To many, there's nothing better than the aromatic smell of coffee brewing in the early morning hours. Not only is it a symbol of energy, there are many coffee connoisseurs that drink for the love of the bean. Myself however, loves a little coffee with my creamer.
If only there was a platform where artists, content creators, musicians, entertainers and so many more could connect directly with their audiences to share their gifts, talents & treasures with the world.
Introducing, Buy Me A Coffee! Your NEW Favorite social donation platform. Once you land on the main website: Buy Me A Coffee you're greeted with a very simple sign-up process, literally 2 steps.
First, you need to create a username, basically this will be your name at the end of your special link you share with your audience.
Second, you'll need to enter your email address so BMC can confirm you are really who you say you are.
Dashboard
Once you create your account, you'll be brought to this main dashboard. It's very simple to navigate and figure out. At the top, you'll see your profile picture that you'll want to setup so everyone knows what you look like.
Next, your URL is your special link you will be sharing with your supporters. This will ensure when they want to donate a coffee for you, it goes to the correct person.
Your earnings amount is listed on this main screen as well as any supporters that have donated to you. Everything here is easily laid out in a well designed format so there is no confusion.
View Page
I highly recommend taking your time to setup your individual page, including header (banner) image, profile picture, as well as your introduction space.
This description area is perfect to introduce yourself, what you have to offer your audience, a little bit more about you and where new supports can find you online.
Feel free to add as much text/links as you'd like, the more information the more comfortable newcomers will feel about you. You can add links to any social media accounts you have at the bottom of the description.
Also, if you would like to create an hyperlinks to your YouTube channel or any other social media pages, make sure to appropriate link to those accounts incase someone wants to follow you.
I added my YouTube channel trailer as a welcome video on my description to help explain what kind of content I created online.
Donations
The donations page is a simple yet streamlined view of your supporters, the amount of money that was donated in the last 30 days and the amount of money donated all-time to your account.
On the settings tab you can also set the price per coffee you'd like. For example, when someone donates a coffee to you, do you want to charge them $1 - $5 per one donation of coffee.
You can also customize your Thank you message to your supporters.
If you'd like your donation proceeds to be sent to specific charity you can notate that on this page as well. Don't forget to save your changes!
Memberships
Memberships are a fantastic way to provide additional content for your most loyal supporters. Not only can you earn recurring income every month but you can have fun interacting with your supports on a whole new level than you would on major social media platforms.
The setup for the Membership area is very simple and easy to follow. BMC guides you step by step on naming your membership levels, setting the monthly and/or yearly cost for that specific membership.
You can also setup an image that specifically compliments that membership level. If you have different picture labels to designate the differences between a lower tier, mid tier and higher tier membership level, using a image is a great way to separate those easily.
Having a clear and concise Description of all your membership levels will help your loyal supporters decide if they'd like to join or not. Be sure to be honest when representing the perks/extras they will receive. Don't lie or deceive your audience, you don't want to lose their trust just because you mislead them with your description.
Now comes the FUN part! You as the creator gets to open your imagination and decide what awesome Rewards your supporters will receive for the various levels of membership.
This can be anything from a simple Thank you message, to behind the scenes pictures or videos.
It's up to you what you'd like to give out as a reward to your loyal supporters!
Shop (Extras)
The Shop (Extras) feature absolutely sets BMC apart from all other donation sites. They make it extremely easy to sell/monetize additional bonuses or content for free!
Here are the options you can setup if you choose!
Start from Scratch
Start from Scratch really allows you to create a custom reward and design it however you would like. BMC gives some suggestions here but if you already have something in mind for a reward(s) then you can change the text/fields around to say what you would like.
Book A Zoom
Book a Zoom call is a unique bonus you can utilize for anything, really.. Whether it be a content call for giving guidance/insight or just simply a custom special greeting for your supporters.
Digital Download
Creating a digital download is the ultimate passive income vehicle. Once you put in the effort of creating a digital product; i.e. A informative PDF, E-Book, Powerpoint Presentation etc. You can list that within your BMC Extras page for your supports to purchase and download the digital product.
Live Event Ticket
Live Event Ticket is similar to Booking a Zoom call except it can be utilized for anything you like. Depending on your niche and your business you have the freedom to decide what type of live event you would like to showcase and charge for.
Art Commission
If you are an artist, Art Commission is a great option to showcase your artwork or portfolio. You work hard to create & design your artwork, make sure you charge where appropriate for it!
Join Instagram Close Friends
This option is unique in that it can be used with ANY social media platform, not just Instagram. Give your supporters backstage/behind the scenes access to special content you don't release anywhere else. This option will be a Winner for ANY loyal supporter of yours.
Wishlist
Your wishlist is a unique concept in BMC, where you can add items you would like to crowdfund by your supporters. For example, let's say you are a YouTube creator and you are in the market for a new microphone or headphones, you can add that item to your wishlist and encourage your supporters to donated money towards these items.
Commissions
Commissions are a great way to provide a custom product to your supporters. This could be anything from a physical product, consultation call/video, advice, digital product or more.
If you would rather change the verbiage from Commissions to something else such as Requests, Services, Bookings or Readings you can do that as well. It's always best practice to accurately represent what your supporters are receiving from you so the trust and loyalty remains strong.
Posts
Creating a post is another way to engage and interact with your audience/supporters. This can be anything as simple as a picture/video update or just some thoughts about how your day is going, or what you are up to this week.
This is your special place to shine and really connect with the people that have gotten to know you and appreciate your hard work creating content.
Show them some love and give them an update or two!
Gallery
Gallery is a great way to share photos and videos on your current work. If you are able to remain consistent and keep your audience engaged they will be more happy to support you in return and possibly donate if you're in need of some gear/tools to help keep your business running smoothly.
Messages
Messages can be a fun way to interact on a more smaller & intimate level with your supporters. BMC makes it super easy to send messages back and forth.
Buttons & Graphics
Buy Me A Coffee makes promoting and sharing your unique referral links so easy they have laid out multiple ways to promote on various platforms.
Website buttons are a great way to visually link directly to your BMC donation link.
Website widgets allow your supporters to directly buy you a coffee from your current website/blog without leaving the current site they are on.
Stream alerts are a cool feature for streaming platforms such as OBS/Twitch and others that allow overlays/popups to appear when you are streaming to allow supporters to directly donate you a coffee in real time.
QR codes are helpful when you are out and about and want to show someone how they can donate to you on their mobile device. This is also super helpful to place on a business card or flyer so passerby's can scan your code easily to donate to you.
Images & Shareables provide even more graphics and designs to help get the word out about BMC and provide opportunities for anyone to donate to you, graphics, animated gifs and many more marketing materials are available to you.
App Integrations
App integrations bring your promoting to the next level. If you currently use any of these applications X/Twitter, Discord, Wordpress or Zapier you are able to integrate their functionality with Buy Me A Coffee to increase donations more seamlessly.
Payouts
Payouts is where you can withdraw your current donations to your linked bank account via Stripe. This process is extremely easy to setup and get activated. I'm not showing this screenshot due to privacy reasons.
Settings
Here you will find all of your general settings for BMC and your account. Two selections I would like to make you aware of.
First, make sure to set your Payment currency to whatever local currency you'd like to accept.
Second, consider turning on the "Cover Credit Card Fee" selection so your supporters don't incur additional charges, you want them to donation freely and willingly so don't make them pay more than they intend to donate!
Frequently Asked Questions
Please note, these questions are directly from Buy Me A Coffee we didn't create nor own the question copyright.
Who uses Buy Me a Coffee?
Anyone with an audience. Youtubers, musicians, podcasters, writers, programmers, nonprofits, cosplayers, you name it. More than 300,000 creators and millions of their fans are on Buy Me a Coffee.
How do I get paid?
Payments are directly transferred to your Stripe or bank account. We do not hold your money, and there is no minimum to get paid. Buy Me a Coffee is an official partner Stripe.
How can my audience pay?
We accept all major Credit Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay.
Is there a fee to use Buy Me a Coffee?
We don't charge a monthly fee. All features including publishing and emails are free for everyone.
We charge a 5% transaction fee, and creators keep 95% of the earnings. We make money only when you do. We'll never show ads and we'll never sell your data.
Is Buy Me a Coffee safe and reliable?
We take security seriously. Here are some measures we’ve taken to protect your and your supporter’s data.
- We don’t store credit card data on our servers. Payment processing is handled by and Stripe (PCI Compliance Level 1).
- We run on the robust Amazon infrastructure. Cloudflare adds an additional layer of security. We also take periodic backups and force SSL encryption across the platform.
- We have a bug bounty program to encourage responsible reporting of any security issues, and we’re quick to take action.
Do I have complete ownership of my supporters?
Yes, your supporters are strictly yours. We do not email them. You can export their list any time you like.
How is this different from other platforms for creators?
With Buy Me a Coffee, you get everything you need to run your creative business. You don't have to worry about paying for and stitching together a dozen services, from sending emails to charging for subscriptions.
Besides, your Buy Me a Coffee page is arguably the most delightful experience you can offer your audience. From the one-tap payment (look ma, no sign-ups required!) to the delightful little touches for your supporters, we’ve obsessed over every bit of detail.
Can I build a serious business using Buy Me a Coffee?
Yes, there are many creators earning a six-figure income on Buy Me a Coffee. We will grow with you.
Who are you folks?
Buy Me a Coffee is a company based in San Francisco. Read more about us and our guiding values.
How do I contact Buy Me a Coffee?
You can email us at support@buymeacoffee.com, or leave us a message on the Intercom chat. We also respond to every feature request submitted.
If you aren't the reading type, that's okay.. I created a Review on my YouTube channel if you prefer to watch that instead!
Thank you for taking the time to read my review of Buy Me A Coffee.
If you enjoyed it or you got some value from me sharing my experience and would like to Buy Me A Coffee, I would greatly appreciate it!
