A Small Tribe is Your Brands Biggest Asset
These days everyone glorifies big numbers—followers… views… likes…
Somehow many assume that success means more, but is that actually true?
If you ask me - I say “absolutely not!”
Let me try and explain why, and who knows maybe you’ll realize I’m right?
Let’s explore what it takes today to create something meaningful and the common dilemma of choosing between depth and width.
Let’s look at the average content consumer. Most of the time all they do is scroll… that mastered movement of the finger pushing up the screen… I can bet that fingers gets more daily workout than any of us… pushing away one shitpost at a time… usually giving each content piece 2-3 seconds chance…
If you are the advocate of big numbers and have chosen the “more” strategy - I am almost certain your big number of followers mainly consists of those average content consumers.
So you keep hustling and creating content non-stop so they have more things to scroll by… At the end of the day none of you is truly happy with the outcome, but you keep doing it anyway because…. Well because everyone else does it too, right?
Ok now let’s get away and dream a bit, shall we?
Imagine creating something that deeply resonates with just 100 people. People who truly care, not just robotically scroll by. They truly care about the meaning behind your content, about that thing you passionately care about… and about YOU.
They share your work, give real feedback, and show up - every time you create and share.
EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Which option would you choose?
The big number of scrollers who don’t give a shit about you and your content - or 100 die-hard fans?
The 10,000 “kind of interested” people or 100 who can’t wait for your next thing?
Maybe it feels counter-intuitive but those small communities lead to higher engagement, more word-of-mouth growth and stronger sense of belonging and purpose.
I do believe that you or anyone else out there should not create/build for everyone.
For example the Rebel Speakeasy is definitely not for everyone - it’s an intentional choice. It’s something we’ll be protecting - since it’s part of what the brand is about. We and the people in the Rebel Speakeasy community are different. We’re not building for masses - we don’t want to attract the common, the normal, the average.
We want a passionate audience of like-minded people - not a mass appeal.
You may think that all this might sound fine… if it’s true. But is it?
And maybe what you probably wanna know most is - how does one even get there?
I have done it a few times, both for myself and for my employers/clients - so I know how… and it’s very simple but extremely hard at the same time… although absolutely worth it!
So where do you start?
Who’s That Girl / Guy?
If you’re not creating/building for the masses, who do you do it for then? Who’s that person?
You need to know who that is to make sure that’s who you attract.
The better you know that person - every detail about them - the higher the chances that you’ll be able to create something meaningful to them that they will deeply resonate with.
Often that person may be yourself (or the version of you from the past). That makes things easier…
Sometimes… there is another way to do it too…
For example when I was launching the Write 2B Read podcast 11 years ago I did not want that person to be me or older version of myself… so I sat down and thought of who I wanted it to be instead… and did what fiction authors do for their stories - I made up a character from scratch.
The character I ended up with was someone I had never met in my life before. So I had no proof they even existed… but somehow I was certain there should be at least a few men like that out there… Eventually I found 10k of them listening to every episode that came out.
No matter if you pick someone real as your ideal audience or you make someone up - make sure you know them inside out.
Imagine every single detail of their life, how they feel about things, what their dreams are, what they struggle with… ALL of it.
Imagine walking in their shoes, get under their skin, know them so well that you can predict their thoughts, emotions and reactions even before it happens!
Shift the Perspective
Now what you need to do is realize something very important. And that is - you are not the one under the spotlight… you are not the rockstar on the stage here…
It is NOT about you.
That guy/girl I spoke about… Make THEM the hero of your story and create for THEM.
Create and build what matters to them, what they are passionate about, what they are hoping to find…
Knowing exactly who you’re creating for (them not yourself) will help make your work more intentional and impactful.
Up Close and Personal
No one is a die-hard fan from day one. The relationship has to grow to that point.
People want to know who’s behind it.
Those numbers are not numbers - they are people. And you are building personal connections with them.
The more personal you go, the stronger the bond between you and your community.
And this is yet another reason not to grow those numbers massively. Because after a certain point it will be impossible to keep the intimate connection with your community.
The Recap
When you build/create for a small specific group instead of chasing viral trends, you create something that lasts.
If 100 people love what you do, they’ll support you, share your work, and help you grow—organically. And as you build, the right 100 people will attract others like them.
A small but passionate audience is all you need to create freely without chasing numbers, playing by the rules, and looking for mass appeal.
So if you wouldn’t make it for 100, don’t make it for 10,000.
Alright, that was all for now Rebel.
By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.
Hope to see you there!
- Ani & Rick
P.S. — we’d love to hear your rebel stories as well, so if you can’t join in or audio spaces, or would rather stay hidden… head over to Rebel Confessions—a completely anonymous space to share it all.
We’ll pick the most badass ones to feature in the newsletter or chat about them in our weekly X Spaces. No judgement and no filters. Drop your story and let’s get real.
RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick
Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7
