Starting from scratch? Oh, the joy of having no audience to speak of. We’ve all been there. No one’s listening, but the good news? You’re free to experiment, fail, and try again without anyone watching. It’s a glorious mix of invisibility and endless opportunity. But, spoiler alert: it won’t last long if you follow a few practical steps. So, let’s talk about how we build an audience from nothing and what it means for our business.
Observe the Competition, Then Copy (But Not Really)
Before posting a single thing, do yourself a favour and check out what our competition is doing. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here—let them do the hard work for us. Scroll through their social media, browse their websites, and take notes. They’ve already figured out what works (and more importantly, what doesn’t), so let’s learn from their mistakes.
Now, the trick isn’t to copy them outright, because that’s boring and also a bit shady. Instead, use what they’ve done as a blueprint, then tweak it. See how they structure their posts, what gets the most engagement, and how they interact with their audience. If their style is laid-back, go for something similar—but with our own twist. If they’re all about sleek designs, maybe ours could be a bit rough around the edges, just to stand out. The idea is to find inspiration, not a clone army.
Create (A Lot) and Test, Test, Test
This is the part where we just have to get on with it: create. And I mean create a lot. There’s no magic number, but it’s simple math—the more content we put out there, the more likely something will catch on. And no, this doesn’t mean spamming people’s feeds with low-effort nonsense. We’re not trying to annoy potential followers; we’re trying to pique their interest.
The key is to experiment with different types of content. If we’re running a business, some of our posts might focus on our products or services, while others could be educational, showing off our knowledge in the industry. Maybe a few behind-the-scenes shots just to keep things human. Whatever it is, we should test it all. Then we sit back and wait for the data to roll in. Which posts get the most likes? What are people sharing? Where do the comments pile up? That’s our feedback loop, and we use it to refine what we do next.
When we see a particular style of post doing well, we double down on it. If something bombs (and it will), we move on quickly. There’s no need to get sentimental about our posts. At this stage, everything is disposable until it proves its worth.
Find Your Unique Value and Play to It
Now, here’s the part where the magic happens (no, not that kind of magic, we banned that word). Once we’ve figured out what works, it’s time to refine our brand voice. This isn’t about inventing something out of thin air but recognising what value we bring that others might not. What’s our take? Are we funnier than the competition? More knowledgeable? Maybe we’re just brutally honest in a way that resonates with people who are tired of sugar-coating.
Whatever it is, we play to that. The content that performs the best is a hint to where our strengths lie. From here on, it’s about consistency. People follow us because they want more of what they’ve seen before—so let’s give them that. No sudden shifts in tone or random deviations. Our audience should feel like they know what they’re getting, and they’ll stick around if we keep delivering it.
Building an audience takes time. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Some days will feel like shouting into the void, and others will make us feel like we’ve finally made it. The trick is to keep at it. Tweaking, refining, experimenting, and, of course, creating. One day, we’ll look up, and there’ll be an audience waiting for the next thing we post.
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