See It From the Audience's Perspective

Lucas J. W. Johnson is a freelance writer from Vancouver, BC with a special interest in transmedia storytelling.

On Dec. 14th, 2011, social media consultant Monica Hamburg posted an interview with Lucas J. W. Johnson on her blog.

Together Lucas J. W. Johnson and Monica Hamburg do a great job of summing up how to create spreadable media (content that is easily shared among friends in a networked world).

The secrets to making "entertainment [that] becomes a gift — let me bring you into this new world, let me give you this experience by sharing it?"

"1) listen to your audience, engage with them directly, build loyalty;
2) give a big chunk of your work away for free, especially if you’re working on IP that isn’t already a blockbuster success, to get people in the doors;
3) don’t be afraid to pimp yourself, just don’t be an ass about it;
4) experiment, try new things, know that you’re going to fail — but get back on the horse, iterate, move forward; genuinely be a good and honest and open person — people like that.
5) Finally, do something with your work — be aspirational, be inspirational, be a force for good; you’re asking a lot of people for a lot of attention and potentially a lot of money — to do anything else is irresponsible."

Thanks to Simon Pulman for the link.