The Unbelievably Easy Way To Get More Fans (+Story)

The Unbelievably Easy Way To Get More Fans (+Story)

What grabs the listeners' attention and turns them into fans?

Have you read Pat Flynn’s book: Superfans?

In the book, Pat is saying:

"You don’t need to change the entire world to build a successful business; you just need to change someone’s world."

A business can also refer to a band or any other musician or artist. 

And in the book’s first chapter, it’s called ‘Learn the Lyrics’, he talks about how his wife became a fan of the Backstreet Boys.

She was a teenager. And she had just experienced how much a breakup of one's first love can hurt.

Naturally, the song “Quit playing games with my heart” was exactly describing how she felt!

The Backstreet Boys used the language of their teenage audience.

So this boyband made an impact on her life because the song's lyrics resonated with how she felt about a similar situation she was going through.

 

Here's what you need to keep in mind:

People become your fans out of two reasons:

1. you play the kind of music they love (pop, rock, punk, metal, rap, R&B, country, ...)
2. you write about the things they can resonate with 

 

What is a fan? Definition.

The common definition of a fan is as follows:

"A fan, or fanatic, sometimes also termed aficionado or enthusiast, is a person who exhibits strong interest or admiration for something or somebody, such as a celebrity or band, a sport or a sports team, a genre, a politician, a book, a movie or an entertainer." (Wikipedia)

Here's my definition:

A fan is someone to whom you have become the most trusted person they can turn.

Because your songs have managed something, sometimes not even their friends or family can achieve: connecting with them on a deeply personal level.

Through that, you’ve made their lives better simply by expressing the feelings that they couldn’t understand themselves.

So remember what Pat Flynn said?

You just need to change someone’s world.

 

Here's how that works from my own experience:

Let me tell you a story.

My Chemical Romance changed my life.

And I can't say that for any other band. 

MCR made a huge impact on my life.

There was this quote on Instagram. It said:

"They were there for me when no one else was."

I've gone through my fair share of troubles in my life.

But I still remember how lost I felt when everything fell apart when I was 18 years old.

 

When everything falls apart, find something to hold onto.

I went to New Zealand, all by myself. One year of work and travel. A dream come true. 

And I had found a new friend even before I had set foot in this wonderful country.

We worked together.

We traveled together.

We tried to feed over 300 calves that suffered from diarrhea. 

We stayed sane when a whole city around us smoked marihuana.

We picked strawberries.

Survived in an old shed.

We traveled to Middle Earth.

But one day, her father came to visit.

And I was treated like I was nothing.

All my friend and I had was suddenly gone.

And then right before New Years, we went to the South Island.

 

When you are all alone, to whom do you turn to?

On the North Island of New Zealand, I knew my territory. I knew the places I could go to, and I knew the people I could turn to.

But on the ship, my friend literally broke up with me. 

From one moment to the next, I had absolutely nobody.

I was 18 years old, on my way to another island, and I knew when I was getting off the ferry, there was no one I'd know. 

I was totally alone.

And that was scary. 

 

It is scary to be alone at the other end of the world.

But at the same time, two months prior to this, I've heard My Chemical Romance with their song Welcome to the Black Parade for the very first time.

And I had bought their album right the next day.

And I tell you, putting the cd in my portable cd player (at that time) gave me the strength to face that challenge I was facing.

"Go and Try you'll never break me." 

That anthem of life has been my motto ever since.

It's what gave me strength, hope, and even a purpose.

 

They were there for me when no one else was.

They encouraged me.

And they did so because Welcome to the Black Parade is not only a powerful song, but it's an amazing story they tell in this song.

And it’s my personal anthem since 2006, too.

 

If only one song of a band changes your life, you'll be forever grateful.

And still, after 14 years, whenever I listen to Welcome to the Black Parade, there are so many emotions and memories coming up like a crackling fire that ignites little things that are me but that I might have forgotten over time.

That song just affects me on so many levels like they open a door right to my soul and heart.

So to this day, I’m grateful for having this band in my life.

Because I still share that deep connection with them through their songs.

They’ve become a part of my life.

 

A band may change, even their music, but you still stay their fan.

And even though they set different expectations now as to what their music or songs will be like, I will still go to their concert just to feel that energy again of all the people, like me, who are so grateful for having that band back in their lives.

That’s why I can relate how important it is to have someone like MCR in my life.

 

I am a fan. And that’s something good.

Because by being a fan of someone, you have found a connection with something that’s really important to you.

And that connection follows being part of a community.

People who understand you.

And with whom you can talk to about your favorite things.

It gives you a sense of belonging and strength.

 

And that’s what a fan base is all about. It’s not just for you as a band or singer to have someone who attends your concerts or buys your CDs.

It’s much stronger than that. 

A fanbase is for the people.

 

How to get more fans?

And if you want to get more people excited about your music, you need to write a song that engages and hooks your listeners and through which they can connect with you.

Because everything you say in that one particular song that has the power to turn them into a fan should resonate with how they feel.

Consciously or Subconsciously.

And if they connect with you, they find people and new friends who share that connection.

 

So that’s why lyrics play an important role in connecting with people.

 

So how do you write engaging lyrics?

Listen to those episodes:

• Do you need to have a Message in your Song?
• Try to tell a story in a song and make an impact!

 

Let me know in the comments below which was the one song that turned you into a fan of a particular band?

© Stories in Songs, Melanie Naumann

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