Many creators support their content creation through crowdfunding. Platforms such as Patreon or YouTube’s channel memberships make it easy to provide your fans exclusive rewards in exchange for their support. However, if you’re already working with a low budget, then typical rewards like free merch or signed cards might not be feasible.
Your support tier rewards don’t have to be material. Below are a few zero-budget support tier perks any creator can offer their supporters.
Share supporter-only journal entries and writing samples.
As a creator, you’ve got a lot of ideas floating around in your head. Maybe you write poetry, screenplays, or personal essays. Share some of your favorite pieces with your supporters. Even if you don’t fancy yourself a storyteller, you can share journal entries or brief blog posts.
Content creator Nanalew writes an exclusive series for her Patreon supporters. As part of “First Pages,” fans get monthly access to the first page of a new project she’s working on.
Host exclusive live streams.
Give your supporters a little more of your personal time. Host exclusive live streams that can’t be accessed anywhere else. You might even record them and upload them as unlisted videos so you can share the links with supporters who couldn’t make the live time.
Anna Akana offers more coveted rewards at higher support tiers, but every single one of her Patreon supporters gets access to an exclusive monthly live stream. Having it at the lowest level makes it super accessible to a lot of her fans.
Create a private Discord for your fans to chat.
Discord allows for private chats between friend groups or entire communities. You can create a private Discord for your supporters to talk to each other. You can even create more exclusive Discords for higher support levels in which you’re more involved.
The Try Guys created the Try Guys Chat Server for their supporters to talk about new videos, share fan art, etc. At a higher support level, they have a Discord in which fans can chat with their producers.
Make an exclusive podcast.
Podcasts are booming in popularity, so your fans would love access to a supporter-exclusive podcast created by you. Apps like Anchor or Spreaker Podcast Studio make it super easy to create a podcast right from your phone.
John and Hank Green, known on YouTube as vlogbrothers, run a Patreon for their main podcast, Dear Hank and John. Supporters can gain access to a second, exclusive podcast at the highest support level.
You can start generating revenue through crowdfunding without any monetary investment at all. Test out these ideas and share your own ideas in the comments!
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Kristen Harris enjoys listening to a wide range of music, from Taylor Swift to, on occasion, Celtic instrumental. She also spends her time writing, reading, and baking.
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