Comedians struggle to build email lists because they lack a compelling incentive. Punch Up provides this "carrot" by gating exclusive video content. This mimics the e-commerce strategy of offering a discount for an email, effectively trading content for direct audience access.

While competitors tried to build a social network and a recording tool simultaneously, Metal focused exclusively on creating the best video capture tool. By solving a critical user pain point first, they achieved massive scale (tens of millions of users), which they then leveraged to bootstrap a thriving social network on top of existing user behavior.

Instead of centralizing all content on one brand account, ClickUp creates an ecosystem of pages like "ClickUp Comedy" and "ClickUp Memes." These niche accounts build their own dedicated audiences and can grow faster than the main brand page, creating multiple entry points into the ClickUp universe.

Building a social media audience is poor advice for SaaS founders. An audience offers passive reach (retweets), while a network of deep, two-way relationships provides true leverage (customer introductions, key hires, strategic advice). Time is better spent cultivating a network than chasing followers.

Reverse the traditional startup model by first building an audience with compelling content. Then, nurture that audience into a community. Finally, develop a product that solves the community's specific, identified needs. This framework significantly increases the probability of finding product-market fit.

Instead of creating everything from scratch, Klue's Compete Network began by aggregating content and partnering with existing thought leaders. They provided the production 'plumbing,' allowing creators to focus on their expertise, which accelerated the network's growth and value.

A comedian used Punch Up for an early special release, collecting thousands of emails. When the special launched on YouTube, he emailed this dedicated list to drive a massive wave of initial views, giving the video an algorithmic "pop" that boosted its overall performance.

The 'build an audience first, then monetize' strategy is a trap for SaaS founders. This model is only viable for massively funded companies like HubSpot. Bootstrappers should focus on solving a problem directly, not on the long, resource-intensive path of building a media arm with uncertain monetization.

To expand beyond its core market, OnlyFans avoids risky big bets on established creators. Instead, it uses a deliberate incubator model, tested with comedy. By creating and promoting a touring show on its free OFTV platform, it builds a new creator ecosystem from the ground up before committing to a full-scale launch.