about building relationships. How will you keep your audience engaged and excited about what you have to offer?
This could be through regular newsletters, free resources, live Q&A sessions, or social media posts that truly connect with your audience.
Reflect: How will you show up consistently and add value to your audience’s lives?
Question 3: What do you want your customer’s journey to look like?
Once people have joined your audience, how will you encourage them to take the next step? This could be signing up for a workshop, an in-person event, or enrolling in your membership, if you have one.
Reflect: What’s the next step you want your audience to take once they’ve found you?
Putting It All Together
Building an audience doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it’s best to start simple and expand over time.
You don’t need a massive marketing budget or a fancy website. You just need something of value to share and the willingness to put yourself out there.
And as you continue to refine your messaging and offers, your audience will grow and evolve with you.
Download Your Worksheet
I’ve put together a simple worksheet with these three questions to help you clarify your approach to building an audience. Take some time to write down your answers and map out your plan.
📄 Download Your Audience-Building Worksheet Here
Join Me Live on Wednesday
As usual, I’ll be live on Facebook & YouTube on Wednesday at noon PT / 3pm ET.
📌 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annelafolletteart
📌 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnneLaFollette1
Come hang out and bring your questions—I can’t wait to see you there!
xo,
Anne
Interested in my group coaching program? Spots are limited. Complete your application HERE and then we’ll talk.
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
