The first step is to find and explore the path that your ideal audience already knows and walks along every day. The goal is to have empathy for who they are, what they already know, their habits, their interests, and who they trust. If you want people to find your gateway and walk through, you first have to walk a mile in their shoes.

possibilities. Consider the paths and conversations that lead people to your gateway, and the experiences you share once they move through it. I encourage you to understand this as a human process, to have empathy for those you hope to engage, and in doing so, not just sell them more work, but truly create advocates in the process. When you connect

Don’t assume that once you have crafted your beautiful gateway and the realm that lies beyond it, people can actually reach it. This is where creative professionals go wrong. They assume too much: 1.That the signs leading to their gateway are clear and engaging. 2.That the travelers are looking for what they offer beyond their gateway. 3.That the p

To help people walk through your gateway, experiment with ways to make the social aspects of this fun and reduce the amount of anxiety you may feel. The stories you tell, the experiences you craft, the moments you share—this is your gateway.

When I meet creative professionals who want help in reaching their audience, I don’t ask about their goals, but instead say, “Tell me about the conversations you would love to be having with others.”

Creative work fails to find an audience when the creator assumes a specific intrinsic value within it that their ideal audience is never able to see or experience because the creator didn’t make it clear to them. Walking someone through the gate is a process of helping others experience your work, by having empathy with how they see the world.

What does your audience want, more than anything? An identity.

Seek out conversations and connections with individuals—something that is specific and truly social. It takes effort to create experiences. Too often, we hide behind the safety of content.

“What if I’m bugging them? What if I’m being too needy? What if I’m interrupting something important?” Think of it this way: Wouldn’t it feel nice to receive an email from someone who indicates that you are wise; that you have helped shape their life in a profound way; and that your advice is, every day, improving them further?