245: Why Your Audience Isn’t Buying
If your audience loves your content but rarely buys, you may be missing an important piece in the retain stage.
Over the last few episodes, I have been walking you through my Creator’s Growth Flywheel and what has changed in 2025 for digital product businesses.
Funnels are not working the way they used to, consistency alone is no longer enough, and in an AI saturated market, trust matters more than ever.
In this episode, I am diving into one of the most critical and most overlooked stages of the flywheel.
The retain stage.
This is the stage that determines whether all your hard work turns into real revenue or quietly disappears.
I break down why so many online business owners are nurturing an engaged audience that never actually converts and why it is not because your offer is bad, you are inconsistent, or your funnels are “broken”.
The real problem is that your audience does not know what comes next with you.
I will help you see how the retain stage becomes the connective tissue between your content, your conversion, and your recurring revenue so your people stop staying stuck at “fan” status and start becoming long term buyers.
What You’ll Learn:
Why people love your content but still do not buy
The real role of the retain stage in your growth flywheel
How missing “next steps” keep your audience stuck at the fan level
What changes in your business when retain is finally fixed
How retention drives stability, predictability, and recurring revenue
Why you are not missing talent or work ethic. You are missing a system
A simple next step to diagnose whether retain is your true bottleneck
When you get the retain stage right, every new lead you attract has a clear path to stay in your world, get a deeper transformation, and become a long term customer.
I want you to know that you are closer than you think. Your audience already trusts you, your message matters.
Now it is time to connect that trust to a clear transformation and next step.
Tune into this episode to see where your flywheel may be breaking down and how to start fixing it today.
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Welcome & Introduction
Welcome to the Creator’s MBA Podcast. Your go to resource for mastering the art and science of digital product entrepreneurship. My name is Dr. Destini Copp and I help business owners generate consistent revenue from their digital product business without needing to be glued to their desk, constantly live launching, or worrying about social media algorithms.
I hope you enjoy today’s episode.
[00:00:25] Series Context & What’s Changed in 2025
Hi there. Dr. Destini Copp here, and welcome back to the Creator’s MBA Podcast. We are in the middle of the Creator’s Growth Flywheel Series. Over the last few episodes, I have talked about what has changed in 2025. Why funnels are not working the way they used to, and why consistency alone is no longer enough, especially in an AI saturated market where trust matters more than ever.
[00:01:00] Introducing the Retain Stage
Today I am talking about one of the most important stages of the growth flywheel. The retain stage. This is the stage that determines whether all your hard work actually turns into revenue or disappears into thin air. It is also one of the biggest reasons business owners stay stuck at the same revenue level year after year.
[00:01:25] The Real Problem: Your Audience Doesn’t Know What Comes Next
A lot of online business owners are doing so many things right. You are creating great content. You are nurturing your audience. You are building trust. People respond and say things like, “You really got me with that” or “I feel so seen.”
And yet. people are not buying. They are not upgrading. They are not becoming repeat customers. They are not moving forward in their customer journey with you.
You might be tempted to think:
“My offer must be wrong.”
“I am not consistent enough.”
“My funnel is broken.”
But here is the real reason.
Your audience does not know what comes next.
Not because your offer is bad. Not because you are inconsistent. Not because you are doing anything wrong.
It is because the retain stage—the connective tissue between your content, your conversion, and your recurring revenue—is not in place yet.
[00:02:30] Your Audience Won’t Decode Your Business Model
Some business owners assume that if people like their content, of course they will know how to work with them. They will know how to buy. They will know where to go next.
But the truth is. they don’t.
Your audience is not sitting around trying to decode your business model. They are waiting for you to lead.
When the retain stage is missing, here is exactly what happens.
People love your content. They trust you. They relate to you. They feel seen.
You’ve done everything right there.
But they have no idea:
What result you help them achieve
What transformation you deliver
What offer ties everything together
What step they should take next
How they can deepen the work with you
So they stay stuck at the fan level instead of becoming a buyer.
Not because they don’t want what you have. but because they don’t know that you have it.
[00:03:45] What Retain Really Means
Let’s talk about what retain really is and why it matters so much in 2025 and beyond.
Retaining people is not about delighting them with bonuses. It is not about giving them more free stuff or more tutorials. It is not about being endlessly helpful.
Retain is the moment when someone says:
“I want to stay in your world. I want the deeper transformation. and I am willing to pay for it.”
Retention is what drives stability in your business.
It drives predictability.
It drives recurring revenue.
Retention turns “a good month” into a stable, sustainable business model.
[00:04:30] Why a Strong Retain Stage Changes Everything
When your retain stage is strong, every new lead you attract through the attract, engage, and nurture stages compounds.
Those people stay.
They become buyers.
When retain is weak, your business becomes one long exhausting game of chasing new people and trying to constantly replace them.
So let’s talk about what changes when you fix your retain stage.
[00:05:00] What Shifts When Retain Is Working
Here is what shifts when your retain stage is truly in place:
People finally understand your transformation. They know exactly how you help them.
Your unique value becomes obvious. They know why they should work with you and not anyone else.
Your content connects directly to your offer. The path from free content to paid transformation is clear.
People act faster. Your conversions rise because the next step is obvious.
Repeat purchases increase. Buyers know where they’re going next with you.
Long term loyalty begins to build naturally.
And then the next stage of the flywheel—advocacy—starts to activate on its own.
This is the moment when business owners go from “Why isn’t this working?” to “Now I get it. Everything makes sense.”
This is when the flywheel finally starts spinning for real.
[00:06:20] You Are Not Missing Talent or Work Ethic
Here is what I want you to hear today. If you take nothing else away from this.
You are not missing talent.
You are not missing work ethic.
I know how hard you work.
You are not missing ability.
You are missing a system.
And systems can be fixed.
You are closer than you think because your audience already trusts you. Your content already resonates. And your message truly matters.
Now it is time to connect that trust to a clear transformation and a clear next step so your audience knows exactly how to move forward with you.
[00:07:10] Your Next Step: Diagnose Your Growth Flywheel
Before we continue in this series, take a moment to diagnose your own growth flywheel so you are not guessing where your system is breaking down.
You can run a free five minute diagnostic with Sloan at destinycopp.com/sloan.
She will show you whether the retain stage is your true bottleneck or whether your biggest opportunity is earlier in the journey.
[00:07:40] The Creator’s MBA Lab
I am also opening the doors to the Creator’s MBA Lab. If all of this makes sense and you know you need help implementing it, I want you to check it out.
Head to the page. The link is in the show notes.
If you have any questions, use the VideoAsk at the bottom of the page to send me a video or a text message. I am happy to help.
[00:08:05] Closing
Thanks for listening all the way to the end. I hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you love the show, I would appreciate a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast platform.
Have a great rest of your day, and bye for now.