How many great TV shows have you discovered in season 3 or later?
I started watching Game of Thrones after they had released 5 seasons.
Pat Flynn had released at least 100 episodes of his podcast before I even knew he existed. I discovered Hard Core History years after Dan Carlin started producing it.
This is such a common experience. There is so much content being produced that we can’t possibly discover it all. So instead we wait for the best content to float to the surface after time.
If step one in building an audience is to create great content, step two is to endure long enough to get noticed.
Seth Godin is very generous with his time and will appear on almost any relevant podcast—but you have to have recorded at least 100 episodes first. His filter is creators who have shown they are willing to show up consistently for a long time.
We are now preparing for our third time hosting Craft + Commerce, our annual conference for creators. As we enter what’s basically season 3 it’s remarkable how much more momentum we have when compared to past years.
The first year it was hard to convince people to try out a new event, in a new city, from a new company. The second year ticket sales were easier and we had momentum, but only about 20% more revenue from ticket sales.
But now in the third year selling tickets is noticeably easier. Because of the reputation built in previous years we sold 175 tickets before we even announced a single speaker. Then the next 75 tickets sold quickly with our next promotion.
If we had given up after fighting the massive up hill battle of creating the conference, or given up when year two wasn’t that much more successful, then we wouldn’t have endured until season 3 when the momentum kicked in.
Create consistently.
Be patient for results.
***
If you want to join 300 amazing creators in Boise, Idaho check out Craft + Commerce. Use the code CREATOR19 to save another $100 on your ticket.
I kind of needed that :D I’m close to writing 100 articles. Hopefully, soon the magic will happen. Thanks for the post.
Nathan this is spot on. I experienced the same when hosting season 1 of a TEDx conference. By season 3 we had the community and learnings that made it much easier.
Consistency just for the love of doing what you love often takes you longer. And it spreads across disciplines.
I was with a musician friend of mine who was obese. He now had lost weight and has reclaimed his health.
When asked about what earned him this transformation he said, “I’m addicted to it'(weight loss and fitness). Because I invested so much in understanding how my body functions, I now can’t live without workouts and get better at it.
And just like that I realized the importance of a strong belief system.
And today with this writing you just affirm my beliefs. Thanks Nathan!
And yes, congrats on Craft & Commerce taking off.
Congratulations on your success with your conference and of course convertkit. I love the headline of this ‘Endure long enough to get noticed’. Very concise and accurate especially since it does seem like we’re enduring and waiting, while we try to gain some traction. Thanks for the inspirational post!