Is It Really Possible to Make Money Online Without a Huge Following?

PodcastMarketing

Feb 5

Episode 924: Show Notes

It may seem counterintuitive, but you don't need 1000s of followers to make 1000s of dollars!

Today, I’m breaking down exactly how to build a profitable online business without a massive online following. While a big audience might seem glamorous, it’s no guarantee of a reliable income. The real magic happens when you connect with the right people, build a community, and genuinely impact the lives of your followers.

As I’ve built my business, I’ve prioritized my actual offerings over cultivating vanity metrics. This has been an excellent system for building sales, but it’s also meant that some of my most visible platforms don’t necessarily look as successful compared to what you might expect from comparable social media accounts.

Join me today as I walk you through my process and break down how you can create a profitable plan that converts and makes you a reliable income, no matter the size of your audience!

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What is the Purpose of Social Media?

People often get caught up in the numbers and lose sight of how social media serves them. If you’re a business owner rather than someone who is strictly a content creator, the purpose of your audience is totally different.

For online businesses, the purpose of social media is to drive traffic and leads toward your offers, i.e., the things that you are actively selling. But, when you're strictly a content creator, you're typically getting paid (usually by a sponsor) for the number of views you're getting on your content.

Don’t get distracted by how many people are viewing your content as a business owner. Your goal should be to drive warm traffic to a paid offer, not rack up view counts!

Small Following – Big Engagement

I've seen people with niche, highly engaged small audiences convert as much as 50 to 75% of their audience – something that is literally unheard of when you start having large following numbers!

It’s easy to assume that a niche focus limits your potential audience – and there’s some truth to that. The narrower the niche, the smaller the pool of buyers. However, fewer people are likely to be serving that specific group, which creates a unique opportunity.

For example, I had a client last year with a background in website design. She sold templates and courses and could have marketed herself broadly as a website designer. Instead, she focused on a very specific niche: website templates for psychologists. Weirdly specific, right? Yet her business grew exceptionally fast, largely because she addressed an underserved audience with her expertise.

To figure out how you can serve a niche audience with your expertise, ask yourself a couple of questions. What are you truly excellent at? Is it something you can do effortlessly or discuss endlessly? What challenges or problems within that area do others commonly face? Where do others struggle, but you excel?

If you can answer these you are well on your way to developing a potential product!

How to Make Money from a Small Niche Following

Because it takes time to create content and grow an audience, you should ideally be getting paid for the time you’re investing in marketing and growing your business. One of the best ways to do that is with a low-ticket offer. It’s also an excellent tool for attracting and bringing the right people into your world.

I don’t necessarily want you to broaden who you’re speaking to with your low-ticket offer. Instead, the low-ticket offer should be something that makes sense for the majority of your niche audience.

Most people will need to supplement their low-ticket items with some sort of additional offer to drive the majority of their income. That’s where high-ticket items can be immensely helpful. High-ticket items can come in many forms, from a signature program to a group coaching offer.

These two offers work synergistically. Initially, your low-ticket offer will likely drive the majority of your leads. You could even potentially book yourself out through referrals alone if you have an urgent enough need that you’re filling with your premium offer!

If you’d like to learn more about how to build out this digital offer and position it so someone will buy from you again and again, check out Digital Product Jumpstart!

Relationships Mean Everything

Making money with a small audience always starts with building relationships. Numbers on a screen mean literally nothing without genuine engagement! Even with a larger following, it’s the people who take the time to do this that are going to have more trust within their community.

When you're starting out, one-on-one conversations are essential! This can happen in comments, DMs, or replies to stories. Always go beyond generic responses – be curious and authentic. Ask meaningful questions relevant to the conversation and build genuine connections.

These early followers often become long-term supporters and even friends. For example, one of my first clients, Jordan, joined my initial program when I had just 12 participants. She’s since purchased many of my courses, built her own business, and now works her dream job at Adobe. Despite not talking daily, I know I can always reach out to her because we built that early connection!

Don’t Wait – Start Today

Stop waiting to have more followers to take action! Serve the audience you have right now! All you have to do is show up authentically and focus on creating value. Sales come from trust, not likes.

Don’t hold yourself back by comparing yourself to others. Instead, ask yourself: How can I serve my audience this week? What inspires me? What have I learned recently that I can share? Experiment with content, like Instagram carousels or shareable posts that contain valuable content you normally share in paid courses. Think of every interaction as a chance to build trust and make an impact.

If fear or doubt is holding you back from launching with a smaller audience, let’s talk about it. Send me a DM on Instagram. I’d love to help you take the next step!

To learn more about today’s topics, including how I turn my audience into profit and attract warm leads, check out Instagram Profit Playbook.