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In today’s rapidly changing world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by economic uncertainty, the impact of the national writers’ strike and the looming threat of AI replacing jobs.
If you work with celebrity talent, you may be wondering how to navigate these challenges and continue connecting with your fans in meaningful ways. For the past year, I’ve had the honor of helping build what, in many ways, is the official fan club for Bill Murray.
Now, more than ever, it’s crucial for celebrities to build authentic relationships with their fan base. One effective way to achieve this is by creating a membership program that offers exclusive experiences and fosters a sense of community among fans. Working from the framework below can help provide a roadmap to building your first 1,000 true fans today and provide a base for the growth of the program for years to come.
Building a Successful Membership Program
Here are some key steps to consider when creating your membership program:
1. Identify your unique value proposition: Determine what sets your talent apart and how you can offer exclusive experiences that resonate with your fans. Is your talent known for a particular skill that they can share? A cause or charity that they support? What type of legacy are they looking to build? Understanding these core values and talents can help customize the program and drive membership that has a united passion.
2. Develop a tiered membership structure: Create different levels of membership to cater to various budgets and interests, while ensuring that all members feel valued and included. Basic pricing strategy focuses on an inexpensive middle and high-end offering to help drive decisions. What is the ultimate experience that you can deliver and how can you get feedback on how to price it? Look to auctions, comparable offerings and other membership organizations to help shape your three price tiers.
3. Plan unforgettable experiences: Collaborate with your team to develop one-of-a-kind events that bring fans closer to you, such as private dinners, live Q&A sessions or behind-the-scenes access. Building off your unique value, ask: if we could plan the perfect day for our 10 best customers or fans, what would be on the agenda? How would our members feel after that day? Then ask: how can we create that feeling of wonder, surprise or excellence if even for a few moments for thousands of people?
4. Foster community engagement: Encourage interaction among members through a dedicated online platform such as Discord, where they can connect, share stories and discuss their shared passion for your work. The best ideas can be found in true fans who are looking for something extraordinary. Remember that some ideas that may sound mundane to you could be a life-changing experience for many. It can be intimidating interacting with the public while in the early planning phases, but this discovery process can help take ideas out of the boardroom and make them better, potentially avoiding disaster or being tone-deaf as well.
The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?
5. Continuously iterate and improve: Gather feedback from your members and use it to refine your offerings, ensuring that your membership program remains relevant and engaging. This process of feedback isn’t just for the initial launch, but a collaborative approach that gives additional meaning to these memberships.
While the economy may be in a state of flux, there’s an untapped market for premium experiences that cater to fans’ desire for personal connections with their favorite celebrities. By offering exclusive content, access and experiences through a membership program, you can generate a new revenue stream that is both stable and scalable.
For our Bill Murray fans, we hosted a members-only party this year that featured the ice sculpture from Groundhog Day, blasted 500 lbs of pyrotechnics on a golf course to recreate the finale from Caddyshack and gave each member a swag bag that included Dill Murray pickles.
Navigating the Writers’ Strike
The national writers’ strike has undoubtedly affected the entertainment industry, with many TV and film projects being put on hold. However, this also presents an opportunity for celebrities to explore alternative avenues for connecting with fans. A membership program allows you to step outside the traditional boundaries of your work and engage with your audience in creative, intimate ways that aren’t dependent on scripted content.
User-generated content can help drive creativity while traditional media is stalled, so we built a +13,000-member Discord channel to swap Bill Murray stories and memes.
Adapting to the AI Revolution
As AI continues to advance, many jobs are at risk of being replaced by automation. While this can be a daunting prospect, it’s essential to recognize the unique value that celebrities bring to the table: their personality, charisma and human connection. A membership program capitalizes on these traits, offering fans the opportunity to interact with you in ways that AI simply cannot replicate. No one is deepfaking a dinner party, yet.
In the face of adversity, the key is to adapt, innovate and prioritize the human connections that make the entertainment industry so special. We look to emerging technology such as web3 to make membership programs trusted and user-owned, while AI can provide creative inspiration for communities looking to build their own culture around brands and celebrities.
Finding ways to grow a community out of your fans requires a mix of new tech and trusted playbooks, so go find your fans and (metaphorically) blow up a golf course, too.
