Patreon Series Part III: How to Get Your First Patron

​This is the part where you work endlessly to get your first patron and constantly keeping everyone in the loop. A lot of people are scared of being annoying and in your face with their promoting. You don't have to be! Read today's blog for some great ideas on getting your first patron without being annoying!

​Pre-Launch

Before you officially release your page to your fans, you need to do a little bit of pre work. You'll need to re-design cover photos for ALL your social media pages. It's your banner and you should use it to keep people up to date.

You should also pre-plan your first week of posts. You don't want to wing it. Especially if you don't want to sound like you're begging or being annoying. Consider your themes, your top rewards that make you stand out. How can you leverage these to your benefit?

You don't want to give it all away. Give people teasers and make them check out your page. Getting them to Patreon is half the battle. Once they're there, they might see a tier that they can't resist and they'll sign up!

Consider your favorite cosplayers and how they've announced their launch. What did you like about it? What did you hate? Apply that to your own marketing plan when you prepare your posts.

Pre-Patrons

So now you have some content ready to share, but before you share it to the public and you wring your neck refreshing the page every 5 seconds, let's get some early access patrons. Ask your family and friends, see if they'll pledge a couple bucks for the first month.

If it's not a family friendly page, you could consider doing a pledge swap with a fellow patreon creator. Consider it like a paid boost on facebook. Except you're not losing or gaining any money. You're showing people that you're worthy of pledges. It could be the make or break of someone considering a pledge!

Now what I like to do is offer your super fans an exclusive early access deal. You know who your super fans are. There the ones who comment every day, or have bought prints from you, or have signed up for your email list. Get in contact with these people and offer them exclusive early access to your Patreon! The one on one contact makes them feel special, like a VIP. So give them a VIP offer they can't refuse!

Hopefully this also takes some of the stress away from your official launch. You've asked your biggest fans personally, and you have a few pledges. So you should be well seasoned and ready to share with the rest of the world.

Fan Launch

It's time to officially launch. Push all your fears away and go for it. You've already made your posts, so share them over the course of the first week! Pin your favorite post to the top of your facebook and twitter page. Put the link in your bio for easy access on Instagram. Share your YouTube intro video. The key is to let everyone know. You don't want people seeing a post month later and wondering when you got Patreon!

I think this is the easiest stage to feel annoying, or to get cold feet. Just push through it. Get the knowledge out there. You've already made some kick ass promo posts, so let everyone see the effort you put into making this the best launch ever.

If you still feel like you'll be nervous, schedule a movie, or a dinner date right after you launch it. Put your phone on silent and forget about it. There's nothing more unhealthy than stressing yourself out and checking your phone every 5 seconds and impounding that self doubt into your head. It's not worth it!! If you worked your butt off, you will see a pay off.

Not Convinced?

Let me help you!! If you still feel like you need an experienced eye to look at your Patreon and help you get your first patron (and real patron - I won't abandon you if you get family support or do a pledge swap!) I am here for you! I am offering consultation services to anyone who needs a helping hand.

What does this mean? Perhaps you're nervous to launch, or you already did and aren't seeing a return. I'll work with you one on one to clean up your page, your reward tiers AND your marketing strategy to help you succeed. I'll be available whenever you need via email, facebook messenger, or whatever your easiest mode of communicating is. I'll be the help you need to get your first patron.

I've helped a few Patreon Creators already and they've already seen some great success. Their testimonials are below along with their page stats!

"I had been tinkering with the idea of starting a Patreon for a while, but I was full of self doubt, not to mention terrified of this unknown territory. Bree helped me workshop my description, reward tiers, and what sort of content I will be creating. She's given me so many tips and pointers that I never would have thought of on my own (nor did I find through a google search for tips). She has a true knack for business sense! I was a scared little potato when I began tiptoeing into the Patreon world and I now feel confident as I take further steps because of the foundation and basic knowledge Bree helped me with. I am on my second month now, and is going better than I had ever hoped for! I continue to learn and adjust, in no small part due to watching the content on Bree's Patreon for ideas of how to create a better experience for everyone involved! I continue to receive advice and help from Bree and I credit much of my growth as a cosplayer this year to her assistance!"
- Shelley Elise
Launch Date: November 23rd 2016
Followers at Launch: 400+
Current Patrons: 6
Current Followers: 500+

"Breezee has been a huge help in my patreon launch! I struggled for months on pricing and rewards and even though my profile was active I was too nervous and stressed to launch it. Then I heard that breezee was having great success with her own and asked for help! I was amazed at the great advice and feeback she gave! She was able to put things into perspective for me that was beneficial for both me and my patrons and in a really easy format so I could better understand how Patreon worked. She also gave me lots of tips on marketing and promotion! I've come back several times seeking advice and she was friendly and extremely helpful every time! I'm now in my second month on patreon with an awesome group of patrons and loving it! It became so fun and easy after Breezee stepped in, I highly recommend her services!"
- WinterLights Cosplay
Launch Date: November 20th 2016
Followers at Launch: 4800+
Current Patrons: 5
Current Followers: 5000+

I am completely confident in your abilities as a cosplayer, artist, and creator. You don't need my help, but if you want it, I'm here. I love helping people succeed. If you are interested in signing up for my consultation, just click this link, or the banner above. I hope this series has been helpful and you truly understand the amount of effort needed for you to be successful with Patreon.

You made it this far, so how about a freebie for your troubles? I've compiled this 3 part blog series into an easy to read PDF with checklists and work pages for you to go through. Print it and work on it, or use it as a reference guide. Just enter your email and you'll be redirected to the download page!

By submitting your email, you agree to recieve occassional, awesome emails from Breezeeweezee Cosplay.

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​Did you like this series?! It was a lot to read right before the holidays, but I hope it put some ideas in your head for the new year. I have tons of free resources available, and if you're new to the blog check out my other posts this month to make 2017 the best year yet!

2017 Planner with Free Download!

Getting Cosplay Sponsors with a Media Kit

Top Ten Tools and Apps Every Cosplayer Needs

Patreon Series Part I: Is it for You?

Patreon Series Part II: How to Write Your Page