How one Patreon creator added 840 new members with Quips in just three months
Matthew Wills is the creator of SWORDS: The Webcomic, its companion card game SWORDS: CUT THE DECK, and STARS: The Webcomic.
Add to his resume: Quips pro and Patreon growth expert.
Matthew grew his total membership 13% in just three months — and Quips drove the majority of this growth.
In this post, we'll walk through some of Matthew's most impactful Quips and how Patreon's new discovery tools have helped him grow his business. We'll share Matthew's advice, insights into his growth, and how you can leverage Quips to grow your membership in similar ways.
Getting started with introductions
Matthew has used Quips in different and creative ways, but he also makes sure to take time to introduce himself. Millions of fans have access to our home feed, and it's never been more important to hone the pitch for your page.
It doesn't need to be flashy. It just needs to be you.
More than 50 new members joined Matthew's Patreon after seeing this intro Quip.
A couple of months later, Matthew introduced himself again with some webcomic flair — his Quip offering thousands of potential fans a first look at his art.
Your Turn: Introduce yourself to the feed.
The feed is packed full of fans. Millions of them. They're waiting to discover what you create.
A peek into the process
Quips also offer ways for creators to give behind-the-scenes sneak peeks.
What goes into the art fans see behind the paywall? This two-Quip punch from Matthew answered that question for thousands of fans.
In addition to showing the methods behind his work, Matthew also offers fans behind-the-scenes looks at the life of a creator. When he posted a before-and-after glimpse of his workspace, fans jumped into the comments to engage. More than 30,000 fans saw this Quip in their feed, gaining a better understanding of the artist behind the work.
Your Turn: Give fans a behind-the-scenes look.
Share an early draft of work, song lyrics written in your journal's margins, or a blooper from a recent episode.
Kickstarting community through conversation
Quips were built for discovery, but they also create community through lively comment sections. Check out Matthew's AMA that brought fans into the conversation.
Matthew also invited his fans in with this creative Quip, involving them more directly in his creative journey!
Your Turn: Quip a question.
Ask your fans something special. Maybe you want feedback on a first draft, or you're curious to learn about the other creators your fans love. Open the door to conversation and watch community form.
Making it true to you
Our last learning from Matthew's Quip strategy? Make this tool your own.
We built Quips because we wanted to give more creators more ways to show who they are.
Show off your creative skills, pitch your page, crack a joke — or do all three, the way Matthew did with this Quip that earned him 40 new members.
"I made an edit of one comic with a bit of a tongue-in-cheek message about how everyone should follow me as a free member and they can pay me later. I think that got me a lot of new followers because it showcased a little bit of my art and dry New Zealand humour."
— Matthew Wills
Your Turn: Post something with personality.
This can mean something different to every creator. What makes your page you.
Share something in your token art style, introduce your fans to your life outside of Patreon, or share some special insight into why you create.
Bonus: Make some friends along the way
Our home feed and Quips were built with discovery front of mind. That means, the more you engage with other creators — and the more they engage with you — the more community cross-pollination takes place.
I've become a free follower to LOTS of new people since Quips and its Recommendations tab started. That includes plenty of webcomic artists that I already knew about, and YouTube creators who I've been casually watching for years, but never took the time to follow on social media. I've also discovered a handful of new creators I really like and somehow missed out on the wider internet.
— Matthew Wills
Your Turn: Find your people.
Find your niche. Find your fellow creators. Become their members, like their posts, and comment kudos for their work.
In summary
Quips are a powerful way to get your work in front of new fans. And creators like Matthew are already seeing extended growth.
Creators who used Quips saw more than 50% growth in new memberships compared to the previous month.
There's no one recipe for a strong Quips strategy, but we hope these tips can help you get started.
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