Want To Build A Tribe? Do This.
Many entrepreneurs are interested in building a following for the work that they do. Whether you are looking for more readers for your blog, more subscribers for your mailing lists, or more people to attend the events you host, the main idea is to develop a tribe very quickly.
But how do you go about building that tribe when you are first starting out? Here is one very simple tool to get started.
Tell a story about a time you made a mistake and learned a lesson. Share that lesson.
It seems like one of the simplest things you can do, but trust me, when you really start digging you’ll find some of those stories very hard to type. It’s not always easy to show that you messed up but, interestingly enough, it will help others identify with you.
Think of it this way: if you had to choose between a film where the main character goes on an emotional and physical journey that teaches an overarching lesson or a film in which the main character has pretty much everything go right for them and there is no grand sense of growth and understanding . . . which one would you choose?
We are drawn to stories and we are drawn to people who we can identify with. You have stories of your own to share about your own challenges. Why not let others know about them?
So how does this help you build a tribe? If your story is one that other people identify with they will share it with friends. Those friends will want to hear more stories and before you know it you have a group of people who feel connected to you and who want to hear from you and who ask you questions or have comments on what you wrote.
Now not all of the stories you tell will resonate in the same way, but this method of writing will keep your readers coming back. When I started my first blog, I mainly just told stories and talked about what I learned from them. I also played around with metaphors and similes for the business I was in. Over time, I grew a nice following. A good number of my first readers still read this new blog today.
So get out there and tell your story. It will help you build your tribe faster than most other forms of writing and once you hear from that tribe, you’ll be inspired to write even more.
And that’s great news for all of us.
Excelsior!
