Who would have thought we’d live in an age where people could make a living off posting videos to YouTube? Or hosting a podcast? Or simply blogging about their lives? Crazy huh? These days the number of people reaching for that goal of quitting their day job and working for themselves is only growing. And those of us looking to escape the drudgery of our day jobs look on with the greenest of envy. Admittedly I am one of those, and I realise that buying a piece of art, or something someone has made can be too much on the wallet. Its not as simple as just quitting my day job and saying “Okay, i’m a full time photographer now”. There’s a mortgage to pay and a partner to support. So, for purely selfish reasons i’m going to discuss with you a few ways you can support a creator you like, without blowing your weekly paycheck.
1. Like and Comment - This is FREE
Yup, you see that all the time! At the end of a Youtube vid: LIKE COMMENT SUBSCRIBE! On facebook, Share! Like, Comment below! There’s a reason for this, and its not just to get like numbers for bragging rights
(I’m going to say algorithm a couple of times here so brace yourselves!)
These days social media is delivered to us by algorithms. These are specific to each platform and are designed to deliver the more popular content to their users - this allows the platform to sell more ads. Now, those of us running (or trying to), small businesses find it pretty tough to get through these algorithms and simply even get all of our followers to see our content. This is eternally frustrating to see only a fraction of your followers have seen stuff you’ve posted.
So how can you help?
You guessed it, Like and Comment!
If you’ve seen something by a creator you like get posted. Go throw a like on it, comment why you like it. This boosts our visibility in the algorithms. It also lets us know that our work isn’t being buried by it :)
2. Share and follow/subscribe - This is FREE TOO
Sharing and Subscribing/Following are the ultimate. All of these actions (Including Likes and comments) tell the algorithms to place the content in more peoples feeds. Plus in some cases, your friends will see that you’ve liked or commented something and go check it out themselves!
So if you’ve seen something by a creator you like get posted. Go throw a like on it, comment why you like it and share it with your friends. Not only that put a grin on that creators face, its opening them up to a wider audience. Take a look at their website while you’re at it :)
3. Become a Patron (No, not just Patreon) - This is cheap!
Patreon is a way for creators to provide value to their followers using select reward tiers with certain benefits, and it gives patrons exclusive access to these benefits. Usually only for a couple of bucks a month you can help someones career without buying some of their more premium content/creations.
Click here to have a look at my Patreon Page
Ko-Fi is another one. A similar idea to Patreon, but simpler. Its a quick way of shouting your favourite creator a coffee. Or more accurately, sending them $3 (USD) for them to buy a coffee with. Simple format, if you can get past the whole “Hey buy me a coffee” thing. Think of it more of an alternative to patreon if you don’t want to commit to a monthly contribution. Ive only just discovered this one, will be interesting to see if it works at all :)
Click here to have a look at my Ko-Fi page
4. Consider their more premium items as gifts.
A lot of creators out there actually produce things. Not just content like blog posts or videos, but actual items. These can be simple Merch, or an item that they have made themselves. When you’re out looking for a gift, consider something your favourite creators are making as a gift next time you’re out looking. Christmas isn’t too far away!!
So there ya have it, some ways to support your favourite creators without spending too much. Are there other ways you do it? Would love to hear about how!