Welcome to a rare weekend edition of Huge Fan!
When I talk about fandom, I always start with the fans (and how I think they’re actually what creates the world and what generates the orbit’s momentum). But lately I’ve been spending a lot time interviewing, talking about, and reading on another piece of fandom: The Channel. A channel is a pathway that carries the center outward and invites fans to move closer…sometimes even create a two way street.
My Orbit of Huge Fandom framework. Read more about it here.
I notice both ends of a spectrum: people get so stressed about where to begin or they don’t think about it all.
“What email software is best?” “I’ll just do whatever ____ is doing.” “Where should I host my site?” “Maybe I’ll just do what’s easiest and fastest and cheapest.” “Should I join this new platform?” "How often should I publish?” “Am I picking this because of the dopamine hit?” “I think I’ll do this collab because it’s cool.” “Wait, did I just waste a lot of money and time…”
These are all questions and thoughts I hear and read all the time (both at work, in my own reading, and existing on the internet.
The truth is that channels matter because they influence your future. They decide what will feel easy and what will feel frustrating. They determine what you own and what you only rent. They set the tone for how your audience gathers, listens, and wanders.
But channels are never the heart of a fandom. They are never the reason someone becomes part of your orbit. Fans stay because of the feeling. The lore. The way you make meaning. The channel is simply the space where that meaning can travel.
That is why I want to start a short series for Huge Fan about finding the right channel for your orbit. I want to break down the different types of channels fan-havers use and explore what each one makes possible. I want to talk honestly about what they limit too. Not from a tactical, growth hack angle, but from the perspective of fandom and the ways people connect.
Some channels are built for fast hits of attention. Some are built for longform storytelling. Some are built for ownership. Some are built for discovery. Some are built for community. Some are built for control that is not yours. All of them come with a specific rhythm and a specific pull that you can either lean into or work against.
The real question is not which channel is best. The real question is which channel fits the shape of your center and the way your fans already behave. Where do they like to gather? How do they want to talk to each other? What feels natural for them when you are not in the room? The orbit is full of tiny signals if you slow down and pay attention.
In my own work with personality-driven brands, I see the same pattern over and over. People want to choose a channel before they understand their fandom. They choose the tool first and the meaning second. It should be the reverse. Understand the orbit, then choose the channel that can hold it.
So that is what I hope this series will explore. How channels become part of your world building, how to choose without panic, how to understand the cost of each choice, how to match the energy of your fans, and how to pick a place where your work can live, grow, and travel.
If the center is what people love, the channel is how that love moves. I’m excited to explore it together!
