My Best Tips for Building a Loyal Audience Online

Are you trying to build your audience or reputation online? Here are my best tips for creating a loyal following.

In December of 2023, my life changed forever. I was sitting in a show at a local theatre when my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was one of my best friends from across the world in Australia. It was early morning there and unusual to get a text from her so early.

“You did it! Holy effing cow, dude! I’m so proud of you!!”

I didn’t know what she was talking about so, a bit panicked, I texted her as the curtain rose for intermission.

“What are you talking about?”

“Have you not checked your TikTok in the last hour? You’re at 103K, pal! Congratulations!”

That was the night that everything cemented itself for me as a content creator. Crossing that threshold came with a ton of new tools and opportunities from TikTok’s Creator Fund. It also meant major visibility and a lot more credibility for my coaching business and my main message.

Building an audience that large took time, but it’s not the size that matters. Thanks to a consistent strategy of putting myself out there using a combination of earned knowledge and a forward personality, I built a loyal following that supported everything from my books to my podcast.

Now I have more than 137K followers across TikTok, Medium, Instagram, and other social media platforms. I didn’t get all those followers online by accident. I didn’t even do it overnight. It was a process that took time and it took energy. But a million people do those things and still fail. Why? What was it that differentiated me on platforms like TikTok and Medium? That led to a growing community of people on a journey just like me?

It all came down to a few key factors…

My best tips for building a loyal audience online.

I built a loyal audience by keeping myself focused on some key approaches. These have become my secret to building an active and engaged platform that supports my goals as a content creator and a coach. If you’re serious about becoming a content creator, then you should take the same approach and keep these tips in mind while you build a loyal audience of your own.

1. Learn how to lean into yourself

There is no successful content creator who hasn’t learned how to lean into themselves. There’s a certain level of authenticity required to be profitable in this industry. You can’t just show up and share information that you’ve fought long and hard for. You have to sparkle in the unique way you were made to sparkle.

Are you stepping out into the world of content creator? It doesn’t matter if you just write blog articles. It doesn’t matter if you want to make videos or start a podcast.

You need to know who you are and be willing to share that person with the world. You have to be unafraid to be quirky, to be weird, to say the wrong thing, or to ruffle some feathers. To be a content creator, you really do have to love yourself enough to know that your message is important and worth sharing. Your audience sees that. They’re loyal to that.

2. Know what they care about

What does your audience care about? This answer should be the backbone of your content creation strategy. So many content creators get things wrong on this second crucial stumbling block. Instead of focusing on what their audience wants to see, they focus on themselves. What do I want to know? You’re the expert, focus on the people you’re trying to inform.

That’s got to start with getting to know your audience. You need to spend time with them if you’re serious about being a professional content creator. That looks like going into the comments and asking questions. It looks like watching their videos, reading their blogs, and following them on social media.

Where does your ideal audience hang out? What are the biggest problems that are plaguing their lives? What is the pain point they suffer with every day? Help them to overcome that pain and they will follow you to the end of the (digital) earth. Know what your ideal audience cares about and focus on addressing the problems they are struggling with.

3. Increase your accessibility

There’s this idea that you should “niche down” when you’re creating content, and this is especially evident in the accessibility of some content. The most short-sighted advice out there tells you to get specific, talk to the one “ideal” audience member you have in your mind’s eye.

But I can tell you from experience that widening your net is the best way to go. How can you do that? By making your content more accessible to as many people as you can.

When you make your content as accessible as possible, you make it helpful to more people. It’s not about being more palatable. It’s about sharing your knowledge in such a way that more people can apply it to their lives, no matter what their sexual orientation might be, their race, or their gender.

Accessibility helps your audience grow, and it makes them more loyal. That’s not all. It also opens doors to as many people as possible and improves their lives, their outlooks, their well-being, and your reach.

4. Be consistently reliable

There’s no denying it. Consistency and reliability are two of the biggest building blocks when you’re a content creator trying to build a loyal audience. You have to show up, show up, then show up again. The next day, you have to rinse, wash, and repeat.

Being a content creator is an online businesses. Running an online business isn’t easy or work-free, despite what some people may think.

You have to show up and create on weekends, birthdays, holidays. The good moments and the bad. When life is falling apart and when it’s great. You still have to sit down at the computer or get in front of the camera. There aren’t a lot of off days, and there are no months of time to disappear and nurse your wounds.

You have to show up and give your audience a place where they can come. You have to be a person who always shows up, who is always around ready to expand their minds or hearts in some way, until they get so used to your presence they seek you out.

5. Share what you know

If you think you don’t need to have a message as a content creator, you’re crazy. Mine is simple. There’s always a practical way to improve your life and the way you feel. The onus is on you to find that improvement, even while you face the larger institutional problems at play. It’s simple, but effective, and it powers the work that I do and the content that I create.

You need to have a message, too, but it can’t be any message. If you get in front of a camera and talk about things you’re not connected to, your audience is going to know. You’ve got to share what you really know, what you’re interested in, and what spikes your curiosity.

It doesn’t matter what that is. You could have a whole channel of the lives of Renaissance mice and it would go viral in a matter of weeks or months if your passion was visible.

The same applies here.

People can feel it when you go on autopilot as a content creator. They can tell that the words you’re writing are automatic. They can tell that you don’t say what you mean or you don’t really know what you’re talking about.

So you’ve got to figure out what you know and share that.

What gets your blood boiling? What makes you hot under the collar? What makes you elated? Excited? Swept away in interest, or otherwise energized just by thinking about it?

Find your spark, share what you’ve lived, and show people how you’ve overcome it. Do that consistently and you’ll build an audience loyal to you and the message you want to spread.

6. Relate to the people who matter

I always laugh when you listen to new content creators talk about all the benefits they’re going to reap from their time creating. They’re focused on building a fanbase. They think they will wake up every day to loving comments from people who adore them, but that’s fantasy at best and delusion at worst.

You’re not going to be loved by everyone on the internet. It doesn’t matter what kind of content you create, or how inoffensive it is.

Someone is going to hate you and they’re going to let you know they hate you for doing the work that you do. You can’t create content for them. You have to do for the people who matter. The people like you who were looking for someone who has overcome the same challenges, to create some triumphant for themselves.

Relate to the people who matter, focus on them instead of the haters and spammers, and you will build an audience of people who admire you. You’ll also prevent distraction and make sure you stay on course to achieve your ultimate goals as a content creator (instead of a comment warrior).

7. Validate your knowledge or skillset

Being a content creator who educates or informs is tricky. Anyone with a powerful message can reach the right audience, but there’s more than just being a great speaker. That’s a skill that anyone can learn, and anyone can sound like an expert with the right angle, lighting, and authority in their voice.

Validating your knowledge or skillset can go a long way in fostering the kind of trust you need to build an audience that listens. Take me for example.

I garnered a lot of trust through the articles I wrote detailing my experience with narcissistic abuse. That wasn’t enough, however, for me to build a deeper relationship with the coaching audience I wanted to build through content creation.

I took a year and got several professional certifications from government-endorsed educational bodies. Why? I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing, and I wanted to make sure I was proving to my audience that I cared about the work that I did and the message that I had.

In the end, I walked away with a life coaching certification, a qualified certification as a neurolinguistic programmer, and professional diplomas in psychology, child development, and mental health first aid. That went a long way in showing my audience that I was someone who could be trusted.

The same applies to any content creator who wants to educate or inform. You don’t need an expensive master behind your name. But you should put in the time to show your audience that you’re serious about the work that you do (and the way you do it).

8. Be willing to laugh it off

Being a content creator is a serious career option now, and it comes with a serious amount of work, vision, and execution. You have to be disciplined and consistent. You have to have clear goals and know when to show up and when to shut up. That’s not all it takes, though. As serious as being a content creator, it’s also not that serious at all.

You’ve got to be willing to laugh things off if you want to build an audience of followers who see you as more than a bummer.

Some things aren’t worth detonating your career. They’re not worth stressing yourself out over. Creating hours of videos that you have to spend hours editing, planning, and scheduling.

When people call you names, or call you out, you have to be willing to laugh it off. If you have a bad month, a bad article, or a bad comment, you have to be willing to laugh it off. It’s all in the name of the bigger picture, but your audience and your sanity will be happier for it.

9. Be open to perception shift

As much as you are going to entertain, inform, or educate others, you are also going to be entertained, informed, and educated (and re-educated) as a content creator. Depending on your outlook, that’s either a great thing or a terrible thing. However you look at it, your audience is going to be a part of that journey.

Do you want a loyal following of people who are willing to show up for you? Do you want them to share your stories with their friends and families? Do you want them to lift you up?

Whether you are a writer, a poet, an educator, or an entertainer, you have to be ready for a perception shift. You have to be willing to change your mind and change your direction when it serves your audience and your ultimate vision/goals.

Not only will changing your mind, and your perceptions, help you become a better content creator. It will also help you foster a loving, trustworthy, and open relationship with your audience. They will look at you as someone who gets them, and that will make them loyal to you and your message.

10. Let them see you grow

One of the most important lessons you will lean on the journey of becoming a content creator will come in the form of growth. Your platforms are going to grow. Your reach, your credibility, your opportunities. Doors are going to open for you, but that’s not the only form of growth that’s going to happen.

You’re going to grow, too. After all, you’re only human.

In the weeks, months, and years that you put into creating audiences and platforms, you’re going to learn things, meet new people and change. The things you want will change. The way you think about things will change. Life will pass by in the real world and you will grow up and see things differently.

For true success, and a loyal following, you need to let your audience see that growth.

What does that look like? Apologizing when you’re wrong. Sharing new points of view when you’re encountered with new pieces of information. It can even look like being open to criticism and showing up when you’re wrong.

Let your audience see you grow, as they are growing, and you will foster a genuine sense of trust that translates into a relationship worth holding.

Is the above list exhaustive? Of course not. On top of everything you see above, you also have to have a message and a sense of purpose to become a successful content creator. The age of overnight YouTube sensations is over. The top creators on the internet are now people sharing their wisdom, their passion, and (most importantly) themselves with people the world over.

Would you like to learn more about becoming a top content creator? Sign up for my free live workshop happening Thursday, February 22nd @ 12PM ET. I’ll share my strategy and what it takes to build large communities on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Medium, and more.

© E.B. Johnson 2024

I’m a writer, artist, coach, and podcaster with a penchant for fresh bread and an addiction to all things historical. To learn more about me, click here. Join my mailing list for weekly advice and ideas. To support my writing, please check out my Substack.