Do we only need 100 True Fans? (not 1,000)

Today I read a really interesting article (which relates quite strongly to my next new venture Bunch) about the existing concept of needing 1,000 True Fans (read the original article from 2008).

Li Jin argues in the piece that creators need only 100 true fans.

“I believe that creators need to amass only 100 True Fans—not 1,000—paying them $1,000 a year, not $100. Today, creators can effectively make more money off fewer fans.”

It's an interesting development and well noticed by Jin. Creators have been seeing rising payment amounts from their audience.

“Since 2017, the share of new patrons paying more than $100 per month—or $1,200 per year—has grown 21 percent.”

One of the most interesting parts of the article for me (as I develop a plan for a content subscription platform) is this image depicting 1,000 fans vs. 100 fans and what creators need to offer and what their audiences expect.

My idea for Bunch relates better to “pay for access to content” than “support this artist”, and will be positioned more for gaining value than being motivated by fandom. This means it sits better on the “100 Fans” side. This is super revealing and will help me better position the product for its customers.

Another thing that stuck out to me was the line “Premium content and community with no close substitutes”. This is pretty much spot on what I've been thinking for Bunch. I want to make it easy for creators to get their fans to pay for content while at the same time creating a fan community. Reading this and having it confirmed as a an important aspect for creators solidifies my excitement in creating Bunch.

Regardless of how this applies to my project, I recommend reading the full article if you're a creator yourself or are working on a creator-focused product.