Have you ever wondered how to support your favorite creators? You love their work, but you're not sure how to thank them and give back a little. It's easy, and it makes us feel so awesome to know we have your support.
Now more than ever, we spend a lot of time on the internet consuming free content without much thought to the cost in money, time, and energy that it took to create that content that we consume so cavlierly. With voice-activated devices, we sometimes don't even have to move to get the information or entertainment we want or need.
But I also think that in the past year or so, we've become a little more aware of the ways that people work, provide services, or solve problems for us that maybe we didn't appreciate before. Nobody takes work for granted these days, and as we all relied on the internet to keep us connected, informed, and entertained during lockdown, it became more and more apparent that maybe none of us should be working for free anymore.
The good news is, there are lots of ways to support your favorite creators that still won't cost you any money. If all you can give is a little bit of your time to help support the people who give you what you crave online, that still makes a difference.
If you're ready to support a creator financially, that's also super awesome. Let's get into it.
Tell someone about it
The easiest thing you can do to support your favorite creator is just to tell someone about it. The more someones the better. Literally talk about them and tell people how awesome they are. Send links in WhatsApp. Show your mom, your best friend, or the lady who sits across the hall from you at work. Don't keep them a secret. Creators are not pie. Don't keep them to yourself. Tell everyone you know who you think would also be into their work.
Share on social
Follow your favorite creators across all their active social media channels that overlap with your own. Then share like mad. Even if you aren't a social media influencer or content creator, you've probably heard about the dreaded algorithm. Let me break it down for you.
The more people interact with a post, the more the robots think people will like it. Think of it like a point system. Metaphorically, you get one point for a like, five points for a comment, ten points for a share or a save.
A share (that little paper airplane icon on Instagram) lets the robots know that you think this post is so good, other people need to know about it. A save (which looks like a little bookmark on Insta, it's off to the right) tells the robots that this post is important to you and you want to remember it. The Insta robots love love love these and will show your posts if they see you getting a lot.
This is obviously an oversimplification, but sharing is one of the most valuable things you can do to help promote the work of your favorite creators online. It lets your friends know about their work and trains the robots to expand a creator's reach and show their content to more of their audience. And it also lets the creator know that they're on the right track and serving you the content you really want.
Don't be afraid of ads and affiliate links
I know some people will click away or scroll past as soon as they see the words sponsored, ad, or affiliate. They think the content must not be genuine and that the creator is only doing it for the money. That may be true of some creators. If you honestly feel that the creator is not being genuine and is just trying to get paid, maybe you want to make a decision about whether or not to keep following them.
But most creators only promote brands and products they have used and loved themselves. Working with sponsors or posting affiliate links helps them make the money they need to continue to create that FREE content you're consuming. So if you want your favorite creators to continue to provide you with that free content, you shoud support them by at the very least, treating these posts like you would any other piece of content.
I'm not going to tell you to arbitratily click on stuff, as that is unethical and against many ad network policies. I just want to encourage you to be more accepting of sponsored work and affiliate links. Remember, it costs you nothing to consume this content, but it costs a lot to create it. So just keep an open mind.
Pay them
Following on from the previous section, if you're one of those people going to a free recipe website and complaining about ads and informative content, whining because you have to scroll for three seconds to get to a free recipe, it's time to consider paying your favorite creators directly.
If they create a product, whether its an ebook, a candle, merch, whatever, buy it. Buy multiple copies or products and give them as gifts. Tell everyone you know about it. Don't be shy. If they offer some type of membership or subscription service, join it. Give back and show your appreciation for all that you've received.
Obviously, everyone is experiencing different financial situations, and I've given you lots of free ways to support creators, but if you love what they do and want them to keep doing it, consider supporting them financially. It will mean they can run fewer ads, do fewer sponsored posts, and can create the content you want the most without having to negotiate with brands for creative control.
Support Awesome on 20 on Patreon
If you're ready to support Awesome on 20, you can become a Patreon supporter. This means you can help me continue to create lots of free recipes and witchy lifestyle content and support my work directly. Plus, I'll give you something a little bit extra in return.
Become an Awesome Patron
For £1 a month, you can show your support and we'll give you a personal shout out on The How to Be Awesome Podcast. That's less than 3p a day. I promise, you won't even miss it, but it would mean the world to me to have your support.
Become a Totally Awesome Patron
At £5 a month, you'll never have to scroll through ads or my incessant rambling again. Go straight to the recipe from the Patreon feed to get all my latest recipes ad free. Plus, you'll get new moon and full moon journal prompts to help you reflect on your personal growth through the year.
And if you just can't get enough of hanging out with the Awesome on 20 community, there's an exclusive Facebook group just for Patreon supporters. And I'll host a live Q&A once a month where I'll answer questions about life, cooking, magick, and whatever else you have on your mind.
Become a Seriously Extremely Awesome Patron
Was all that other stuff not enough for you? Hungry for more? For £10 a month, you can realy show your love and get some extra magick to go with it. I'll share one spell or ritual for each month to help you connect with the Universe. I'll also share a Patreon exclusive recipe that only members at this level will have access to. And if you love the podcast, you'll get early access to extended ad-free episodes.
Become a Super Hard Core Awesome Patron
If you want to hang out with me a little bit more, you can get all of the other benefits, plus access to a monthly Google Meet live book or film club meeting for £20 a month. We'll go in depth together on one story each month and talk it out in real time instead of you just shouting at your phone as I spout ridiculousness on the podcast. Pretty cool, right?
If you want your favorite creators to have the means to continue creating new and awesome work, there's gotta be a give and take. Whether that's in the form of a little bit of your time to share or directly though the energy form of money, it's a fair exchange. We need to hear from diverse voices with unique perspectives. We need creativity to flourish if we're going to create a more compassionate world.
So now that you know how to support your favorite creators, get out there and start showing some love.
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