You may think that in order to support your favourite cosplayer you need to have a lot of money. This is actually not true! There are so many ways to show appreciation and support to your favourite cosplayers, and you don’t even need to spend a penny!
We, creators, spend hours creating new content and thinking of new ideas to share with you. A great part of it we make it for ourselves, let’s be honest, I love doing cosplays, but did you ever consider that we don’t really need to share it all with you? I mean, it takes me much less time to make a cosplay if I don’t have to worry about taking pictures of the process, write a tutorial on the blog, share all the photos on social media, … Don’t get me wrong, I love sharing with you! But sometimes a pat in the back is very appreciated guys.
The fact is, if you like seeing all this (free) content, why now showing some appreciation? You don’t really need to spend any money. I am so grateful everytime I see a like, a comment or any kind of interest on what I am doing. It is very easy and it takes you no effort. Here you have some ideas.
Option A. Support your favourite cosplayer without money
We have all been there, and you may not have a penny to spare. You are not alone. Don’t worry so much about it, sometimes a nice comment will mean more than a thousand pounds. You are getting lots of contents and entertainment completely free. If you liked it, how about a little thank you? It costs you nothing. You may have no money to spare but maybe someone else who saw the post thanks to you does. Not like the money is important in this case.
Like and follow
I think a like shows the most basic support. Believe it or not, a like or a follow means a lot. Maybe you like a cosplayer but you didn’t realise they have several pages. If you can, give them a follow on each one. Read their content and open their links. This will give them more reach and they will be known by more people.
Go ahead and click the like button. Many times I am browsing my feed and I think “oh, that cosplay is awesome” or “ah, that’s such a good tutorial”. And you know what, I click it! Otherwise how will they know you even saw it? The more likes a photo gets the more people will get to see it. The more clicks, the bigger the percentage and the bigger the audience.
Share the love
Like what you see? Share it! Share their content, mention them in your stories or talk about them to you friends. It is the easiest way to help them reach other people that may be interested in their work. You don’t need to share every single image they post but you can share the best ones or the ones you think that can help others, for example, I write lots of tutorials because I think they may help other cosplayers.
Furthermore, what about asking your local convention to bring them as a guest? They may consider it, you will probably get to meet them and they will be known by more people in your area. Again, more people, more reach, more people liking, you know how it goes.
Talk with your cosplayer
If you really want to show apreciation talk to them. It always surprises me when someone in a convention recognises me and says “Hey, I follow your page” or “I loved your tutorial” or “you look amazing on this cosplay” Really guys, you are awesome. Every time it happens I feel like I could cry. It means a lot to me!
This also translates to comments on their posts. Compliment their work, tell them that you used their tutorial so they feel useful, say thanks for an interesting article. Most cosplayers will be happy to discuss any matter with you! I often get comments or messages from other cosplayers asking me how to do this or that or maybe sharing a photo of a cosplay they made using my tutorials. I just love having a chat with people that share my hobby!
Believe me, I am a shy person, talking to someone I don’t really know, even online, makes me anxious and I know for many people it is something very difficult to do. At the same time, you would be surpised! I have met some awesome people asking them how they made this or that cosplay!
Option B. Support your favourite cosplayer with money
You don’t need to break your piggy bank in order to support an artist. Cosplayers spend lots of hours creating new content. They also spend a lot of money on resources and materials, some of those costs are more obvious than others. Not many cosplayers will get rich selling prints, but they may get enough to add that extra detail to a cosplay that otherwise they may not be able to afford. Consider chipping in if you can. Most of the time you will get something in exchange too!
Use their promos and affiliate links
Many cosplayers are ambassadors of shops and brands. If you decide to use their promo codes or just click to their affiliate links you will be helping them! Maybe they get a commission or perharps a sponsorship. It won’t cost you more, on the contrary, it may cost you less, and you will be helping your favourite cosplayer by just clicking a link and getting something you want. Even if it takes you a month to make up your mind it will still help!
I recently started an affiliate program with Uniqso, which has been my favourite contact lenses shop since I started wearing contact lenses for cosplay over 5 years ago. If you click my links to their page or use my code ALICECOS for a 10% off when you buy something, I make a little percentage of the sale. It is not much, but you will actually be helping me! If you are buying that wig or contacts anyway why not get them cheaper and help a fellow cosplayer while you do it?
Buy their merchandising and products
Many cosplayers will go to conventions with prints and other thins. Buying them you will show your support and will get a lovely piece of art for your wall! Don’t get me wrong, unless you are a very famous cosplayer, most of the time the cosplayer will be out of pocket selling prints. Specially if they decide to print a batch for a convention and only sell a few.
Also, many cosplayers usually get some income selling patterns and tutorials. Some of them make props, little cosplay items, wig styling,… Take a look at their pages and you will find out more. Maybe they will consider making a costume for you! I have lots of prints, books, patterns and tutorials from fellow cosplayers, including pdf files and guides. It takes a lot of time to create patterns, costumes and tutorials, and they can save you that time. For example, in my Etsy Shop you can get Cosplay Planners and cosplay patterns that will help you with your cosplays.
Crowdfunding
Yes, you can support your favourite cosplayer directly with money if you want to. For some cosplayers it is a job. They will be providing you with a service each month in the form of content, tutorials, photos and much more.
One of the most known platforms to support cosplayers is Patreon . When you become a patron, you have access to exclusive content available only to supporters. Some cosplayers will share exclusive tutorials or patterns, others will send you prints and make giveaways. You will also get lots of photos that won’t be available anywhere else. They will let you know what kind of reward to expect. The platform works as a subscription and you will be charged each month or each time they upload content depending on their settings. There is usually different tiers as well, and you can decide how much money you want to contribute with, from 1$ a month to as much as you want to spend.
Another popular platform is Ko-fi. The difference with Patreon is that the payments are not necessarily by subscription. You can also set goals and rewards on this platform and the supporters can contribute with a fixed amount of money, usually about $3. I recently opened my Ko-fi page and I am working on new rewards for those of you who would want even more cosplay!
To sum up
Always remember that cosplayers, like many other artists, spend their time trying to get you the best content they can. It can be photos of an elaborate costume, an article, a great tutorial or patterns to help you with your cosplays. It takes hours and hours! And mostly we do it all out of love. I started sharing my photos and tutorials because I found the photos and tutorials from other cosplayers very useful. I couldn’t have done it without them. That is why I wanted to give something back to the community. Remember that just a like or a thumbs up will be enough to support your favourite cosplayer and make them happy. Next time you see an artist, cosplayer or not, with some artwork you like, consider the many ways you can help him.
And that’s it, I hope you liked it. I guess here is where I remind you that you can support me on Ko-fi if you want. Also, if you are looking for patterns and cosplay related downloadables make sure to check my collection! And don’t forget to drop those likes on my Facebook , Twitter and Instagram. Thank you always for your support!
