The Inside Out Model is the framework behind how Openstage is built and how the most successful artists on the platform grow their fanbases. It is a three-step approach that shifts the focus from chasing attention to owning the fan relationship.
For the full interactive playbook, see The Inside Out Playbook.
The old way
For the last decade, artists have been forced to build from the outside in - chasing attention on every platform, creating for the algorithm, and hoping some of it trickles down into real fans. Even when it works, you don’t know who your fans are, you can’t see what actually converted, and every campaign resets instead of building on the last.
The Inside Out Model
Growth is not just about reaching more people. It is about turning more of those people into fans, and giving those fans reasons to care more, participate, and come back.
Fanbase value = More fans × Deeper fandom
The strongest growth starts with the fans who care the most. Give them reasons to go deeper, and let that passion become visible to everyone watching.
Step 1 - Build your world
Create a place you own where fans can join, participate, return, and go deeper. Fan HQ brings your fan relationships, content, and direct channels together as one connected fan platform.
Make it look and feel like you - set up your Brand Kit with your colors, fonts, and artwork. See Configure a Brand Kit.
Give fans something to find - add your music, tour dates, merch, and Posts so fans have reasons to explore. See Build Your World: Music, Merch and Tour.
Let fans join as members - configure your Join block and tell fans what to expect. See Build your Fan HQ.
Give every member a Fan Pass - design and publish your Fan Pass so it is ready for your welcome email. See Fan Pass and Memberships.
Onboard fans into your world - review your onboarding flow, welcome email, and welcome Post. See Onboard Your Fans.
Make it your front door - publish your Fan HQ and use it as your website, link-in-bio, or wherever you currently send fans.
Step 2 - Bring people into it
Bring in the fans you already have and give new ones a way to join, so you know who your fans are and how much they care.
Import the fans you already have - bring in your mailing list, text list, and sales data, and tag each import so you know where every fan came from. See Import Fan Data.
Connect your ecosystem - connect your merch store, ticketing, and events integrations so data comes in automatically. See Connect Your Merch Store and Bandsintown Fan Sync.
Acquire new fans - share your Fan HQ link everywhere you send fans. Use Landing Pages for each campaign moment - a pre-save, a listen, a vote. Use Instagram Auto DMs to send a sign-up link when a fan comments or messages you. See Create a Landing Page and Instagram Auto DMs.
Learn more about every fan - every stream, click, purchase, and join builds the fan profile. Open a fan profile to see who a fan is and everything they have done with you. Use polls to ask fans directly. Build audiences by what they do. See View a Fan Profile and Build an Audience.
Step 3 - Put your fans first
Use what you know to deliver better experiences that bring fans deeper and drive fan-led growth. Every time you have something new - a single, a tour, a merch drop, an update - run the same three beats:
Start with your fans - create a Post and give your fans access first. Gate it so they get there before anyone else.
Bring them in - let fans listen, watch, react, comment, and vote inside your world. Reply from your artist account. Fans notice when artists notice.
Make it bigger - open it to everyone. New visitors see what your fans are already doing and are invited to join.
How it runs in practice
A new single - gate the Post so members hear it first. Fans listen, react, and comment. Open it to everyone. New listeners join to hear it. You released a single and built your fanbase at the same time.
A merch drop - give fans early access or a special product. Let them vote on the design. Open the drop publicly. Buying becomes another expression of fandom you can recognize later.
A tour on-sale - run a Ticket Unlock that verifies real fans and gives priority to the ones who care most. Fans come through your world to unlock access. Open the general on-sale and invite new fans to join for next time.
Always on
Some moments do not need a launch. Set up your welcome automation, birthday message, and post-show thank-you once, and they keep putting fans first for you.
Why it works
When fans see they matter, fandom deepens. They return, participate, and advocate.
When that passion becomes visible, it signals to everyone watching that something real is happening.
New fans do not just follow - they want to join.
Overdeliver for the few. Attract the many. That is Fan-Led Growth.