It’s hard to define a “successful cosplay page”. This can refer to your Instagram account, your cosplay blog, or your cosplay “brand” as a whole. For many, cosplay is just a hobby where success is simply determined as the completion of your dream costume. But for those want their cosplay page to thrive, I hope these tips will come in handy.
Again, you are the only person who can set expectations for success. Maybe you want to land a brand deal or you want to hit 1,000 followers on Instagram. The options are endless, but each of these steps should help you kickstart your cosplay ambitions to get the results (a.k.a. the “success”) you’re hoping to achieve.
Step 1: Figure Out Who You Are
I’m trying to find a way to phrase this so it doesn’t sound so cliche. If you can’t figure out who you are in real, everyday life, it’s going to be hard to show that to people across a screen. The people who I’ve seen that are the most successful in their cosplay endeavors are the ones who are unapologetically themselves.
If you’re not sure who that is, figure that out first. Or ask your closest friends and family members how they would describe you. Then harness those key traits about yourself and use them to show the world how awesome you are.
Step 2: Set Goals
Let me say this loud and clear: don’t focus on numbers. Do. Not. Focus. On. Numbers.
Don’t get me wrong; numbers shouldn’t be ignored altogether because they do help you measure which content is working and which isn’t. Just don’t think that numbers are the only measurement of your success. You can do brand collaborations, sell prints, and start a YouTube channel with only 100 followers. In fact, that’s exactly what most people do.
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There’s nothing wrong with setting Instagram follower goals or trying to hit that 100 Patreon mark. Just make sure these numeric milestones have something to do with your big-picture goals. For example, I want to write a book. I can write a book with 0 followers, but if I want to make a full (or even part-time) job out of being a writer, then I need an audience. So I do have monthly numeric goals for social media followers and (more importantly) engagement growth. But in order to hit those numbers, I have to set goals with a consistent strategy in mind. My goals each month are to write blogs, post a couple of YouTube videos and have at least one cosplay photoshoot.
Whatever your big-picture goal is, it shouldn’t have to do with numbers. It should have to do with a career choice, a dream project, or even just community involvement. In short, set your big-picture goal, make small milestones to hit those goals, and only keep track of numbers to see if you’re hitting each milestone along the way to your main ambition.
Step 3: Be Consistent!
I’ll be the first to say that this is easier said than done. Between my day job and lack of confidence, coming up with consistent photos is hard for me. It’s November and I’ve published 15 cosplay pictures this year. But it also explains why I’m not where I want to be in this cosplay journey.
You don’t have to post photos every day to be consistent. In fact, you shouldn’t. Think of your cosplay page audience as a group of friends. You don’t need to see or talk to them every day in order to maintain that friendship. But if you keep flaking on them or you stop being there for them, they’re going to stop showing up for you, too.
Consistency should be one of your main goals if you want a successful cosplay page. Set a realistic limit to how often you can post and stick to it. It can just be one photo a week or one tutorial video a month. Once people know they can depend on you, that’s when your relationship with your audience begins to grow.
Step 4: Network For a Successful Cosplay Page
This one is huge. You don’t have to attend 20 conventions a year, but if you’re consistently holed up in your house, then it might be hard to find your tribe in the cosplay community.
You can network simply by leaving comments on other cosplayer photos. I try to make this a daily habit. I love leaving encouraging messages on others’ cosplay photos. Or if they ask a question to try to engage with their community, I like to be the person who cares enough to leave a genuine response.
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Teaming up with local cosplayers for a collaboration or a big cosplay project is another great way to put yourself out there. It can be intimidating if you don’t already have a group of cosplay friends, but that’s what is so great about this community! It’s easy to make friends… if you try. These opportunities give you a way to provide new content to your social media fans while simultaneously making friends IRL.
Step 5: Have Something to Offer
If your idea of a successful cosplay page is to have over 10K followers, you might want to look at how those cosplayers got to where they are. Usually, these cosplayers who have achieved recognition all have one thing in common: they have something to offer.
Figure out what you can offer that nobody else does. And then magnify that so the rest of the internet can see. Create tutorials, make funny Tik Tok videos, or become a stand-out seamstress. The trick is to be vocal. There is a lot of competition on the internet which means you need to be loud and proud of whatever it is that you have to offer.
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