Superfans is an approachable marketing book from an author who practices what he preaches. Pat Flynn has truly built up a following of superfans over the years and in this book he shares some of his tactics and foundational beliefs around building these raving fans. As I read this book, I had a few big things that stood out to me as things I want to remember and implement better myself.
Who is this book good for?
If you’re building a brand or an audience, you will definitely want to read this book. Pat Flynn shares very practical tips for how to not just get noticed, but build raving fans who can help you grow even more. I’ve watched Pat build up his brand over the years, but it’s neat to see so much of these tactics spelled out in such a simple manner.
A Few Good Highlights
Build Your Email List
Check out Pat’s 100 Email Challenge. You can find it at 100emails.com. This resource is a way to get a small, quick win to get your first 100 subscribers. It’s designed to be step-by-step to start from zero to 100.
What can we learn from this? Help people achieve a quick win. By doing so, you give people a tangible way to find success, and in doing so, you build trust. From there, you can leverage other programs and resources that build your brand and your business.
Return Every Handshake
Pat urges us to not just give back to people, but to give back extra unexpected attention. He does this by responding to comments on his blog. He goes over to their website and reads some of their content and comments on that content in return. Then, he’ll send them an email thanking them for the comment and complimenting the article of theirs he read himself. Today, you can do this with social media with a quick personal message via social media.
What can we learn from this? Whether you’re starting out, or you’re already established, showing this personal attention can be gold for you to build loyal superfans.
Remain Thoughtful
“You have to be more than different, because different go you in the door – you have to remain thoughtful.” The random, unexpected acts of kindness will help make you be remembered, and then talked about. Superfans are not just people who like your stuff, but those who are going to go talk about you.
What can we learn from this? Don’t be so predictable and don’t be so selfish. It’s easy to focus on your own goals, but what if we focused more on disrupting the regular pattern of things. When we can do this, we get attention and make people want to stay connected for the next unexpected moment of fun, whimsy, and appreciation.
High Standards
“Above all, hold yourself to a high standard. Not in the sense that you should act like you’re better than anyone else, because you’re not. But your words and actions are naturally going to be noticed, so you have to put a lot of care into what you put out there.”
What can we take away? Regardless of how large your following is, remember that people are watching what you post and put out to the world. Hold yourself to a high standard and think before you post. Your superfans and future superfans are watching.
Want to hear more from Pat? I interviewed Pat for my book “We’re All Ears” a couple years ago and you can listen to that interview and get more insights.