Read Time: 2 min 14 secs

Hey — Ryan To here.

In today’s edition we’ll be covering:

Last week we talked about finding your ideal customer profile (ICP)….

And you guys loved it

But today’s newsletter is about what comes next:

Now that you’ve figured out who to make content for…

You need to craft the right audience relationship

Aka - the type of relationship you want to build with your viewer

While most brands overlook this, it’s the key to monetizing, long-term loyalty, and trust

It’s the same principle @alexlieb, @scotthoho and @danieldalen have used to build brands worth millions

Let’s talk about it:

Different monetization paths require different types of trust…

So before you go all-in on an audience archetype, work backwards from your monetization strategy

Ask yourself one simple question:

What do you want to sell?

It could be B2C products, B2B software, Coaching / Communities, or anything else

Let’s cover strategies + examples for each…

Imagine you’re thinking about trying a new snack, skincare product, or app

Would you rather trust the opinion of your teacher or you best friend?

Probably your best friend

So if you’re monetizing through consumer products, utilize best friend and older sibling archetypes

Check out this video by @allegraiim that gives off ‘best friend’ energy

Or this one by @armaant who feels like an aspirational older sibling:

Another great example is @garbo.zhu who built a six-figure pottery business in less than a year with these strategies

Check out a full case study breaking down her strategy here

In this case, potential buyers are more interested in what value you can provide to them

So focus on educating through niche industries

The best archetype here is the teacher

Check out @tenex_labs by @alexlieb, who focus on AI education

Or @brycent who educates on the startup industry

Last but not least…

For coaching or paid communities, follow the mentor archetype

Check out @scotthoho who feels like a mentor and sells fitness coaching

And @danieldalen who’s content feels like a mentor giving you life advice

This one got 1M+ views:

So if you want to build the right audience relationship that to monetize your brand…

Follow these 3 steps:

Define how you want to make money, whether it’s B2C, B2B, coaching, communities, or something else

Ask yourself, what would make your ICP want to buy the products you’re selling?

Reference the archetypes from above, to see what fits your monetization strategy

Hope your 2026 is off to a great start ❤️