What are (would be) your supporter rewards?

[fanyart]

If you are or want to be a Support Creator, what are your supporter perks and milestone rewards?

Which of them do you find people are interested in the most?

And how do you go about them? Do you prefer digital stuff or do you ship anywhere in the world? If digital, where, do you post it - dropbox, wall, personal website with password, another comic series only for supporters?

I'm new to the support program (and overall don't know much about business like this) and I believe other Support Creators would be happy to find inspiration here, so please share your ideas!

As for me, for milestone rewards I have thought up:

• wallpaper download
• download of a digital set of bookmarks for printing
• digital file of an image from my gallery for printing
• episode about supporter's favorite animal
• digital painting

supporter perks
I have most problems with this as I don't want to have permanently locked content as I know some people just can't support with money.
I believed that an early access to episodes would be the best perk for supporters but the thing still doesn't work the way it would be ideal (a locked episode even after unlocking is stripped of the chances to show up in the FRESH and DAILY FEED where I think most new readers come from, which is a real concern for me).

What about you?

[ghostnxs]

A good comic being free is all I need to support it so I don't really know what I would offer. Even the comics I really love I don't want the rewards for I just want the story everything else is well unnecessary. I guess I'm just weird.

[AnnaLandin]

I don't use Tapastic's Support Program (not enough followers yet), but I do run a Patreon for my comic, and it's a fairly similar idea. Patreon does not offer accumulative rewards (i.e: milestone rewards) - the milestones on the lefthand side are entirely optional, and are not individualised - but otherwise it's pretty much the same thing.

$1-backers get my eternal gratitude and a warm, glowy feeling of having helped me out a bit.

Backers on the $3-tier get full access to my Patreon-posts - they get the early-access pages (backers are always two pages ahead of regular readers) and my weekly sketchposts/sneak peaks on projects. Right now, that means they're getting to look at excerpts from a comic I'm doing as a sideproject, as well as sneaky previews of my submission to the Enough Space for Everyone Else-anthology, WIPs of a poster I'm making, etc., etc.

Backers on the $5-tier get all of that, and hi-res PDFs of all of my short comics/older comics projects - which amounts to about 350+ pages of comics, a lot of which is in full colour, some of which is only available via Patreon or Gumroad. All of the comics contain extra bonus content such as concept-sketches, fictional alphabets, cover-drafts and design-notes

10$-backers get all of the above, and will also get hi-res PDFs Grassblades-chapters as they wrap up - which will also come with bonus content.

All backers get automatic access to stuff I otherwise would only make available via Gumroad - such as the aforementioned comics-PDFs, or sketchbooks and such. I am also planning on making Patreon-exclusive comics in the future, probably Grassblades-related.

When I reach the subscriber-limit to qualify for the Support program, I'm strongly considering encouraging people to donate via Patreon instead. Locked episodes here on Tapastic seems to bother people - and as you said, there's the issue with unlocked episodes not showing up in Fresh, etc - and honestly, I need fewer places to keep track of online, not more! XD

[fanyart]

A good comic being free is all I need to support it so I don't really know what I would offer. Even the comics I really love I don't want the rewards for I just want the story everything else is well unnecessary. I guess I'm just weird.

You're not weird, actually I have seen several people with the same opinion (there was even a thread about caring about rewards).

Backers on the $3-tier get full access to my Patreon-posts - they get the early-access pages

Does that mean only supporters who pay $3 a month can view new pages earlier? Or people who pay $1 for 3 months? Do you simply post the pages there on Patreon? Can vertical episodes be posted too or does it eat only one image per post?

I had thought about giving a highres PDF of my old comic too (though I don't think it's all that great since it's really old) and of completed chapters, if I ever do a classic comic (recently my Trivia from Nature are vertical stand-alone episodes).

some of which is only available via Patreon or Gumroad

I see you always have a + next to your price. Does that mean people can pay more if they want? Do they actually or do they buy the comics at the lowest price? How do you promote the comics?

Thanks for all the info! Your comic has caught my eye - I'm interested how it unfolds because I have been working on a comic about a little girl and a man too and it's rare to see this kind of relationship covered in a "not weird" manner (some people want to search for things that are not there, which is annoying). I hope to have some time over summer to work on it so that I can post it here, though it's true it also depends on the support as I would otherwise have to take up some commissions to be able to survive until I get scholarship.

[SpavVy]

Well I made a Patreon not too long ago but I'm still putting a lot of the exclusive stuff my supporters will get to see >_< Right now I'm offering sketches, concept art, working on posters and ref sheets and I would like to add an entire new chapter and upload half of it to Tapastic since I can't submit for review to join the support program yet.

[TristanJensen]

I never really thought of that...
I guess supporter perks would be early access to pages and concept art/sketches, special live streams to do custom stuff, and at a certain point maybe a hand drawn "thank you" card I'd mail to them...

That's all I could probably do since I know about zip about t-shirts or publishing or anything like that...

[AnnaLandin]

Does that mean only supporters who pay $3 a month can view new pages earlier? Or people who pay $1 for 3 months? Do you simply post the pages there on Patreon? Can vertical episodes be posted too or does it eat only one image per post?

The 3$-tier supporters are those who pay 3$ a month - like I said, Patreon does not really do milestone rewards the way Tapastic does; while it does keep track of how much people have donated in total, the supporters get rewards by how much they choose to pay each month. And 3$ a month gets you access to early pages and sketches, at least with me.

And yes, I do simply post the pages on Patreon. I update on the same days as I update for regular readers - Mondays and Fridays - but the Patreon-supporters are always two pages ahead. They get page 32 when everyone else gets page 30, and so on.

As for images - Patreon allows only one image per post, but I've found no info on size-limits, so you're free to make it as tall as it needs to be, AFAIK. I've pointed out to them that doing photo-sets - like Tumblr - might be a useful feature (especially for my weekly sketch-posts!), but they haven't implemented anything like that. They might, but we'll see.

I see you always have a + next to your price. Does that mean people can pay more if they want? Do they actually or do they buy the comics at the lowest price? How do you promote the comics?

Yes, that does mean people are free to pay more if they want! I haven't had that many sales on Gumroad yet, but so far, most of them have paid more than the asking-price - sometimes significantly more!

Right now, I'm not doing too well at promoting Gumroad in particular (need to get better at that!), but when I do, I tend to announce on Twitter/Tumblr whenever I upload a new comic for sale, etc. Likewise, I try to promote my Society6 store by announcing when I've uploaded something new for sale, or when Society6 is having any kind of sale or free shipping promotion. There's a fine line between promoting yourself and spamming your followers.

Your comic has caught my eye - I'm interested how it unfolds because I have been working on a comic about a little girl and a man too and it's rare to see this kind of relationship covered in a "not weird" manner (some people want to search for things that are not there, which is annoying)

Thank you! <3 The relationship between Masahiro and Akane is one of the big reasons I decided to create Grassblades in the first place, so I'm glad Masahiro's awkward, grumpy attempts at being a dad appeals to people! XD And rest assured - it won't turn into anything weird or creepy; it's not that kind of comic.

[studiomik]

I never really got the idea of paying and getting early acces to episodes... Does that work? I mean if i wait a few days i can get those episodes for free... or am i missing something?

[AnnaLandin]

@studiomik Sure, waiting a few days will get you the episodes for free; the early-access is just a nice reward for those people who WANT to support artists. They pay a bit of money and keep the comic going, and in return, they get access to stuff before everyone else.

It's like getting an early viewing of a movie - if you wait a few days, you can see it anywhere, but if you go to an early viewing, you get to be the first to see a new thing, which people tend to appreciate. : )

[studiomik]

Aaaah ...I see, It's more of a kind thing to do for the fans. Thanks Anna!

[studiomik]

If i get into the support program i would love to make some personal stuff for the supporters. I know it's meaby not the easiest way. (what if you get 1K supports) but. Things like:
- a personal profile picture in MIK style.
- a little comic about them or where a supporter gets mentioned.
- you can add a little thing you would like to see in a comic (for instance, my hobby is playing guitar. Then i could draw a little guitar in the comic for you)

Perhaps this could be done, in a lottery kinda way?

• and off course things like, wallpapers, PDF, sketches etc.

• If it ever gets reaaal good; then i want to consider making a inter-active comic like this one for the fans.
  (I know i'm posting this one everywhere these days, but i stil get excited when i think about inter-active comics )

[Kura]

I only use the 'see updates early' incentive for mine. I have enough trouble finding the time to so the patreon rewards (and patreon is not ideal when working on two comics, I do the see page early there as well, and I'm always get complaints from fans that are fans of one and not the other over getting notifications on a series they are not interested in).

Every time I upload a new episode I unlock the last one I uploaded, so there's always something new for supporters and none supporters. The complaints I get from people not liking locked content in general are nothing new to me since I came here from inkblazers, just here they're a lot less pissy about it since it's just a single update instead of a three month paywall like it was there.

I do not like the idea of permanently locking content or only keeping content for supporters, though I like when supporters support me I don't want to force them into it. Note that I don't mind doing a few extra stuff for supporters and giving it to them separately is fine, but littering your comics with locked episodes that normal readers'll never be able to read unless they pay is not a practice I would be comfortable doing.

[AnnaLandin]

I do not like the idea of permanently locking content or only keeping content for supporters, though I like when supporters support me I don't want to force them into it.

I will always be keeping Grassblades free for everyone - though supporters get to read ahead. The only content I'd consider keeping Patreon-exclusive would be sidestories - stuff that is fun and interesting, but does not have any major impact on the main story.

In an ideal world, people would throw money at me for giving them stuff they would be getting for free anyway, but this is not an ideal world, and people like feeling special - and the best way I know to make supporters feel special is to give them stuff they do not otherwise have access to.

[purrlpankras]

Hmm well... I think my people would be interested in that stuff... Sometimes I go on their profile and draw them a pic saying thanks idk
But I generally get them involved with the comic anyway

[goenn]

Probably stuff like early access to pages or concept art. Maybe even added stuff like more world lore? Things that I can't fit in the comic without it being really awkward. I'd give PDF versions of the comic or even posters! But before I can do all that, I'll need to be able to be valid for the Supporter Program (and get a Patreon)

[AlkseeyaKC]

I only have a Pateron so far. I am planing to try to join the support Program on Taptastic. but I worry about setting the Milestone rewards here. I hardly have time to do things for people. When I started doing Patreon I was giving out art per month, but it was getting in the way of me making comics and doing commission to make money. No one complained about me stopping but I feel bad that I don't offer more for people. I see some artists tossing so many goodies to supporters and I feel undeserving with how much I give out. But I know my supporters are fans of my comic and want to help see me continue my comic. Honestly, if it was not for them, I would have had to stop making Neon Glow a while ago due to money problems.
I also want to add I worry about not getting accepted on the Support Program on Tapastic. So I'm trying to figure out the best for it. I also want to keep rewards same for both supporters on Tapastic and Patreon.

As for rewards, Ever one, no matter how much they donate a month, gets to see pages early, sketches or pages or comic related art, and Stream or Google hangout alerts.
Above $5 and you can have your character background cameos of my comic as needed. (will mostly be used for StarShip 77 and Alkseeya Power.) And you can have discounts on art commissions.

I also randomly choose someone to do an art for. But it takes me forever to draw for them. >_<
I plan on doing some wallpapers for supporters. I just haven't had time to make them. T^T

I wish I had more time in the world.

[UzukiCheverie]

Because I hated the idea of donating $1 and having to wait until I accumulated $5/$10 before the first milestone came along (and there are a few artists who I'm supporting who do this, gaaaah), I came up with a nifty idea for $1 supporters to get something right off the bat.

An avatar pack.

I've designed several Tapastic-optimized (and when I say that, I mean they're at Tapastic's required maximum width and height, so they look . . . just awesome) avatars with designs of Time Gate characters, including Uzuki, Mitsuhiro, Saichi, Yashiro, etc. and more are being added as the story goes. The avatars are only 300 x 300 and the characters are just their faces with some kind of expression (people might notice I have Makoto set as mine on the site; this is one of the avatars), so they're easy for me to do (each avatar takes me, what, 30 minutes to draw max?) and they're something nice and small for $1/month supporters to get and still feel like they're getting something out of it and don't have to potentially wait months to get anything. So whenever I get a new supporter, anyone who's $1+, they automatically get linked to a .zip file they can download and use to their liking on the site (: It's also kinda neat because then if you have a favorite character, you can show it by using the avatar of your choice.

Other than that, I'm planning on doing some changes to my support program, because there are some rewards that are a little tricky for me to redeem for people, mainly because it depends on their own schedules and times and such (mainly the personal livestreams). So I'm kinda learning what works and what doesn't, and I'm planning on changing it; people will still get the same rewards, it'll just be through different methods that work a bit better for me and the supporter so they get the rewards they paid for (:

[fanyart]

@TristanJensen What are live streams? I see people talking about them here and there but I don't get it... Just have a feeling it's something too interactive for me (I'm glad I managed get myself talking on this forum >_> )

@AnnaLandin Thanks for explaining, now I believe I came to understand the differences between Patreon and Tapastic Support better!

I update on the same days as I update for regular readers - Mondays and Fridays - but the Patreon-supporters are always two pages ahead. They get page 32 when everyone else gets page 30, and so on.

That's what I more or less thought I would do here on Tapastic with the scheduled unlocking of the episodes but because of these things that come with locking an episode, I have given up on it now, at least until it gets fixed. It's nice to know that this could be done on Patreon.
I have tried uploading an episode on Patreon as one big file but it loads slowly and gets resized to 715px wide no matter ho large I upload it (I had thought about trying to post a highresolution version there as a bonus for it being there early) and telling people to right-click it and open in new tab would be a pain for them. ...Sigh. But I guess it works fine for a classic page comic, I'll think about doing it this way if I ever do that story comic.

but so far, most of them have paid more than the asking-price - sometimes significantly more!

Wow, that's impressive! In truth, in my country there is a general view "what's free is free" and everyone is stingy (it's given by our nation's history, it's not a character fault) so whenever I heard about things like Patreon or Kickstarter, I thought "that's some western hype thing, not for us" and was actually extremely surprised when I saw people paying not really small amounts to people whom probably know only through internet and have no guarantee whatsoever - more so when I got my own supporters!

I try to promote my Society6 store by announcing when I've uploaded something new for sale, or when Society6 is having any kind of sale or free shipping promotion.

Oh, that's a great idea! I guess I should become active on tumbl, twitter etc... uh, something I didn't want to think of (so far I have managed to be active only here, I feel secure on Tapastic, unlike Deviantart etc...)

The relationship between Masahiro and Akane is one of the big reasons I decided to create Grassblades in the first place, so I'm glad Masahiro's awkward, grumpy attempts at being a dad appeals to people! XD

Haha, I'm looking forward to more! How many chapters does it have? It's nice to see a different approach to an aspect one loves - the relationship between the two characters in my story is also the very core of it. I just love putting these two characters in various situations and let the chemistry between them work it out
Though they are a bit different from yours, Mini is a cheerful talkative person while Falcon is the quiet one (though grumpy like Masahiro) and definitely isn't like a dad to Mini, it's more like Mini's a mom to Falcon (now that I've written it it sounds sooo weird, never thought about it like that... but yeah, Mini's the one leading their lives)

If it ever gets reaaal good; then i want to consider making a inter-active comic like this one for the fans.

Um, the link does not work, could you please post it again? Thanks also for the ideas!

I'm always get complaints from fans that are fans of one and not the other over getting notifications on a series they are not interested in).

Oh, that's a problem I didn't think about! Though the wall posts here have the same problem. It would be nice if there was a way for creator to know which of their comic the supporters joined for or if they want to support the author as a person no matter what they draw.

littering your comics with locked episodes that normal readers'll never be able to read unless they pay is not a practice I would be comfortable doing.

That's what I don't like too. I don't want to interrupt the reading flow of the comic, even if it's episodic, by locked content, nor I want to rob readers of something they might enjoy when they just might not have the means to support by money. That's why I would always go only for early access of new episodes. (If only it worked well!)

I see some artists tossing so many goodies to supporters and I feel undeserving with how much I give out.

That's what I feel too.

I worry about not getting accepted on the Support Program on Tapastic.

There are people who didn't get accepted? I thought you just need to reach the minimum subscribers, then prepare the support page and the staff reviews it only to see if there isn't something harmful or suspicious...

Google hangout

What's that?

I came up with a nifty idea for $1 supporters to get something right off the bat.

Ha, that's cool! This afternoon while watching my guinea-pigs graze on grass I got a neat idea that's a bit similar - I'll see if it works and share!
I forgot that I can deliver something to the supporters via a link in the Thanks for Supporting page, thanks for reminding me!

[UzukiCheverie]

but littering your comics with locked episodes that normal readers'll never be able to read unless they pay is not a practice I would be comfortable doing.

I only do this for two occasions:

1.) The day early pages, which get unlocked after 24 hours anyway, so regular readers don't have to wait long until they can read it. Ex. page goes up Sunday for supporters, unlocks on monday, at the same time tuesday's page goes up on monday for supporters, unlocks on tuesday, and so on and so on (of course this only works as long as I have a buffer, so it challenges me to keep working lol)

2.) Sketch pages and such that will actually be included in the print form of Time Gate when it gets printed. That way people who maybe aren't supporters but still purchase the book will still be able to get hands-on access to the pages they couldn't see when they were reading it online (but they still properly earn it by paying for the book).

I see nothing wrong with including a locked episode here or there with special content. I do it once every couple weeks or so, sometimes only once a month. It's not too much that readers feel like they're getting the raw end of the deal, but enough that supporters feel like they're getting something out of it, plus the readers who are non-supporters might feel like they're getting a bit of extra incentive to start supporting. If every second update you give is supporter locked, then that definitely is a bit excessive.

[Kura]

I meant it more as actual comic pages that NEVER get unlocked. Timed locks I have no problem with, same with extra sketches or bonus comics that aren't a part of the story. I'm talking about the story/comic pages that are randomly locked. For gag a days they're not too bad, since they aren't connected, unless they'll a part of a set. Then that is frustrating.