I have been told I need a thousand-person email list before I launch anything. But building that list could take a year. Should I wait until I have an audience, or can I launch now and grow the audience alongside the product?

Launch now. Building an audience without a product is blogging. Building an audience with a product is business. The product gives your content purpose.

I launched with twelve subscribers. Three bought. That's a 25% conversion rate. I'd rather have twelve engaged people than twelve thousand passive followers.

I did both simultaneously. Every piece of content I created was tied to the product. Not selling constantly, but connecting the dots.

I waited a year to build my list. By the time I launched, my product was outdated and my enthusiasm was gone. The list was big but my energy was low.

Audience building without a product is just content for content's sake. Give people a reason to pay attention.

@DerekNoBS I launched with twelve subscribers. Three bought. That is a 25% conversion rate. I would rather have twelve engaged people than twelve thousand passive followers. Quality of attention beats quantity of eyeballs.

@Marcus Chen I did both simultaneously. Every piece of content I created was tied to the product. Not selling constantly, but connecting the dots. My audience grew because my product gave them a reason to pay attention.

@SamC What does "connecting the dots" look like practically? I am scared of being too salesy if I mention my product in every post.

@Jenna Torres Not every post. One in four. The other three teach related concepts. Then the fourth says "I cover this in depth in my course." Contextual, not promotional. People appreciate the resource, not the pitch.

@SamC @Jenna Torres @DerekNoBS @Marcus Chen I waited a year to build my list. By the time I launched, my product was outdated and my enthusiasm was gone. The list was big but my energy was low. I wish I had launched smaller and iterated in public. Do not wait.