Ever posted an artwork, and sit back to enjoy the likes flowing in?
Then trickle in, then stop altogether? Maybe as soon as the next day, or even in an hour?
This is the “content lifetime” problem, or how long people engage with what you post.
Do you face the "content lifetime" problem? Here are 5 ways you can extend your NSFW art's digital lifetime. Click To TweetFor example, uploads on art-focused sites like DeviantArt or Pixiv are easily found. I still get likes on art I posted months ago, when new visitors explore my profile.
On the other hand, your uploads on Twitter can get buried and ignored in as quickly as a few minutes. New content is valued over old.
Instead of hustling to keep making new art (an easy way to burn out), I’ve found that creating content from your art is a better approach:
- You extend the lifetime of your artwork by adding extra value
- You bring your other skills into your art, making it more unique
- You strengthen audience connection as they engage with you in different ways
- You earn more with less effort
So how can you do it? Here are 5 technique you can use to extend your NSFW art’s digital lifetime.
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Retweeting and reuploading
If you find your post performs worse than usual, don’t be hesitant to delete it and share it on a different day. There are a lot of things out of our control when it comes to social media, so it’s better to reupload some other time if you know you can do better.
For Twitter artists, consider retweeting your art during audience peak times. Use a tool like Tweepsmap, find out where your audience is from.
Will people unfollow you if you keep retweeting?
Retweets are non-invasive and don’t show up on your media gallery, so your followers won’t mind if you retweet 3-4 times to reach people in other timezones.
However, I wouldn’t say the same about uploads that are too similar. Some artists post 3+ similar WIPs, clogging their gallery and making it seem like they barely post new content.
Add to your art with another media
Storytelling isn’t limited to drawing, consider:
- Writing a short story that builds on the art [Hex Maniac Date Smutfic ]
- Creating a comic from one artwork [Em’s Morning After]
- Adding voice acting/music and making animated works [Loveless! Animated OP]
There’s a lot of media forms to explore. Study entertainers like studios, VTubers or voice actors to see different art media, and how they collaborate to create it. Here are some I like:
- Amagato Cafe (Illustration and Story)
- Merryweather Comics (Animated and voiced works)
- LadyEliseVA (Voice Actress and VTuber)
- HoloLive (VTuber Entertainment Company)
Share your process
Behind the scenes are typically posted on membership platforms like Patreon or SubscribeStar, so you can earn extra from your art. You could also post snippets to your main art social media as another way to engage your audience.
When sharing behind the scenes, I usually focus on thinking process. Why do you make certain design decisions? Why do you prefer linearting over digital painting?
Build owned platforms
Although building a following is important, don’t forget that it’s not a good long-term strategy. NSFW Artists especially are prone to bans, and you can lose years of work in a snap.
Such un-owned platforms are sites where you have an account but don’t control how the website works. Examples are Twitter, Instagram, and Pixiv.
On the other hand, owned platforms are yours to manage. For example, your own website and email list. I own hbeatsart.com on BlueHost, and an email list on MailChimp. I’m also working on the website for Steady Beat, my NSFW entertainment studio.
Of course, you still need to follow the service provider’s rules, but there are options for website hosting and email marketing that allow NSFW. More on that in a future article.
Redirecting social media followers to your owned platforms allows you to extend the lifetime of your art, as your content becomes the main focus.
Here are some examples:
Repurpose and reuse (ych, adoptables, alt vers, merchandise)
Just because you finish an illustration doesn’t mean you can’t get any more use from it.
A popular example is “Your-Character-Here“. YCHs are usually cheaper and allow your thrifty customers to buy in. If you’re slower in the ideation/rough drawing stage like me, this might be a good way for you to earn more.
If you enjoy doing character designs, you might do adoptables, where you sell the rights to the clothes, characters, or creatures. If you want to get started, the Waifu Factory is a popular place to sell your own.
Another way to reuse is to create alternate versions. These are changes that add a lot to the base artwork, such as overlaying an x-ray view, clothed-nude versions, or a before-and-after. Alt versions also add story, which is why I charge for add-ons.
Conclusion
And those are ways to add extra value to your art and extend its lifetime. To summarize:
- Retweet and reupload if your posts don’t perform as well as expected
- Add to your art with another media, and create content that earns more engagement
- Share your process, give tips that others find value from
- Build long-term owned platforms so the focus is on your content
- Repurpose and reuse your art into other forms
Is there any in particular you’re looking forward to trying? Let me know how it goes by commenting, or shooting a message on Twitter. Good luck!
Cheers, Beats.
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