674: 3 Steps to Build an Audience BEFORE You Have an Offer to Sell

0:01Today's episode is sponsored in part by Revolve and Spectrum. Revolve is my all time favorite place to shop for my dream wardrobe. Head to revolve.com forward slash gold digger to shop my favorites and get 15 % off your first order with the code gold digger. Spectrum business keeps your business connected with reliable service you can count on. Visit spectrum.com forward slash free for life to learn how you can get business internet free forever. As always, you can find all of our amazing deals in the show notes. Now let's get into it. okay I have been on this ruthless pursuit to purge any clothes that I'm not actually wearing like if I haven't reached for it in months it's gotta go I am trying to be really intentional about what I bring into my closet right now which means I am only buying pieces that I know I will actually wear and use revolve just gets it though I'm literally wearing my brown autry sneakers from there right now and my new suede purse it fits my laptop in it so it's basically a fancy shoulder bag that works for everything.

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1:37It's literally the only place you need to shop from. That's revolve.com forward slash gold digger to shop my favorites and get 15 % off your first order with the code gold digger. Offer available for a limited time. So happy shopping. When you can put yourself into a space with other people who are like you or who might be needing what it is that you'll be offering, you can get a ton of information that can help you create the right type of offer. Hey, my name is Jenna Kutcher and I am obsessed with all things business, marketing, numbers, and helping you to navigate both the messy and the magical seasons of this thing called life.

2:14I'm a small town mama who took a$300 camera, grew a successful photo biz, and now I work from home and run a seven-figure online business. I teach you the tried and true secrets to building a career you adore. Shy away from the real talk? No way. Money, hardship, growth, loss, and marketing are all topics we discuss here. Think of this as your one-stop shop for happy hour with a gal pal mixed with business school. Pull up a seat, make sure you're cozy, and get ready to be challenged and encouraged while you learn. This is the Gold Digger Podcast. It probably doesn't surprise you that in 2023, building a loyal audience is critical to the success of any business.

2:51Most entrepreneurs and creators know that they have to have an audience to sell their offer. But what if I told you this, that before you even have a product or service to sell or your next offer created, you can, and you should start building your audience. In fact, doing so can help you better understand your target market, build relationships with potential customers, establish your credibility, and ultimately increase the chances of success when you do go to launch your product or service or offer. So today I'll be sharing some practical strategies for building an audience from scratch. Even if you don't have anything to sell yet, if you're someone who has a dream or a vision, or you want to start your side hustle, or you know that someday you want to leap into entrepreneurship, or you have this new idea for your next offer, this is where you should begin.

3:43And if you're someone who's struggling to sell your offer or grow your audience, this is also an important episode for you. From becoming a trusted source while leveraging social media platforms and growing an email list, this episode has everything you need to know to get started on growing your audience on the right foot. So whether you're a budding entrepreneur or a seasoned business owner, sit back, relax, and get ready to learn on how to start building your audience before you have something to sell. Let's dive in. If you love Gold Digger, then you'll love the Side Hustle Pro podcast hosted by Nikaela Matthews-Okome brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

4:25Side Hustle Pro showcases diverse entrepreneurs who have scaled from a humble side hustle to a full-blown profitable business. Every week, you'll learn actionable strategies to start small and get going wherever and whoever you are. In Nikaela's recent episode titled How to Make Content for Your Business in less than one hour a week, I learned so much about how to optimize recording sessions to get content done quicker, as well as new content creation tech and tools. You have to tune in. Listen to Side Hustle Pro wherever you get your podcasts. So why is building an audience so important? Well, a lot of times we spend so much time and energy and money on the actual offer itself, the product or the service.

5:11And we have this belief that. Like if I build it, of course they will come. But the truth is that is not usually the case. Now it doesn't matter what stage of business you find yourself in. Having an audience is what is going to lead you to results. But the truth is, is that audiences don't just happen. They are grown and fostered and served over time. So what better thing to do than to start today when it comes to thoughtfully and intentionally building your audience so that when you do have something to sell or an offer to present, you have an eager list ready for you to launch to. So where do we begin?

5:46I want you to first think about how you can start sharing freely. If there is something that you are loving, something you're curious about, something you're building, you're trying, you're learning about, start sharing that. Do not make the mistake of thinking that when you have a business or when you have a product or when the service is ready, then you will start talking about it. Start now. Let people into the journey. Build trust now. Have you ever experienced this thing that happens when out of the blue, someone probably from high school slides into your DMs and they're selling you something that quote unquote changed their life.

6:23But for you, it's the first time you've heard them ever talk about it. It's kind of like whiplash, right? You might be curious, but you're already doubting. is this true? What's in it for them? What is this thing that they're telling me about? That has happened to so many of us. And when you think about it, it's because they weren't talking about it before. You're like, wait, if this changed your life, why are you only talking about it now? I have this philosophy around this idea of breadcrumbs. I want for you to share your passion or your curiosity and tell this through line that makes sense to someone and helps build their trust before you have anything to sell.

7:01Take people on the journey. And oftentimes, the journey itself is more inspiring than the outcome. So what I think happens oftentimes is that people wait until they have it all figured out. They're like, I'm going to show up once I have the website or the sales page, once I have this perfect product or service. But when they show up, people are like, wait, I'm so confused. When did this happen? What was going on? Let people in on the journey. One thing that I often laugh about, but now I'm appreciative of the former version of me is that when I was starting out and building my Instagram following, I was not an influencer.

7:36No brands were paying me nothing. I would just share what I bought all the time. If I were to go out and buy something, I would share, here's what I bought at West Elm today. Here's what I got at the grocery store. Here is the couch that I got from Slumberland. And I would take the brands and I would talk about these things. I did not have affiliate links. I didn't have anything. and I loved just letting people in and that unlocked this whole different influencer world for me because these brands started paying attention and people started buying the things I was recommending and all of a sudden I have proof that yes, I am influencing people in their decisions.

8:09I want and still want people to trust my recommendations whether there's a commission attached or not and so I want this example to kind of show you start talking about these things, start sharing these things. Be a trusted resource. Because then when you do have something to offer, people are going to be like, Oh my gosh, yes, this makes total sense. Another example of this is when I launched my How Are You Really journals. If you don't know, I have an amazing 5-minute-a-day reflection journal. I use it. I love it. I created it out of a need. And I was just journaling in an old notebook. And then I created a process around that.

8:46Then I started talking about that. This is before I ever had a product to sell. And so when I had my journals, people were like, finally, it's about time you've been talking about this. And so I want for you to kind of understand and see how letting people into the process and just sharing where you're at and what you're learning, what you're curious about or what you're working on allows people to kind of come down the path with you. This makes so much more sense for people and it creates this story, this through line that is easy to follow and that people trust. So start sharing today. Now, the next thing that I want you to think about is to identify who your ideal audience is.

9:24Who is your target market or your avatar or the million other ways to talk about them? When we start with the basics of understanding who it is that we want to serve, we are able to create the right products, the right services, the right messaging. So maybe you're listening to this and you know that you want to start a new business or you want to develop a new product or an offer, but maybe you're not ready yet. Perhaps maybe you need to create your website to showcase what you do or get invoicing software to take care of payment. Maybe you're in that logistics phase. Just because you haven't launched your business yet doesn't mean you can't start making moves.

10:01But first, before we make those moves, we want to start one, sharing very authentically and two, identifying who it is that we want in our audience. We're talking about building an audience, for creating a community. We want to know the types of people that we want in there so that we can be perfectly positioned to have the right people in the right places, people that are going to love what it is that we have when the time comes that we do launch. So here are some ideas in terms of identifying who is this ideal client. So one, conduct market research. Look, I've become kind of a systems nerd and anything that gives me more space in my day, I'm all in.

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12:42I know this part sounds really boring and you're probably prone to want to skip this, but it is so important to see what is already out there. Look at the industry, identify trends, try to notice customer needs or competition, read reviews. This is going to give you a much better understanding of the market as a whole and also help you understand what types of clients or customers that you want to work with that you can speak to more directly. Next, we've talked about this on the show before, but create an ideal client avatar. I hate the word avatar. Create an ideal client profile, whatever that looks like.

13:19But for me, this was always a very ambiguous exercise. I didn't fully understand it. I was not great at inventing an imaginary person. And this whole exercise transformed for me when I finally started thinking of one of two things. So if you have an existing business and you had someone that you loved working with, and they loved you, and it was just this match made in heaven, it made you come alive. This is exactly why you started doing what you're doing. If you have someone that you've served in that way with your business, write and think about them, that singular client, that experience. Now, if you do not have a business yet, or you're in that dream up phase, I want for you to think about this.

13:58If you follow people on the internet, think about who would be your dream partnership. If there was someone that you would just die to work with, who would that be? And identify specific information about that person. Maybe gender, income, education, lifestyle, family, location, any of those things. And so for me, at this whole ideal client avatar exercise was so much simpler when I thought about either a client who I absolutely loved, who was like the perfect fit for me. And just thinking about them as a singular person that I'm going to be writing to or communicating with or marketing towards, or thinking about who would I absolutely keel over and die to work with?

14:41And what are the traits that are in that person that make me want to communicate with them? For example, really quick before I dive into the next point, whenever I am writing emails for a launch, I think about somebody in my life who I know would benefit deeply from the course or the program that I'm selling. We recently did my Pinterest lab launch and it was amazing. And as I got to the final day and I was writing like our cart close emails as in like, you're about to miss out. I literally visualize my friend Sarah who would crush it on Pinterest. I have such conviction that Sarah needs to be on Pinterest.

15:18And so I literally crafted an email in Gmail to Sarah, standalone, just Sarah, about why I didn't want her to miss out before the doors closed. That is how having these customer profiles or these singular people in our minds can totally transform the way that we write and communicate. And it can kind of take away that mass marketing feel that we often feel when we feel like we need to talk to everybody and anybody. So this is why this is an important step. And the final tip in identifying your ideal client is thinking about what are their pain points or challenges? What are the questions that they're already asking inside of their own heads?

15:55What are the things that are holding them back from getting the results that they want? And so just thinking through what would their objection be? If I offered them this thing that I want to create, what would they say to me in terms of why they can't do it? Because there are many pain points and objections that are so natural. But when we can start to think about showing up and serving people and understanding who it is that we want to serve and how we can already show up of service before we even have something to sell, that can totally transform how we feel about showing up, but also the experience for the people that we are showing up for.

16:31And I always think when it comes to audiences and community, it's not if you build it, they will come. It is if you serve them well, they will invite others to join. And I love that. So the next part of this idea of building an audience before you have something to sell is I want you to get creative and be willing to experiment. Experimentation is a huge part of my philosophy in business. And I think that oftentimes we forget that it is good and worthy and fun for us to test out different ideas. Before you get too deep into your business or starting your side hustle or creating your next product, I think it is such a great idea to pull or survey or test different offers out with any audiences that you already have, or with people in your ecosystem within your community, so that you understand and can create something that people will truly want and need and not just want and need, but be willing to pay for.

17:26A lot of times we will get information from people who are like, Oh, yeah, that sounds amazing. But when it comes time to hand over their credit card, they might be reluctant or they might just flat out say no. And so I want to stress the importance of testing out different ideas. So here are three different ways that you can test the waters with different ideas that can get you started in the right direction and make sure that what you are building is something that people are actually willing to pay for. So first, ask three people who are really close to you and who know you well. Literally, ask people in your world, whether it's your mom, your sister, your best friend, your spouse, whatever.

18:03Ask them this. If you could learn anything from me, or if you could see me as an entrepreneur, what would you see me doing, teaching or creating? There's an even more watered down version of that question where you could just say, what three words do you think of when you think of me? Or you could ask them, when is the last time you saw me light up about something? Because oftentimes the things that we are super passionate about can really lead to incredible products. but gaining insight from people who know you best might allow them to speak into you in a way that gives you clarity or that inspires you.

18:36Oftentimes we are way too close to our own genius to even see it. And we tend to overcomplicate things. I'm grouping myself in with you. We tend to overcomplicate things. And so getting simplified answers from people who truly know us can be super helpful as you get started. I'm thinking of like my three college best friends, for example, and there are certain things that each of them do incredibly well that I would love to learn from them about. And so oftentimes just offering this to other people can be such a gift as well, but asking for it can be a really great way for you to start to gain clarity and get insight.

19:11Another way that you can test out or experiment is to start sharing different types of content online and see what resonates the most. Now, even if you have a tiny audience, you will start to see data and trends that can maybe help guide your next steps. I would say that the sweet spot is, is when you find things that you absolutely love sharing about and that generate interest or curiosity or give you feedback that is golden. You don't just want to create something around what is going to quote, do the best because you might lose your passion in that. But where engagement and passion intersect, that is the sweet spot.

19:49And so test out different ideas, start talking about things, put up a questions box on Instagram. What questions do you have about this? Even if you have only a few people that are following you, if you are starting to strike a nerve or starting to share a little bit more, it can be a huge way for people to start engaging with you and feel comfortable in that engagement. The third way that you can test different ideas out or get a feel for the lay of the land is through joining forums, Facebook groups, or communities online and start sharing and asking questions. We have an incredible, incredible community online, the Gold Digger Podcast Insiders Group, which you can join.

20:28We will put the link in today's show notes and show descriptions. But when you can put yourself into a space with other people who are like you or who might be needing what it is that you'll be offering, you can get a ton of information that can help you create the right type of offer. when we were young we dreamed of castles and fairy tales and as we grow up those dreams might shift into building something real like starting a business you need a website payment systems a logo and a way to reach customers it can all be overwhelming and confusing but thankfully that's where today's sponsor shopify comes in shopify powers millions of businesses around the world and 10 % of all US e-commerce, from big brands to folks just getting started.

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21:54Can you believe that we're already wrapping up 2025? This year was packed with travel and so many new memories. One of my favorite moments was our team retreat in Arizona with the incredible women who helped me keep this business running. I also recently took the kids to Nashville during fall break and somewhere in between, I squeezed in a trip to Puerto Rico with friends. We booked some of our most memorable stays this year on Airbnb. There's something special about finding a place that doesn't just look great in the photos, but actually feels welcoming the moment you walk in. That this feels right kind of feeling.

22:27If you've got trips coming up, whether it's a family vacation, a retreat, or a work trip, your house will probably be sitting empty while you're gone. Have you considered hosting your home on Airbnb and letting it work for you? It's a simple way to earn some extra income that can be put towards a future trip or home improvement projects. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com forward slash host. It's no secret that business owners are under a lot of pressure right now. We're pressured to get more leads, close deals faster, get better insights to create the best experience for customers, and so much more.

23:06So how do we manage it all while still ensuring the best customer service? That's where HubSpot comes in. HubSpot is a customer relationship management tool that is easy to set up, intuitive to use, and customizable to the way that you do business. Drag and drop your way to attention-grabbing emails and landing pages, set up marketing automation to give every contact white glove treatment, plus AI-powered tools like Content Assistant mean less time spent on tedious manual tasks and more time for what matters most, your customers. HubSpot has all the tools you need to wow prospects, lock in deals, and improve customer service response times.

23:45Let HubSpot take the pressure off your shoulders and get started for free today at HubSpot.com. So now that we have talked about this idea of showing up while you're in the process and identifying who it is that you're going to be speaking to, as well as experimenting and gaining insight, let's talk about building a true platform. Now, a lot of times people will tell me, they'll say, Jenna, if I had your platform, I would use it to talk about X, Y, and Z. And usually these are things that are close to that person's heart. And I always get so frustrated when people say that to me because you don't understand.

24:21I got my platform because I was showing up and talking about what mattered to me, even when nobody was listening. You can literally scroll back. And seven years ago, I was talking about things like body image or five years ago, I was talking about trying to grow our family. The things that I am talking about today have evolved, but they are still in line with what I started talking about. And that was how my platform group. So even though it may seem like nobody is listening to you yet, it is so vital that you start creating content and sharing early on so that you can build that story, build that through line and establish your credibility.

25:00That is how you will grow a community. It's not waiting until you have the platform to start talking about the things that matter to you. It is starting to talk about the things that matter to you to build the platform. Okay. And maybe you're thinking, okay, well, what is the platform? And like, where do I start posting? And I can't show up everywhere all at once. I'm so overwhelmed. My answer to that is you do not need to be in all of the places. You do not have to show up everywhere all the time and manage all of the different platforms. Here's what I'll tell you. Start with the lowest hanging fruit.

25:35So what do I mean by this? I mean, start posting where it is that you are comfortable in sharing up and where you can be consistent. So if you like to write, start a blog. Blogs are an amazing platform to start documenting your journey. They don't require you to fix your hair or put on makeup. In fact, you can have an entirely faceless blog while you get your feet wet. All you have to do is write. So don't be afraid to experiment and let people in. The benefits of blogging are huge because you're building this online directory of all of the content you're creating. And you're also harnessing the power of things like search engine optimization.