How to build an audience (without posting memes)

Welcome to another edition of PROse, the B2B marketer's no BS guide to grow an engaged audience.

First, thanks for opening this. It really does mean a lot.

Second, in case you haven’t noticed: I’ve been playing around with how I describe our newsletter.

I’ve played with a lot of different things, but I think I finally figured it out. 

This newsletter (and the work I do with my agency) is about helping B2B marketers & brands get better at audience development.

It’s not just about understanding Twitter and LinkedIn. 

It’s also about understanding how podcasts, merch, newsletters, events, etc. all work together to build an audience that knows, loves and cares about your product.

I think “audience development” better captures the broader theme.

Let me know what you think!

Okay, on to this week’s guide.

Want to know two of my favorite B2B brand accounts?

Notion & Linear.

You probably wouldn’t have/didn’t guess those.

I might’ve mentioned Notion once in a newsletter before and I don’t think I’ve ever talked about Linear publicly.

So what do I like so much about them?

Well, there’s lots to like. But #1 reason: they’ve built a really engaged follower base…

…without posting a single meme or sh*tpost.

In fact, the bulk of their strategy is the exact opposite of what I typically advise brands to do.

Both companies almost exclusively post product-focused (aka “all about me”) content.

Yet, it works. Let’s break down why:

1. They show, not tell

Pictures are worth a thousand words. And, a video/gif is worth a million.

Most brands just tell you they have a product update, maybe include a screenshot and link to a blog post.

Notion and Linear do it differently. 

They bring the product to life by recording an entire scene so users can see the updates in action.

It’s a win/win for the users and the business:

• Users get a quick tutorial in how to use new features

• The business gets a jump in site traffic/product usage as people test the feature out

If you aren’t already doing this, I would recommend giving it a try.

Here’s a step-by-step guide from the team at Superhuman on creating product videos and turning them into gifs.

2. They have good designs

Look, I know everyone is all about moving fast and shipping lo-fi graphics and video.

But, I think it comes with a cost most teams don’t think about.

The less interesting your content looks the less likely someone is to stop scrolling to engage with it.

These two brands have very clean, minimal designs but it’s well put together.

I mean… just take a look at the fanfare Linear’s new website got yesterday.

The next time your CMO asks you to throw a frankensteined Canva graphic on social, forward them this newsletter.

3. The content is tactical

This is more of an attribute for Notion than Linear but the point still stands.

Tactical content that’s made to feel native to the platform??

That’s how you take “all about me” content and make it about your followers.

Show me a tip that I can use right now and you just might get me to sign in… or even sign up!

4. They have a great product

Honestly, this is the biggest reason they get away with posting so much product-focused content.

Their followers and customers love them.

So maybe the real lesson here is to make a product people really enjoy?

(It is.)

But in all seriousness, having people always singing your praises is a serious competitive advantage.

I know this isn’t an area you have much control over, but it’s something to think about when you’re posting content:

1. Do we have a large user base that loves us & is online?

2. If not, who does really like our product? Let’s give them an early heads up so maybe they feel excited to share with others

(Hand-to-hand combat ftw, baby)

Bottom line: if you can bring your product to life, you may not ever have to worry about becoming a degenerate sh*tposter.

Or maybe you can do both.

But it’s at least a great strategy to consider making your own if you have a more conservative brand personality.

Andddd, that’s a wrap.

What do you think of Notion and Linear’s strategy? Think it's a hit or a miss?