{"id":437,"date":"2019-09-16T09:27:26","date_gmt":"2019-09-16T09:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/agency09.co\/simplifyingtheweb\/?p=437"},"modified":"2025-12-29T08:43:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T08:43:12","slug":"kevin-kellys-1000-true-fans-predicted-the-explosion-of-influencerdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.agency09.in\/simplifyingtheweb\/marketing\/kevin-kellys-1000-true-fans-predicted-the-explosion-of-influencerdom\/","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Kelly’s 1000 True Fans Predicted the Explosion of Influencerdom"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 7<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

11 years ago, a blog post called \u20181000 True Fans\u2019<\/a> went crazy viral on the internet. Seth Godin mentioned it on his blog calling it \u2018Kevin Kelly\u2019s best riff of the year\u2019. It was and continues to be the most prescient idea, and the idea\u2019s time has finally come in the last few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To recap, Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired Magazine,\ntalked about the Long Tail effect working for the benefit of creators of all\nsorts. If a painter, filmmaker, or writer wanted to make a living doing what\nthey loved, they could do so provided they have in the ballpark of 1,000 \u2018True\nFans\u2019. He defined what a true fan would be like, and how the number 1,000 would\nchange depending on the cost of the created item being sold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrue Fans will support you and your ideas. They will fight for you in YouTube comments and twitter threads.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>

The growth of social networks since then has been exponential. Networks have used the \u2018free with ads\u2019 model to scale and reach billions around the world. Sites like YouTube monetize videos through ads and share the profits with the creators. With sites like Patreon, creators can go directly to the end consumer\/fan and get recurring income from them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Creators on platforms like Instagram grow their audience and\nmonetize their presence by partnering with brands and creating custom content\nor endorsing the brand outright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An entire economy has evolved in the Long Tail, the portion\nof a standard distribution distant from the \u2018head\u2019, yet profitable for the\nparticipants who find themselves there. Independent creators can finally have a\nshot at earning more than a hand-to-mouth existence. This gives them the\ncomfort to pursue the work they really like to do, as opposed to just working\nfor money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

True Fans will support you and your ideas. They will fight\nfor you in YouTube comments and twitter threads. They can create movements that\ngo viral on your behalf. And they have the power to sustain you as an\nInfluencer or dethrone you. Such is their dual power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlatforms are wont to change policies at their whims to suit their bottomlines rather than their creators.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This is what democratic capitalism in action looks like. For\nevery PewdiePie raking in millions of dollars a year, there is a\nmicroinfluencer with less than 20,000 followers (on platforms like TikTok or Instagram)\nmaking a more than decent living. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\ndon\u2019t have to be a sportsperson or politician or actor to have fans and to be\nable to monetize fans.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are drawbacks, though. Platforms are wont to change\npolicies at their whims to suit their bottomlines rather than their creators.\nOther platforms gain popularity, but make no money, and are ended\nunceremoniously, leaving creators in the lurch. Fans themselves can turn on the\ncreator and leave in droves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite some negatives, it truly is the age of the Long Tail Influencer. You don\u2019t have to be a sportsperson or politician or actor to have fans and to be able to monetize those fans. In return, all fans ask is your regular attention and their daily entertainment. As an influencer, you decide if this is the price you\u2019re willing to pay for the benefits that will eventually accrue to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the marketing perspective, Influencer marketing is only\ngoing to grow, despite efforts by certain networks to reduce the data available\nto brands of influencers\u2019 likes, etc. Brands will, in turn, be more alert about\nwho they partner with, and look to third-party sites and agencies to identify\ntrustable influencers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a win-win-win for all stakeholders in this new\nattention economy. Brands win, fans win, and the Influencers, of course, win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reading Time: <\/span> 7<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

11 years ago, a blog post called \u20181000 True Fans\u2019 went crazy viral on the internet. Seth Godin mentioned it on his blog calling it \u2018Kevin Kelly\u2019s best riff of…<\/div>\n
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