Creator Royalties #009: 1000 True Fans

March 07, 2023

Your weekly newsletter for Web3(-curious) creators! Looking to further your creative practice as a creator in Web3? You’re in the right place! Here’s a weekly rundown of information curated for creators, by creators.

🤗 This week's edition of Creator Royalties is on finding your 1000 true fans as an artist in Web3. Scroll down for our usual rundown of weekly updates, artist grants and opportunities, art drops, and our creator spotlight featuring Fernanda Boccard.

We are giving away free HUG Pass NFTs! Share this with a friend using your unique referral link below to get yours today.

We are hosting a FREE artist marketing webinar with industry leading founder-artists and collectors on March 9. RSVP here or scroll down for more details.

How To Find Your Thousand True Fans

As an artist, building a devoted fan base can be a key factor in your success. But it's not just about having the largest number of social media followers or likes.

Instead, how can you find your thousand true fans — those who love your work, are willing to support you, and will spread the word about your creations?

Ready to start finding your fans? Let’s dive in!

Why 1000 true fans?

The original author of the 1000 true fans concept, Kevin Kelly, defines a true fan as one that will buy anything you produce. His belief was that if you could make at least $100 of profit from each of them, that would translate sustainably into $100K a year.

Importantly, by building a strong and authentic relationship with your true fans, they will be able to support and champion you through your career.

First, identify your target customer.

The first step to finding your 1000 true fans is to identify your target customer. From an artist standpoint, think about your ideal collector — who is most likely to invest in you and your artwork?

Once you’ve answered that question, you can start to seek out collectors that fit that profile by engaging with them on social, or crafting tailored content that is likely to resonate with them.

For example, do you create feminine portraiture that is more likely to resonate with women? Consider connecting with other women collectors or women artists, or sharing personal stories of women in your life or history that have inspired you.

Finding it hard to hone in on your ideal collector? The solution may lie in a classic sales and marketing technique: a customer persona.

Give your customer persona a name and a story. Paint a real picture of this person — What’s their occupation? What kind of media do they consume? The more nuanced the portrait, the more effective your marketing strategy will be in resonating with your desired audience.

From communication tone to outreach methods, every element should coalesce around your customer persona for maximum impact.

Turning an average collector into a true fan.

Once you have acquired your first few collectors, it is time to turn them into your true fan. True fans not only love your work, but are willing to spread the word about it… completely unprompted.

Special connections are formed by prioritizing personal relationships over making a sale. These precious interactions are what leads to repeat purchases and positive word-of-mouth marketing.

Other things you could do make your collectors feel valued and appreciated include:

  • Offering exclusive access, e.g. hosting Q&A sessions, to your process and inspiration

  • Prioritizing them over non-collectors for future art drops, such as giving them higher odds in raffles or allowlists

  • Rewarding them with perks, such as an airdrop or discounts to future releases

For example, HUG Artist in Residence, Leah Sams, created the Power Pass, an all access pass to Leah’s very own ‘backstage’ hub, giving her collectors exclusive access to privileges such as educational resources, community, and physical merchandise.

The Power Pass by artist & Power of Women NFT founder, Leah Sams

Remember —

You don't need to please everyone with your art. Focus on your ideal customer persona, and do the work to reach and engage them. Cultivating a core group of true fans puts you on the right path of building a sustainable and fulfilling artistic career.

A Twitter checklist to building your circle of 1000 true fans

While the tips above apply to artists of any kind, if you’re looking to connect with NFT or crypto art collectors, you are going to want to market yourself effectively on what is colloquially known as Crypto Twitter (aka the crypto community on Twitter).

Make a good first impression

It only takes a few seconds to create a first impression, and first impressions are hard to change, so make it count. Treat Twitter functions like your profile picture, banner, and pinned tweet as tools to introduce yourself to new people.

Check out this guide below to make sure you revisit and optimize all aspects of your Twitter profile.

Remember that engagement goes both ways
Treat others as you want to be treated. If you want to increase the likes, replies, and retweets you receive, you’ll need to like, reply, and retweet with your audience with frequency and sincerity.

Hack the Twitter algorithm

Twitter is not a fan of external links. Because of that, always include external links in a second tweet that replies to your first. Here’s another helpful thread that sums up Twitter’s algorithm changes in 2023.

Reduce, reuse, recycle
You do not always have to make new work. Feel free to repurpose or repost old works and posts that have done well.

Use scheduling software to save time & energy

If you are not yet in the habit of creating content consistently on Twitter, use a scheduling software such as Typefully or Later to hold yourself accountable! These apps allow you to plan out your content and schedule them in advance.

Communicate with your collectors

Share your failures, mishaps, accidents, and victories! Heck, share yourself living your life, even if it may be as simple as getting a coffee. Your collectors want to know the person behind the art.

Better yet, thank them publicly for collecting your work, such as what Ayamehoon has done below.

Closing Thoughts

Cultivating a loyal fan base is game-changing for any creative professional. These true fans not only support you financially by buying almost everything you create, but they also act as brand ambassadors by sharing their enthusiasm with others.

By consistently investing time and effort in your inner circle, you can continue to attract more true fans who will help spread the word about your work, and in turn, attract even more collectors. It's a powerful cycle that can help you grow your brand and your income while you continue to focus on your craft.

Need help finding those true fans?

Join us for a FREE artist marketing webinar on Thursday, starting at 5PM EST.

In the News

Industry News

  • Our crypto wallets are about to get a massive upgrade. A new ERC-4337 standard was announced last week, allowing for alternative methods for wallet recovery (no more seed phrases!), bundled transactions, 2-factor authentication, and more. This is a helpful Twitter thread to learn more and see what this could do for mainstream adoption.

Tools & Resources

Notable Creators

Artist Grants & Opportunities

  • The Kala Fellowship Award is open to artists producing innovative work in mediums including printmaking, digital media, installation art, social practice, photography, and book arts. Selected artists will receive a $3,000 stipend and a studio residency at Kala Art Institute. Apply by March 15.

  • Applications are open for Meta Angels x Adobe’s artist-in-residence program, which gives you a $1,000 grant, access to Adobe Creative Cloud, mentorship, and more. April’s artist-in-residence will be shortlisted by March 15th. Learn more and apply here.

  • Post your best work to Creatively every week, let the community vote, and stand a chance to win a $5,000 cash grant each month.

This Week’s Art Drops

  • I am EMPOWERED by Power of Women (Timed Open Edition, from 0.02 ETH, drops March 8 oth OpenSea) | follow Power of Women on Twitter: Power of Women teams up with Premiership team Manchester City to launch a NFT collection featuring the team’s Pankhurst kit range by Puma. I am EMPOWERED depicts the passion and diversity of women in football today, and embodies the strength, resilience, and determination of women on and off the pitch.

  • Meryem by NNG (1/1, 35 tez) | follow NNG on Twitter: Part of Shahmaran, an AI art collection inspired by the queen of snakes and protector of divine femininity, while empowering women to embrace their inner goddess and leave their fears behind.

  • Safe Space by Vanora Vaz (Timed Open Edition, free for HUG and Meta Angels holders until March 7) | follow Vanora on Twitter: Created as part of the Meta Angels x Adobe artist-in-residence program, this piece was co-created with the community and represents how we can be vulnerable and yet comforted in safe spaces.

  • GMEOW by Naime Pakniyat (Open Edition, $150) | follow Naime on Twitter: Curated by MORROW Collective to be showcased at Art Dubai, Naime’s artwork is inspired by the Persian miniature tradition and pixelated and animated using Adobe Photoshop.

  • Winbirds by Zandista (Timed Open Edition, 0.005 ETH) | follow Zandista on Twitter: Cheerful art featuring two birds flying out of an open window by Indonesian artist Zandista.

  • Le Regret by Julie (Timed Open Edition, 0.01 ETH) | follow Julie on Twitter: A minimalist piece reflecting the regret of not visiting one’s hometown prior to losing a loved one.

  • Two Artists & A Puppy by Kelly Llanos (1/1, 0.5 ETH) | follow Kelly on Twitter: Curated by #SundaySpotlight, a community initiative led by Avril15, this piece was created with the artist in mind, and to encourage everyone to embrace their own creativity.

  • PINK_WAVE_4 by MACBETH (1/1, 0.2 ETH) | follow MACBETH on Twitter: Curated by #SundaySpotlight, a community initiative led by Avril15, MACBETH paints a dreamy pink bathroom that is animated with 3D rendering.

Have an upcoming art drop you’d like to share? Or an upcoming exhibition or opportunity for your fellow artists? Feel free to hit reply or email [email protected] and share it with us, so we can share it with our readers.

Creator Spotlight: Fernanda Boccard

Fernanda is the multidisciplinary artist and founder of Serious and Cool NFT. As a Latina woman based out of Mexico City, she's taken her talents as a bilingual educator to make Web3 more accessible for both English and Spanish-speaking audiences.

While most creators are struggling with Twitter, Fernanda has found success marketing herself on LinkedIn— resulting in partnerships with Binance, public speaking invitations, and sold-out collections.

We asked Fernanda -
What advice would you give an artist wanting to get the word out about their work?

❝

Networking is super important for artists.

If you take the time to build genuine connections with people, it can really help you reach your artistic goals. People are more likely to support you and your work when they feel a personal connection, so it’s essential to prioritize building authentic relationships with your audience and colleagues. Be friendly, and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

We hope you enjoyed this week's issue on finding your 1000 true fans!

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