Show up
A fan takes the first step into your app.
- Joins your fan app
Superfans 101What Makes Someone
What Makes Someone
a Superfan?
They ask about your next release before you’ve finished this one. They’re the fans who want to get involved, whether that means trying an idea with you or backing the work you make. Give them a YaySquad to be part of.
14-day free trial · $0 today · Card required · Base renews at $29/month on Day 15 unless canceled. Annual billing is a separate choice.
Priya voted on your next videoSpeak up
Andre bought a content unlockGo all in
Lou joined your fan appShow up
The basics
You Probably Know Some of Their Names Already
They remember the thing you made six months ago and ask when the next one’s coming. Give them a way to get involved in your YaySquad. Some will buy what you offer, but spending isn’t what makes someone a superfan.
Some of these names might already be familiar
- The same names keep popping up in your comments
- People ask when the next drop is before you announce it
- Someone tags a friend on almost every post
Superfans show up in different ways
Superfans
Keep coming back
Regulars
Drop in and take part
Viewers
Discover your work in the feed
From the fan’s side
What’s in it for your fans?
- A say in what comes next
- Ask what fans want next, then explain what changed. Every suggestion needn’t become a promise.
- More of the work they enjoy
- Share a look at how you made something or offer a clearly described member extra. Tell fans what they’ll get and when.
- A thank-you that means something
- If a suggestion helped, say how. You can recognize a useful contribution without promising private access or a personal friendship.
Participation is a choice. Explain paid offers clearly and keep private fan information out of public Brand Proof.
Fan actions
See What Fans Do When You Invite Them In
A fan action is something a fan does inside a creator's YaySquad app that gets recorded. Joining the app is a different choice from answering a poll or paying for an extra. The groups below help you tell those actions apart.
Priya voted in “Next video: A or B?”
Speak upAndre bought a content unlock
Go all inLou joined your fan app
Show upRosa submitted a testimonial
Speak upKeisha sent you a paid Yay
Go all in
Illustrative activity, not actual creator results
Speak up
A fan joins in with what you share or ask.
- Votes in a poll
- Submits a testimonial
- Taps a featured offer link
- Views a member update
Go all in
A fan backs your work through support, membership or an unlock.
- Sends a paid Yay
- Buys a paid content unlock
- Starts a paid membership
- Unlocks an early-access drop
A vote records a choice, not a promised purchase. Fans can care in ways your app doesn’t record. Paid options depend on your setup.
Put a response to work
Reach is useful. Action tells a clearer story
A hypothetical poll: ten responses, one clearer choice for the next update.
Songwriting6 votes
Guitar practice4 votes
This group chose a topic, not a purchase. These are example responses.
- Ask a useful question
- Offer two clear topics in a poll.
- Read the response
- Six chose songwriting; four chose guitar. Interest is not a promise to buy.
- Follow through
- Share the chosen topic, explain why, and invite the next response.
- New fan joins
- 48
- Recorded actions
- 1,240
- Paid Yays
- 12
Fan actions by week
What fans did
- Show up48
- Speak up800
- Go all in392
Share group totals, without public fan identity
Brand Proof
Give the Brand Something to Point To
Show how fans got involved in work that fits the collab you’re pitching. Use Brand Proof to put the results beside the work, with the dates and numbers together. The person reading your pitch shouldn’t have to guess what happened.
- Describe recorded actions over a stated period
- Share group totals without public fan identity
- Treat the figures as evidence, not a promise of a deal
Your Base trial includes a private Brand Proof preview. Ongoing Brand Proof and exports require Pro.
See how Brand Proof worksWhat could you offer?
Offer an extra you’re ready to make
When fans ask for more, decide whether a paid offer fits the work. Make it clear what they’ll receive and when you’ll deliver it, so they can decide whether it’s for them.
A thank-youA paid Yay
For fans who want to say thanks
Voluntary money to support your work. No extra product or private access is implied.
Example and delivery commitment
- For example
- A fan enjoys an illustrator’s free sketch breakdown and chooses to send a Yay.
- Your commitment
- Explain what support includes and acknowledge it without creating an expectation of private access.
A content unlock
For fans who want a specific extra piece
A fan pays once for a particular piece of content. Show them what’s included before they buy.
Example and delivery commitment
- For example
- A cooking creator offers an extended recipe lesson about a topic fans requested.
- Your commitment
- Make the promised lesson, show what is included before purchase, and help with access questions.
A paid membership
For fans who want an ongoing benefit
A fan pays regularly for a benefit you’ve described. Choose a schedule you can keep after the first payment.
Example and delivery commitment
- For example
- An illustrator offers two annotated studies each month, with the cadence stated before fans subscribe.
- Your commitment
- Keep delivering after the first payment. An uncertain schedule is a poor fit for a recurring promise.
Before pricing any offer, account for production time, delivery, support, and platform/payment costs. Receipts are not take-home earnings. See plans and pricing.
Further reading
Borrow an Idea Without Signing Up for a Whole New Job
These ideas ask different things of you, from keeping fans involved to running a paid membership. Open one to see how it could work and what you’d need to keep doing.
Browse the frameworks
Choose a topic for its example and limits.
Showing 9 frameworks
Paying for your work1,000 True Fans
Work out what direct support would need to earn after costs.
Kevin Kelly’s idea asks how a group of paying supporters could help fund your work. The number you’d need depends on what you earn after costs and how much income you need.
A hypothetical example
An illustrator prices a print collection after counting printing, delivery and payment costs. That margin helps them work out how much paid support their work would need.
In your app
Link the collection from a featured offer in your app. Check the taps to see who followed it, then use your shop’s orders to see what sold.
- Fans receive
- Work they choose to pay for, with the contents made clear.
- Your commitment
- Deliver the offer and keep track of what remains after costs.
What it involves
- Recognize people who keep taking part
- Treat revenue targets as business math, not a definition of fandom
- Maintain a direct relationship with fans
- Build at a pace you can sustain
- Make it easy for fans to share voluntarily
This could fit if
You want to sell directly and can manage the work involved.
Before you try it
The thousand is an example, not a target everyone must reach. Costs and income needs change the math. YaySquad doesn’t define a superfan by spending.
Different levels of interestSuperfan Funnel
Plan an invitation that fits how well someone knows your work.
People find your work with different levels of interest. Give them ways to get more involved as that interest grows, while keeping the work useful for people who are still getting to know you.
A hypothetical example
A musician posts a public clip and invites listeners to help choose the next rehearsal topic. Someone new can enjoy the clip, while a fan who wants a say can vote. A longer lesson might suit people who want more detail, if the musician chooses to offer one.
In your app
Joins and poll votes can reveal participation. They do not measure every listener or prove willingness to pay.
- Fans receive
- A way to take part that suits their interest, without needing to buy everything.
- Your commitment
- Keep the starting point useful and explain what each invitation asks of the fan.
What it involves
- Casual viewers (broad reach)
- Regular fans (follow, occasional buyers)
- Superfans (repeat participants, advocates, supporters)
- Offer deeper value at each tier
- Use free content to feed the funnel
This could fit if
You already have people finding your work and want to make it easier for them to get involved.
Before you try it
A funnel is a way to plan invitations. Fans can move around or stop wherever they like, and you shouldn’t treat each person as a sale waiting to happen.
Sharing your processParasocial Intimacy
Let fans see more of the work while keeping personal boundaries.
A fan may feel they know you through your work, even when you’ve never met. You can share more of your process while staying clear about the access you’re offering.
A hypothetical example
A potter shows the glaze test that came out nothing like the color on the jar. She explains what she’ll try next and acknowledges a useful suggestion. Fans get to see how she thinks without being promised a private conversation whenever they want one.
In your app
Share a public Creator Update or link to the process you want to show. Explain the access and timing of any separate member benefit. Keep public Updates separate from member-only content.
- Fans receive
- A closer look at how you make decisions, including the parts you choose to share.
- Your commitment
- Be clear about what you’ll share and what kind of reply or access you can offer.
What it involves
- Speak directly to the audience
- Show behind-the-scenes / process
- Maintain consistent presence
- Acknowledge and respond to fans
- Convert parasocial trust into community
This could fit if
People enjoy your way of thinking and you’re comfortable showing some of the process behind the finished work.
Before you try it
A fan may feel they know you, even when you’ve never met. Keep your promises specific so that enjoying the work doesn’t become a claim on all your time.
A recurring paid benefitMembership Model
Choose a member benefit you can keep delivering after the first payment.
Fans pay regularly for a benefit you keep providing. Work out what you can deliver on an ordinary busy month before you offer it as a membership.
A hypothetical example
An illustrator offers annotated studies each month. Before announcing them, she works out when she’ll make them and how members will get access. The offer still has to fit during a busy month, when the client deadline moves and her scanner chooses that morning to misbehave.
In your app
A paid membership and member-only updates can support this format. Explain the benefit and cadence before fans subscribe.
- Fans receive
- The recurring benefit you described, on the schedule they agreed to pay for.
- Your commitment
- Keep delivering it and make billing, cancellation and access clear.
What it involves
- Offer a recurring value exchange
- Tier benefits from free to premium
- Create continuity and habit
- Deliver exclusive content or access
- Reduce churn through community
This could fit if
You enjoy making a particular kind of work regularly and can support the people paying to receive it.
Before you try it
Recurring billing doesn’t make income certain. People can cancel, costs can change, and each new month brings another delivery promise. Price the work with that commitment in mind.
Free work and paid extrasFreemium + Upsell
Make the paid extra clear while keeping the free work useful.
Share useful work for free and offer a paid extra for people who want more. Explain what the extra adds so fans can choose without feeling that the free work was a trick.
A hypothetical example
A guitarist shares a free lesson on changing between two chords. It solves that problem on its own. For people who want to keep going, she offers a longer lesson that puts the changes into a song and shows the practice section before purchase.
In your app
A paid content unlock can offer the extended lesson. Clearly describe what fans receive and the price.
- Fans receive
- Useful free work, with enough information to decide whether the extra is worth paying for.
- Your commitment
- Deliver both parts as described and keep the distinction easy to understand.
What it involves
- Keep free work useful
- Explain what a paid offer adds
- Make prices and contents clear
- Deliver what you promise
- Describe real capacity or timing limits honestly
This could fit if
You have work that helps on its own and a distinct extra that takes more time or goes into more detail.
Before you try it
If the free lesson stops just before the useful bit, fans may feel tricked. Keep its promise intact and let them decide whether they want more.
Helping fans connectCommunity-Led Growth
Decide whether you want to host the work of bringing fans together.
Fans may enjoy meeting other people who care about the same work. If you want to host that kind of space, plan how you’ll welcome people and look after what happens there.
A hypothetical example
A sewing creator invites people to try an alteration and, with permission, features some finished pieces. Seeing how someone else handled a difficult sleeve gives another fan an idea to try. The creator still has to review contributions and look after the space where people meet.
In your app
Polls and testimonials support participation in the app. A fan-to-fan discussion space may need other tools; this model is not a promise of built-in group chat.
- Fans receive
- Chances to take part around a shared interest and learn from contributions you choose to feature.
- Your commitment
- Welcome people and make time to review what happens in the space you host.
What it involves
- Create a shared identity or space
- Enable fan-to-fan connection
- Recognize helpful members
- Co-create with the community
- Let members share the community with others
This could fit if
Fans already enjoy sharing work around your topic and you want to do the work of hosting that participation.
Before you try it
People joining doesn’t mean the space will run itself or bring in more fans. Keep the activity manageable and decide what you can look after before inviting a crowd.
Giving fans a reason to returnLoyalty Loop
Use feedback on the last piece of work to improve the next one.
Ask fans what they found useful, then use their responses to improve the next piece of work. Give them a reason to return that you can keep delivering.
A hypothetical example
A music teacher asks whether a practice video was easier to follow with a slower close-up. Fans choose the close-up, so she uses it in the next lesson and explains the change. She also checks whether the extra filming time fits her workload.
In your app
Use a poll to ask about preferences and a member update to follow through. A vote is feedback, not a guarantee of renewal.
- Fans receive
- A follow-up that uses their feedback and makes the work easier to enjoy or use.
- Your commitment
- Read what people tell you and keep delivering the parts you’ve promised.
What it involves
- Deliver what you promise
- Ask what fans find useful
- Acknowledge helpful participation
- Consider repeat support alongside delivery costs
- Let fans recommend your work voluntarily
This could fit if
You already share work people use and want to understand what would make the next piece more useful.
Before you try it
Familiar names are helpful, but new fans still need a way in. Give a follow-up enough context to make sense to someone who missed the original question.
Selling directly to fansCreator-Direct Commerce
Plan how fans will pay for the work and receive what you promise.
Selling directly means you help decide how an offer reaches fans and what they receive. You also take on the work of payments, delivery, and support, so count those costs before setting a price.
A hypothetical example
A ceramicist offers a new batch of mugs through her existing shop. She counts the packing materials and time spent answering delivery questions, as well as making and firing the pieces. A sold mug still has to reach the person who bought it.
In your app
A featured product card can link to the item in your external shop. Make that destination clear and keep the shop’s checkout and delivery information current. A tap in YaySquad records link interest; an order confirmation comes from the shop.
- Fans receive
- The work they chose, with a clear price and a way to understand delivery and get help.
- Your commitment
- Make the offer work from purchase through delivery, including the questions afterward.
What it involves
- Use direct contact channels fans choose
- Sell through channels you manage
- Handle customer information responsibly
- Keep more than one way to reach your audience
- Account for production, delivery, and support costs
This could fit if
You want more say in how you sell your work and are ready to manage the practical jobs that come with it.
Before you try it
Selling directly doesn’t remove costs or make every payment profit. Make sure the offer still works after the making, delivery and support are accounted for.
Offering more than one thingSuperfan Product Stack
Keep each offer clear before adding another.
You might offer different things for fans who want different amounts of your work. Start with an offer you can explain and deliver before adding another.
A hypothetical example
A drawing creator shares a free shading exercise and offers a longer study as a paid unlock. Once she knows what goes into making and supporting that lesson, she considers a monthly study group with a clearly defined format. She doesn’t need to open a whole school by next Tuesday.
In your app
Paid unlocks and memberships serve different needs. Explain each separately, and avoid promising more than you can reliably deliver.
- Fans receive
- A clear choice between amounts or kinds of your work, without needing to buy the whole range.
- Your commitment
- Make each offer understandable and leave enough time to deliver all the ones you keep selling.
What it involves
- Free: attention and trust
- Low-ticket: digital goods, merch
- Mid-ticket: memberships, courses
- High-ticket: coaching, events, access
- Patronage: crowdfunding, founding memberships
This could fit if
People ask for different amounts of your work and you’ve got the capacity to make those choices useful.
Before you try it
More offers can mean more questions, updates and delivery work. Add one because it serves a need you understand, rather than because a price ladder has an empty rung.
Questions creators ask
Let’s clear a few things up
Audience size, paid offers, privacy, and where YaySquad fits. Open a question for the details.
Do I need a huge audience?
Start with the fans who already care about your work. Invite them in when you share something new and see who gets involved. You don’t need another zero on your follower count to start a YaySquad.
What can fans do for free?
Fans can join your app and take part in polls without buying anything. Keep sharing useful free work alongside any optional paid offers.
How often do I need to post?
Choose a pace you can keep up, and tell fans when to expect your next update.
Where does YaySquad fit?
Your fan app brings your links, updates, polls, and optional paid offers together. It can sit alongside your existing channels. Use those channels to invite fans into the app, then learn from the actions they take there.
What can brands see?
Brand Proof shows aggregate, date-ranged activity, not a list of fans. Fan-level identity is not public. Your Base trial includes a private Brand Proof preview; ongoing Brand Proof requires Pro.
What data can I export?
Exports require Pro and are not included in Base or the Base trial. Eligible creators can export safe setup, offer, proof, and activity records without exposing cross-creator fan identity.
What happens after the trial?
Unless you cancel before Day 15, Base renews at $29/month. Annual billing is a separate choice. The trial's Pro previews do not turn into ongoing Pro access; you can choose Pro separately.
Put it into practice
Bring Your Superfans Into Your YaySquad
Invite fans into your app for the work they keep asking about, and give them a way to support it. Bring your YaySquad along when you share a new release or do a collab.
Start 14-day free trial14-day free trial · $0 today · Card required · Base renews at $29/month on Day 15 unless canceled. Annual billing is a separate choice.