May 24, 2025

Reader question re: What if my target market is broke?

Fellow list member Mike wrote with a question about what to if the people you want to help are broke:

Hi Jonathan,

Just came across your blog post and read it with enjoyment and inspiration.

One particular element stood out to me. You said:

“So if you can, pick a buyer who you deeply care about helping, and then figure out what they need help with. And don’t worry if they are broke. There are simple ways around that.”

I’m originally a musician, but have moved into web development and marketing in order to make a living. I’m interested in helping other musicians with these services, as well as with online courses on music and marketing for musicians, but I’m a little concerned because this population is frequently, in fact, broke.

Would you have a minute to expand on your quote above, or to link me to something you’ve already written on the subject? I’d be very grateful.

Thx! Mike

Classic question!

First off, not all musicians are broke.

You can probably think of dozens off the top of your head.

There are also aging ex-musicians like me who have a good amount of money to spend on what is now a hobby.

But, okay...

What could you do if you specifically want to help the “starving artist” variety of musicians?

Ask this group what problem they are struggling with
Find out how much they would gladly spend to solve this problem
Offer them something at this price in a format that is profitable to you

For a group like starving musicians, it’d probably be an infoproduct that helps them with a DIY solution.

Yours,

—J