Switch Theme:

Advice for selling your 3d designs (Patreon and other platforms)  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
»
Author Message
Advert


Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
  • No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
  • Times and dates in your local timezone.
  • Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
  • Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
  • Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.




Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

Springing from the Patreon discussion, some thoughts on best to market and sell your own 3d designs.

First off some advice from the other thread:

Michael_the_Nerd wrote:Thanks for the feedback endtransmission!

I think you are right about the prices.. The competition on Patreon is huge and I'm just 1 guy making these bases.
What would be a better price point for the tiers?

I have thought about a welcome package, just didn't think I had enough to put into it yet. Will work on that for sure.

Good point about the print license - something I have seen elsewhere as well but I have no clue how that works practically or legally.

Any thoughts on the actual bases?


MDSW wrote:Yeah, Patreons can be tough to get a good base until you show a solid track record of output - otherwise people are not willing to keep up the charge each month. The most successful Patreons are those that do produce quite a bit each month; otherwise, just one and done might be the way to to - buy this set now for 'x' and I will let you know when i have more.


Ketara wrote:Speaking as someone with over £100 pcm right now in patreon .stl subscriptions (I know, shut up), I cast an eye over your page and dismissed it pretty quickly. Not one other subscriber (making it high risk), no early bird tier, a sporadic release track record, and a 'meh' return for my investment both in terms of quality and quantity.

That all having been said, I think that there is a place for a bases patreon, and I think it could be successful. But trying to piecemeal it out as something you do on the side is actually going to hurt you more right now than treating it like a proper business venture. The fact you've been dipping in and out of it and had so little success is proof of that.


There's a commercial way of doing this. The first thing you do is close up shop on Patreon for now. Trying to spit out the odd product with as low a bar for theme as 'rocks' might be a good way of developing your sculpting skills, but it sucks as marketing. You want more interesting themes and more of them. Look at Dragonforge for good ideas.

Take your time and build up a reserve of stuff whilst honing your skills. It'll mean that you're not running from month to month desperately trying to keep up; because you've got stuff lined up already. Ideally, assuming that a 'theme' is the average base set (10x25mm, 10x 32mm, 5x 40mm, 2x 60mm, 5x 70x25mm (bike size), and 1x120mm (with flight stand option) - you want to have a saucy intro pack of two or three really interesting sets, and then two themes released a month. So you'll want fifteen sets total in the bank, in reserve, and ready to be put out before you open shop.

Then you launch. Spend a little money on facebook advertising, perhaps try and do a free theme that you can offer to another big patreon for free in exchange for a link (Makers Cult or the like would be obvious here - I know they do that stuff), and so on. Basically get some buzz going for the first month or two - you want a strong launch. Try and offer a cheap early bird to suck in that first fifty subscribers, then one or two loyalty/promotion rewards to help keep traction. Get the word spreading and get yourself a sold foundation of patreon subscribers so that you can quit your day job and focus on it properly. And then take it from there.

You do all that, and I reckon you'll be successful. I'd certainly sign up. More importantly, I'd probably stay past the welcome pack too (something a lot of patreons struggle with). But it does require a fair bit of hard work to prep for, and it won't be an overnight thing. It really comes down to treating it like a commercial venture, preparing the product in advance, and launching properly. Otherwise, you'll be probably just skate around with relatively little success until you give up.


Boss Salvage wrote:Speaking of stores, what about selling your base set files directly? Without the monthly subscription (for now). MyMiniFactory or setting up your own site or so on.


Ketara wrote:

It's as much for your mental health as anything, for the reason in my third response below

Another question I have about Patreon is: How much of it is considered buying an actual product and how much is considered "donation" (like you would do with livestreamers fx)?
I view it as a product I make, but Patreon has lots of other stuff like Podcasts, blogs etc. so I'm not really sure.


For me, as someone who wants 40K usable stuff and generic sci-fi/cyberpunk, there's about £180 a month worth of solid Patreon subscriptions available to choose from (if I wanted everything). Most people simply don't have that kind of money, and that means that they're shopping for product. There are a few Patreons which people sponsor for more charitable reasons because they want the content and patreon to do well (look at Davale Games for an example), but if you're pumping out a generic product (terrain, bases, dudes with laser guns), there's no reason for anyone to sponsor out of sentimental reasons. Which reduces it to a business transaction, or 'What do I get for my buck?' Especially when there's twenty odd other companies competing for that same budget of however much a month I can afford.


You think 2 themes a month with how my tiers are set up now would be good?
Or should I have less tiers/cheaper/less bases etc.


I think that if you're going to compete with the other twenty companies clamouring for my quids, you need to offer me an attractive product consistently and affordably. Not too cheaply I hasten to add, you need to be able to pay your bills. The £8 plus VAT mark is standard for Patreon (as it works out to about £10/$12). Doing fifty subscriptions at £5/$7 and than another tier at the higher price should be cheap enough. If I got two themes a month for that, I'd consider it a fair price. And if the product is good, I'll stick around for it.

Something to consider in trying to pump out two themes a month however, is your work capacity. If you've nothing in reserve and you get ill, what then? What if you want a holiday? The more sets you have stored in your metaphorical bank, the more wiggle room you have, and the less mental stress you've got. When you're working on your own for yourself, you can't take the risk of playing your cards that loosely. And you simply won't have the time to make a living another way if you're to pump out two cool themes reliably every month minimum. You want to be financially secure, not flailing because you're two months in, out of premade stuff, your wife just got ill, and now all your new patrons are jumping ship.

Having the breathing room also gives you time to play with new ideas (maybe terrain), working on advertising, and generally improving the business model beyond just frantically sculpting all day every day.


lord_blackfang wrote:
Here's some good advice I think

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqHmOh2-48k


Ketara wrote:
Michael_the_Nerd wrote:
You have some very good points Ketara.

Do you think it would make more sense for me to move to MyMiniFactory as Boss Salvage suggested?
Then I don't have to compete with the 20 companies as you said, and I'm less vulnerable to set backs as you describe.


That's a different business model altogether, although not completely incompatible with the first.

From what I've seen, a goodly number of the .stl businesses work with Patreon as the first line of income. It covers their production and day to to day living costs/expenses. If you can hit two hundred subscribers paying you $10 each, minus the 5% from patreon and whatever your local taxes are (say, 15% as an example), you've got a reliable income of around $1700 a month. That's respectable enough as a starting point for something where you're your own boss.

Then what you do is you shuffle your back catalogue of whatever you've developed each month into one or more of three channels:-

(a) Producing them in resin or printing them and selling them yourself through your own webstore.
(b) Subcontracting the above out to somebody else.
(c) Listing the stl's on CG Trader, MMF, or another place for sale.

The product cycle then becomes as follows:-

1. Develop product based on feedback and add to bank.
2. Release product to Patreon for a month and then remove it.
3. Re-release product through other channel(s) at a higher price (usually double minimum) to make additional revenue.

As time goes on, your back catalogue will contribute a greater amount to your income. I spent fifty quid the other week at the Makers Cult CGTrader store for stuff that they made and released on Patreon before I joined in. That's in addition to my monthly subscription. So they've had sixty out of me this month. The larger your back catalogue, the more cash you can derive from it, it's an appreciating asset.

Additionally, most people bump up the prices when selling post-Patreon, and that's one of the main lures of getting people to subscribe. When I look at the aforementioned Makers cult, I might be paying ten quid, but I'm getting what will be sixty or seventy quid's worth of files post-Patreon. That's a real incentive to get me to stay on, as it means that I only need one or two good files every other month to justify the cost. And that reliability of income works well for the company when it comes to making their own budgets. They know that as long as they can offer me even one thing every other month worth my interest, they'll keep my subscription.

When it comes to bases, let's say that you're charging $10 on Patreon for two themes with the composition I mentioned above (10x25mm, 10x 32mm, 5x 40mm, 2x 60mm, 5x 70x25mm (bike size), and 1x120mm (with flight stand option)) per month. At the end of the month, you remove it from Patreon, and split it into two themes for $20 each on another site. Then you order in a pile of them in resin from a third party manufacturer so you can sell physical packs (say, ten 25mm or ten 30mm, or 5 40mm, etc for £6 a pack or whatever - depends on costs).

You've suddenly got three income streams. The Patreon remains the initial engine, it's the running mechanism that pays developmental costs and living expenses. But the two other revenues can be diverted towards expanding your offering, branching into other areas, subsidising a Kickstarter project, or just beefing up your daily income (if you don't want any additional complication).

From my observations, that's how the majority of these companies have started and developed over the last two years. It's a very young market, so it's interesting to see how it'll develop. But with the new 3d printers just hitting, 3d printing is finally (I would say) just about cost affordable for the average punter. And whilst plenty of people chuck in the odd base set to their Patreons, there's no dedicated Patreon or 3d company out there right now (unlike in resin where there's a dozen). So the niche is certainly there for an early mover.

Heck, I'd think about it myself if I didn't have so much else on.


lord_blackfang wrote:
 Malika2 wrote:
Im kinda pondering whether I should start to sell some of my 6mm stuff through Patreon. It'll mainly be small terrain bits and random units. Still in doubt as in how to start, need to build a decent sized catalogue first.


You definitely want a few months of stuff ready in advance so you aren't immediately forced into the monthly grind to fill your obligations. It's also probably better at this time to err on the side of cheaper cost with less stuff, to go easy on both the wallets and your own time investment. Be as clear as possible on what and how much people can expect to get for their money. Don't expect a lot until you've proven yourself. Paying a subscription up front for items sight unseen is the major annoyance of the Patreon model and it takes time to build up trust. Make sure to post renders publically, so people can always see your current offering before pledging.


endtransmission wrote:Some great advice from Ketara. I've put up some free bits on MyMiniFactory and had surprisingly good download rate from no advertising and them being pretty generic bits of terrain.

Setting up an actual shop in MMF actually costs you, so again start off with some free bits to start getting yourself known, build up a bit of a backlog and then dive in.

You can do Patreon with a payment per deliverable item (so in your case a pack of bases) and your Patrons will get charged whenever you up load a pack, rather than each month. I don't see too many people doing that, but it is possible and can work if you're just starting out. I would look at other people's base packs and work out what you want to charge post-patreon and reverse engineer a price from that. You'll never compete with the big ones, but a well thought out base patreon could be good. Think about supporting assets as well, for example you have the crystals on those bases. It could be good to also have stls of those on their own at different sizes for people to add onto other bases, or print as larger bits of scatter terrain?


scarletsquig wrote:Another approach that works is the micro-kickstarter, have seen quite a few in the $5-$25 range which offer a complete package that follows a certain theme.
I've been working on a little something myself that I'll release with that method, with Patreon I'd worry that I wasn't giving people their money's worth every month, or that sculpt quality wasn't quite there, lots of pressure becoming a subscription service.


Maledrakh wrote:
 Malika2 wrote:
Im kinda pondering whether I should start to sell some of my 6mm stuff through Patreon. It'll mainly be small terrain bits and random units. Still in doubt as in how to start, need to build a decent sized catalogue first.


Patreon is overflowing with great miniature files creators, most are at the 10 dollars for a whole lotta stuff. So much so that is the expectation -a whole lotta stuff for 10 dollars, every month. And all of them are very good value for money.
Still there are so many that many patrons, myself included are looking into a hard culling or jumping between creators each month depending on their offerings, just because it is so much stuff and tens of dollars quickly add up when there are many creators.

I have also seen several creators drop out because of the pressure of making lots of new files every single month.

However, there are a few creators that do just a few files each month at a significantly lower cost, such as "one gold piece" that charge a measly 1 euro for three to five stls (halflings mainly, I think these are the folks behind Westphalia Miniatures) and I will not be dropping the 1 dollar/euro/pound ones just because, well it's only 1... and the files are nice.

My point is: Might this be a route to take? Charging a small amount such as 1 to 3 dollars per month and delivering a few files instead of whole armies worth for 10 dollars?


lord_blackfang wrote:
 Malika2 wrote:
Im kinda pondering whether I should start to sell some of my 6mm stuff through Patreon. It'll mainly be small terrain bits and random units. Still in doubt as in how to start, need to build a decent sized catalogue first.


You definitely want a few months of stuff ready in advance so you aren't immediately forced into the monthly grind to fill your obligations. It's also probably better at this time to err on the side of cheaper cost with less stuff, to go easy on both the wallets and your own time investment. Be as clear as possible on what and how much people can expect to get for their money. Don't expect a lot until you've proven yourself. Paying a subscription up front for items sight unseen is the major annoyance of the Patreon model and it takes time to build up trust. Make sure to post renders publically, so people can always see your current offering before pledging.


This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/10/30 19:04:14


 
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





Cults3d allows you to charge for files.
CGtrader is also an option, but it has mixed reviews from the seller side
shapeways may also be an option but I don't know how they operate behind the scenes
   
Made in nl
Did Fulgrim Just Behead Ferrus?





The Netherlands

Shapeways has...well...every once in a while they've changed their pricing policy. I remember that at one point models were cheaper when everything as a single piece, later on when it was all in separate chunks, now it reverted back again. Also, the quality still leaves something to be desired.

Bits Blitz Designs - 3D printing a dark futuristic universe 
   
Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

IIRC Shapeways only allows for buying prints, not files, is that correct?

 
   
Made in gb
Furious Raptor





Wales

Shapeways is prints only,

In my experience the returns to the creator are also terrible and they are very slow to actually send you your money.

YMMV but in my opinion listing your files on there is just providing content for someone else's benefit

Chaos Battleship - 3D print your own evil starship!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/watcorpdesigns/chaos-battleship

www.WatcorpDesigns.com
https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/watcorpdesigns
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/WatcorpDesigns

 
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





Knew i forgot one : https://www.myminifactory.com/

I dont sell any 3d files my self i am just listing those people i know use. I though shapeways did have a file section? Just checked - its possible to have free files available, pay is for prints.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/11/01 17:59:02


 
   
Made in nl
Did Fulgrim Just Behead Ferrus?





The Netherlands

But if you wanna share files for free, a place like Thingiverse might be more suitable.

Bits Blitz Designs - 3D printing a dark futuristic universe 
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





If you are doing free i agree thingiverse or cults3d.
releasing some free files will let people know how you are and what you can do at the start, and get good will later.
   
Made in us
Courageous Questing Knight





Texas

There also seems to be a recent push of 3D designers going to Kickstarter and putting their collection out with a really low fund goal and really cheap reward levels.

This could be an easy way to 'one and done' some themed collections and make a bit of money.

My Novella Collection is available on Amazon - Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi - https://www.amazon.com/Three-Roads-Dreamt-Michael-Leonard/dp/1505716993/

 
   
Made in nl
Did Fulgrim Just Behead Ferrus?





The Netherlands

I've been pondering for a while as to whether to run a Patreon or not for me (mainly) 6mm/8mm scaled terrain bits. Thing is however that for now my output is not that regular enough to do so. Also, I feel that some more of my stuff should be out in the community before I can ask a subscription fee for it.

So this led to be want to open up a shop on one of the various STL selling platforms. Shapeways is a definite no-no for me, I've already got a shop there and well...the quality and royalties leave a lot of be desired from (I'n trying really hard to stay polite here).

So yeah, there are various other platforms out there, Cults3D, CGTrader, myminifactory, gumroads, and others. All seem to have their own advantages and disadvantages, so i'm kinda curious to hear your experiences about them. Which of these platforms should I go on?

Bits Blitz Designs - 3D printing a dark futuristic universe 
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

Right now as a buyer what I notice is

1) My Mini Factory is trying to become the steam of 3D STL delivery. They already have a Kickstarter style system sort of in place and they also do the post KS management for digital STL releases for a few of the big firms. They do have an interesting system in that you don't just pay commission per sale (something like 5-10% per sale) but there's also a fee to pay per month for the site.
This is because not only do they sell ,but a lot (majority) of Patreons give back-access through MMF. So they distribute through them - so you can see that MMF would get a lot of traffic from people downloading stuff that isn't bought through them. I think they are working on a patreon style system of their own

2) Cults and Thingverse don't look at "professional" as My Mini Factory. That said I Tend to see both used, though Thingverse is almost mostly used for free distribution only; Cults is half and half and MMF is when you're "serious".

3) Patreons are great ,but I think you have to go into them with a few key things in mind

a) Patreons are monthly. Your content needs to be regular for it to work otherwise you're not really getting out of if what it provides

b) IT can be a design trap. Ergo you make terrain for 6 months and then want to make warriors. However you've 6 months of marketing and customer word of mouth so you've got 6 months worth of terrain customers who will often vote for more terrain and might leave if you start doing something else. This is a trap people fall into with 40K alt sculpts where perhaps they do one or two suddenly have a swarm of 40K customers who will leave if the 40K stops.
It's something to be aware of that changing what you do can mean less customers, not because what you made is bad, but because you're not known for it. Marketing and networking are key to help avoid this being an issue.

c) Networking. You want to network and chat with other 3D patreon organisers. This can be hard and some aren't approachable. Others won't listen or pay attention until you've got a serious number of backers; because most promotion between names is going to be model exchanges and someone with 2K customers doesn't really want to exchange with someone with 10 as there's a clear disparity - unless they like you or your work of course.

d) Limit point work. I see a fair few who work at their limit point each month - ergo on the deadline they are just finishing sculpting for the month and have had no spare time or time for other projects during that month. This means if they get ill; need a break; want to go on holiday or life throws issues at them - they've no models to fall back on to cover themselves. It also means any delay for a few days or week has a big impact on their output. So if you do do a Patreon don't work at your limit point. Ideally I'd go into it with 1 or 2 months of spare stuff already in the bag and with a view toward having room to produce extra during each month.

e) Communication is critical. Those that have loyal customers who support them for their art; who have customers who hang around and promote for them; who generally have a healthy community and thriving market - all achieve it with communication. Just like a Kickstarter or such you've got to treat your customers right. Ignore them entirely and don't inform them and they'll have no loyalty, faith or trust in you.




Note that sometimes getting your name out there can be achieved by other means than just patreon - do design work for other patreons; do limited model releases; give away one or two freebies as tasters. Also in your marketing remember - STL renders look nice and can sell models - actual printed models will sell them twice as much. OR rather a lot of people get more fired up seeing actual prints not just concepts of prints.

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in nl
Did Fulgrim Just Behead Ferrus?





The Netherlands

Totally agree with Cults3D, which is why I wasn't too fond of going on there. It did seem interesting that they don't charge a monthly fee and tax wise it might be the easiest for me since we're both EU based.

My Mini Factory seems the tightest of the bunch, it's just that I currently find it a bit too risky to pay a monthly fee if (a) my output might not be that regular and (b) I don't know yet if my items will sell well enough. In other words, I might end up spending more on the subscription fee than what comes in. This is especially risky when you do very niche stuff (6mm/8mm is rather niche).

CGTrader also seems decent, looks a little bit tighter than Cults3D. Just that their commission fee (that goes down if you are more active) seems...I dunno, it leaves me with a weird after taste.

As for Patreon, I currently don't have a regular output and reputation that would enable me to run it the way I'd like (lots of cool bits on a monthly basis). So that's something I can only consider at a later date.

Bits Blitz Designs - 3D printing a dark futuristic universe 
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

Another option is to have a look at who else is doing stuff in the same scale as you and see if you can work with them. As you say it might not be worth making your own site if, right now, all you do is make the odd terrain feature; however you might come to an agreement (percent of sales or lump sum) to work under hire/commission/whatever for someone else in the same area.

It might let you work without having the overheads to consider. Of course depending on the nature of the agreement the work you do with them might end up stuff that you can't then take away and sell on your own; but it might at least suit you more in your situation now

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in nl
Did Fulgrim Just Behead Ferrus?





The Netherlands

Yeah, I feel that for now at least CGtrader or Cults3D seems like the easiest option. If stuff goes get more rolling, I could set up a Patreon and perhaps move over to MyMiniFactory.

I've also been pondering about having other parties sell the prints of my designs. So think of sites like Goldies Prints, and so on. Do you have any experiences with those? From what I've seen is that they mainly sell stuff through a Patreon subscription. So basically they have a subscription on a designer on Patreon who allows them to sell the stuff for a monthly fee. This again means that a steady monthly flow of designs would be needed?

Bits Blitz Designs - 3D printing a dark futuristic universe 
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut





MMF looks like something you invest in when you already know you're making money from content.

I haven't loaded anything here yet myself, but consider looking into Minihoarder.
They're kind of new, not as well known as MMF but offer similar cross-platform connectivity, made specifically for miniature stls, more professional looking than cults3D (I can't get their preview images to load half the time) and from the look of things only take 5% of each sale, which is good for someone starting off.
   
Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

Malika, assuming that you have another job maybe the best way to go is a Kick Starter?

Focus on one subject, advertise it in the appropriate places, set your own limits and then by a certain date you're done.

When you have time, energy and enthusiasm you do another KS. Maybe the same subject, maybe another one.

It seems that Patreon and others are if you're trying to make sculpting a job, either a side gig or a full time one.

 
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

Just be sure that before your KS (several months before) that you start marketing and that part of that marketing is models. You can start selling a few models prior to the KS to show case your skill; you can then use those for sale models in promotions such as sponsorships, sales, give aways etc... Basically you use them to market your actual sculpting skill and product.

Then by the time your KS hits a few months later you should at least have some fans, customers and chatter about your models out there.

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in gb
Pious Warrior Priest




UK

I can share what doesn't work - Trying to make your own website, then marketing it via non-paid means.

I've had two different projects, spent a lot of time on each and made a grand total of one sale on each, hundreds of views and lots of positive engagement on social media and other platforms, sales amounting to almost nothing. When you get 500 views on a $5 thing and only one person buys it, it's time to go back to the drawing board.

I'll be going with Kickstarter and paid marketing next. Unfortunately, that means the Kickstarter price point has to rise to take into account the marketing, I don't there's a cheap option to build a following when you're starting out.

I'd be interested in hearing advice on marketing kickstarters, at the moment I'm simply going to copy what everyone else does with facebook ads, and expect roughly 50% of each KS sale to be spent on them.

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2021/07/10 11:32:42


 
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

All I can say is start your marketing well in advance of your KS campaign going live. Campaigns that I see do well (esp those that aren't tied to firms that already have customers) tend to be those that market a LOT before the KS. You basically need to have people eager to give you money before the KS starts so that when it starts you get a nice momentum boom of sales to get things going.

Otherwise if you start close too or on the launch you'll stall and by the time your marketing is starting to get people in the KS will be over.

Marketing before also gives you some sense of how well the KS will do which means - esp for something like STLs - you can adapt your KS to your anticipated market. If you're not getting any feedback or much interest you know to adjust things; that you might have to cancel or that you just won't fund by much.
At the same time if there's huge interest you might consider adding things or at least be prepared to add things or change up some of your stretch goal targets .




Also print things. For me I find it makes a massive difference seeing actual photos of models. Not renders, coloursized renders or stls screenshots - actual photos of actual models.
Showing prints shows faith in your product and work - it shows that your supports work; your stl is sound and that you've faith in your work. It also shows that you actually own a 3D printer (or have access too one) and appreciate the difference between making a digital 3D model and making a digital 3D model to print.


50% of the money on marketing sounds steep, but then again if your first KS is more of a loss leader and more about creating a brand and awareness then its money well invested so long as you can follow it up with more.

After that communicate. Communication is critical. You want to check the KS several times a day when its gaining money fast and you want to check it at least once a day if you're on a steady but not rapid rise. Writing replies; responding to feedback; engaging with the community. Even if people drop out; don't like your answers and such - its all showing your community engagement.

A KS has to be treated closer to investors than customers. You want them in the loop and informed. Those that I see hit trouble an go silent for months are those that I see having problems and burning out the good will of their customers fast.

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in gb
Pious Warrior Priest




UK

Completely agree on seeing physical, painted samples, that's always a major draw for me and I'd consider it the default.

In my case I don't sculpt anything I wouldn't personally want to print and use which makes things easier since it's something I'd want to do in "hobby time" anyway.

At the moment, I've just finished up all of the sculpts, and am in the process of individually checking that each one is manifold, has correct normals and test printing everything.

So many STLs I've purchased have had manifold errors that the slicer has to repair, pieces without correct supports, failing bridges that needed a lot of cleanup after prints or just really uneccessary stuff like complex logos/ website URLs baked into the inside of the hollowed-out print, adding hours of print time where it wasn't needed. All things I'm trying to avoid. Long print times are a pet peeve of mine so I'm making a lot of vase mode compatible stuff, not something you see often.

The pre-launch marketing is going to be a tough one, since it'll involve spending well in advance of seeing returns.

One angle I'm going to go for is releasing some free pieces in advance via webstore and trying to get some people to subscribe to a mailing list on checkout.

Might also make a facebook group with the free downloads in the files section and probably rename my free stuff on thingiverse as a "kickstarter sample pack" to get the point across since that's where the bulk of my interested traffic (thousands of downloads) has been.

I'll keep this thread posted about my approach to it since there's very little info about this sort of thing in the public domain, it's not something most will want to share, but I prefer to take the "rising tide" outlook on things.

Worst case scenario, it flops and there's nothing to be learned, best case scenario it becomes a textbook example on how to get started.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/07/10 15:19:51


 
   
Made in gb
[SWAP SHOP MOD]
Killer Klaivex







I back usually 2-4 stl KS a month. I'd say I spot them in a roughly 50/50 split between Facebook and from browsing KS itself. Sometimes I learn about them well in advance from either of those by following a patreon though (they mention they've got one in the works).

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/11 10:03:53



 
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

Good luck and yes pre-KS marketing is an investment, though there's a lot you can do for free or very cheaply without crippling yourself. I think it also depends if you want it to be just one and done KS or one that you can build off; building a brand and identity for yourself so that the first KS might not generate all that much money. However the second one gets you all those customers from behind at the start point and builds off the back of it.


Marketing is certainly a sustained effort kind of thing. I've seen people who sell fairly average to sometimes rubbish stuff and yet they appear to sell it in good volume. Part of that is that they are always updating their marketing and social media contact points. They are always posting in groups; on their FB page; on their instagram, in discord groups etc... They are active and engage those customers that they do have.

I've also seen people put up one series of ads, get some attention and then never post again.


But its a sustained thing; its months and months of it.


The final part is timing, whch is tricky. Ideally you really want to avoid any really big names doing a campaign or such at the same time. Eg doing your KS during a "new edition month" for Warhammer might not be good unless your stuff ties with it perfectly; or running a KS when Reaper are doing a big Bones one or such.

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in si
Foxy Wildborne







Note that Myminifactory is starting to do crowdfunding, the platform might be a lot more appealing to digital artists as they already have a fully featured STL marketplace with file hosting and delivery is as simple as adding the files to backers' libraries. There's been some rumours of DRM coming too.

Also relevant to prospective buyers that just searching Kickstarter.com isn't enough anymore!

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/07/16 09:51:02


Posters on ignore list: 36

40k Potica Edition - 40k patch with reactions, suppression and all that good stuff. Feedback thread here.

Gangs of Nu Ork - Necromunda / Gorkamorka expansion supporting all faction. Feedback thread here
   
Made in it
Fresh-Faced New User






Hi everyone,

I have just created my own Patreon page (please check the introductory post in this forum section) and I'd like to get more suggestions on how to get more marketing exposure.
As recommended, I am definitely going to invest in some Facebook advertisement, however I fear that (because of the extremely niche nature of the 3D printing hobby) it may not reach potential interested customers.

Do you know of other similar forums I could post to?
Also, am I allowed to post a self promoting message on DakkaDakka's "News & Rumors" forum?
And generally any other suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much in advance.


   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

One thing I will say is please put those photos up in your Facebook and Patreon pages as well as your post here. Photos of actual printed models make a massive difference when selling and also help show that your supports have to be fairly good too to get that level of quality. So they can answer a lot of potential questions people have and also show that your models can and do print well.


For marketing consider that because its a niche hobby you can spend time searching up the facebook pages of 3D print groups and 3D print companies to show off your models and latest prints. You do want to check rules for groups (some allow self promotion, some don't; some that don't can let you if you talk to the admin in advance)

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

This might be a good FB group to ask in.

3D printing for Warhammer 40k

https://www.facebook.com/groups/669921886852093

 
   
Made in it
Fresh-Faced New User






 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
This might be a good FB group to ask in.

3D printing for Warhammer 40k

https://www.facebook.com/groups/669921886852093


Thank you very much for the link!



Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Overread wrote:
One thing I will say is please put those photos up in your Facebook and Patreon pages as well as your post here. Photos of actual printed models make a massive difference when selling and also help show that your supports have to be fairly good too to get that level of quality. So they can answer a lot of potential questions people have and also show that your models can and do print well.

Thanks for the suggestion. However unfortunately because of my poor photographic skills it is difficult for me to capture the models' detail and most of the time the miniatures look washed out. But I will try to invest more time in learning to photograph models.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/09/24 12:38:17


 
   
Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

A printed model + ink is a common way to show details while still making it clear what people will get.

Good luck!

 
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut





Advertise on subreddits as well, these are the most populated three with relevance to general tabletop stuff.
https://www.reddit.com/r/PrintedMinis/
https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprintedtabletop/
https://www.reddit.com/r/3dprintingdms/

From observation by tracking other patreons, it seems that unless you:
- offer outstanding model count and/or detailed releases from the start
- hit some niche for proxies that aren't being met elsewhere
- are almost-copying existing products from popular game IP, which depending on how it's done can be risky as per other thread discussions

it takes about 6 months for pages to pickup real steam in patron counts.
   
Made in it
Fresh-Faced New User






 PondaNagura wrote:
Advertise on subreddits as well, these are the most populated three with relevance to general tabletop stuff.
https://www.reddit.com/r/PrintedMinis/
https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprintedtabletop/
https://www.reddit.com/r/3dprintingdms/

From observation by tracking other patreons, it seems that unless you:
- offer outstanding model count and/or detailed releases from the start
- hit some niche for proxies that aren't being met elsewhere
- are almost-copying existing products from popular game IP, which depending on how it's done can be risky as per other thread discussions

it takes about 6 months for pages to pickup real steam in patron counts.

Thank you very much for the tips. It's greatly appreciated.


   
 
Forum Index » 3D Printing and Digital Modeling
Go to: