Book · 224 pages

Superfans: The Easy Way to Stand Out, Grow Your Tribe, and Build a Successful Business

Pat Flynn Paid Beginner

Pat Flynn's whole argument is that people become superfans because of a mission and a set of shared moments, not because of any one product, which is exactly the topic-over-brand instinct in your question. His Pyramid of Fandom gives you a concrete ladder from casual audience to true believer, so the abstract idea of building around something bigger becomes a set of steps. It is a starting point on the how, best paired with a strategy piece on the why.

  • Superfans form around a mission and repeated meaningful moments, so the community can outlast any single product you ship.
  • The Pyramid of Fandom (casual audience, active audience, connected community, superfans) is a practical map for moving people up the ladder.
  • A smaller, deeply committed group beats a large indifferent audience, which lowers the bar on scale and suits founders building outside the big startup hubs.
Open on patflynn.com ↗

The question it answers

  1. Should I build a community around my company brand or around a broader topic bigger than my product?

Read with it

  1. This is the cleanest short explainer we found on the exact fork in your question: a community tied to your brand and customers... Turf Essay · ~8 min read Customer Community vs Community of Practice: What Is the Difference? Hannah Rafter
  2. David Sacks argues that the strongest companies rally people around a cause and a change in the world, not around the product... Bottom Up (David Sacks) Article · ~15 min read Your Startup Is a Movement David Sacks
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →