Love Having You Here: Building a Loyal Audience With Connection, Content and Community

By Jackie Wilson.

When was the last time you really connected with the people who follow you or subscribe to your emails?

Your audience isn't just a collection of email addresses or social media profiles. They're your people. They show up, read your stuff, and maybe even share it—if they love you enough.

An engaged audience is worth its weight in gold (or dollars, euros, rubles, yen…); it's an audience that wants to be there, and you should be courting your marvellous community, your wavelength warriors, with every tool at your disposal.

How? Well, read on.

Connection: Tell Them Why They Matter

Take a moment, regularly, to let your people know you see them and appreciate them. Consider this a digital hug (or a high-five if hugs aren't your thing).

Share a heartfelt note: "You're the reason I do this, the grist to my mill, the grease to my axles..." Make it genuine! You might briefly get away with faking it, but as soon as you don't, you've lost them and lost them for good.

Celebrate the moments they've made possible—whether it's hitting a significant milestone or just keeping you motivated on those "is-this-even-working?" days. Being real and a little vulnerable makes this gratitude hit home.

And don't shy away from those BFF vibes. Talk to everyone personally, as if you're talking to a friend. Don't be afraid to share pet peeves or bad hair days, and encourage replies and hashtag community (see below!).

Content: Give Back With Giveaways

Now, when we're talking gratitude, it's gotta be show as well as tell. So create value-packed content as a gift to your audience—freebies such as a cheat sheet, an email course, or an exclusive download (for a ton of ideas as to the kinds of freebies you can offer, check out this article from Kit dot com, or this blog by bigcatcreative dot com.)

This is your chance to say, "Thanks for sticking around, I've got your back." The trick here is to make it feel personal and not like a generic mass giveaway. Show 'em you know 'em, you're listening, and you want to add a dash of joy to their day—and bonus points if your gift solves a problem or answers a burning question.

It's the digital equivalent of baking cookies—just less messy (me + baking=bombsite). And it's a win-win, by the way, since you're building an audience, whether on social media or in email land, that loves what you do and is primed to spend money with you.

Community: Build an Inner Circle

And, of course, Gratitude is a two-way street, a sunny, cobbled one lined with pavement cafés and little shops that sell crystals.

Encourage your people to share their stories, wins, or their own expressions of gratitude. Shine a light on them: Feature their anecdotes or highlight a great business story in your next email. Introduce a regular happening where you provide a space for them to share and offer their services among themselves.

It's about making your audience feel part of your world. This is community. A sense of belonging is one of the most powerful drivers of audience retention and engagement.

And don't forget to keep it fun—start a conversation, share a funny behind-the-scenes moment, or ask them to weigh in on a less-than-serious poll ("What's harder: writing a blog post or picking a Netflix show?").

The more you build that sense of community, the more they'll feel like sticking around. And who doesn't want a crew that laughs at your jokes (however cheesy) and cheers you on?

Just try it! Start small, ask the odd question, encourage replies, open up—and watch the magic happen…

Jackie is the founder-owner of BrickHouse, a small content creation company that mainly serves SMEs, and a media professionals with many years of standing.

She has over 25 years of experience as a freelance writer, broadcaster, and media trainer. She is a scrupulously precise editor who is utterly pedantic and very word-choosy. As a trainer, she worked with young journalists and reporters in parts of Africa and Central Asia–something she still sees as thoroughly rewarding and the most fun to be had while working.

Her content these days includes marketing copy, but she describes herself as a storyteller rather than a copywriter. A journalist to the bone, she does nothing without research, and the research object is her client’s story.