When it comes to a career in a creative field, quality work is but one part of the equation. For most creators, the other key component is the relationships with supporters that the quality artwork has brought in the door. As it turns out, how you choose to interact with your audience is an art in its own right.

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These interactions are largely built on the “update,” an informal post which, really, can be about anything. Expressions of opinion, notes on progress, life-happenings, even frustrations.

Exhibit ‘Ye

But for creators still learning to navigate the ropes, “anything” and “everything” aren’t exactly useful criteria. So we reached out to a few creators who’ve excelled at using updates to build relationships and grow their audience. These update connoisseurs were kind enough to share their philosophies and insights with us. While there is certainly no one way to update effectively, these are the recurring themes that came from those chats.

Authenticity is King

Rachael Herron is a bestselling author of such novels as Splinters of Light and Pack Up The Moon. Her openness in her updates allows her supporters to glimpse another side of her personality. In Rachael’s view, “it all comes back to authenticity.”

“I don’t farm my work out to others. When I’m online on social media, it’s really me, and I’ve found that being totally myself is what resonates with people. The fake cult of ‘perfection’ that can be found all over the place doesn’t read as real — and it isn’t.

“I’d much rather have an honest conversation, even if it’s a more difficult one. The relationships – true, rich, deep ones — I’ve formed with fans make my life truer, richer, and deeper.”

Rachael (right) with crew.

When they were starting out, the multimedia group Dead End Hip Hop relied heavily on updates to gather feedback and refine the content they were making. They, too, speak of the importance of staying honest and authentic with fans. “Be transparent and engage with people that reach out to you in a meaningful way,” says Ken Inge, one of the group’s members. “When we started out, few channels on YouTube spent time talking to people that left comments on the videos. Many were shocked and appreciated at the fact that we didn’t just drop a video and run.

“This approach helped differentiate DEHH from other channels.” Ken says. “People loved the honesty in our updates and videos, which was something else that was uncommon in the industry and helped create trust within the DEHH community.”

Update Differently On Patreon

Patreon stands apart from other communication hubs in that your fans aren’t just following or checking in. They are funding the whole shebang. So as a creator, should you approach these updates differently? For Rachael, the answer is yes.

“I see it as totally different, and it’s something I’m trying to take really seriously. It’s a balance. A conversation. It’s a relationship I value and want to respect. On Twitter, I can snark. On Facebook, I try to uplift. On Patreon, I want to treat every patron as an important piece of my ability to work.”

Another creator we chatted with is voice actress and singer Amanda Lee, known for her close communication with fans, especially on Patreon. “Connecting with your audience in general is crucial, but especially with patrons,” she says. “These are the individuals who are supporting your work right in the foreground, and who love your work so much they’re offering to help you grow and reach goals that wouldn’t be possible without them — there’s something special there.

“Make them a part of the process; their input is really valuable, and incredibly inspiring. If anyone has your back, it’s definitely your patrons. Let them know that. Think of your audience as a body of water: do you want it to be stagnant and still, or do you want motion and new life to be flowing in constantly? Engagement creates the latter.”

When it comes to deciding what to share, and what not to share, Amanda says she doesn’t deliberate all that much. “I share anything I can (anything I would be interested in seeing if the roles were reversed), snippets of songs I’m working on, screenshots, early-access videos, lists of possible covers I’m working on, sometimes funny bloopers.

“Sometimes my creator posts don’t really have a lot of ‘meat’ to them,” she says. “But I think it’s really important to keep updating continuously — Kind of like a ‘HEY, look at this thing! It’s not finished yet, but you’re making this happen!’ Even for me, I think it’s awesome to see the process of a project, especially if something starts out pretty lackluster but evolves into something else entirely — I want patrons to know they’re the reason all of this is possible.”

Perspectives from the Godfather

Of course, the true test of an update is how well it connects with people. As a patron to nearly 100 different creators (my goodness!), Patrick Kohn has seen more updates than most. An avid science fiction and technology fan, Patrick’s friends have taken to calling him “Don Patreon” for his influence and generosity. Tellingly, updates and and engagement play a big role in who he decides to support.

“I’m significantly more giving and committed to the creators that there’s more of a personal connection, and they do more than either just post ‘Here’s the latest content’ vs. actually trying to engage the supporters.

“One example I would give is a Twitch streaming artist named April Ness. She actively engages her followers during the stream. The number of people who have tweeted to her that she inspired them to either start doing art or get back into art is significant. There isn’t a month that goes by that she doesn’t receive several tweets saying that.

“My daughter does a lot of art, and April has done quite a bit to encourage and inspire her,” Patrick says. “I’ve really been appreciative of all she has done, and if I went broke tomorrow, hers would be the last Patreon I would still contribute to.”

Tom Merritt

Patrick mentions another creator, Tom Merritt, as a prime example of a invested creators with a clear update strategy. “He does regular surveys to get everyone’s feedback on what people like and provide feedback on what changes he should look at in the show,” Patrick says. “I’ve also seen him personally respond to anyone who tweets that they have either started to contribute to the show, increased their contribution, or, in some cases, have had to lower their contribution. He thanks them for doing that, or, in the case of lowering, saying that he understands and not to feel bad about needing to do that. He shows real appreciation.

“I know, personally, that when a creator takes just a few seconds to simply reply with a ‘thanks,’ it starts a bond with that creator. If they go above and beyond just delivering the commitments, it builds a personal relationship that makes me want to really help them, and continue helping them.”

A last update on updates

Good updates can accomplish a number of things. They can range in tone from serious and emotional to comical and absurd. But based on insights from the pros (and the Godfather), we can broadly categories effective updates like so:

the best updates valuable context to content or projects the best updates give supporters a better understanding of your authentic self the best updates provide opportunities for involvement

If the majority of your updates can pass through at least one of these criteria, you’re likely to make your most dedicated supporters very happy. That’s one surefire way to turn an interested audience into a lasting community.

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