If a membership site launches with no audience to notice, has it truly launched?

In this episode we answer the much asked question of whether it's possible – or advisable – to launch a membership site when you do not have an audience.

I also discuss why audience building is particularly important for membership website owners, as well as my top tips for how you can get started on building an audience for your membership, fast.

Episode Summary

• Why “build it and they will come” is a terrible business strategy
• The main benefits of building your audience before building your product
• Why piggybacking on other people's audience is a limiting approach
• How to get started on building an audience for your membership

Key Quotes

“You not only need an audience of people who will potentially become members, you need them for a sounding board. They're going to give you ideas, they're going to give you inspiration, they're going to give you crucial information and feedback that will actually help you to shape the membership site that you plan to launch.”

“If you're positioning yourself as an authority, but you don't have an audience, then you're just an authority in your own mind. Without an audience, you don't have any other people who are backing up your claim of being an expert in your field.”

“The risk is if you just steam ahead and create a site without putting any time or any work into building up an audience beforehand, then you can potentially be losing hours and hours of work, of your time, and investing hundreds and thousands of dollars into something that is just going to flop as soon as the doors open because it's like that old saying, if a tree falls in the wood and no one's around to hear it.”

Related resources for building an audience

• 4 Tactics for Accelerating the Growth of Your Membership Audience
• 4 Ways to Discover What Your Audience REALLY Want from your Membership
• Where to Look when Building an Audience for Your Membership Site
• Course: Building an Audience for Your Membership Site (Academy Members Only)

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