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Tim FerrissHow to Build a Large Audience From Scratch (And More) | The Tim Ferriss Show (Podcast)
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Q&A Setup and Show Premise
Tim tests a new mic and explains the show's usual focus on deconstructing world-class performers. He says this episode is a Q&A built from top-voted listener questions.
- •Testing a new microphone
- •The show deconstructs routines, tips, books and influences of top performers
- •Format uses listener-submitted and upvoted questions
- •Only a short window before he leaves for dinner
Movie Picks and The Lady in Number 6
Tim recommends his movie picks page, sponsored by Vimeo. He highlights films such as World of Tomorrow, Waking Up, The Act of Killing and the Oscar-winning short The Lady in Number 6.
- •Movie picks at fourhourworkweek.com/vimeo
- •World of Tomorrow, a Sundance-winning sci-fi short
- •Waking Up with Sam Harris as a class on mindfulness
- •The Lady in Number 6 is about Alice, 109 years old, and the power of mental framing
Building an Audience: Long-Form and Evergreen Content
Responding to a question about building an audience from scratch, Tim lists his own platforms and says there is always a market for high quality and long-form work. He explains why evergreen content is the most labor-efficient way to grow over time.
- •Overview of his blog, Twitter and podcast reach
- •Small Giants: the best of anything can command a premium
- •Long-form is never really dead despite sensational headlines
- •Evergreen posts gain SEO value over time
Do You Need an Audience? Asking Why Three Times
Tim challenges the assumption that you must build an audience at all, citing Amazon and Uber. He suggests asking why three times to find more direct paths to your real goal.
- •Social presence isn't required for a profitable, scaled business
- •Ask why three times, an approach he credits to Ricardo Semler
- •Volunteering at an embassy might beat building an audience for a travel goal
- •Don't mistake intermediate steps for the goal; building an audience is hard
1,000 True Fans, Credit Card Statements and Subcultures
If you do decide to build an audience, Tim recommends Kevin Kelly's 1,000 True Fans and focusing on the least crowded channel. He walks through a practical exercise using credit card statements and the subcultures you belong to.
- •Target 1,000 true fans, not the largest audience possible
- •Least crowded channel is still long-form print or audio
- •Highlight price-insensitive spending on credit card statements
- •Identify three to five subcultures and the sites, accounts and podcasts they follow
Tip of the Spear: How The 4-Hour Workweek Was Launched
Tim explains that the target market is the tip of the spear, not the total market. He describes how he set a measurable sales goal and targeted a specific demographic and a handful of outlets to appear ubiquitous.
- •Target market versus total market
- •Goal of 20,000 sales per week among tech-savvy 20-to-40-year-old males
- •Used Nielsen BookScan research to plan for bestseller-list distribution
- •A few sites and conferences can make you seem everywhere at low cost
The Five People Tim Spends Time With
In the speed round, Tim answers who his five people are. He says it varies with his goals and that he also needs to enjoy their company, and names friends and a category of very fit older men.
- •Friends are not chosen purely for pragmatic reasons
- •Names include Kevin Rose, Josh Waitzkin, Garrett Camp and Jeffrey Zoravsky
- •Fit men over 60 whose longevity practices he studies
- •Rick Rubin types for their calm and unflappable nature
Daily Habits from His Self-Experiments
Tim lists habits from his books and blog that he still uses. These include cold and heat exposure, journaling, the slow-carb diet and 80/20 principles.
- •Cold baths and heat exposure, plus sauna use
- •Five Minute Journal in the morning
- •21-day no-complaint experiment with a bracelet
- •Slow-carb diet for about 10 years, now experimenting with keto
- •80/20 analysis and automation used daily
The Most Important Daily Question: The Lead Domino
Tim says his key daily question is which to-do item, if done, makes the rest easier or irrelevant. He adds a second question about which item makes him most uncomfortable.
- •Look for the lead domino on the to-do list
- •Choose items with outsized ROI for hours invested
- •Ask which item makes you most uncomfortable
- •The most uncomfortable item often correlates with the important one
Mandatory Sports and Staying Focused
Tim says he would make sports mandatory in high school to keep kids occupied during the 3-to-6 PM danger zone. He then covers how he handles getting sidetracked, including the Momentum extension and a maker/manager schedule.
- •Mandatory sports to fill after-school idle time
- •He gets sidetracked and discouraged too, so don't expect to eliminate it
- •Momentum Chrome extension
- •Maker period in the morning, manager period after lunch
- •Five Minute Journal evening recap supports follow-through
Reliable Health Information and Supplements
Tim recommends learning to separate good science from bad, pointing to Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. On supplements, he favors diet first, whole foods, and minimal supplementation.
- •Feynman's point about not fooling yourself
- •Bad Science by Ben Goldacre and the bonus chapter in The 4-Hour Body
- •Fix deficiencies through diet first and eat a spectrum of colors
- •Athletic Greens as insurance
- •Natural doesn't mean safe, and tolerance can develop
Becoming a Better Writer
Tim says he's still not satisfied as a writer and sees himself more as a teacher. He offers tips including reading outside your genre, recommended books, having a lawyer review your work, morning pages and his rule for proofreader feedback.
- •Read outside your genre, including fiction
- •On Writing, On Writing Well and Bird by Bird
- •Have a lawyer cut extraneous words
- •Morning pages to build the writing habit
- •One person loving something keeps it in; removal needs consensus
Guilty Pleasures for Mental Rest
Tim describes how he rests his brain, from hand drumming to serial TV to young adult fiction.
- •Hand drumming with djembes and a hand pan
- •Downloaded serial TV like True Detective and The Jinx
- •Young adult books for clean, well-written prose
- •A Wrinkle in Time as relaxing reading before bed
Advice to His Younger Self: Start Meditating
Tim says the one thing he'd tell his younger self is to start meditating earlier. He shares books, practices and a tip to do less than you think you can, then closes with movie picks and a sponsorship invitation.
- •Over 80% of his podcast guests have a meditative practice
- •Books by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Tara Brach
- •He practices TM and Vipassana, and mentions Headspace and Calm
- •Do less than you think you can to build the habit
- •Waking Up by Sam Harris and other relaxing films on the Vimeo page
Publisher timestamps
- 0:00Intro
- 1:39My movie picks
- 5:09If I had to build a large audience from scratch today, how would I start?
- 18:09If you're the average of the five people you surround yourself with, who are those five people for me?
- 20:05Are there any habits I continue to implement on a daily basis?
- 22:18What is the most important question I ask myself every day?
- 24:12If I could make one thing mandatory in high schools, what would it be?
- 24:56What methods do I practice to maintain focus and follow through to achieve goals?
- 27:20What are the best or most reliable resources on health and healthcare?
- 28:46What natural supplements have I found to be most helpful?
- 30:53What are the things I’ve done to become a better writer?
- 33:13What are my guilty pleasures for those times when my brain needs a rest?
- 35:06What would I go back and tell my younger self?
