I Need Your Help With My Outcasts Patreon

[cm855844]

Hi everyone! As many of you know (either through me promoting my webcomic, Outcasts, or by reading my webcomic) I currently have a Patreon going for my action/adventure-fantasy webcomic, Outcasts. However, I'm having a tough time lately reaching people when it comes to asking my fans to join my Patreon. It's not like my webcomic isn't popular across Tapas (quite the opposite, in fact!) and other webcomic hosting platforms, but I'm running out of ideas of what to do when it comes to getting my first Patrons.

If any of you have been in the same situation as me regarding Patreon and have some tips, please let me know by replying to this thread. Any help or advice is much appreciated.

Also, here's the link to the Outcasts Patreon if you want to check it out. But please, only become a Patron if you want to. Most of my posts on my Patreon are public, so you can see behind-the-scenes content regardless of if you're a Patron or not. The two tiers and benefits that I currently have are listed below and both have a 7-day free trial:

• Fire Power ($4/month):

-Read Outcasts comic pages up to 2 weeks before they're released on Webtoon & Tapas!

-Behind-the-scenes content (showing how I make my comics & digital art)!

-Special direct fan requests & exclusive voting power on polls!

-Exclusive access to Q&As with me, Outcasts' creator, artist & author!

• Rebel with a Cause ($6/month):

*Join the Outcasts Mail Club! Get 2-3 pieces of custom merchandise straight from the Outcasts creator every month! Merch includes:

• Custom glossy vinyl stickers

• Custom acrylic charms

• Custom button pins

(All previous rewards are also included!)

Please support me if you are able; it would mean a lot.

Patreon Link: patreon.com/Outcasts981

Keep creating and until next time,
Cookcakez357

[Nugtown]

I have a hard time believing what you're saying, and it's not because you don't have big number or because of your art, but because you don't seem to know how to market yourself yet.
Over the last year i've come to learn some things about self marketing. A lot of people including myself don't want to completely cater their art to a point where the appeal is universal but also disgustingly generic, the sad fact of the matter is certain genres, styles and subjects are popular for good reason. You can call them generic, overdone or boring, but people like them. For example, cats. Who hates cats? they're cute. But they're EVERYWHERE. Everyone loves them.

Your shop has three things, all of them are from your original story. That's great, but you're going to have a difficult time selling them on that point when so many people are unfamiliar with your story and characters. To sell something, you have to hook people in with familiarity. Fan art is a route many will suggest, but it's not the only way. Just think about things all people could love without needing too much context. You can even still make it about your story, and you could even structure it in a way that gets people interested so long as you frame it with something more familiar.

[cm855844]

That's great advice! Thank you so much! If you have any ideas that could help me with marketing, please let me know! (Still getting my feet wet with this whole 'promoting' thing, ya know? )

[Nugtown]

I know something pretty important is just learning your demographic, or who your readers are. Find what you have in common with that demographic and steer your art towards it. But, ambitions of selling (patreon, merch sales) are putting the cart before the horse.
It's just too soon for it. From what I observe, you haven't been publishing for very long. Focus on creating, first and just enjoy doing it.

I have been putting ludicrious amounts of work for something I basically don't see any return on. Some people consider it criminal, i've gotten reactions across the spectrum for being a nearly free working professional artist from supportive to people actually calling me insane or stupid. It's brutal, but I love what I do, so I can continue drawing comics and publishing them even when barely anyone even knows it exists.

Grow your passion, just love drawing and creating and storytelling... otherwise, you're going to get very disillusioned, upset when things aren't working, and likely stop and forget about it all.

[Katzalcoatl]

I will be tough with my answer but honest. So prepare yourself a bit.

You are just getting started. I will only speak of your tapas stats since I only know those.

You have only 12 pages. With only 45 subs. You can't expect to get any patreons yet.
Consider this when you create any comic/novel you get many views and likes out of which only a few of them subscribe. Now from a similar amount of subs only a few will become a patron.

That is completely normal. Very few subs like to become patrons.

To increase the chances of a sub becoming a patron you have to self promote while letting them know the benefits of supporting you.

There is a section for adds when you upload a comic or a novel in tapas. You have to use that section to self promote your patron cleverly.

[ILGOART]

While I think Nugtown offers great insight, and encouraging words - there is one point where I would go bit deeper with the train of thought.

..."ambitions of selling (patreon, merch sales) are putting the cart before the horse." - Nugtown

I think you should continue to have your Patreon. Ambition to sell and make money out of craft you love doesn't make it "putting the cart before the horse" as itself. Where people tend to go wrong is to put it as number one thing to aim at.

So many of us have that as a main dream - get paid to do what we love. But that goal is huge - a massive milestone. Before that you need to take many little steps. All steps will be taken - none skipped.

Prior to achieving first Patreon member, you have other steps to be taken. Get readers, have them care and engage with your comic.

And that requires the base foundation of it all - you have shown to be able to update it at the pace you have yourself decided. Consistently. I checked Outcasts, and within 12 episodes you have changed your publishing pace twice. Try to find what you can keep up with, and really stick to it.

Wish you all the best.

edit// like Katzalcoatl says, it takes time and very few will support with money.

[Nugtown]

By all means if they would prefer to keep the patreon page up and merchandise I have no qualms. I also never said to take it down. But you essentially just rephrased what I said: in order to get sales, you need people who are interested. Few people are interested yet there is a product up for sale (the cart) and no consumers (horses). Focus on the work and people will come.