Quote - ... So my "solution" is make general freebies and extra ones for "supporters". Doesn't have to monetary either, it could be simple as a recommendation. But I'm still undecided if this approach is the right one or not. So any thoughts?

There are four sorts of "Freebies" -

1. Hey, look what I made! Here, you can have it. Lol, I dunno what I'm doing...

2. Somebody said they wanted one of these. So, here, you can have it too.

3. I like making freebies! I love giving stuff away! Here's something for you! Have a nice day!

4. Here's a freebie. If you really like it, you should consider stopping by my website, my online store or just send me a donation!

What sort of Freebie do you want to make? Pick one.

With each sort of freebie being made, a certain mindset has to be adopted by the creator.

1. You're sharing stuff because you've discovered the joy of creating.. stuff. You might suck at it. But, that's ok, 'cause everyone sucks at something. So, dump your freebies out there and have fun with it. Accept sensible criticism so you can better your skills at creating things. Somewhere along the line, you'll make people happy and, if you keep the right attitude, you'll be happy, too.

2. Bajillions of people love you because you take the time to create that Bunny Launching Bazooka Robot From Mars That Has Tentacles Where Its Feet Should Be And Likes Pizza model that only one person requested, but everyone secretly wants. You like feeling as if you've helped someone and enjoy exercising your skills. No, not everyone wants what you created as a Special Order, but that's fine too. Just remember that you signed up for it and if nobody ever thanks you, well, that's just the way life goes. Keep being a Good Guy 'cause that's just who you are.

3. You keep the community filled with color and life. Your creations populate the runtimes of most users, even though you only have five written responses in the forums where you've posted thousands of freebies. That's fine, 'cause it's not the "Thanks" that you're doing this for - It's for the simple pleasure of spreading around a little bit of cheer while exercising your creative talents. It's much more fun to have fun with other people, by releasing your creations, than it is for them to sit on your runtime, doing nothing. The world loves you, even if they don't show it.

4. You're serious this time. You need traffic and cash, not necessarily in that order. But, you're a fledgling marketer of your own stuff. The easiest way you can think of to attract customers is by introducing them to your work through giving away freebies. So, you adopt a tried-and-true marketing approach. Everyone uses it, from food companies sponsoring taste-tests in supermarkets to bands giving away clothing. Every business conference and trade-show is filled with truckloads of give-away bling in order to attract contacts and possible sales. Everyone does it, so you're going to do it too. You'll have to focus your efforts and put in the same amount of work developing these free products as you would with your for-sale creations. That's to be expected, since you're showcasing how good your products are, not how quickly you can create junk that nobody would ever buy. Don't expect "Thanks", either - Consumers know what you're doing and understand the marketing strategy you're using. If you happen to have some fun along the way and brighten the day of someone else, so much the better. Nobody said you couldn't have fun and take enjoyment from running your own business, but nobody said it'd be easy, either. "Nobody" sure say's a lot of crap for being a nobody...

 

What sort of Freebies are you going to produce? It may be that you will produce any of those at any given time. If you do, you must adopt the right attitude, else you'll encounter difficulties.

In my opinion, a "Freebie" is a freebie - No strings attached. If you're giving those away, you have to adopt an attitude that is comparable with that. If you put six months into developing a true freebie, buy a thousand dollars worth of software and a new rig in order to make things easier for you, you don't get to change the attitude you have to adopt, just because developing that freebie was hard. :D That's not how the Freebie Game is played!

I would suggest that you continue to produce freebies, but make them high-quality works that don't take too much of your time, but will be seen as valuable freebies, in their own right. Yet-another-hue-change-on-tired-hair-texture won't net you many customers, but it's sure easy to do. :D Do a hundred of them and maybe you'll have enough hits that one or two potential customers will buy something. But, do a high-quality and valuable freebie that showcases your unique talent and you can ride that single freebie for all its worth, marketing-wise.

If it were me, I'd exploit all avenues of approach. I'd put up true freebies, freebies with a hitch (contact lists for mailers), bonus freebies for subscribers to your website/forum, exclusive add-ons for freebies that are actually worth the money a customer would pay for them and contract work, filling special requests that individuals would be willing to pay for, but may not be marketable due to their esoteric nature. Someone out there, surely, must want a Bunny Launching Bazooka Robot From Mars That Has Tentacles Where Its Feet Should Be And Likes Pizza... And, they'll be willing to pay you good money for it.

Do the best work you can on your freebies, don't begrudge the time necessary. A quality example of your skill is what you want, not some junky thing you did in ten minutes 'cause you own a copy of Photoshop! Yes, the sweat going into it is painful, but that's what "sweat-equity" is all about. You gets out of it whats you put intos it...