Build Once, Profit Forever (The ACP Framework)

Greg Isenberg 3/17/2025

By Greg Isenberg, featuring Jonathan Courtney (J Icecream)

In this insightful episode, Greg Isenberg is joined by Jonathan Courtney to discuss a proven framework for building an audience in 2025. Drawing from Greg’s 15 years of experience and Jonathan’s expertise, they share a detailed four-step playbook designed to help creators and entrepreneurs grow their audience strategically, sustainably, and with confidence.

For additional context and resources, check out Greg’s guide on How to Build an Audience in 2025.

The ACP Framework: Your Foundation
Step 1: Identify Who You're Creating For
Step 2: Find Your Format
Step 3: Build Systems That Stick
Step 4: Pick ONE Primary Goal
Where to Begin? The Reply Guy Strategy
Why Building an Audience Matters
Additional Resources and Social Links

The ACP Framework: Your Foundation

Greg introduces the ACP Framework, the cornerstone of his approach to audience building:

A = Audience
People passionate about your niche or topic, often underserved in some way.
C = Community
Your hardcore followers who engage deeply and support you.
P = Product
What you sell to your audience and community.

Key Insight: Start with the audience first, then build the community, and finally develop your product.

Greg emphasizes that an audience-first approach provides options and confidence when launching products. Unlike the product-first approach, which may work for well-funded startups with years to burn, bootstrapped creators benefit from cultivating an audience first. This approach helps avoid the soul-crushing experience of launching a product that no one uses.

“The audience first approach gives you so many options, also gives you so much confidence when you release something and people actually use it.” - Jonathan Courtney

Step 1: Identify Who You're Creating For

Creating content without a clear target is ineffective. Greg advises being strategic:

Focus on people interested in your specific niche.
Understand what they are NOT getting from other creators.
Find your unique “sauce” - your special value or angle. Greg shares all his startup ideas openly as his sauce.
If you’re not getting engagement, consider starting one level broader than your niche to build reach before specializing.

Example from Jonathan’s Company

Jonathan’s company initially wanted to be known for design sprints, but since the topic was too niche and not popular enough, they started creating broader UX design content. This broader approach helped them build an audience that they could later funnel toward their core offering.

Step 2: Find Your Format

Your format is how you deliver your content. This step is crucial but often overlooked.

Test one format each business day.
Explore formats outside your niche to avoid saturated spaces.
Consider what’s working platform-wide (e.g., short-form video is dominant in 2025).
Focus on what feels natural and enjoyable to ensure consistency.
Test formats for 90 days and let data guide your decisions.

Important: Formats have lifecycles. What works today might not work in six months, so stay adaptable.

What is a Format?

Examples include:
- One-line philosophical tweets (like Naval Ravikant).
- Long-form detailed posts (like Greg’s style).
- Short-form videos.
- Memes or images.

Choose a format that fits your style and niche, then double down on what resonates.

Step 3: Build Systems That Stick

The difference between creators who quit and those who succeed is systems.

System Components:

Creative Faucet Routine: Identify what sparks your creativity (e.g., starting a fresh account, attending events, going for walks).
Ideas Capture System: Use simple tools (Greg uses Apple Notes) to jot down ideas anytime.
Scheduled Content Creation: Dedicate weekly time to turn ideas into content (tweets, newsletters, videos).
Strategic Timing: Post when your audience is most active and when topics are relevant. Avoid posting at odd hours or outdated topics.

Posting with strategy increases the likelihood of success and consistency.

Step 4: Pick ONE Primary Goal

Avoid spreading yourself too thin.

Choose one primary metric to focus on (e.g., 100K followers, 25K email subscribers, $1M in sales).
Measure your formats’ effectiveness against this goal every 90 days.
Optimize for your goal, not vanity metrics like follower count alone.
Remember, attention is scarce - build it as a valuable asset.

The best advice: Just start. Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis.

Where to Begin? The Reply Guy Strategy

If you feel overwhelmed, start as a “reply guy” on platforms like X (formerly Twitter):

Less pressure than posting original content on your own profile.
Allows you to experiment with formats.
Builds connections with established creators.
Builds confidence before you start posting solo content.

This approach helps you gain momentum and dopamine hits from engagement, which encourages consistency.

Why Building an Audience Matters

An audience acts as an insurance policy for your career and business:

Provides clarity about your niche and what your audience wants.
Creates a pool of potential customers or users.
Opens job opportunities during economic downturns.
Enables monetization when needed, offering financial and creative freedom.

“I think the number one reason why anyone should create an audience is to have something to fall back on, period. It’s like an insurance policy.” - Greg Isenberg

Additional Insights

Even a small audience can generate meaningful revenue. Jonathan shared how a tiny blog audience of 2,000 people enabled a $7,000 event.
Your unique voice and personality differentiate you, even in crowded niches.
Originality often comes from imperfectly copying others and adding your personal twist.
Building an audience compounds over time like index funds - dividends grow slowly but steadily.

Additional Resources and Social Links

Free Startup Ideas Database

Greg collects and shares startup ideas that mostly cost $0 to start:
https://www.gregisenberg.com/30startupideas

Agencies and Services

Late Checkout Agency (AI, apps, next-gen products): https://latecheckout.agency/
BoringAds (profitable ad campaigns): http://boringads.com/
BoringMarketing (SEO agency and tools): http://boringmarketing.com/
Startup Empire (membership for builders): https://www.startupempire.co

Follow Greg Isenberg

X/Twitter: @gregisenberg
Instagram: @gregisenberg
LinkedIn: Greg Isenberg

Follow Jonathan Courtney

X/Twitter: @Jicecream
LinkedIn: Jonathan Courtney
AJ&Smart: https://ajsmart.com/

Notable Quotes

“The audience first approach gives you so many options, also gives you so much confidence when you release something and people actually use it.” - Jonathan Courtney

“I think the number one reason why anyone should create an audience is to have something to fall back on, period. It’s like an insurance policy.” - Greg Isenberg

“Formats have lifecycles. What works today might not work in six months, so always be reinventing yourself.” - Greg Isenberg

“Originality is often just imperfectly copying others and adding your own personality.” - Jonathan Courtney

This article faithfully captures the insights from Greg Isenberg’s video “Build Once, Profit Forever (The ACP Framework)” featuring Jonathan Courtney, providing a clear, actionable guide to building an audience in 2025.