Finding Your Audience

In his book Tribes, Seth Godin talks about how tribes form around shared beliefs and goals.

He argues that a tribe isn’t just a collection of people, it’s a connected group of individuals who share a common cause or passion. They often rally around the leader who articulates their mission or vision the best.

In many cases, it’s someone who is perhaps a few years ahead of them in terms of where they want to be.

As a subject expert, your job is to serve that tribe as best you can. Not just anyone, but the people who resonate with your message, your values, and what you stand for.

But how do you know who your tribe is?

Validating Your Tribe

Knowing your tribe goes beyond simply identifying people with a need for your product or service.

You must ensure three things:

• They need what you’ve got – They must have a genuine problem or challenge that your expertise or product solves.
• There are enough of them – The group needs to be large enough to sustain your business or initiative, and they should have the means to access your solution.
• They are willing to pay – Your tribe must place a high value on your solution, be it in time, attention, or financial investment.

At Candle Digital, we’ve journeyed through this process ourselves.

Initially, we thought it was all about practical things like market size, sectors, and demographics. But over time, we realised it’s more when we do work with people and organisations that share our values where we do our best work and have the biggest impact.

Characteristics > Demographics

Rather than focusing on industry or demographics, we now focus on key values when identifying our tribe. These values guide the way we work together, and ultimately, whether the partnership is successful.

• In-demand, credible experts – People who are already respected in their field and bring deep knowledge to the table.
• Passionate about their niche – They have a relentless commitment to mastering and advancing their area of expertise.
• Impact-driven – They obsess over the impact they can make, whether through teaching, consulting, or offering solutions.
• Excited by innovation – They’re not interested in the status quo; they want to do something bold, different, and fresh.
• Understand the need for investment – They recognise that success takes both financial and intellectual investment, and they value expertise that helps them grow.
• Long-term visionaries – They care more about sustainable, long-term results than quick, short-term wins.
• Strong sense of self – They have clarity in their mission and identity, which allows them to lead and influence others.

This approach does comes with it’s challenges. When it’s not about market segmentation, how you can attract the right kind of people?

Our main strategy has been to create content that resonates deeply with this audience, ensuring it speaks to their values, challenges, and aspirations.

This approach isn’t about casting a wide net but about crafting messages so specific and aligned that they naturally attract the right people while filtering out those who don’t connect with our ethos.

For instance, this very post reflects our philosophy: if you’ve read this far, it’s likely because something in these words – our focus on shared values, the importance of impact, or the emphasis on innovation – has struck a chord with you.

This resonance isn’t accidental; it’s intentional.

We carefully design our content to reflect not only what we do but also how and why we do it, making it a beacon for those who see the world as we do.

In essence, our content becomes a bridge, connecting us with those who are not just potential clients or collaborators but members of the same tribe, driven by similar goals and visions for the future.

What is Your Tribe?

The same principles can apply to any individual subject expert or initiative within a not-for-profit. Finding your tribe means finding the people who share your passion, understand the value of what you do, and are excited about the journey you’re on together.

So, ask yourself:

• Who needs what you offer?
• Who shares your values and mission?
• Who will invest in the solution you provide, whether through time, money, or attention?

Your tribe isn’t just a market segment; it’s a community of like-minded people who are ready to rally behind your message and take action.

Find them. Serve them. And grow together.

Andy Jack

Andy loves helping subject experts, authors, speakers, coaches and key persons of influence to monetise their expertise with online learning. When not on his laptop, he'll usually be found up a mountain!