Building a Tribe -- the Deadheads

The Grateful Dead proved what all the dot-com gurus of the 2000’s were finally discovering: that a loyal group of followers that evangelize for you is worth more than all the advertising of Madison Avenue. And this, my friend, is the lightning in a bottle, the holy grail of marketing — a group of people that will sell your product for you simply because they love it, and you, that much. So, how do you get such a tribe of evangelists? Good question.

You connect with them.

There really isn’t a simple, three-step plan for building a tribe. You must connect with them over a shared passion. That means, first of all, that you must be passionate about your topic. As a podcaster, if you aren’t truly passionate about your topic, your audience won’t be either. And, while they may stick around, they will never be a tribe like the Deadheads. They say that selling, in its purest form, is simply sharing your passion for something with someone else. And, here’s the thing: You’re not going to be loved by everyone. No product is for everyone. As Seth Godin said in Purple Cow:

If you’re remarkable, it’s likely that some people won’t like you. That’s part of the definition of remarkable. Nobody gets unanimous praise–ever. The best the timid can hope for is to be unnoticed. Criticism comes to those who stand out.

In practical terms, for a podcaster, connection looks like several things. When it’s clear you’re making a connection with a listener, because they sent you an email or commented on your podcast on social media, etc., they’ve reached out to you in some way; you strengthen the connection by interacting with them personally. Reply to the email. Ask them something. DON’T send them a link to buy a t-shirt or e-book. They’ll buy your stuff eventually if they feel truly connected to you. Even if they don’t, that shouldn’t be your goal. 

Nobody likes to be “evangelized.” They like to be liked, loved, cared about, cared for. They like to connect and, maybe, if the connection grows, become friends. If they feel like you’re trying to convert them, they will, almost without exception, push back or leave. 

It’s the same way in selling a product. If, after listening to this episode, you send me an email telling me how you love the Grateful Dead and you ask about what bands I like, and I reply with a link to buy my podcast course and my latest CD, you may be a little offended (to put it mildly). If I tell you of my love for the music of Sting and the Brian Setzer Orchestra, and how I’d love to be able to write a hit like “Message In A Bottle” and play guitar like Setzer on “Stray Cat Strut,” and, since this is a podcast about podcasting, I may ask if you have a podcast. If I do that, we are connecting. If you never buy anything from me, that’s cool. I’m just glad we got to connect. I once met a singer that I really like. He was doing a meet and greet at a local record store before a concert, so there was a line of fans. When I got to him, he seemed like he was genuinely glad to meet me! That’s how you want to make your listeners feel — like you are eager to meet them!

Feeling is very important, by the way. People care how you make them feel much more than how brilliant you are. I heard once that there are two kinds of brilliant people: the person who is the most important person in the room, and the person who makes you feel like you are the most important person in the room. And, don’t bother with flattery, fake praise. Most people’s BS Meter is finely tuned nowadays. They smell it a mile away and they turn and run the other way.

So, be genuine. Share your passion. And, as you’re connecting with your listeners, make a way to continue the connection. Start an email list of your tribe. Add value to their lives. On our next episode, we’ll talk about how to add value to your tribe.