Hello! I was wondering how to be successful and get followers on Patreon like you? I’ve had my Patreon for like about a couple months now and so far I don’t have any followers at all like should I give it more time or maybe improve on my art more? Also I’m sorry about asking you this I know it’s pathetic, but I’ve been trying on twitter and insta but I feel like I’m getting no where and if it feels uncomfortable or dumb to answer you don’t have to!! 😖
So I thought really hard about how to answer this, and I hope you don’t mind answering publicly because I’ve been asked similar in the past as well.
Got a bit long, so beneath a cut.
First off, please don’t think you’re pathetic. It’s hard, making art is hard, getting people to like art is harder, getting people to do anything with the art like reblog or comment is even harder, and getting people to PAY actually money is even harder than that. It’s easy to compare yourself to other creators and get frustrated, TRUST ME I do it constantly ^ ^; But since you asked me so sincerely, here’s my best attempt at giving you what I hope may be a useful answer/some insight into my own choices for how I feel about running Patreon.
Tbh, I honestly don’t think I’m the best person to answer about a “successful” Patreon as I too have had mine for less than half a year. I can hardly call it stable, and I’m constantly experimenting and adjusting things. There are also many, MANY other artists much more successful than I am, depending on what your scale is for “success” which I think really varies per person ^ ^;;;
I also feel that the way someone runs a Patreon and what it means to them (full time job, part time job, hobby, or just a donation option on the side for potential supporters) is also really important in determining what “success” is. I feel that the way I currently run my Patreon is, to be honest, not possible for anyone who has any other obligations/jobs. I usually draw an average 12-16 hours a day (balancing crash and burn comatose days with no sleep days), 7 days a week, lucky to have one day off in a month (and the times I can’t do that, like this month, I’ll provide alternative rewards). As a result I can usually churn out content daily, sometimes multiple times daily (unless the project is major). Just time investment-wise, this amount of content would not be feasible for anyone with other obligations, and it has nothing to do with skill (though pouring this much time into art hopefully means that I’m gaining some skill in the process ^ ^;)
I’ve mentioned this before when someone asked to compare Ko-Fi and Patreon, but I think for some creators, they’re treated very similarly as just a way for fans to financially support them, and Patreon is more stable and a monthly subscription, whereas Ko-Fi has less fees (at least prior to the new changes). And I think that’s a wonderful way for people to use Patreon, if that’s how they want! But I’ve also observed many creators who are FAR more famous than I am make significantly less than me, because their main content/merchandise is available elsewhere, and Patreon is just an alternative means of donation for people who want to do more. It is not uncommon at all for some Patreon creators to only post once a month or less, and sometimes, that’s enough for people to become patrons, because they’re here to support the creator, not get special content.
I personally feel that my own art/content/reputation whatever isn’t deserving of just donation support unless I’m giving back at least equivalent value in exclusive content made through solid work, heck I wouldn’t donate to myself lol. (Hence the running myself to the ground monthly whoops >.>;) To compare, while I got a bit more when I first started/was actively advertising it, nowadays I’m lucky to get one coffee through Ko-Fi every few months ^ ^; And y’know what that’s okay, I’m actually personally more comfortable giving back with Patreon, though of course my Ko-Fi is still available for donations if people feel they want to give.
I also think there’s also a difference between asking for strategies on how to get your already existing followers on public social media to become patrons, and how to increase your public fanbase consuming your free media in general. Currently, around 2% of my tumblr followers are my patrons on Patreon, which is honestly WAY WAY WAY more than I ever dreamed possible. There’s a lot out there to spend your money on, money’s tight for a lot of people, and people are used to receiving free creator content so it’s hard to convince people that of all the potential wonderful creator causes to support, YOU should be one of them. And I get it, and I’m humbled by the people who come by to my Patreon ;_;
For me, the way I try to sell myself is by creating consistent, constant, hyper-specific content. I KNOW I have a super niche fanbase, and I’m specifically targeting y’all, because that’s what I personally enjoy but also because I like offering something different. I think that even within just drawing YOI, drawing for popular ships is obviously going to appeal to a LOT more people, I KNOW this. But at the same time, a lot of other creators will be providing similar content so there’s more competition. Now, if you want Yuuri-centric multi-shipping, poly-shipping, rare pairs, constant moreTPs, A/B/O, mpreg, world-building, and OC babies all combined, there’s slightly fewer people who offer that, and I’m one of those people ^ ^;
Also, posting a significant amount of content that isn’t available publicly. For me, the big breakthrough was the NSFW. I didn’t initially mean to draw this much NSFW, but apparently people want to see it, and I enjoy drawing it (as mild as my comfort zones tend to be), and if it lures people on, maybe I can get them to enjoy my other content too ^ ^; But let’s be fully honest, the vast majority of my patrons probably joined so they could see the porn, which I’ve been very clear will never be public. And again, given how rare my ships are and how specific my AU content is, if you want to see this stuff, you’re not gonna be getting it anywhere else so come take a look–is sorta how I hope I’m selling it? ^ ^;
As for how you know when you’re ready? I again think that depends on you. I’ve had people asking me to open a Patreon since it became an option, but I didn’t think I personally was creating the type of content I’d be comfortable taking money for. I didn’t think I was ready when I was in BH6, and I didn’t think I was ready when I was in SW either. But during all of these fandoms, one thing that I WAS training myself to do was post constantly, consistently, rarely if ever taking a break, and if I didn’t post one week, it was because I was planning something major. That ramped up even more for YOI, and it was only after creating like this for years and getting to the point where I needed a form of income through art or stop pouring so much time into it that I decided to try Patreon, already having proven to myself that I can maintain creating constant content. This is for me, and again I went into it hoping to make it full time. You may not need to post as rigorously for your purposes, and that’s fine too. And maybe for you, just making your Patreon and slowly growing your fanbase from there is the right way. We’re different people and different artists so it’s completely understandable if your path is very different from mine ^ ^;
Sorry this got long and may not have provided a direct answer, but I hope it was a helpful reference in some way ^ ^;
