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Preface:
This is a guide to hopefully gain you more attraction on your posts here on Planet Minecraft [PMC]! As of late, interactions in this community has been falling and frustrations are going up. That being said, I can't assure following these tips will boost you into popularity. But it should be able to grant you some more views and maybe more followers.
I might not do all these things myself here on Planet Minecraft, but a lot of it I do on other social media platforms to direct people to my Ko-Fi. Which have grown fairly well over the past year even with minimal artwork itself. The great thing about a lot of these points is you can apply them to multiple platforms. Multi-functional!
IMPORTANT
If your mental health has been struggling because of low interaction on this site, this article is not for you. In the off chance that you feel the need to become popular for your health to improve, you can't risk things getting worse if this doesn't pay off how you hope. If you are struggling, please take a step back and seek help. I am linking some mental health resources here, just in case you need it.
Now, all the things listed here might not be for you. Everyone is different and has their own moral code, so please don't try to make anyone feel bad for trying to boost engagement. Life's a hussle and sometimes engagement is a meal, so don't treat someone lesser than for trying to get a bigger audience!
Let's get into it, I think we're ready.
1. Post on Social Media and Other Platforms
Seems a little counter intuitive to boost Planet Minecraft (A Minecraft social media platform) on other social medias, but it really does pay off. One of the quickest and easiest too. If you can get attention off site and direct people here, more often then not you can get a lot more downloads. There's loads of Minecraft fans who have never even touched this site, but they will still love your work no matter where it is.
Platforms I personally have luck with:
Twitter
Instagram
Skindex [Skins]
Skinseed (App Store & Google Play) [Skins]
Reddit (Subreddits)
2. Interact in the Community
This is super important, especially if you're just starting off.
a. Community as a Whole
PMC is on the smaller side. If you interact with people and are nice, there's a very high chance someone will check out your profile too. I know I do it! We know it works too. Plenty of people on here have noticed you can get followers just by using the site as social media, with little to no content.
Some good ways to interact in the community in a healthy fashion:
b. Talk to Members who Succeed
If I know one thing about the PMC community, these people are nice as all can be.
At this point, I am sure there's someone on here you look up to. And that person probably succeeds at what they do if you're looking up to them. A lot of people will gladly talk to you and give you advice. If not, members often provide other resources on how they create their work.
Ways to interact and get help from specific members (Situation based):
3. Jump in on Trends
Is there something you enjoy right now that's doing super well on other platforms?
Take this chance while you can! It won't be there for long. It's also great if you're low on ideas. A lot of my more popular work was from trending pop-culture. It's easy and quick.
Places to check trends:
Easy trends:
4. Wallposts are a Tool
Wild, right? Isn't that where I just say random stuff?
It can be, but it's also the easiest spot to get instant engagement. People don't need to click on something to see your work, it's just right there in front of them. Plus, everyone scrolls wallposts these days, not the content sections. Long gone are the days of surfing the trending tabs or forums.
If you're serious about gaining more interaction, wallposts shouldn't be for 3 a.m. thoughts anymore. Save the space for your work FIRST. Humor and random when there's a slot available.
REMEMBER, each wallpost you make, pushes your last one further down the page.
Here's how I handle wallposts for a mix of fun and advertising:
5. Tags
Super under-used. Please! Use tags!
It can sometimes be annoying, but make sure you thoroughly and accurately tag your work. The average Joe doesn't look at people's profiles for a skin. They just search what they want. And no one is searching "Contest Entry" for their permanent Minecraft skin or world. You can't rely on titles anymore.
Also, consider tagging your username! If you really plan on getting popular, it's the easiest way for someone to search and find your work.
What to remember when tagging:
Tag all your work and people will still be downloading your projects years into the future.
6. Share the Process
Trust me! People love to see this.
If someone likes your work, chances are they want to see how you do it. If you break apart the steps, you also get a load more interaction opportunities. You can post them to wallposts, social media, etc!
Example workflow of a project and when to share:
Just by breaking it apart, it has quickly become 5 different things to share. All while being engaging.
7. Polish the Final Product
Honestly, super important. But a bit of a pain.
This can be annoying, because it often involves picking up new skills to highlight the beauty of your work. But having one beautiful image is worth a lot more than a bunch of janky screenshots. Especially on social media where the high impact image is your one shot to become trending (Like Reddit or Twitter).
Some ways to make an impact with your final results:
8. Regular Uploading*
*Do not do unless you are in a healthy mindset and can handle it! There's no pressure to do this.
This is a hard one, so please be careful. It does give good results, but it's a lot of work and pressure.
Regular uploads are pretty important this day and age. We expect it at this point, and PMC is not exempt. Too often people will unfollow because the account is silent. To keep your engagement up and your audience interested, you might want to consider a schedule. What should your schedule look like? Whatever works for you, as long as you can handle it.
Pointers for making a healthy and regular schedule:
9. Improvement
I feel as we get comfortable, especially with Minecraft skins, we forget we always have room to improve (But this applies to any art). The formula you use to place your pixels perfectly might have worked back then, but does it still hold now?
If what you're doing is getting too easy, maybe consider something new. That's always my best indicator to challenge myself and make something different to learn from. All the greats are always trying to learn and grow more, comfort is odd for us creatives. Keeps us from growing.
If you feel this way and are running into a wall of low interactions because people know what to expect, here's a few things to try:
10. Don't get Frustrated
These things take time. It's not time to give up yet! Especially if you know you can do well and HAVE done well.
Minecraft as a whole, is not as popular as it used to be. And with all the changes to the PMC community, it can also be hard to adapt. But don't worry, you can get there as long as you enjoy what you do and want to share it with everyone. Your works value is set by you, not the people who view it! Remember that.
Also being angry is scary :c
What do you think? Good tips? Let me know what you think or if you have any other tips I could add and build on! Questions welcome.
This is a guide to hopefully gain you more attraction on your posts here on Planet Minecraft [PMC]! As of late, interactions in this community has been falling and frustrations are going up. That being said, I can't assure following these tips will boost you into popularity. But it should be able to grant you some more views and maybe more followers.
I might not do all these things myself here on Planet Minecraft, but a lot of it I do on other social media platforms to direct people to my Ko-Fi. Which have grown fairly well over the past year even with minimal artwork itself. The great thing about a lot of these points is you can apply them to multiple platforms. Multi-functional!
IMPORTANT
If your mental health has been struggling because of low interaction on this site, this article is not for you. In the off chance that you feel the need to become popular for your health to improve, you can't risk things getting worse if this doesn't pay off how you hope. If you are struggling, please take a step back and seek help. I am linking some mental health resources here, just in case you need it.
Now, all the things listed here might not be for you. Everyone is different and has their own moral code, so please don't try to make anyone feel bad for trying to boost engagement. Life's a hussle and sometimes engagement is a meal, so don't treat someone lesser than for trying to get a bigger audience!
Let's get into it, I think we're ready.
1. Post on Social Media and Other Platforms
Seems a little counter intuitive to boost Planet Minecraft (A Minecraft social media platform) on other social medias, but it really does pay off. One of the quickest and easiest too. If you can get attention off site and direct people here, more often then not you can get a lot more downloads. There's loads of Minecraft fans who have never even touched this site, but they will still love your work no matter where it is.
Platforms I personally have luck with:
Skindex [Skins]
Skinseed (App Store & Google Play) [Skins]
Reddit (Subreddits)
- r/Minecraft (Be careful, the mods like to remove artwork and creative content.)
- r/minecraftskins [Skins]
- r/Minecraftbuilds [Builds and Maps]
2. Interact in the Community
This is super important, especially if you're just starting off.
a. Community as a Whole
PMC is on the smaller side. If you interact with people and are nice, there's a very high chance someone will check out your profile too. I know I do it! We know it works too. Plenty of people on here have noticed you can get followers just by using the site as social media, with little to no content.
Some good ways to interact in the community in a healthy fashion:
- Enter contests. (Official and Jams)
- Art trades and collabs.
- Host Jams.
- Join groups.
- Blog and post on the forum.
- Like and comment on wall posts.
- Diamond content and leave thoughtful comments.
Dos and Don'ts of Social Interaction (Subjective)
This is here just as a cover-all.
Listen, I know you're desperate - why else would you be here? But let's go over some basic social media etiquette, because it can be easy to cross a line and over do it when you're trying to interact for attention. Of course do what you want in the end, but I find people might not appreciate it.
Do:
- Diamond and Emerald. People love interaction with their work just like you! Especially on their newer work they are showing off.
- Leave a well thought out comment, unique to the piece you are looking at. Bonus points if you bring up small details you enjoy.
- Follow people with work you like! Not only do you get to see amazing work and great posts, but you get to support them.
Don't:
- Spam diamonds and emeralds. Some people will enjoy it, but sometimes it's obvious you are doing it in hopes of something back and others see it as rude. It's a fine line, so if you do decide to spam, be respectful and do not expect praise and interaction back.
- Leave a copy-paste comment or give advice no one asked for.
- Follow a lot of people. It doesn't pay off as much as you think it will. It will also flood your homepage and prevent you from those genuine interactions. Very few people on PMC do follow for follow. Cut your losses if you're asking me.
Listen, I know you're desperate - why else would you be here? But let's go over some basic social media etiquette, because it can be easy to cross a line and over do it when you're trying to interact for attention. Of course do what you want in the end, but I find people might not appreciate it.
Do:
- Diamond and Emerald. People love interaction with their work just like you! Especially on their newer work they are showing off.
- Leave a well thought out comment, unique to the piece you are looking at. Bonus points if you bring up small details you enjoy.
- Follow people with work you like! Not only do you get to see amazing work and great posts, but you get to support them.
Don't:
- Spam diamonds and emeralds. Some people will enjoy it, but sometimes it's obvious you are doing it in hopes of something back and others see it as rude. It's a fine line, so if you do decide to spam, be respectful and do not expect praise and interaction back.
- Leave a copy-paste comment or give advice no one asked for.
- Follow a lot of people. It doesn't pay off as much as you think it will. It will also flood your homepage and prevent you from those genuine interactions. Very few people on PMC do follow for follow. Cut your losses if you're asking me.
b. Talk to Members who Succeed
If I know one thing about the PMC community, these people are nice as all can be.
At this point, I am sure there's someone on here you look up to. And that person probably succeeds at what they do if you're looking up to them. A lot of people will gladly talk to you and give you advice. If not, members often provide other resources on how they create their work.
Ways to interact and get help from specific members (Situation based):
- Private messages
- Discord servers
- Social media links on their profiles
- Tutorials on their page
- Q&A blogs
Pre-written Private Message Starter (Feel free to spice it up ✨)
Hello [Username Here],
My name is [Your Name]. I really enjoy your work, it inspires me. I was wondering if you would be open to talking more, I want to improve my own work and succeed in the future.
Thanks in advance,
[Your Name].
My name is [Your Name]. I really enjoy your work, it inspires me. I was wondering if you would be open to talking more, I want to improve my own work and succeed in the future.
Thanks in advance,
[Your Name].
3. Jump in on Trends
Is there something you enjoy right now that's doing super well on other platforms?
Take this chance while you can! It won't be there for long. It's also great if you're low on ideas. A lot of my more popular work was from trending pop-culture. It's easy and quick.
Places to check trends:
Easy trends:
- Minecraft YouTubers
- TV shows and games
- Memes
- Anime characters
4. Wallposts are a Tool
Wild, right? Isn't that where I just say random stuff?
It can be, but it's also the easiest spot to get instant engagement. People don't need to click on something to see your work, it's just right there in front of them. Plus, everyone scrolls wallposts these days, not the content sections. Long gone are the days of surfing the trending tabs or forums.
If you're serious about gaining more interaction, wallposts shouldn't be for 3 a.m. thoughts anymore. Save the space for your work FIRST. Humor and random when there's a slot available.
REMEMBER, each wallpost you make, pushes your last one further down the page.
Here's how I handle wallposts for a mix of fun and advertising:
- Post two wallposts a day MAX. We do not want to push our own work down the page.
- Use your own work to create relatable moments or goofs. You can show your work and still have fun!
- Keep funny posts for days with nothing to post or when your posts aren't doing well.
- Ask for shares if you need to!
- Treat it like advertisement for your work.
- ALWAYS share final product as a wallpost.
Also, make sure your images fit the wallpost screen. So people will see the full image and want to interact!
Ex. Same wallpost, different image sizes. The one on the left, you can't see everything. Leaving out important details that a lot of people won't click "show more" for. One the right, I removed that issue.
How to edit image sizes on PMC:
1. Paste your image in you would like to use, doesn't matter the size of the file.
2. Select the image and highlight it. Click the media tab.
3. Deselect "autosize". Change the scale of the image file, but keep the lock icon locked!
4. Profit.
How to edit image sizes on PMC:
1. Paste your image in you would like to use, doesn't matter the size of the file.
2. Select the image and highlight it. Click the media tab.
3. Deselect "autosize". Change the scale of the image file, but keep the lock icon locked!
4. Profit.
5. Tags
Super under-used. Please! Use tags!
It can sometimes be annoying, but make sure you thoroughly and accurately tag your work. The average Joe doesn't look at people's profiles for a skin. They just search what they want. And no one is searching "Contest Entry" for their permanent Minecraft skin or world. You can't rely on titles anymore.
Also, consider tagging your username! If you really plan on getting popular, it's the easiest way for someone to search and find your work.
What to remember when tagging:
- Keep to 1-2 words per tag.
- Descriptive words.
- Mix of unique and popular (but still relevant).
- Don't overdo it, if you're over 15 tags, you're too deep.
Tag all your work and people will still be downloading your projects years into the future.
6. Share the Process
Trust me! People love to see this.
If someone likes your work, chances are they want to see how you do it. If you break apart the steps, you also get a load more interaction opportunities. You can post them to wallposts, social media, etc!
Example workflow of a project and when to share:
- Concept. If you don't fear sharing your precious ideas, you could tease your thoughts as just a simple text.
- Sketch or rough start. Give your audience an idea the direction you're taking so they get excited.
- Close to finish. People will know the project is done soon, they can now prepare to use it if that's an option!
- Polished product [See 7]. Go the extra mile and make the project look better then it actually does! Renders, paintings, text, whatever it takes to push it a little more towards perfection.
- Record. Record the entire way, it's very easy. Speed it up about 1000% and post to YouTube. Another source of views.
Just by breaking it apart, it has quickly become 5 different things to share. All while being engaging.
7. Polish the Final Product
Honestly, super important. But a bit of a pain.
This can be annoying, because it often involves picking up new skills to highlight the beauty of your work. But having one beautiful image is worth a lot more than a bunch of janky screenshots. Especially on social media where the high impact image is your one shot to become trending (Like Reddit or Twitter).
Some ways to make an impact with your final results:
- YouTube showcase
- Renders
- Composition screenshots with personalized backgrounds
- Screenshots with shaders
- Animations
- Process videos
Examples using my work. Tehe.
Le Vinarles [Render] [YouTube Video Showcase w/ Acting and Cinematic] [Shader Screenshots]
Jinx [Render] [Animation]
Sandwich [Render] [Animation]
Jinx [Render] [Animation]
Sandwich [Render] [Animation]
8. Regular Uploading*
*Do not do unless you are in a healthy mindset and can handle it! There's no pressure to do this.
This is a hard one, so please be careful. It does give good results, but it's a lot of work and pressure.
Regular uploads are pretty important this day and age. We expect it at this point, and PMC is not exempt. Too often people will unfollow because the account is silent. To keep your engagement up and your audience interested, you might want to consider a schedule. What should your schedule look like? Whatever works for you, as long as you can handle it.
Pointers for making a healthy and regular schedule:
- Consider all life factors and your relax time first.
- Do not fall behind on quality. Quality > quantity.
- Do not make a goal that's more then what you already do.
- Consistency helps social media algorithms, consider this if you're posting to Twitter or YouTube.
9. Improvement
I feel as we get comfortable, especially with Minecraft skins, we forget we always have room to improve (But this applies to any art). The formula you use to place your pixels perfectly might have worked back then, but does it still hold now?
If what you're doing is getting too easy, maybe consider something new. That's always my best indicator to challenge myself and make something different to learn from. All the greats are always trying to learn and grow more, comfort is odd for us creatives. Keeps us from growing.
If you feel this way and are running into a wall of low interactions because people know what to expect, here's a few things to try:
- Try a new style. If you're "copying" someone else's style, make sure to credit if you upload.
- Limit your resources. It makes your think outside the box.
- Study those you look up to, maybe even recreate their work. (Don't post it tho...)
- Study color theory! This applies to all the walks of PMC content.
- Break down what you do into something more basic, and build it up again.
- Improve your weakest skill.
- Put the fun back in.
- Stop caring about presentation.
10. Don't get Frustrated
These things take time. It's not time to give up yet! Especially if you know you can do well and HAVE done well.
Minecraft as a whole, is not as popular as it used to be. And with all the changes to the PMC community, it can also be hard to adapt. But don't worry, you can get there as long as you enjoy what you do and want to share it with everyone. Your works value is set by you, not the people who view it! Remember that.
Also being angry is scary :c
What do you think? Good tips? Let me know what you think or if you have any other tips I could add and build on! Questions welcome.
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Comment section got polished
Also, there is a Planet Minecraft subreddit! -> https://www.reddit.com/r/PlanetMinecraft/
Although it doesn't seem to get a lot of attention TwT
let me leave an opinion based on some experience. Showing the process is in some sense a spoiler and the final product may no longer be interesting (it happened to me many times when the process attracts more attention than the final product). It is necessary to show the process either neatly or not at all.
Regular uploading is also a moot point. I don’t know how long it takes to make a skin, but it can take months to make a build, especially organic ones. So if there is no content, then need to fill the air with at least wal posts, to not be completely quiet.
Here are two such "clarifying tips" if they are can be called like this, heh.