How Kinda Humorous Constructed the Most Engaged Group on Patreon

In January of 2015, 4 online game vets stop their long-held day jobs at IGN to collectively work on a brand new venture centered on nerdy gaming tradition with a contact of comedy. They known as the venture Kinda Humorous.

On the helm stood Greg Miller, a transplant from Chicago with a journalism diploma and a commanding radio voice. One of many first artistic tasks to return out of the Kinda Humorous model was GameOverGreggy, a weekly podcast that includes the Kinda Humorous crew, together with an everyday rotation of visitors. The podcast first started as a private Youtube channel Greg made whereas nonetheless working at IGN, however he was discouraged from creating content material which may intervene along with his work at IGN. Now with full artistic freedom, the Kinda Humorous guys might focus extra on the crew’s core pursuits in video games, comics, films, and TV.

Quick-forward a pair years later and Kinda Humorous is creating quite a few podcasts, gamecasts, a morning present, a doodle sequence, livestreams, and new content material each day. Final 12 months, the crew even began an animated internet sequence with the assistance of their followers. Now, with over 9,000 patrons paying into Kinda Humorous’s fundamental Patreon web page, in addition to their exclusively-gaming enterprise, it’s clear that there is no such thing as a stopping these guys from taking over the gaming world.

So how did they go from a bunch of small-town guys taking part in video video games of their storage to operating a thriving nerd tradition empire?

One factor that units Kinda Humorous aside from others of their house is a really direct reference to their followers.

“Kinda Humorous isn’t us constructing one thing in secret. We’re constructing one thing with you and for you.” – Greg Miller addresses his followers on the intro video from Kinda Humorous’s Patreon web page

How Kinda Humorous Constructed the Most Engaged Group on Patreon

They provide their patrons a voice

For Kinda Humorous, patrons aren’t a greenback quantity or line merchandise on a spreadsheet. They make it very clear to their greatest followers that they’d not be the place they’re at the moment with out their help. On high of that, they be sure that patrons all the time have a say in any massive choices the crew makes.

Listed here are only a few ways in which Kinda Humorous provides their followers a say of their creation course of:

• Polls: By leveraging Patreon’s polling characteristic, Kinda Humorous is ready to shortly be taught what sort of content material their patrons wish to see.
• AMAs: Whereas anybody can submit inquiries to be answered on one in every of Kinda Humorous’s dwell AMAs (“Ask Me Something”), followers who grow to be patrons on the $15 degree are assured their questions will get answered.
• Listening to suggestions: When patrons share their frustrations, Kinda Humorous listens. They shortened advertisements on their movies, decreased file sizes of audio posts and now provide a personal RSS feed straight on Patreon so followers can devour their content material much more simply.
• On-line communities: Together with non-public Discord and Fb teams, Kinda Humorous constructed an on-line discussion board the place followers can share ideas on something associated to the Kinda Humorous world.

They reward their greatest followers

Kinda Humorous affords a whopping complete of 13 totally different advantages throughout their two Patreon pages and frequently adjustments them up primarily based on fan suggestions. Listed here are a number of of the standouts:

• Early entry: For less than $1/month, Kinda Humorous followers get early entry to most of their content material earlier than anybody else. Since this doesn’t require the creation of any extra content material, Kinda Humorous can provide the best variety of their patrons one thing of worth with out spending a ton of time creating it.

• Fan mail: For $50/month, Kinda Humorous patrons obtain personized, autographed snail mail. By providing this reward at the next quantity, Kinda Humorous ensures that they’re not spending a ton of time on the put up workplace.

• Skype hangouts: For a few of Kinda Humorous’s greatest followers (these on the $100/month degree), patrons get an opportunity to spend one-on-one time chatting with the Kinda Humorous guys about no matter they’d like. This provides the crew to foster deeper connections with their most loyal supporters.

• Fan chosen subject: Patrons pledging on the $150/month degree can submit a subject for an episode of GameOverGreggy. Not solely does this give followers the uncommon alternative of having the ability to straight have an effect on the content material made by their favourite creators, it takes the onerous work of developing with present concepts off of Kinda Humorous crew’s palms.

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They combine Patreon into their advertising and marketing

When a brand new characteristic on Patreon is launched,  Kinda Humorous makes certain that their followers know every thing there’s to find out about the way it would possibly have an effect on the way in which through which they work together with them. Additionally they use the chance as a method to get new followers enthusiastic about changing into patrons.

By selling their creator pages every time one thing new and thrilling occurs over at Patreon, Kinda Humorous is ready to sustain momentum round their work and get potential patrons excited in regards to the unique advantages followers get as soon as they grow to be patrons.

A couple of different cool methods Kinda Humorous leverages Patreon of their advertising and marketing:

• Fast shout-outs: Fairly than save a Patreon pitch for the top of their movies (which is one other nice tactic utilized by Patreon execs like Peter Hollens), Kinda Humorous all the time makes certain to say their Patreon web page sooner or later throughout exhibits like GameOverGreggy. By mixing it with the pure dialog of the present, Kinda Humorous can encourage followers to affix with out making them really feel pitched to.
• Reward updates: The blokes from Kinda Humorous made an whole video devoted to updating followers on what thrilling new issues are developing and the way they could have an effect on their group on Patreon. Not solely does this preserve current patrons knowledgeable about adjustments which may have an effect on them, it provides potential patrons a greater thought of what cool issues they may get entry to as soon as they be a part of their Patreon group.

Wish to see Kinda Humorous in motion? The KF crew welcome us into their studio to craft this video — take pleasure in!