The Artist vs The Algorithm Guide

by @karenxcheng

Hi! I made this guide because I’ve been feeling blah about social
media. Artists can no longer directly reach their followers. Instead,
we create for algorithms that reward clickbait and clapbacks. We have
to sensationalize our work to get seen. It’s changing my art and
changing my behavior.

I realized I need a place where I can create - free from the

influence of the algorithm. I wanted to find places that let artists
reach their followers directly.

And I found a bunch of options! This is my guide breaking down the

pros and cons of each.

Special thanks to Chloe Shih and Janice Lee for guest contributing.

Chapter 1
Patreon

Chapter 2
Email Newsletters
ConvertKit vs Beehiiv vs Substack

Chapter 3
ManyChat

Chapter 4
Discord
Chapter 1: Patreon
Full disclosure: Patreon sponsored this video of mine. However, this guide you’re
reading right now is not sponsored. It’s independent, and no brands have editorial
input.

Why I use Patreon

It’s an algorithm-free platform

You can reach your followers directly, which means you don’t have to
clickbait or try to make your content go ‘viral’. The feed is
chronological.

You get an email list of your followers

This was a big selling point for me. If I ever wanted to move off
Patreon, I have the option to. And my Patreon doubles as an email
newsletter, because members get emails when you post something new
(and they can easily adjust / turn off these notifications).

Friendly for video creators

My main medium is video, so I was looking for a platform with good
native video support. But I also like that they support other formats
- like blog posts, pictures, and you can attach files (any files -
Premiere Pro, spreadsheets, mp3s, anything)

Easy to use
I also use Manychat and ConvertKit, but those platforms have a
steeper learning curve. Whereas I found Patreon much easier to learn
and set up.

Free vs Paid options

I chose to make my Patreon free, but I like that it gives creators an
easy path to monetization.
Examples of creators using Patreon
If you want to see how I’m using patreon, my page is here:
patreon.com/karenxcheng

Here are some other artists I recommend checking out, who also have
free accounts:
patreon.com/kevinbparry
patreon.com/javadoodles

But it’s not all roses…

The first thing I noticed was that it’s not easy for me to convert my
Instagram followers into Patreon members, even though my Patreon is
free. Although, I’ve seen other creators with more loyal followings
(e.g. YouTubers and podcasters) have an easier time converting, so
you may have a different experience.

Full transparency - I have about a million followers on Instagram,

and about 1000 members on Patreon at the time of writing this (Aug 22
2024)

It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but it took me a while to get

used to the lower like and view counts on Patreon. Platforms like
Instagram and TikTok have gotten creators addicted to the social
validation of numbers - view and comment counts - that ultimately
feel meaningless. A bunch of likes just leaves you wanting more
likes.

There’s fewer people on my Patreon, but the quality of the

conversations is much higher. I get real, meaningful feedback on my
work from other artists. I get to hone my craft. All that feels more
sustainable to me than constantly chasing numbers.

Another downside is - although you can export the email list - a

significant portion of those emails are anonymized (anyone signing up
through apple login will have their email address anonymized).
Besides, I feel a little hesitant actually using the email list, when
members didn’t explicitly opt into an email newsletter.

So, I decided to also start a separate email newsletter, so people

can explicitly opt into that. Patreon is for my core following,
people who might want to see every update of mine and interact in the
comments. My email newsletter is for once-a-month recaps of my work.

Chapter 2: Email Newsletters

Ah, the email newsletter. Old school, but still one of the best ways
to reach your followers directly.

You have many options here, and I’ve included a review of 3 of them
ConvertKit, Beehiiv, and Substack

ConvertKit
Personally, I like Convertkit the most for a few reasons

Pros
- Relatively easy to set up
- It’s free (for up to 10k subscribers)
- Simple landing pages (they have particularly well designed
templates)
- See an example of a landing page template I used here
- Integration with ManyChat (more on that in Chapter 3)

Cons
- It gets expensive fast if you want to use their advanced
features (like multiple email sequences or ManyChat
integration)
- $25/month for 1k subscribers
- $100/month for 10k subscribers
 - $566/month for 100k subscribers
- Not as easy to set up as Substack or Patreon, but I found it
easier to use than Beehiiv.

Since I don’t use Beehiiv or Substack, I’ve invited guest authors to

write breakdowns of them

Beehiiv
Review by Chloe Shih

I ultimately chose Beehiiv over Substack since a lot of my personal

branding speaks through the custom design. I’m also building the
newsletter specifically for paid subscribers (with free subscribers
getting access to a few select free posts). It also has a good amount
of social proof. Newsletters like Publish Press, AP Creative
Community, and Milk Road all use it.

Pros
- Billed on a flat monthly subscription basis, not at a 10%
commission (like Substack). It’s far more cost effective if
you’re planning for majority paid subscribers.
- Has much more customization, integrations (like with Zapier),
and automation options
- Has more advanced SEO tools and collects user data and behavior
- Great for growth-based newsletters
- Beehiiv just acquired AI-based website builder, Typedream, so
there’s a strong future in website integration, which is a
surprisingly tricky thing to set up for those who want to
integrate a member-based newsletter onto a branded website.

Cons
- The learning curve to edit a newsletter and tinker with their
advanced features can be higher.
- Default free templates aren’t the best.
- Very limited free plan.
- Pricing is slightly higher than some competitors.
- Default website builder is pretty lackluster in terms of
design.

Thanks Chloe Shih for contributing!

You can support her on Instagram and YouTube
Substack
Editor’s note: I see Substack and Patreon as very similar in their offerings, except
Patreon is more oriented towards artists, video creators, and podcasters - whereas
Substack is better suited for writers. -karenxcheng

Review by Janice Lee

When you have your own newsletter, you have control over: (1) your
audience and (2) your message. Personal newsletters almost feel like
a lost art rediscovered, especially on substack where everyone treats
it like a handwritten note. While less engagement than traditional
social media, having someone reach out through your Substack is a
very special feeling. Substack’s greatest strength is that it doesn’t
rely on an algorithm and it’s a great way to connect with your
subscribers for more in-depth conversations. You can choose to have
it free or have your members upgrade to paid if you’d like.

Pros

- Super easy to set up

- Very simple and understandable UI that makes it easy for both
substack writers and readers to navigate
- Direct Engagement! Can interact with your followers directly
through Substack’s Chat feature
- Easy way for creators to monetize their content through paid
subscriptions.
- Easy to customize your Substack publication page to your liking
- Great platform for long-form content, allowing anyone to dive
deeper into thoughts and topics that might not fit into a short
social media post

Cons

- For already established creators, transitioning an existing

community or fan base to a platform like Substack can be
challenging.
- Substack might take time to build the same level of engagement
as other platforms
- Substack’s discoverability is more limited. Might be difficult
to attract new readers organically.

Thanks Janice Lee for contributing!

You can support her on Substack, Instagram, or YouTube
Chapter 3: ManyChat
How did you find this guide? Did you comment “guide” on my video and
then get an automated DM from me with the link? The service I used
for this is called ManyChat.

I was nervous to use a DM bot at first, because I was worried that

people would think they were talking to the real me and get confused.
But, the way messages are formatted (with tappable buttons) makes it
pretty clear, and people all seem to understand it’s an automated
chat.

Pros
- If your post does well or goes viral, ManyChat lets you turn
those views into a longer-lasting relationship by driving
people to your email newsletter, Patreon, Discord, or paid
course
- Reasonably affordable at $15/month
- It does get more expensive if you want to keep more than
500 contacts, but I just scrub mine periodically to keep
it under that
- Lets you collect emails of your followers (by inviting them to
opt in via an automated DM)

Cons
- Can come off as spammy when you’re asking people to comment on
your videos.
- I resisted ManyChat for a long time because I didn’t want
to come off as spammy, but in the end, I decided it was
more important that I get a direct relationship with my
 followers. Besides, how spammy or aggressive you want to
be with it is ultimately up to you
- There’s quite a bit of a learning curve to learn how to hook up
the automations - it took me a few hours to set up and test
everything
- Only works on Instagram / FB Messenger / Whatsapp. Does not
work on TikTok or YouTube Shorts

I couldn’t decide if this was a pro or a con:

- When people are asked to comment a keyword, it helps boost the
engagement metrics on your video. I feel torn about this one,
as I’m not sure how much it actually helps, and if it works
then Instagram will probably eventually wise up and adjust
their algorithm. I’m also not the biggest fan of engagement
baiting.
Chapter 4: Discord
Review by Janice Lee

Pros:

- Community building- different channels can be created in

Discord for any type of conversation. Members can often
interact with one another without you being present
- Best tool for interacting with your audience. Many features,
chat being the notable one, but video channels and even games.
- Very scalable. No matter 10 or 1000 people in your community,
Discord can easily accommodate more intimate groups or larger
communities without sacrificing usability
- Easily integrates with other platforms like Patreon

Cons:

- High maintenance (having moderators, bots, etc.) and need for

moderation for things like spam, inappropriate content, or
conflicts among users
- Less intimacy for content delivery. If your goal is to share
deeper thoughts or personal stories, Discord’s chat-based
format might feel less conducive for this
- May be overwhelming for new users who’ve never used it before
- Not many opportunities to monetize through Discord

Thanks Janice Lee for contributing!

You can support her on Substack, Instagram, or YouTube