I did not think a “can we buy a boat” graphic would land well.

When a startup founder asked me to stack their revenue next to a yacht and email it to the entire userbase, I braced myself for hate mail.

But their audience loved it.

I only received positive replies cheering us on.

This idea of “building in public” where you share your numbers in *extreme detail* is picking up steam—not just for startups, but in the worker-led media movement too.

Build in public is a popular marketing trend because it fast tracks audience trust, and in the case of a reader-funded venture, it can fast track revenue too.

In today’s issue, three ways to build in public and enlist your readers in hitting your business goals.

P.S. With the Washington Post and LA Times screwing up their public image again, it’s a GREAT TIME FOR YOU to send a dedicated email ask for free readers to upgrade or contribute. Get inspired with 4 timely promo examples from this week.

P.P.S. Scroll to the bottom to see the “can we buy a boat” graphic.

Sharing your next milestone makes it happen faster

Think about the last time you backed a Kickstarter project.

You probably checked the project stats to see if it had traction.

Numbers like “$2790 pledged of $5000 goal” and “17 days to go” are designed to motivate you, with transparency and urgency, to open your wallet.

But how does that scenario change if it didn’t say how much money was needed?

It’s a lot less interesting!

You have no idea if the creator is close to their goal or far from it. You wouldn’t know if other people are stepping up or even if the project is likely to happen.

When you share a clear target, you motivate your audience to pitch in.

Why?

It could have something to do with goal contagion theory which also explains why your friends all got into biohacking at the same time.

Basically: goals are contagious, even when it’s a goal that benefits someone else.

So, how might you share your goals in public?

🎯 Method 1: The Reader Target

The 51st, which just launched this month, publicized their desire to reach 5100 newsletter subscribers. They’ve been keeping us apprised of how it’s going on X and, a couple days after this tweet, they surpassed this goal.

What works about it:

• They were close to reaching this goal (which makes followers feel like their effort makes a meaningful difference)

• Includes a screenshot for extra trust and transparency

• Includes a link to take the action they want (join the newsletter and/or join and pay)

How to try it:

• Set a reader target that’s not far off of where you are now (Common ones are 100, 1000, 2500, 5k, 10k, etc)

• Take a screenshot of the current metric

• Post on social media and tell your audience what the target is

• Update them every couple days or weeks until you hit it!

🎯 Method 2: The Revenue Target

The Flytrap took to Kickstarter to crowdfund their launch capital to the tune of $45k with stretch goals at $55k and $65k. Just look at how specific their plan is!

What works about it:

• Has a clear financial target and isn’t just “give us money”

• Explains about where the money is going

• Offers stretch goals and sets them close to the target so contributors feel motivated to help hit them

• Revenue plan has multi-sided benefits for the staff, the readers, the contributors and freelancers

How to try it:

• Set a revenue target (could be a monthly target like $5k/month, a quarterly target or a yearly target)

• Create a page or post to track that goal

• Explain where the funds go (your salary is a valid reason!—see how Matt Kiser did this)

• Share it with your audience in newsletters or on social media (more often if it’s a monthly goal and less often if it’s a yearly one)

• Be sure to make the “contribute” option super obvious!

🎯 Method 3: The Subscriber Target

Aftermath mapped out roughly how many subscribers they need to do all the cool stuff they want to do. They published these milestones on their website where they periodically update how they’re tracking towards them.

What works about it:

• Initially was part of a subscription drive called “Inside Baseball” which was a cross-channel campaign to share behind the scenes content

• Lays out an optimistic future and gets readers excited about what they could help make happen

• Offers benefits beyond traditional perks, including things like “More frequent pieces from even cooler freelancers”

How to try it:

• Make a list of things you’d do if you had more funding and prioritize them!

• Assign each item an amount of money needed

• Divide the money needed by average annual contribution per reader (you could use LTV: lifetime value of a paying reader which is a metric Stripe tracks or go conservative and assume lowest subscription tier for everyone)

• Compile the numbers and post the milestone list on your website

• Share the milestone list with your audience on the newsletter or social once a month or a few times a year

If you just heard one thing, let it be this…

When you share what you want to happen out loud, other people will help you make it happen. Plus, your fans want your work to continue! Knowing that you’re sustaining or growing is more likely to set them at ease than to cause a backlash.