How much do you give away?

Lots of people ask me how much of their stuff to give away before they launch.

The answer isn’t easy to pin down, because it’s exactly as much as people need to see before they can’t NOT buy it.

Most of my life revolves around building hype for things I create, whether that’s courses, or marketing initiatives, or books, or speaking events, my job isn’t really to write.

My job is to build the hype so tight and with so many people that when I release something people are so excited they can’t say no to it.

That means making something so irresistible, so good, that people can’t NOT talk about it.

However, part of that is giving people a taste of what they’re going to buy until they are hungry for more; until they are so hungry they can’t think of anything else.

And that amount changes over time.

Stephen King doesn’t need to show people ANYTHING except a cover to get them excited.

Kylie Jenner launches a new product in an Instagram video and it sells out in an hour (and yes, don’t get it twisted, you are more like the Kardashians that you would ever admit).

When I first started, I gave away EVERYTHING. I gave whole issues, and whole arcs of books to hundreds of people, thousands of people even, until some of them were excited enough about my work to buy it.

Over time, I’ve been able to cut back a little bit, but the truth is I still give A LOT away. I don’t give away the big reveals any more, but I give away as much as I believe will build hype.

I write thousands of words about my universes, and my books, trying with every word to get people to turn over and buy.

I find dozens of creators to help push my launch, and I give them the world because their fervor will transfer to those who trust them.

I show final pages and give previews of books to everybody I find. Sometimes, I’ll give away whole stories to get people to connect with the characters.

It’s all in service to one goal. Give just enough away to make people excited, but not enough to seem desperate.

It is free, but with focused intention behind it. This is the part that lots of young creators don’t understand.

It’s not about giving everything away or holding everything back. It’s a balance designed to build tension and desire.

That sweet spot will be different for you than for me, just as it is different between me and more successful creators.

Big-name creators like Skottie Young or Tokidoki, they just have to announce a new product and there’s a horde of people ready to buy it.

Because they’ve already done the work. People trust it’s going to be amazing because they’ve delivered enough in the past that they’ve created a Pavlovian response in their fans.

You haven’t yet. Heck, I haven’t yet.

So we have to give a lot more away, but the goal is still the same.

We give just enough away to build a lather within people that they are desperate to buy and ready to rush out and get whatever we’re launching when it’s up for sale, wherever it is up for sale.

Any more and we’re wasting our effort. Too little and our launch will fizzle.