All month I’m exploring the channels that shape a fandom. Here’s a quick recap:
I’ve already written about the Discovery Channel which is where people first wander into your fandom. Last week I wrote about the Ownership Channel where your world can live with stability.
This week we’ll be discussing the Intimacy Channels!
Next week I’ll cover Community Channels (where fans create meaning together).
Fandom doesn’t deepen just because someone can find you or return to your work/website/social profile. It deepens when the distance between you and your fans begins to close.
That is where intimacy channels come in!!
Intimacy channels are not about scale or reach. They are about proximity. They’re the spaces where the relationship shifts from audience to participant. It’s where someone feels seen, addressed, or included rather than simply counted.
Can you think of the last time you felt this way as a fan? It’s special! I read a lot about deep listening and the gift that is presence. I think it’s so important that I declared it a top value at my agency. So it makes sense that this channel is my favorite.
What even is an Intimacy Channel??
When I say Intimacy Channel, I mean the spaces designed for closeness. These are not usually public or wide. They are smaller and more personal by nature.
Intimacy channels can look like:
A small, segmented email list
A private Substack chat or comments thread
Direct messages
Close Friends lists
Member only posts or podcasts with a call-in line
Small group calls, AMAs, or office hours
Paid memberships that offer access, not just content
It doesn’t really matter the mechanism in which these are conducted. It’s more about the feeling. Intimacy channels collapse distance. They create the sense that you are speaking to someone, not performing for many people at once.
In the Orbit of Huge Fandom, I picture this channel being a bit of a two way street. Fans and the center can exchange ideas, feedback, or communication. It’s not always “open” but there are clear paths.
Here’s a quick visual below. We’re still in the channels (pink) but there’s a mechanism for a fan to communicate and for the center of the fandom to say something back. Maybe not personally every time but if you’re building a fandom…you probably should.
What intimacy makes possible
Intimacy channels change how people relate to you and what you create. I believe they make space for slower attention and deeper emotional connection.
They allow you to:
Speak in a more human, unguarded voice
Share context, process, and nuance (if you’ve ever read about context collapse then you understand how important the Intimacy Channel is vs Discovery aka the whole internet)
Create rituals that feel personal rather than performative
Respond to people with personalized messages instead of broadcasting at them
Let fans feel recognized, not anonymous
Build trust over time
This is often where fans begin to share themselves back with you. When that happens, start making note of their stories, interpretations, assumptions, and emotional connection to you and what you’re building.
I feel strongly that this exchange is a turning point in any fandom.
Where I see people misunderstanding this channel
Many people try to force intimacy at scale or try to manufacture closeness inside discovery platforms. They try to be personal in spaces that reward performance or virality. What’s the opposite of intimate? Probably viral.
This usually leads to exhaustion!
Intimacy cannot be rushed or automated in the same way discovery can. It requires presence and boundaries and knowing how much access you actually want to offer.
Intimacy channels are powerful because they are limited. Not everyone belongs in the inner circle of a world, and that is okay.
Also! Intimacy is not the same as community!
This part is really really really important.
Intimacy channels are about your relationship with your fans. Community channels are about fans relating to each other (we’re going to talk about that next Tuesday). Those are different energies and different responsibilities.
And the other big thing? Intimacy depends on you being present. Community eventually does not.
Confusing the two can lead to burnout or disappointment. They are connected, but they are not interchangeable.
My final question(s) for you…
How close do you actually want to be to your fans? And what kind of space would allow that closeness to feel sustainable, mutual, and real?
Next week, we will move into community channels. These are the spaces where fans begin creating meaning together and where the orbit starts to sustain itself beyond you!
