I'm going to share with you a very common tale. A new online business owner signs up for Instagram, signs up for Facebook, and starts a business account. They begin posting regularly. A year later, they’re still not really getting a lot of clients, and they’re still not growing their audience. Things are still not happening. Their first thought is: *I need to figure out how to grow my audience.* This is a very common tale.

What is wrong with that picture? What’s wrong with that? If you are online because you have a business, because you want to grow your business, because you want more revenue, because you want more money so you can buy all the things you want, so you can have more financial security, so that you can quit your job—why is it that we think the one thing we need in order to succeed online is a bigger audience?

That’s what we’re going to talk about here, because I know that discussing monetizing a small audience is not a sexy topic. It’s a lot sexier to say, “Hey, you can become rich and famous if you grow your audience to 100,000 people like I did.” But no, I didn’t. I don’t even have 3,000 followers on my Instagram. I barely scratch the surface of a thousand subscribers on my email list. Yet, my business is a six-figure business. So, what is the disconnect here? How can my business be making six figures with a small audience? And why are there people out there who have 100,000 followers who still aren’t making enough money in their business? I know this from personal experience. I know these people. So why is that?

Today, we are going to uncover that, talk about it, and get to the bottom of it. I want you to start prioritizing revenue rather than followers. Let’s talk about it right here. Hi, my name is Ina Coveney. I’m a marketing strategist, business coach, and podcaster, and this is the Superhumans Podcast where I interview the top stories out there, the most successful people we know, to learn from their ideas, their lessons, and their experiences so you can also become a superhuman in your own right.

Every Tuesday, I release an interview with one of these superhumans. And every Thursday, I come here and teach you something so you can see progress in your business and in your life. This is the space where I get to share all the things I really, really want you to know. So make sure you hit subscribe, follow, and don’t miss another one of these episodes.

Today, I’m going to give you the secret to monetizing a small audience, and it’s not an obvious one. I wish I knew how to grow an audience because then that’s what I’d be teaching since it’s a much sexier topic. It’s something that people search for the most, right? I wish I had already done it so I could teach people how. But the truth is, I don’t know how to grow an audience. I have some ideas, but I’ve never actually tried to do it myself. So it wouldn’t be fair for me to come here and tell you I can teach you how to grow your audience because I’ve never done it before.

But if there’s one thing I have always done, it’s being able to get clients, even if my audience is tiny. Before we go down that road, I need us to get on the same page about something. You want to make money, right? You want to grow your business online, correct? You may think, "Well, that’s a really stupid question." But the alternative is that you might be here for a different reason.

It’s possible you’re here to get validation that you didn’t get when you were a kid. Sorry to just go for the jugular, but many business owners get online because they want to satisfy some need for validation they didn’t have growing up. They think that if they get a slew of adoring fans, it will fill that hole. You really have to know yourself to know if that’s you. I can’t tell you if that’s the case; only you can know. But it’s possible that you’ve been trying to grow your audience to get those adoring fans, and it’s not happening, which is making you very frustrated.

If that’s the case, I welcome you to go check out another podcast where they talk about audience growth so you can scratch that itch. But if you’re here because you want to make an impact with your business and money is just a tool for you to spread your message wider and live a better life—if you’re here because you want to make money doing something that helps people’s lives—then it makes total sense for you to start prioritizing revenue over audience growth.

Now, that’s a hard concept to wrap your head around if you thought the only way to make money online and the only way you know you’ve made it is if you have a certain number of followers. I’m here to tell you the truth: You do not need all of those followers to have a great business. There are many companies that used to make millions of dollars before the internet even existed. So if that’s true, then it stands to reason you should be able to make money regardless of the size of your audience.

The key to making money online, even with a small audience, comes down to credibility. Think of someone you follow whom you’ve purchased services from, even though they don’t have a big audience. Can you think of anybody? If you’ve ever bought any of my courses, you know at least one person. If you’ve never bought anything from me, that’s totally fine. But you’re here listening to me—why? Why are you here? How did you get here? Have you noticed how many views this video has? Does that matter to you, or do you want to hear what the secret is?

Why do you think I have the answer to this? That’s when we start peeling back the layers of what it means to monetize a small audience. It starts with credibility. You’ve probably seen me interview some of the biggest names out there. I’ve had Susie Moore, John Lee Dumas from Entrepreneurs on Fire, Pat Flynn, Supermodel Emme, and Sean Cannell from Think Media on my podcast. The fact that I’ve been able to interview these big names, even with a small audience, helps build credibility. If I had 100,000 followers, that would be instant credibility, but since I don’t, I find other ways to establish it.

What makes you a credible person who can help someone else? Is it your story? Your degrees or certifications? The fact that you’ve accomplished something others want to achieve? If you have a small audience, you’re playing a credibility game. You don’t have the social proof that comes with a large following, so it’s up to you to demonstrate your expertise. This could be through your bio, a podcast, or a YouTube channel where you can talk to people and explain how you can help them and why you’re a credible source.

Part of building that credibility is having an online presence that reflects it—a great-looking website, a well-crafted bio, professional photos. There are many ways to exude credibility, even with a small audience. While growing your audience has benefits, if you haven’t mastered making money with the audience you already have, those efforts might fall flat. You could end up with a lot of followers who don’t really connect with what you offer.

So here’s my homework for you: I want you to self-audit your Instagram profile—your bio, your photo, your call to action, and your first nine posts. If you think it could be better, check out my account or other entrepreneurs who don’t have big audiences but whom you’ve purchased from. Look at their professional photos, calls to action, and aesthetics, and try to apply what you learn to your own account. Master looking like the credible expert you are, and getting clients will become much easier.

And once you finish auditing your account, the next step is to get into reels. Reels are for audience growth. After you’ve established credibility on your feed, it’s time to show people what you’ve got. I don’t want to leave you hanging, creating random reels. I packaged a video that includes tips from Brock Johnson, the Instagram growth expert, who personally critiqued my reels. You can access it at realsuperhumans.com, and it’s completely free. I got Brock’s permission to share it with you, so go check it out and let me know how it went. You can find me on Instagram at Ina Kovani—spelled with an E-Y. The link is in the show notes, so you don’t have to worry about spelling. If you’re watching on YouTube or listening on the podcast, make sure to click subscribe and follow so you don’t miss another amazing episode of the Superhumans Podcast. See you on the next one!