Fans Want More: Why Platforms Still Don’t Get Superfan Engagement
Creators have a variety of imperfect platforms to engage their most valuable fans. There's got to be a better way.
The Nutgraph:
Engaging your most ardent fans is an art much more than a science. Unfortunately, there isn’t really a platform that puts the one-to-one relationship between creators and fans first.
The Takeaway:
Get really clear on what engagement tools you use to connect and delight your most loyal fans!
The Big Number:
19%
The percent of all music listeners are really fans (Midia Research)
I recently received an email from a Substack newsletter I follow. It invited me to check out a live video interview with that week’s featured subject. Unfortunately, the email landed in my inbox about a day after the event ended. Bummer.
This might seem like a small thing, but it illustrates a much larger issue. Most of the tools available to creators today were designed for another era. They are not built to serve the engaged fan who wants to go deeper.
We are at a pivotal moment. It has become clear that creators need to build much richer experiences for their most dedicated supporters. Ever since Kevin Kelly wrote his 1,000 True Fans essay nearly 30 years ago, creators have been chasing the dream of making a living by serving their most loyal followers directly.
In the last five years, superfans have become a hot topic across the creator economy, especially in music. The theory is that instead of chasing broad growth, creators should focus on serving the people who care the most. But most major platforms are not delivering on this promise. Spotify, Twitch, Substack, and YouTube are trying to add superfan features to their services. Without deeper changes to their core product models, they will continue to struggle at truly connecting creators and fans.
Most platforms were built for scale, not depth. They are designed to attract and retain the largest number of users possible. That approach works well for reach but not for engagement with true fans.
It is also clear that platforms tend to prioritize their own needs over the needs of the creator-fan relationship. Substack, for example, has been introducing social features that may help creators but also clearly benefit the company. Substack once claimed that creators were in charge. Today, some critics are beginning to question that claim.
Spotify has revealed it is testing new superfan features. But artists still have very limited insight into who their fans are. Spotify is not sharing identity data, and only offers a superficial look at user behavior. Will these features actually help artists build meaningful relationships with fans? I remain skeptical. And even more importantly, will Spotify offer creators new revenue streams and ownership of their audiences, or simply more promotional placements? (That’s a rhetorical question!)
My advice to creators is this: proceed with caution when testing platform-led superfan features. Make sure you still own the relationship with your fans. Direct-to-fan should mean exactly that.
Also keep in mind that building a true superfan product takes experimentation, testing, patience, and determination. The real question is whether platforms will stick with the process long enough to find what works, or whether they will abandon superfan features like so many other half-finished experiments. (Why all the rhetorical question?)
Look, I’m strongly believe that the future belongs to creators who focus on real fan engagement. But these tools are so different from general engagement products that small tweaks will not be enough. We need new approaches designed specifically for fans who care the most.
Want to go deeper?
If you want more info on how I approach building fan engagement, I’ve be happy to walk you through a framework called Five Principles for Building Superfan Products, based on years of building communities including Gimme Radio.
