Having wrapped up his 16th Kickstarter, cartoonist Dave Kellett shares some insights about setting realistic expectations, avoiding paid advertising, and the death of social media. Also: recent innovations by both Kickstarter and Patreon show considerable promise for the crowdfunding platforms.

Summary

In this conversation, the hosts discuss the emotional rollercoaster of running a Kickstarter campaign, and the ineffectiveness of online advertising. In this part of the conversation, Brad and Dave discuss their experiences with different social media platforms and the effectiveness of their efforts to promote their work. They emphasize the importance of building a community and engaging with fans rather than relying on paid advertising. They also share their insights on the performance of different platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, and Patreon, and how they have adjusted their marketing strategies accordingly. Additionally, they discuss the new features introduced by Patreon, including Autopilot, which allows creators to offer targeted discounts to free members to encourage them to upgrade to paid memberships. In this episode, Brad and Dave discuss new features and updates on Patreon, including moving free members to paid memberships, related posts, paid posts and collections, discounts on merchandise, and gift memberships. They also emphasize the importance of competition and innovation in the creator space.

 On today's show

• UPDATE: Although it was his 2nd highest out of 16, this recent Kickstarter had Dave facing unforeseen amounts of depression and stress due to his unrealistic expectations. of all time.
•  UPDATE: We've always said advertising is useless, and Dave proved it's (still) accurate
•  UPDATE: This recent Kickstarter showed Dave it’s time to get off Twitter and Threads.
• Kickstarter late pledges have finally been addressed with a new feature upgrade.
• New Patreon features show some much-needed innovation

Takeaways

• Managing expectations is essential when running a Kickstarter campaign to avoid unnecessary anxiety and disappointment.
• Comparing oneself to others can steal joy and lead to negative emotions.
• Online advertising may not always yield the desired results and can waste money. Building a community and engaging with fans is more effective than paid advertising on social media platforms.
• Different platforms have varying levels of effectiveness in promoting and monetizing creative work.
• Creators should focus on platforms that perform well for them and adjust their marketing strategies accordingly.
• Patreon has introduced new features, such as Autopilot, which allows creators to offer targeted discounts to free members to encourage them to upgrade to paid memberships. Patreon now allows creators to move free members to paid memberships, increasing the potential for revenue growth.
• The new related posts feature on Patreon helps creators engage their audience and promote content from their archives.
• Paid posts and collections on Patreon allow creators to monetize their content and offer exclusive access to their audience.
• Patreon's discounts on merchandise and upcoming gift memberships further enhance the platform's offerings for creators and supporters.
• Competition in the creator space drives innovation and encourages platforms like Patreon to improve and introduce new features continuously.

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Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.