Whether you're a streamer, a sports commentator, a finance creator, or a writer with a niche obsession, everyone's chasing the same thing right now: community.

Unfortunately, most people are going about it wrong. They're focused on building a following when they should be focused on building a fanbase.

After studying dozens of creator-led businesses, I’ve learned that some of the most successful creator-led brands are thanks to the community of superfans they’ve built, and this distinction matters. An audience consumes your content, whereas a fanbase advocates for it.

In this article, I'll break down what I've learned about building a loyal fanbase, drawing on examples including:

The word "fanbase” might make you think of screaming crowds at concerts or stadium sections painted in team colors. But in the creator economy, the definition has expanded — and so has the opportunity.

Today, a fanbase can form around a newsletter about college sports business, a TikTok account covering LA's rave scene, or a finance creator teaching investing principles. What unites them is the depth of connection between the creator and their audience.

Take EssentiallySports, for example. As one of the top 10 sports media publishers in the U.S., they had massive reach but were still at the mercy of algorithms. 

"We had spent years building one of the most loyal sports audiences on the internet," says co-founder Suryansh Tibarewal. 

“But we were operating in an environment where platforms controlled distribution. We realized that to truly serve our fans and scale sustainably, we needed a model where we owned the relationship.”

The publishers’ solution was to build a network of hyper-niche sports newsletters (like NASCAR, tennis, golf, NFL) that now reach over 1.5 million subscribers - with 45%+ open rates and zero dollars spent on paid acquisition.

EssentiallySports successfully turned passive readers into active fans who show up consistently because the audience feels like they're part of the brand.

I think of Kevin Kelly's "1,000 True Fans" as canonical work for the creator economy even though it was written back in 2008. He argues that you don't need millions of followers to build a sustainable creative business. 

You only need a relatively small number of true fans who will "buy anything you produce."

Kelly described true fans as people who will drive 200 miles to see you sing, buy the hardback and paperback and audiobook versions of your work, or purchase your next product sight unseen. They act more like evangelists of your brand.

True fans forward your newsletter to friends. They defend you in comment sections. They recruit new members into the community without any referral incentive. They're invested in your success because they feel like they're part of it.

(This is the kind of relationship most creators want but few actually build.)

Why Trust Me

Taylor Cromwell is a writer and strategist focused on the creator economy and solo entrepreneurship. Through her newsletter Creator Diaries and client work with companies like beehiiv, HubSpot, and Stan, she shares insights, case studies, and interviews that show how creators build sustainable businesses.

Before diving into what works, it's worth acknowledging what doesn't. I've seen plenty of mistakes that stall fanbase growth. Here are the most common ones:

It's tempting to obsess over subscriber counts, but a list of 20,000 people who never open your emails is far less valuable than 2,000 who read every word. 

Matt Brown's Extra Points is a great proof point here. With just 2,000 paying subscribers out of 27,000 total readers, he generates over $200K annually. 

The depth of engagement matters far more than the breadth of your list.

Building your entire audience on someone else's platform is a recipe for instability. Algorithms are more fickle and unpredictable than the weather. Platforms are rising and falling all the time. You know the risks.

EssentiallySports learned this firsthand. Despite being one of the top sports publishers in the U.S., they were operating in an environment where platforms controlled distribution. Their pivot to email newsletters was about taking back ownership of their fan relationships.

Your first fans are your most important ones. They believed in you before you had social proof. 

Too many creators chase new subscribers while ignoring the people who've been there from the beginning. Those early supporters often become your most vocal advocates if you properly nurture the relationship.

Trying to be everywhere at once usually means you're not truly present anywhere. It’s better to go deep on one or two channels where your people actually hang out than to scatter your energy across every platform.

Despite the challenges, certain strategies reliably foster fan loyalty over time. Across the case studies I've researched, a few themes emerge again and again as the "secret sauce" to turning casual audience members into devoted fans.

Email remains one of the most powerful tools for building a fanbase, and it's not even close. According to our 2026 State of Newsletter Report, email is still the most dependable and durable tool for reaching your audience. 

Unlike social feeds, an email list is an audience you own. You can reach your subscribers directly in their inbox, on your schedule, with no algorithm deciding who sees what. 

This direct line fosters a more personal, intimate relationship. It's why 80% of small businesses rely on email marketing for customer retention, and why marketers consistently rank email as the most effective channel for building loyalty, far ahead of social media.

Chloe Lin (Arigato Investor) sends newsletters almost daily, and each one feels like a mini money-making machine. 

But beyond ad revenue, what's even more valuable is the trust Lin has built. 

"Every newsletter I send out feels like a mini money-making machine," she says. "But beyond the ads, what's even more rewarding is the community I've nurtured—readers who trust me, learn from me, and buy from me."

Lin shares timely, relevant insights (especially during big market swings), which keeps open rates high and builds authority. Fans know that her goal is to help them, and that trust converts into high-ticket coaching sales, all without paid ads.

Social media is great for discovery, but it's terrible for ownership.

The smartest creators I've studied use social platforms to find their people and then move them to owned channels (primarily email) where the relationship can deepen without algorithmic interference.

EssentiallySports had massive social reach, for example, but they knew it was rented land. Their solution was to build hyper-niche newsletters that converted social followers into email subscribers. 

Now, with 1M+ newsletter subscribers and 45%+ open rates, EssentiallySports has built something far more durable than any social following.

Dave Jorgenson took a similar approach with LNI Media (Local News International).

As the former Washington Post TikTok star, Jorgenson had built a huge following through short-form video, racking up millions of views and viral moments – the whole thing, but he understood the limits.

Launching LNI Media has given him a way to channel these fans into a more direct relationship, and it’s been a hit so far. The newsletter hit five figures in readership in the first few months and sustains a healthy 60% open rate. 

Now Jorgenson’s social fame is the primary growth engine for LNI Media. 

No creator grows in a vacuum. Collaborations and cross-promotions are a super helpful way you can expand your fanbase while borrowing trust from other communities.

When you partner with creators who have overlapping audiences, you introduce yourself to new potential fans in an authentic way. The implied endorsement can go a long way; if a creator someone already trusts vouches for you, their fans are more likely to become your fans.

Here are a few collaboration strategies I’ve seen work well:

Collaboration should feel like a win-win: your fans discover a great creator you trust and vice versa. Everyone wins, especially the fans who get introduced to work they’ll enjoy.

One of the smartest moves a creator can make is turning early supporters into lifelong advocates by rewarding them.

When you show genuine appreciation for your first fans, you encourage a culture of loyalty that new fans will want to join. Here's how the best creators do it:

The key is making rewards feel earned and meaningful. When fans contribute to your growth and get recognized for it, they become partners in your journey. And of course, they’ll likely want merch, too. 

I've talked a lot about strategy, but execution matters just as much. The platform you use can either enable or limit your fanbase-building efforts.

beehiiv has become a popular choice for creators specifically because it's built around audience growth, engagement, and monetization all in one place. 

Here's how creators are using beehiiv to turn readers into fans:

The most successful newsletters cultivate a dialogue amongst their audience, and beehiiv's tools make this easier. 

Features like embedded polls, one-click surveys, and comment sections turn your newsletter into a two-way conversation. Instead of shouting into the void, you're inviting readers to participate.

Here’s an example of how the HSR newsletter uses polls to find out more about their audience. 

EssentiallySports also uses polls and segmentation extensively. 

"One of our favorite beehiiv features is the seamless integration of polls combined with powerful audience segmentation," says Varun Khanna, Head of Growth. 

The polls drive interaction and feedback, while the segmentation allows us to create smart, behavior-driven groups for tailored follow-ups.

Personalization makes fans feel recognized and valued.

beehiiv's segmentation tools let you tag subscribers based on behavior, interests, or how they joined your list and then send them content that's actually relevant to them. It's the difference between a generic blast and a message that feels like it was written just for them.

Two of beehiiv's most powerful features for fanbase growth are Boosts (cross-promotion) and the built-in referral program.

Boosts connects you with other newsletters open to swapping recommendations. It solves the discovery problem (finding the right partners) and streamlines the process. For creators starting from scratch, it's a lever to get your content in front of already engaged readers.

Referral programs turn your existing fans into growth engines. You can set reward tiers (exclusive content, merchandise, free subscription months) and track who refers whom.

Building a fanbase is one thing. Keeping it is another.

The creators who sustain loyal communities over years share a few common traits:

Every example in this article, across different niches and scales, reinforces the same core lesson: a loyal fanbase is earned through consistent value, authentic engagement, and putting your people first.

Whether it's 2,000 true fans paying for a niche sports newsletter or 1 million subscribers following a media brand, the principles hold. Focus on engagement over reach. Own your audience relationships. Nurture two-way community. Collaborate smartly. And reward the people who show up for you.

That's the point. beehiiv handles the infrastructure — polls, segmentation, referrals, cross-promotion, monetization, so you can focus on the part that actually builds a fanbase: creating work people care about.

If you're focused on serving your audience, beehiiv gives you the tools to do it at scale. Start building here.