How Part Time Dragons found an audience of millions (dragons optional)

Hello! I'm Spike, I make Part Time Dragons, a series featuring the daily lives of fantasy creatures in a modern setting. It’s occasionally spooky, but mostly it's funny, wholesome and heartwarming! Despite this unusual setup, we have over half a million followers and about 2-4 million viewers every month. I'm here to share some of my strategies that have helped me make Part Time Dragons successful.

Lean into reliable communication channels

Social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and FB are designed to promote the most exciting content every day. So trying to promote my Patreon or my shop on social media is often difficult. So how do I cut the noise? By avoiding it altogether! Generally the only things I advertise on socials are my email newsletter, Discord and Telegram.

My 2 most successful promotions are a 10% off discount on your first shop order when you sign up to the newsletter, and joining our Discord Server to hang out and play Minecraft with me. If they accept, these spaces allow me to connect directly with my community, free from algorithm interference, creating a two-way channel for communication. This lets me share offers frequently, experiment with different ideas, and even include links. This has led to a stronger community and significant growth in our Patreon and shop sales!

Simplify your offers

Instead of advertising multiple Patreon tiers or perks, I usually focus on our $2 tier. My pitch is simple. After posting my comic, I write:

"Read the extra Panel on Patreon @PartTimeDragons"

It’s a clear offer that’s easy for fans to understand and act on. Single, focused messages have proven more effective than promoting multiple options.

Also, I overdeliver on my simple offers. When our fans see the advertised tier ALSO lets them read new comics a week early, gives them access to ALL previous extra panels (about 200 currently), and gives them access to the exclusive areas of our community, it's almost a no brainer to join. It always feels great for the customer, and has allowed us to enjoy steady growth of new supporters every month!

Study others

As a creator of comics and animations, I keep a close eye on what bigger industry players are doing. Shonen Jump, the world’s largest manga magazine, releases content on Mondays at 10 AM — likely to lift readers’ spirits as the week starts when they need it most. Changing my comic releases to Mondays helped us widen our reach. On YouTube, my animations are also released on Fridays. This is when most anime episodes air, when the audience is looking to relax from the week. Simple adjustments like these can make a surprising impact!

I believe that marketing is the art of finding a way of communicating with your fans. I hope my suggestions help inspire you to find ways of communicating with your fans!