Home
Artists
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register
Partychan Telegram Live Sex ThePornDude
Home Artists Posts Import Register

Patreon Rewards - Discussion (Patreon)

Published:
2015-07-29 23:57:04
Imported:
2021-02

Content

Hey everyone! I've got some ideas I have been bouncing around, and I thought it'd be good to see what you all thought about them: I've been studying other artists who use Patreon to great success. Many of them share their artwork publicly, outside of Patreon, at lower resolution. Then they offer the sketches, PSDs, and high resolution image files, as Patreon Rewards. People seem to respond well to this, bit I need to know how you feel about it. I have considered trying this out for a month, as a promotional period, to see how it goes. Once a week for a month, I would share an older Patreon Pinup on my DA page, at lower resolution. My goal would be to keep my Patreon updates a month ahead of what I share publicly, so that you get to see the work a month before anyone else. If it went well, I'd consider doing it full time that way. If it didn't do as well as keeping the content exclusive, I'd revert to the way things are now. Here is a poll to get your general opinion: http://www.poll-maker.com/poll374067x0346441E-14 But please, feel free to leave a comment below, as well! Be as thorough as you'd like. I really don't want to make a decision until I've heard from everyone. Would you still be interested in supporting, and would you still feel you got the same value for your support, if I did things as such? Thank you for your thoughts and support, ~Ray

Files

Have your say: How do you feel about me sharing my Patreon Exclusive content a month after it's been posted to Patreon?

Voice your opinion on the poll: How do you feel about me sharing my Patreon Exclusive content a month after it's been posted to Patreon?

Comments

Anonymous

Them's a lot 'o words, Flimps.

B-S

For me comments were disabled. I voted not in favor of week after release, here's why: I like the idea of supporting an artist and getting "rewarded". That may be selfish, but you draw great art that I want to see, I don't have tons of money, and if I didn't have to pay to be here, I might not be. Even though what I "get" is still the same, releasing the same images to everyone a week later seems to De-value my support. (that logic maybe flawed, it's what how I feel) The best reason for why I think you shouldn't is because I think it's a better business strategy to keep more "risque" art behind a paywall. Just look at Sakimichan, how many of her supporters would actually support if she didn't draw nudes that only appeared on patreon? I say tease those bastards but don't release all your art, you have to give them a reason to support you, and a week early images is not much. For me at least. Also fyi, you might want to give out "rewards" at the end of each month, that way people can't "support" you, download all the files, then drop you before you see a dime. I know it's not all about the money, but you need to make a living if you want to do this, and there's nothing selfish about that. Well that was longer than planned, best of luck figuring it out!

Michael

I had to vote no on this after some thought. You already know my opinion on people who want your work for free (I'm Darianblood on Deviantart) and I think this would be giving into them. As it is anyone who joins your patreon gets access to all your 'paywall' work as it is, for as little as a few dollars. If they want to be a leech, let them pay for one month then get all your stuff then go away again but i think your work will be devalued if you allow them to have it without even having the decency to support you for a single month. This isn't about wanting to feel special because i'm a member, I support you because i like your work, not to get special access to stuff other people can't see.

RoninDude
>>672553

Thank you for your comment! I was actually planning a month, not a week, but I get your meaning, all the same. I can't say I disagree with you, as that was my original thought. Thanks for your honesty, it means a lot. :)

RoninDude
>>672585

That makes a lot of sense. I felt the same way when I set this patreon up. It just makes sense that people will naturally want to support more if there is a big incentive. Perhaps I should take the complaints as a sign that the exclusive content has high value. After all, people wouldn't complain if they didn't really want it. :) Thanks again!

DonAnon

All that matters is what will help you while producing your art. Patreon is a system for people to support content producers who are working towards their goals. The reward system is just an optional incentive to encourage people to pitch in, not the main motivation for supporting. When you back someone, you are supposed to be simply "empowering them to make a living from their passion and hard work". That's it. Bottom line, if it will help you somehow by posting the work publicly (like exposure or more critique), then that's what you need to do. Anyone backing you for the right reasons and actually wanting you to be a success will understand. I have seen plenty of people on here release low-resolution versions on DA later on, or leave out extras like PSD files, process videos, voting, and concepts as Patreon only items. Just as you posted, this is pretty normal and a very nice bonus to pledging. Your high resolution versions of images are almost printable wall-poster size! That plus sketches and PSD files are pretty great. But in the end, all your patreons are supposed to be doing is helping you make a living and get even better at your craft. Pick whichever option is going to support that.

RoninDude
>>672621

That's where I am having a conflict. Which is best? On one hand, the income from Patreon has made a real difference in my life. It's allowed me more freedom to pursue more personal work, and explore techniques I might not have been brave enough to try on commissioned work. On the other hand, I really enjoy sharing my work with everyone. It helps with publicity, and it feels good to share. The reality is that I fear I would lose patrons for changing things up, and I am not sure that the new method would interest enough people to keep the ranks rising at a steady rate. After all, what I am doing now is working. Which is why I wanted to ask everyone here, before I made any changes. I really only want to make any changes if I feel I have resounding support. I appreciate the patrons I have, and I don't want to take value from their rewards. Thanks for your response, man. I can always count on you for an honest and thoughtful opinion. :)

DonAnon
>>672621

Of course man, wouldn't have it any other way. From what you said, and the interesting words of the other posters, I would leave it as it is. If the income it's bringing in is the most factoring thing, then it's better to not mess with it. Should you decide to go public, I would recommend only posting low-resolution, censored (low-rez does not mean a 4800x4800 btw, Ronin! haha) versions a month later and leaving literally everything else as Patreon-only bonuses. In addition, you would need to make sure that there ARE bonuses each time, such as extra versions, progress files, or pretty anything you can offer. That's the flip-side if you want to keep reward-pledgers happy. Lastly, switching to email for bonuses is a really good idea. I would recommend doing that regardless. Making it into a dropbox link and then simply emailing it out to all the patreons is the easiest way I believe.

RoninDude
>>672621

haha, yeah, I tend to go pretty big on my work. Never know when you want to print! But have I ever? uh.... And you are probably right about the email thing. As it is, I get a fair number of pledge dodgers. They jump in long enough to grab the content and bail, without ever pledging a dime. I haven't gone the email route because I enjoy sharing the work as it comes, instead of waiting until the end of the month to share it. I feel it's unfair to limit how much I share to honest people, because I few people want to play the system. After all, I am not sure the pledge dodgers would pledge if I removed my wall posts in exchange for emails at the end of the month. It would just keep them from seeing it, and force the rest of the honest people to wait a month, instead of getting weekly updates. But it's something I need to consider, for sure.

DonAnon
>>672621

Haha, you go massive, not big. Oh I just ment email for bonuses, not for all content. I would leave your wall posts as they are, just maybe a more normal resolution? Then the super-insane resolutions and bonus files come as an email at the end of the month. It's sort of a 50-50 approach to the email idea. Dodgers will still show, but it might help.

c.s. nova

I voted against it. I wouldn't probably pay either. I would still get to see it even if it was a month later and lower resolution. I think I just simplified Benjamin Silker's comment. He planned for his to be shorter and I thought this was going to be longer. Anyways you get it. Tease those poor souls and make them want to see what they are missing. :D

Anonymous

I can't help but feel that you are already sharing a LOT of high quality work for free on DA. You are already posting commissions there in high res (4000x3000 is definitely high res), plus your quickies (typically 1920x1080). That is already a lot of free content, and in higher resolution than typically available on that site. I actually found you via some of the commissions you had posted to DA. There are already a LOT of them, and you post more with impressive frequency. They are already a very good hook, and really show your talent and capability, and get potential pledgers interested. Overall, your weekly Patreon works tend to generally be more detailed and fleshed out, and that's what makes them worth the pledge amount. I think your teaser posts are fine as is; getting a teaser of a portion of an image results in a better consumer mental reaction compared to showing them the entire image just lower quality or size. It invites curiosity, and it "feels" better to pay money to see something you haven't fully seen before, than to see something you saw before but in better quality/size. Posting free lower size/quality versions of the full Patreon images a month, or even 2, 3, or 6 months later will still cause that same gut feeling of "oh.. i'm paying for just a higher quality of something i can get with patience" vs "i'm paying for something NEW and AWESOME!" Also wanted to quickly say: One of the reasons that I so quickly went to the $10 tier was that you also allow access to past pieces with it (some artists don't, which = no pledge from me for them) It makes pledging more attractive to new pledgers (who aren't pirate scum). And the weekly images is a great hook to keep pledging.

Anonymous

I personally think that giving your patrons the hi-res file and a month's advance look is worth the $10. By only putting a cropped teaser of your exclusive content on dA, I think you're selling yourself short on future commissions and future patrons. Now that I'm a patron, I see your study and learning processes, and really like the direction your art is taking. You've got a great technique. But if you DO post exclusive content, even at lower resolution, you should consider watermarking it. So much art these days is digitally stolen and used for resale on shirts and prints.

RoninDude

Thank you, your points are very valid. This was my standing when I started with patreon, and I just needed to connect with everyone and see if we are all on the same page. I have no problem leaving things as they are, since they are working. :)

RoninDude
>>672928

Thank you, that was definitely a thoughtful reply! I also feel very appreciated, hehe, so thank you for that as well! The more I read the more I feel it's a bad idea to change things, but it's good to connect and get everyone together to chat on things, make sure we are all on the same page. The help you all are doing for me is very real and very effective, and so I want to show you that I respect your opinions on the matter. The art might be mine, but the community is ours, and I'd like to do my best to keep it a worthy effort.

RoninDude
>>673048

Thank you for the comment! I've wondered about the Patreon Teasers, and I am getting a lot of different opinions on them. I am going to wait a bit before I make a decision. I very much appreciate the thoughtful comments, it really helps. :)

RoninDude
>>672621

That's a great idea, I may have to do that! I already do that with PSDs, because of their file size, I could do that with the high resolution images, too.

James Champlin

Keep things the way they are! What you've got is a good breakdown I think. I made a very major part of my thoughts on this known in the thread over at deviantArt, but I'm going to go into a little more detail now. I hate to use this term, but there are a ton of freeboards at DA. There's a lot of cheap people there, they have gotten used to, honestly, being able to push people around and keep the price of custom art down. The most obvious solution I might suggest would be to stop showing the Patreon teasers. Essentially cut down on one source of contention with the whiners. On the other hand it was those teasers that got me to contribute. You have a talent and you practice it, I think you should have the right to expect compensation for it.

RoninDude
>>673364

Hey James, thanks for your input! I am starting to see that this is how most people feel about it, and I really appreciate all the honesty. I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment about free loaders. I can't avoid complaints, especially when considering value. It's been made clear to me by a few people that if people are complaining that they can't see it, it means it has enough value to warrant a complaint. That's something to think about. So far, I am not convinced that I should change anything at all. Thanks for your input, it helps! :)

Fuji

Hi Ronin, I've been around for a few months on here, but I don't talk much, hehe. I think you have a good system going and you shouldn't change it. As for a reason, I can only speak for myself and why I'm here. I don't remember how exactly I found your DA originally, but I was browsing your artwork and I found that I really liked it. When I saw your previews for Patreon I was interested, so I decided to check it out. I made an account on Patreon and pledged, originally thinking I could just pledge once then cancel if I wanted to. After looking through the past artwork and reading your comments/descriptions I decided to stick around and I like the fact that I feel like I'm helping you with your artwork in some way, even just a little. If you had the other system I doubt I would have looked into joining Patreon and pledging. I don't now if that made too much sense, but that's just how I feel.

RoninDude
>>675774

Fuji, that's exactly the thoughtful honesty I was looking for. Thank you very much. So far, it's not looking like I will be changing anything. I want to allow a few more people to post, out of courtesy, since I know not everyone could get to this yet. However, I feel that you have strong point. I'd like to also say that your help certain does a lot. I've been able to experiment and grow as an artist, because of the time I can afford, thanks to you and the other patrons. So thanks! :)

Dental Translations

My comment is going to sound a little obnoxious or even rude. What it won't be is dishonest. I think very highly of your artwork and feel that you are one of the few artists that deserves a 10 dollar monthly pledge (or higher). Your work is highly detailed and seems to always please the fans. I understand the benefits of releasing work a month later to all followers; makes them feel included, they get to see all your artwork as well, etc. On the other hand, the reason i pledge 10 dollars is because I get exclusive content. Exclusive as in: Only the people who are paying this amount ever really get to see the work. Other artists use the system you mention, and I don't pledge or pay for those systems because all I have to do is wait. There's no incentive there for me to spend money, at all. Meanwhile, your teasers on DA make me feel awesome! Because I'm supporting you and I get to see those images, while the other followers have to "settle" (settle is a bad word because you have tons of content to enjoy on DA already) with the free works. Another problem with that system, is that the time gap isn't justified. Let's say it's special game content or behind the scenes footage of some big event, like a boxing match. Those events would justify an early pay method because people are super eager to get premium access! But with patreon, where you support an artist for their work, you're getting pin-ups and images. I love them and everything, but it will never be a behind the scenes pre-match sport event or game content. I don't know if I'm making myself understood. What could work, but would be extraordinarily difficult, is a monthly patreon pack. So you would make, let's say, 4 extra images per month on patreon (insane, I know) and would release 1 of them each following month, with the other images totally blurred out on DA. This would create a build up of exclusive images for patreons and followers on DA would know that they are getting 1 of 4 extra images per month, and the next month release could even be a previous months image! How frustrating that would be because even if you're getting a peek into patreon work, you're actually missing out on so much! Get my feel?

RoninDude
>>677168

After reading your comment, I found nothing rude or obnoxious about it! Only honesty, which is exactly what I need to hear! It seems you are not alone in this. Truthfully, I am ok with keeping things as they are, I only wanted to know if people thought I was going about it wrong. It's good to check in and see what people think! I value your opinion, and every other patron who comments, because if it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't have the time to do the personal art I have been able to do lately. I am not thinking things are going to change. I'd have to see a resounding "Yes, change it!" in the poll and comments, and I am not seeing that. If half my audience wants to keep it as it is, then that's enough. I am not willing to lose half my audience, haha! Thanks again for your honest and thoughtful response. :)