The Thriving Artist

How to make money and impact

the world with your art

The Thriving Artist by Ylane Duparc

© 2019 Ylane Duparc

All right reserved. No portion of this

book may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means-electronic,
mechanical, photocopy, recording,
scanning, or other-except for brief
quotations in critical reviews or articles,
without the prior written permission of
the publisher.
Summary

1- Your Art Is Your Business

2- 1000 True Fans Theory




3- The Magnetic Creator

4- Your Ideal Customer




5- The Bait

6- The Value Ladder

7- Funnel Overview

8- Traffic

9- The Email List

10- Offer
PREFACE
All creators should have multiple flows of
income and one of these flows should be
selling your creations or services online.

Most artists have given it a try and have

invested time and energy to build a
website or a following on social media…
Until they realize they have spent a lot of
time and energy with little to no results.

I was inspired to write this book by facing

and acknowledging an enigma.

We live in an incredible and exciting era

where everything and everyone is
accessible with a device and a few clicks.

This has never been possible before in

the history of mankind, and needless to
say, the possibilities are almost limitless.

I see a lot of people who take advantage

of these new opportunities: businesses,
entrepreneurs, traders, big companies,
international firms… and a few « already-
successful-artists » too.

But overall, I see a huge majority of

creators who are not using this incredible
tool - the internet - to their advantage.

They are trying, they are guessing, but

they mostly get lost in the complexities
and drown in the endless possibilities.

They end up trying hard but it seems like

nothing really works and they give up.

To my surprise, there is a lot of training

and documentation about online
marketing out there but it is all for the
same audience: entrepreneurs and
business owners.

When I decided to get better at

marketing a few years ago, I first looked
at articles and blogs about online
marketing for artists.
There weren’t very many.



I read these few articles I found and I
came up with strategies and ideas which
I then tried to implement for myself as an
artist. But, as you may have guessed, I
had very little success.

What they were teaching was very long,

tedious and also overwhelming most of
the time.

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube,

Blogs, Posts, Videos, Photos, Content,
Newsletters, Mailing lists, Business
Cards, Networking, etc… Argh.

How was I even supposed to find time to

create after all that? How could one
consistently deal with so much to do as
an artist to have success?

But still, I could see start-ups and

entrepreneurs who were using the
Internet and having great success with it.



There must be a way!

I continued studying all the best internet

marketers with the idea that I might end
up discovering a system that would work
for me as an artist- not a business owner
or an international firm.

I kept looking and experimenting to get

rid of what wasn’t effective or did not
apply to us, as artists.

Could I find a way that would work for

any artist, regardless of their art?

After months of research into this area, I

found what I think is the key to an artist’s
success, and I felt obliged to write about
it.



90% of what you’ve been told to do is a
waste of time.

This is how you can succeed as a creator;

wherever you are, whatever industry you
are in. The keys for success are in these
next chapters ahead. I hope you will find
them as exciting and useful as I do.
YOUR ART IS YOUR BUSINESS
As artists, we are mostly focused on
getting better at our art.

It doesn’t matter what type of creator you

are.

Whether you are a musician, a

photographer, a writer, a jewelry maker,
a painter…



We tend to focus our energy on creating
better music, better photos, better
stories, better jewelry, better paintings,
etc…

So now, because we are creators, we

don’t consider ourselves business
owners. 



We don’t have employees or even a
proper office.



Or even a product or service!
Well, that’s where we are usually
mistaken.

Most people think that money is evil.


It’s a bad thing to ask people for it and
people who have money are pretentious
and greedy businessmen who will not
hesitate to scam you if they can.

Those businessmen do exist. But honest

business owners exist as well.

What is money?

Money is only a tool we use for

exchange. It only has value because we
agree that it’s worth something.

If you’re hungry, you need food.




You go to the grocery store and you
exchange money against food.

We do that every day and we are willing

to give away money to solve a problem.



Problem: I am hungry

Product: Food

Benefit: I’m not hungry anymore.

So, let’s go back to us as artists.

What problem do we solve that we could

exchange against money?

It’s usually not as apparent as in the

example above so here are a few more
examples:



Problems:

-I’m bored

-I want to be part of something bigger

-This place is ugly

-I want to feel better about myself

-I want to be part of a community

-I want to be unique

-I want to be inspired

-I want to increase my social status

-I want my business to make more money

-I want to remember
Can you see how art can solve those
problems above?

And as I mentioned earlier, when

someone wants a problem to be solved,
they are willing to exchange money
against a service or product to solve it.

We now realize that what we are creating

as artists are products or services that
solve problems!

There is nothing wrong with that so long

as you, the artist, still, totally define what
you create.



We are still talking about art, not a
toaster.

So now, can you see how you can

compare yourself to a business? Or at
least a business owner?

Whether you noticed it or not, since the

moment that you had the intention of
selling your creations or services, you’ve
had a business in your hands.

Let’s change the subject for a second.

What would you think of Apple if they

didn’t market and advertise their
products? You probably wouldn’t even
know they existed. And it wouldn’t matter
if they had good products or not: they
probably would not even be a company
anymore.

In general, what would you think of a

business if they made no sales AND they
didn’t advertise?



You would probably think it is stupid of
them, especially if they had great
products and services that people need.
You would probably tell them that they
should market and advertise more!

Then, what would you say to an artist

who creates great art but gets no sales
whatsoever?
Would you tell them that they should get
better at their art? No, they should
market and advertise more!

« …but I’m an artist. It’s not my job to

market and advertise my art »

Well, I hope you understand now that you

are an artist AND a business owner.



Creating art is one part of your business.

Marketing and advertising is other.

Every successful artist understands that

principle to an extent.

What’s important here is the mindset that

you need to have in order to gain the
success that you want as a creator.



If you understand this core principle and
take action in this direction, you’ll reach a
success that you had never thought
possible before.
1000 TRUE FANS
The 1000 True Fans theory was first
shared by Kevin Kelly as an alternative
path of success to stardom.

It’s based on this promise:

« To be a successful creator you don’t

need millions. You don’t need millions of
dollars or millions of customers, millions
of clients or millions of fans. To make a
living as a craftsperson, photographer,
musician, designer, author, animator,
app maker, entrepreneur, or inventor you
need only thousands of true fans. 

A true fan is defined as a fan that will buy

anything you produce. These diehard
fans will drive 200 miles to see you sing;
they will buy the hardback and
paperback and audible versions of your
book; they will purchase your next
figurine sight unseen; they will pay for
the “best-of” DVD version of your free
youtube channel; they will come to your
chef’s table once a month. If you have
roughly a thousand true fans like this
(also known as super fans), you can make
a living — if you are content to make a
living but not a fortune. »

It’s an interesting concept, isn’t it?

So, let’s see how we can apply this to

you.

First of all, 1000 true fans is an arbitrary

number. You need to find out what
number fits you.

Here is the formula:

How much do you need a month? A year?


How much profit could you earn from a
true fan per year?



Divide the amount you need by how
much you can earn from a true fan and
the result you obtain is your target.
Let’s say that you could make a decent
living with $5,000 per month.

You’d then need $60,000 per year.

Now, that could mean that you need:




-1000 true fans that pay you $60 per year.

or

-500 true fans that pay you $120 per year

or

-2000 true fans that pay you $30 per year.

Or any other equation that would work

best for you!

Following the same equation, you could

have either:



-1000 true fans that pay you $5/mo.

-500 true fans that pay you $10/mo.

-2000 true fans that pay you $2.5/mo.

This may be easier to do with some art

more than others yet it’s easier to give
more to your existing fanbase than it is to
find new fans.
This is because your current fans pay you
directly. You get to completely keep their
support rather than giving a cut to an
agency, a label, retailer or any other
middle men.

For example, if each fan pays $100 for

something you sell, you get to keep 100%
of it. If you get 1,000 fans to give you 100/
year then you’re earning $100,000/year
and that’s a very good living for most
people.

1000 true fans may sound like a lot if

you’re just starting out. That’s okay.
Usually, for every true fan, you’ll have 4
or 5 regular fans as well.

But I have some good news.

First of all, there are 7 billion people on

this planet - and that number keeps
growing.



I’m more than certain that out of those 7
billion people, you can find 1000 people
who love who you are and what you do. 

Those true fans would represent only
0.0000001% of the entire population.

Second of all, we live in a fantastic era

where you can reach anyone in the world
with the internet.



Back in the day, it would have been
impossible to have success or reach
millions of people from your home. You’d
have to go through a lot of middle men
(who would take their cut) to have a
chance to be on TV or on the radio. Also,
you couldn’t have thousands of different
artists on TV or Radio. Seats were limited.



There isn’t such limitation with the
internet and you don’t need a middle
man anymore.

Third of all, the fact that you can retain

the full amount of what you earn online is
totally revolutionary. Once again, no
middle men.
You can direct people to your online store
and when they purchase something,
every dime goes to you directly.

So, it’s time to set a goal that will make

you financially successful.



And if you think that your goal is to reach
hundreds of millions of people, that’s
totally fine but it should come after.

Once you reach your « true fans » goal,

you’ll be able to set a higher goal if you
dream of one!

Here is the formula again:

• How much do you need a month? A

year?

• How much profit could you earn from a

true fan per year?



Divide the amount you need by how
much you can earn from a true fan and
the result you obtain is your target.
THE 

MAGNETIC CREATOR
FORMULA

« Hey Ylane, I’m trying to sell my

creations online but I just don’t get
noticed. It’s hard to stand out in an over-
saturated market. Also, I can’t get the
clients to see the value of my art and I
have to cut my prices in half when I sell
online… »

Creators and artists used to tell me this

all the time.

They understand how valuable selling

online is but they aren’t getting the
results they are looking for.



Does this sound like you?

The missing link is the concept of a

Magnetic Creator. You could also call this
an Attractive Character. It’s the
personality and character you are sharing
with your audience. It’s how you are
communicating with them. Most artists
don’t focus on this character or don’t
know how to. But just know, it’s
something you don’t need to make up. It’s
something that lives inside of you
already.

I’ll explain this in-depth to you because it

is very key to online sales.

An MC is a persona that attracts people

(and therefore, customers) to help build
your following and make sales. An MC
allows you to use social media to draw
people towards you.

The first time I learned about this

« Attractive Character » concept was
through Russell Brunson (who himself
learned it from John Alanis). He
explained this idea very well but he is
targeting entrepreneurs and some
concepts don’t apply to all creators; I
tweaked it so artists could use this
powerful technique as well.
Have you ever wondered why a less-
talented creator has so many raving, true
fans? 



If it’s not about his art, then, what is it
about?

It’s about the artist himself!

Think about any artist or creator you

follow online. Most successful artists
have a Magnetic Creator persona.

Online, as in real life, people act the

same.

Would you buy someone’s creation in the

street if that’s the first thing they asked
you to do?

Probably not. You’d probably simply

walk away- especially if the fellow is
desperately pushing you to buy right
now.
Well, that’s true online too and,
unfortunately, what most creators do.

What if they could get to know you a little

bit better instead? What would be the
steps that would entice them to purchase
your creations or services?

All Magnetic Creators have 5 elements in

common:

1) Have a Backstory



It’s one of the major key attributes.



The goal of the backstory is to create a
bond with your audience.

Where do you come from? How did you

evolve?

The more your audience can identify with

your story, the more they will be likely to
follow you and your journey.



Maybe they went through something
similar. Perhaps they are going through
something you already went through in
the past, one way or another.



As human beings, we tend to feel closer
to those who share the same experiences
that we have.

What did you have to go through?

It may not be totally obvious to you at

first, but if you look closely, you’ll see that
you have your own backstory.



If you can’t find your backstory, start to
write your own biography and include
those precious moments that made an
impression on you. You’ll find that there
were times when you had to overcome
something. These are the milestones of
your journey.

You have to relate your art to your

journey for this to work properly.
How has your backstory influenced the
way you’re creating art today?

If you can answer that and share it with

your audience, you’ll get much more
support… and much more sales in the
end.



2) Speak in Parables

A parable is a little story used to illustrate

a moral or spiritual lesson. It’s a creator’s
secret weapon.

Studies say that our average attention

span is now 8 seconds. We are
consistently so interrupted and so
notified about everything that it becomes
very hard to give your attention to a
single thing for very long!

And it’s even harder online, as you can’t

control someone’s attention. They may be
in their car, at the office, on a day off with
their kids, or even watching TV while
scrolling Facebook.

We are also so stimulated that we filter
communication and when we’ve been
told we should buy something for the
600th time in a week, we simply don’t
even give it a chance.

So, how do you share your message and

your art in this environment?

The hack that will get you through the

noise is to use parables!

Marketers and leaders from the

beginning of time know that we can’t
resist a good story.



From the cavemen to the leaders of
revolutions, stories always have been the
way to spread the word.

As creators, all we have to do is share

little stories to get our audience’s
attention and then redirect their attention
to our art.



The more captivating the parable is, the
longer you’ll get their attention.

A good parable also gives you a new

understanding, a new perspective. It’s
like living a new experience through
someone else’s eyes.

When I was in junior high school, the bell

would ring at the end of class and all the
students would rush outside the room to
enjoy the break- those sacred 15 minutes.

We could feel the sun on our skin, tell

new jokes to our friends and maybe even
finally ask out that charming girl we’ve
had a crush on for the last few weeks.

All the students felt this but me. I was shy

and since I had just arrived at this new
school, I had no friends.



I would wait in front of the next
classroom- just waiting for that moment of
solitude to be over. At that point, I was so
bored that I would practice close up
magic by myself so I wouldn’t have to
stare at the walls and receive hard looks
from people making fun of me.

But one day, one of the cool kids looked

at me while I was performing a trick with
a coin. I was making a regular coin
disappear without sleeves like it was the
most normal thing in the world.

« Wow! How do you do that? That’s so

cool! Can you do it again?»

I was surprised that he would even talk to

me (as he hadn’t once in all the months of
being in the same class). So, I did it
again.

« It’s incredible! » he said. And then

turned to his friends. « Guys! Come
check this out! »

They all came and soon enough, I had 10

of them huddled around me, giving me
all their attention. They were mesmerized
and amazed. For the next hour, all they
could do was talk about the magic they
had just witnessed and wondered if I
could show them how to do it too.

I never had to spend the break alone

anymore. Wherever I’d walk out, guys
and girls would ask me to share my latest
tricks. It was so mind-blowing that
teachers would even give me extra
marks when I’d show them a new trick.

And you would feel just as amazed and

inspired if you would come to see my
show next Friday.

Well… I don’t perform anymore… But this

is a pretty good parable, right?

You read the story and perhaps you wish

you could come to see me perform next
Friday!



Maybe you even want to learn magic to
create the same feelings I had created.

Did you feel like I was trying to sell you
something? Probably not!
And that’s how it works.

Tell a captivating parable and relate it to

your art. You’ll be amazed by how much
success you’ll have with them if done
right.



3) Be On a Mission

Most artists try not to offend anyone.

Obviously, no one wants to deal with
haters so trying to please everyone
sounds like the way to go, right?

That’s unfortunately also the best way to

be a bore and to not get your message
and art noticed.

Instead, be on a mission!

What do you stand for? What do you care

about?

Speak from your heart and take a stance.

Once you do, you’ll split your audience

into three:
Those who agree, those who are
impartial and those who disagree.

Once you start doing so, you’ll get the

support of those who agree and you’ll
turn those « people who follow your
work » into true fans!



They will follow what you say, share your
message and be loyal customers too.

It may be scary to do so because you’re

also going to attract haters who will try to
take you down. The good thing is that
you’ll see that your true fans will also
take your side and defend you and your
cause.

If you’re neutral, you will get no haters,

but nobody will talk about you because
nobody knows who you are.

It’s time to claim your path, stick to it and

build a community to back you up.
4) Don’t Hide Your Flaws

Did you know that DC’s most flawed hero

has remained its most successful at the
box office for the last 30 years?

If you have ever watched a Batman movie

then you know what I’m talking about.

Batman is undoubtedly a hero but he is

also still human. A dark, brooding
asshole billionaire human obsessed with
the death of his family.

70% of people prefer Batman over

Superman.

And the simple reason is that Superman’s

only flaw is Kryptonite. The authors had
to create a flaw because otherwise he
would have been perfect and… totally
boring.

So, what can we learn from that as

creators?
Don’t aim for perfection. We are all
human, so embrace your flaws because
that’s what makes you relatable.

We are more inspired following someone

who has flaws and has to overcome them
than someone who is perfect and doesn’t
have to overcome anything.

Use that in your message and watch how

many people root for you and become
true fans!

5) Share and Give!

All of the Magnetic Creator’s elements

above are useless until you share with
your audience.

People need to discover who you are and

what you do, one piece at a time.

Whatever the medium and platform you

choose, consistently sharing with your
audience is the key to growing your
community and reaching more people.
Once your audience engages with you,
it’s time to care about them and give.

Give some of your time, give some of

your attention, give pieces of advice…

If you give genuinely, your audience will

be more likely to support you and give in
return. That’s what makes the difference
between the creator alone atop his
mountain and the one who is building a
real community.
YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER
« I don’t have time to create AND also
take care of the marketing. Marketing
takes so much time… »

What if I tell you that you could optimize

your time and energy with one little
hack?

Even more than that, you’d save money

by not investing in new creations that
make a flop… and earn more by
optimizing your message and your
marketing to the point.

It all comes down to this truth: knowing

who your ideal customer or ideal client
is.

Once you define who is more likely to

appreciate (and purchase) your creations
or services, it becomes way easier to find
them and craft your own message to have
more impact.
You’d probably not try to sell a car to an
8-year-old child because a car is not
something a child should have. You’d
think that’s a pretty stupid idea.

But most creators try to sell their

creations to ANYONE online. We have
this idea that: the more, the better.

The truth is the more of your ideal

customer, the better.

The problem most artists run into is that

they don’t know who their ideal customer
is and they don’t know how to please
them and keep their integrity as an artist.

If that sounds like you, here is a step-by-

step formula you can apply to yourself
right now:

#1 - Why Are You Creating?

This is the first question you should ask

yourself.
What’s your purpose? Why are you
creating in the first place?

If you think that you’re creating art for the

sake of art, it’s understandable.



But what effect does your art create that
makes you want to create more?

You should end up with a single sentence

that clearly states your purpose when it
comes to art - (or even just life).

« My purpose is to uplift and to instill

good moral values into my audience »

« My purpose is to show the magical

bond between parents and children »

« My purpose is to bring confidence and

strength to women »

Define why you are here and what effect

you’re trying to accomplish.
#2 - What Is Your Solution?

You’ve defined your purpose. Now, what

do you do to accomplish it?

You have to figure out what this unique

thing is that you create that brings that
purpose to life.

« I create jewelry that helps women feel

beautiful and confident in any situation »

« I create photos that show how beautiful

the planet is and how it evolves »

The first question was about your «Why»,

this is about your «How».

Your purpose, the problem that is solved

and your unique solution need to be
aligned before you can go any further.

#3 - Who Is Your Dream Customer?

Now that you know why you are creating

and what you create, it’s time to define
for who you are creating.
If you’re creating jewelry for women, it’s
pretty obvious that a 50-year-old male is
not your ideal customer.



… But is every woman your ideal
customer?

Imagine that you’re mentally drawing

that single person.

• Is it a male or female?

• How old is he/she?

• Where does he/she live?

• What is his/her occupation?

• What’s his/her income?

• What are his/her interests or hobbies?

• What are his/her dreams?

The more precise you can be here, the

better. You have to narrow your audience
down to this hyper-targeted persona as
much as you can. You can even add
questions if you feel like you need to
know more.

You can also take a look at who your

previous/existing clients and customers
are, and see if there are some common
denominators there.

Once you’ve done that, and you’ve

defined this persona, give it a name. You
may think it’s useless but giving it a name
(and even an actual photo) will help you
see this person as real and out there
somewhere.

By doing so, you’ll now be able to

actually talk to that person.



Instead of talking to « everyone » online
(which is the best way to talk to no-one),
you can now talk to that person who is
your ideal customer.

I would also suggest that you create a

persona for each gender that you define.
#4 - Where Can You Find Them?

You’ve probably noticed that people with

the same interests and endeavors usually
gather at the same places.



It’s the same online as it is offline.

People with similar interests and beliefs

will gather together into online forums,
groups, pages, websites, and
communities.

What social media does your ideal

customer use?

They could be hanging out only on

Facebook, or Instagram, or Youtube, or
Twitter… or all of them!

What websites do they go to and spend

time on? What type of media do they
consume? (videos, blogs, podcasts,
articles, photos, etc…)
Make a list of the social media platforms
and websites they use because that’s
where you’ll find your ideal audience.

They are there waiting for you!

THE BAIT
You’ve defined who your ideal customer
is. Now, it’s time to attract them!

You have to think of the bait as something

that will entice someone to step into your
universe.

It should be something that your

audience wants and that you can give
them for free or for a very low entry fee.
In exchange, they will give you their
email or a way of reaching out to them.

Brands use this technique all the time.

They give you a discount or a sample,
and if you like what you’ve experienced
so far, you’d be more likely to come back
and buy their products.

I will tell you more about the importance

of a mailing list later in this book but one
of the first steps of a healthy business is a
mailing list.
If you’ve been trying to build an email
list, you may have noticed that it’s hard to
get people to give away their email
addresses.

The whole purpose of the bait is to make

that step a lot easier!

Your bait should be something so

desirable that your audience is willing to
let you contact them furthermore in
exchange for what you offer.

For example, a musician could offer a

free download of their best song in
exchange for an email. A photographer
could offer their best print for just the
price of printing and shipping.

The goal at this stage is not to be

profitable, it’s simply to build a list of
contacts.

What can you offer to your ideal

customer? What would entice them to
take a step into your universe and
discover who you are and what you do?

It’s important that you create a bait that

your ideal customer really wants. If done
right, it’s one of the most powerful things
in growing your online community.
THE VALUE LADDER

Okay, you now know who your ideal

customer is, and you found the perfect
bait that will attract them. What’s next?

When you go to the theater, did you

know that for the first month or two of
screening, money from ticket sales goes
almost entirely to movie studios?

That means a theater, in the first month,

makes absolutely zero dollars on selling
tickets.



What they do instead, is once you’re
inside the theater, they pervade the
whole place with the delicious smell of
hot popcorn so you desire a little snack
before the movie starts (that’s their bait!).

Then, they offer you a small popcorn box

for an overpriced $6. 



And if you think that’s expensive, you can
get a large one for $8. You’re spending
even more money but it sounds like a
better deal.



Until they offer you a « great deal » on the
popcorn + drink for $12. You’re « saving »
$3.

And that’s exactly how theaters make

most of their money. They attract you with
the movies and upsell you on
concessions. You just paid for your
tickets and $12 for food and drink that
had only cost the theater a single buck.

It’s a great value ladder.

Dentists also use this strategy all the

time.



They offer you a free check-up or free
teeth cleaning.



Once you’re in the door, they offer to take
care of a cavity. Then a whitening
solution if they think your teeth are a little
too yellow. And then to adjust your teeth
alignment.

You come for the free check-up but you

end up paying thousands of dollars in
deciding to take on all these services.

So, how could we use this strategy as

creators?

As mentioned above, you’d start with the

bait. You’d attract the right people and
you’d collect their identities. While
they’re visiting your landing page and
signing up to know more about you as an
artist, you could offer them something
else. This could be any creation or
service that is of a higher value.
Here is an example of a Value Ladder
for a fine artist:



You could offer a free wallpaper of one of
your artworks.

They’ve already expressed interest by

going to your page so, while you have
them there, you could offer them a high-
quality print of the work for a good price.



You’d perhaps show them a photo of how
this print would look on a wall. Since
they’ve just become a fan of your art,
you’ll get quite a few people who want
this.

Later, you send them an email update on

your work and in this, you’d include a
special offer for an original artwork
you’ve created. You could offer other
prints that will fit with the first one. You
have them continue climbing this ladder.

You could do this as any kind of artist.

Just think of all the creations or services
you’d love to offer people and use these
to build the ladder.

What can you offer to your ideal

customer?

Make a list of everything of value,

starting from the bottom (The Bait) to the
top. The top of your value ladder should
be the most ideal scene- the very best
you can provide for your fans and
customers.
Here is another example of a value
ladder for a musician:

You’ll notice that I added a « Publishing

deals / Patrons » label at the bottom of
this drawing.



Those would be what Russell Brunson
calls a continuity program. It’s something
you offer to your audience that gets you
monthly revenues.

In this example for musicians, it would be
publishing deals and/or patrons who
support you monthly.

The beauty of a continuity program is that

you can foresee and estimate your
monthly revenues. You then don’t
depend on creating something new that
you need to sell each time. As long as
people see value in your continuity
program, they will keep paying you each
month so you can create without
worrying about your income.

Once you’ve figured out your value

ladder, you’ve done most of the job. It’s
the difference between not making it
online and being profitable.

You may have thought that you would

lose money by promoting your « bait »,
but can you see how it is only the
beginning?

Once you have a Value Ladder, you’ll see

a return on investment. Maybe you spent
$10 to get your ideal customer to know
you but it doesn’t matter if he is a true fan
for the next decade.

Do you remember the 1000 True Fans

theory? The goal is to get them all at the
top of our value ladder to provide them
the best value we possibly can.
YOUR FUNNEL
When I started out as a photographer, I
spent tens of hours and hundreds of
dollars to create a beautiful website that
would showcase my creations.

I had to learn how to use the software, get

the visuals I wanted, work out the overall
design, write a bio, create links for social
media, figure out how to create a store,
and even more time on little details that
got in my way.

Finally, after finishing the last touch, I had

a well-designed website where people
could contact me and purchase my
creations and services.

I began promoting it and posting the link

to my brand new site wherever possible
only to realize the horrifying truth… No
one was purchasing anything on it.

How was that even possible? I had spent

so much time, money and energy on
creating this beautiful website and I had
zero results.

What happened next was that I started

focusing on growing my following on
social media rather than getting people
to my website… Why would I send them
there when they can just look at what I do
on Instagram?

It’s only years later that I finally

understood what happened. And this
right here is why so many creators fail
online.

A website is great to showcase your

creations but it’s not optimized to sell.

99% of the people who arrive to your

website, take a look at what you do, who
you are and… simply leave.

It’s exactly as if you had a physical store.

People could walk by, look through the
window and then keep walking. The only
difference with a physical store is that you
probably don’t have thousands of new
people landing on your website every
day. Which leaves you with only a few
people that actually come into your
online store and end up purchasing
something.

I’ve heard plenty of artists complain, « I

don’t have enough traffic on my website.
How would I get more traffic? »

The real problem is not traffic. The

problem is conversions. Those who get to
your website do not convert into buyers.

The secret is that you don’t need a

website. You need a funnel.

A website is usually a confusing puzzle

with dead ends. The people visiting are
given too many choices and then leave.



A funnel is a series of online steps that
guide the customer to the sale.
It’s called a « funnel » because the top of
the funnel is where everyone goes in,
and further down are your fans, and even
further down are your true fans who will
buy your creations or services.

Here is a drawing showing how this

works:

Now, it’s time to bridge the gap between

a Value Ladder and a sales funnel.
In a perfect universe, every true fan
would purchase anything I had to offer-
even my most expensive products. Yet, in
the real world, we have to prove that we
have value before we gain that loyalty.

So, instead of trying to sell a fan

everything right away, we can build a
funnel that will help us do two things:

1. Provide something of value to each fan

at a price they can afford



2. Be profitable while also identifying the
ideal customer than can afford our
highest priced product

Let me give you an example.




I’m actually coaching a talented musician
who is trying to make it.

Here is what’ve set up for him:

At the top of the funnel, we offer his

audience a free download of his best
song in exchange for their email address.



We place ads to get traffic through this
first step, and a percentage will listen to
the song and download it.



Then, we move them to the next step.



They are offered to purchase the whole
physical album for a low price they can’t
find anywhere else. If they take this offer,
they can also download the digital
version immediately for a few extra
bucks.



Unfortunately, not everyone who
downloaded the song for free will take
this offer, but a certain percentage will.



From there, they move deeper into the
funnel and we offer for them to become a
patron. They will receive great
merchandise and become part of the
community.
After someone makes a purchase, we use
other types of communication funnels to
build a relationship and encourage them
to purchase other products.



Later on, we would go even deeper into
the funnel and offer them tickets for the
next show and the most expensive offers.

This is the power of a funnel.

The fact that you’re reading this book at

all proves that it works.



For me, my goal is to help talented artists
and creators to reach more people and
create a bigger positive impact on the
planet.

I know that a percentage of people who

read this book will upgrade to online
training.

I also know that from there, another

percentage will become part of an elite
creator team to get the best help from my
team and I.


Then, there will be the few who take full

advantage of everything I have to offer to
a point where my team and I set all of this
up for you.





TRAFFIC
There are only three types of traffic: 

1. Traffic you control 

2. Traffic you don’t control 

3. Traffic you OWN 

Once you understand these three types of

traffic and how they work together, you
will be able to direct traffic to the right
place and convert any and all interest
into actual fans. These fans convert into
sales and organic growth.

Your one and only goal here is to own all

the traffic you possibly can. 

That is how you build your list and

increase your number of fans and sales. 

TRAFFIC YOU OWN 

This is the MOST important type of traffic.

I say this because it’s your list of emails,
your followers on social media, your fans
and ultimately, your customers. You own
it because you know that if you
communicate with these channels, they
will interact and generate instant traffic. 



You don’t have to purchase ads to do it for
you. You have the freedom to speak to
these channels at any given moment. All
profit from these channels goes directly
to you without having to pay a third-party.

From my own personal experience, the

concept of “building a list” has been the
most profitable thing to me as an artist.
The larger my list got, the higher my
income.

Depending on the type of creation you’re

selling and its price, your ratio of
subscriber/dollar amount will be
different.

Let’s just say, for the sake of example,

that for every subscriber, you make $1.
At 200 hundred subscribers, you make
$200. At 10,000 subscribers, you’re
making $10,000 per month. 

Not all of your subscribers will buy from

you, but if you sell something for $40, and
that one person out of 40 buys it, we then
could say that you made $1 per
subscriber.



The ratio will be different depending on
your industry. Some are harder than
others, but it gives you the concept.

More eyes and ears always equals more

income. The proof is in all successful
artists with fan bases.

Once you understand this concept, you

realize that list building should be a very
high priority. This is why it is so important
to convert the other types of traffic (YOU
CONTROL and DON’T CONTROL) into
traffic that you own. The bigger your list,
the more money you make. It’s as simple
as that.
TRAFFIC YOU CONTROL 

This is the type of traffic where you tell

someone where to go. If you do ads on
Facebook, Youtube, Google, etc., you are
able to send those who click the ad to any
location you’d like.

This traffic is very good and you

definitely want more of it but the issue
here is that every time you decide to get
more of it, you have to invest the money.

So, the goal here is to convert this traffic

into traffic that you own. This is where the
landing page comes in. In order to own
this traffic, you demand that the person
gives you their email address. In many
cases, you’d probably be offering
something on this page. Like most
giveaways or sale pages, in order to
check out, you must give them an email
address.
After that, the traffic you control becomes
traffic that you own and you can start
sending your new fans email sequences.

TRAFFIC YOU DON’T CONTROL 

The last type of traffic just happens. You

don’t have any control over where it
comes from or where it goes. This is
where your fans are mentioning your
book, websites are writing reviews,
people are posting your art online, etc.
What you can do to keep track of this is
set up Google Alerts for any time your art
is mentioned. You can also search social
networking sights via tags and words to
see if anyone is mentioning your work. If
you find something or are sent a Google
Alert, you can either contact those
people directly with a link to your
landing page or you can think up
different ways to create a connection with
them. For example: Follow them on the
social media platform you found them
on. 
Your single goal is to convert this kind of
traffic into traffic that you own!
THE EMAIL LIST
This concept of owning an email list is so
crucial I thought it deserved it’s own
chapter.

That’s how important it is for you to have

one.

Over the years, the internet and online

platforms have evolved.

Do you remember posting on Tumblr or

even growing your following on
MySpace?

Maybe you’ve put hundreds of hours into

trying to build your audiences there.



Right now, you may be trying to get more
Instagram followers or to have more fans
on Facebook, right?



And one day… MySpace shuts down and
Tumblr is not bustling with visitors
anymore.
Facebook and Instagram change their
algorithms and you can only reach 1% of
your audience.

All your work… pschht… gone.




So, how can you reach every single
person that likes your art, at any time, for
free?



You send them an email.

That is the only way for you to have FULL

CONTROL over your career.

The truth is: you don’t control Facebook,

Instagram, Twitter or MySpace.



THEY are in control.

You wouldn’t let someone else decide to

open your front door. So, why would you
let someone else decide if you can reach
your audience?
When I was doing photography, I built an
email list of over 1,500 email addresses.



I would send two emails a month and this
is what would happen:



20% would open it = 300 open



1% would purchase = 3 people

You may be thinking that’s not a lot but I

was offering my service for at least
$2,000 to big companies and
international brands.



So, I would earn at least $6,000 per
month.



So now, imagine what you could do if you
didn’t have 1,500 email addresses but
15,000? Or 150,000?

It’s easy to see the value of such a list.


Do you intend to sell work on your
website?

Then you absolutely need an email list.

Inboxes are sacred.

Those who let you email them are

allowing you into their virtual, personal
space.

People hate getting spam yet they’re

willing to scroll through endless feeds on
social media with posts by people they
don’t even know.

The point is, people are less picky about

who they “follow” than who they let email
them.

You should then remember that trust is

difficult to earn and easy to lose.

If you spam the people who subscribed

to your email list with only promotional
content, two things will happen:
They will unsubscribe from your list.

They will simply not open your emails

anymore.

One way to avoid that is to ask yourself

this question before sending an email to
your list:

« What value do I provide with this

email? »

It could be a sneak-peak that shows your

work behind the scenes, some useful
information you discovered, a parable
with an interesting conclusion, a story
that inspires, a free ebook, a piece of
insightful advice, etc…

Anything that would give the reader this

concept that it was worth taking 2
minutes to read your email… and that he
will read the next one!

Most people understand that you need to

sell to make a living, so as long as you
actually provide good content and offer
good deals, you’ll keep your fans happy.

Also, make sure that people who

subscribe to your list get to know you first
before asking them to purchase anything.

You can automatize a few emails so when

you capture someone’s email, the first
emails they receive are an introduction to
you and your art.

Once they are familiar with your

universe, your backstory, your creations,
they will be more likely to take a closer
look at what you offer them.

Oh, and last piece of advice…

Don’t talk to your entire email list. Talk to

each person on your list.

It may feel like a detail, but if you try to

communicate to your list as if it’s a mass
of random people, you won’t reach
anyone.
For example, with this book, I’m not
sharing my thoughts like I’m talking to a
thousand people. I’m talking to YOU.

Personalize your emails as much as you

can so it feels like a one-on-one
conversation and you’ll notice that
individuals will be more responsive to
them.

So, if you haven’t begun growing your

email list, the best moment to do it was
yesterday.



The second best moment is now.

Start growing your email list now and

soon you’ll ask yourself how you even
managed to live without it before.
OFFER
One of the best secrets to making a living
online is to become a master at creating
great offers.

The offer has to perfectly suit your ideal

customer and follow this one rule:

Give more than what you ask for.

That’s the core secret that makes an offer

irresistible. If you can show that you’ll
give more value than what money you
ask for, then your offer becomes a no-
brainer.

You also have to understand the

difference between your creations and
their benefits.

What do you purchase when you buy a

smartphone?

You don’t purchase a smartphone

because of the electronic components
inside of it. You acquire a phone so you
can communicate with anyone and stay in
touch with your loved ones.

Apple really applies that key, as they

only advertise what you can do with the
phone and what benefits you’ll get out of
it.

You’ll be able to take fantastic photos,

stay up to date with social media, be part
of the « Apple community », to feel like
you belong to a higher social class, to
stay healthy, to be able to do anything
with apps, to be more productive, etc.

Do they focus on the product itself? Not

really. They focus on the benefits of the
purchase.

What are the benefits of your creations?

You don’t have to find twenty benefits,

you could even just find one and
highlight it.



Soothing paintings, uplifting songs,
mesmerizing photographs, etc.

What does someone feel when they

experience your creations?



Take those positive points and focus on
them with your marketing.

The two other secrets you can use to

create irresistible offers live within two
words:



1) Urgency

2) Scarcity

Once again, Apple uses that in their

marketing.



They only have a limited amount of
iPhones when they release them and
people know that they are going to be out
of stock soon. Apple fans pre-order their
iPhone before even seeing the actual
product working to be sure they will have
their hands on it!

There are lots of ways to introduce this

into your marketing…

Limited pricing:



The price is low for the first few and it
will go up as soon as a certain number is
reached. The first people to purchase
have a discounted price to entice them
not to wait.



Another way of doing this is to offer
something else when they are the first
ones to buy. Something of value they get
as an extra when they take action
immediately and don’t wait.

Limited quantities:



This works way better when your
creations are physical. If you provide a
digital product, it’s harder to believe that
the quantities are limited unless you’ve
decided so.



If you’ve created a very unique product -
like a painting for example - it’s easy to
use that scarcity in your marketing. Once
this piece is gone… it’s gone!



If someone is thinking about getting your
offer, they may decide to take action
sooner than later because they fear the
offer will not be there tomorrow.

Limited time:



All the best deals are available for a
limited time. They are exceptional and by
definition, they shouldn’t be the norm.
Some of your fans and buyers will wait for
these special deals. They will only take
action when they feel like they are
getting as much as possible for their
money.

You’ll have the best results when you can

use all three at once.
Here is another example:



If you release a book, you could promote
the fact that the first ones to grab it will
receive an exclusive merch item as a
bonus - or an exclusive secret chapter.
You’ve also only ordered 500 copies so
the quantities are very limited. You can
entice your fans to take action because,
in a few days, you’ll put the price up and
the bonus will be gone.

Some creators will feel hesitant about

using these strategies to market their art,
as it may not fit their vision.

As long as you keep thinking of it as a

game and driven with the concept of
spreading your art as much as you can,
you’ll see they are worth being used.



Most of the time, we need to be pushed a
little bit to take action. We want to do
something but need to justify it. Scarcity
and urgency give your ideal customer a
good reason to make a decision now (and
they will be more than happy they did in
the end too!).

You should also use these strategies to

reward your best fans- those who will be
the first to support you no matter what.

Create great offers with urgency and

scarcity and you’ll never worry about
selling your creations or services ever
again!
 SUMMARY OF PRACTICAL
ACTIONS TO TAKE

1) Get into the right mindset. Your art is

your business.

2) Figure out how many True Fans you

need

3) Craft your Magnetic Creator persona

4) Define who your Ideal Customer is

5) Create a Bait for your Ideal Customer

6) Define your Value Ladder

7) Create a funnel that guides your Ideal

Customer to the sale

8) Build your email list

9) Create irresistible offers for your fans

10) Stay in touch with your fans via emails

and present your offers to them
 WHAT’S NEXT?
Congratulations!



You’ve been through this whole book and
hopefully, the way you see marketing will
never be the same.

I’ve revealed the keys that you can use to

create wealth for yourself as an artist and
creator.



If you feel slightly overwhelmed, it’s
totally normal - I invite you to give this
book a second reading now that you have
the full picture.

The goal is for you to be able to create

every day, growing your influence and
spreading your message to the world.

This book is not for those who are looking

for overnight success.



It is for the Bright Creators, those who
believe they need to impact and change
the world to make it a better place.

If you are that person, the next step for

you now would be to implement all of
these elements into your marketing, and
even better, to automate everything so
you only need to set it up once and for.

Being able to travel, make art, spend

time with your family, enjoying a lazy
afternoon… without worrying about your
financial situation is something that is
achievable if you put the work into it first.

If you need help in implementing what

you’ve learned so far, I provide online
training that will show you step-by-step
how to do so.

Simply send us an email:

hello@brightcreators.com
We will help you find the training that
best fits your needs.

I hope to see you soon.

Your true fan,

Ylane Duparc