From November to the end of December, people look for gifts that mean something. A creation bought directly from the artist is one of them. Get ready now, not in December.

Time: one hour now, then a few posts until December.

1. Pick your gift selection

Three to five creations that make good gifts, at different prices: an accessible piece, a middle one, a rare one. Make sure they're online, with good images and a few lines each.

2. Set your last order date

If you ship, choose a last order date for delivery before the holidays, based on your carrier's delays. Write it on your physical creations and in your posts.

3. Make something for the season

A small end-of-year edition, a signed version, a bundle: one thing made for this moment gives people a reason to buy now.

4. Announce it in three steps

Mid-November: show your selection. Early December: remind people of your last order date. The last days: point to your digital creations, which need no shipping.

5. Close the year with a thank you

Publish a News post that thanks everyone who supported you this year. They're the ones who will be there for what comes next.

Your gift season is ready

1. three to five creations picked as gifts

2. a last order date for physical pieces

3. one creation made for the season

4. three announcements planned, from November to December

5. a thank-you News post to close the year

Next: Rhythm Playbook, to keep the rhythm going into the new year.

A record, a print, a T-shirt: a physical piece is something people keep. On HYK you sell it directly, set your own shipping and follow every order.

Time: one hour to set up, then 10 minutes per order.

1. Set your shipping first

Before you publish, create your shipping method: the countries you deliver to, your rate, and a price for each extra item. The buyer pays shipping on top of your price.

2. Show the real object

Photos of the actual piece, in hand, from several angles. Give the format, the material, the size and the edition. People buy a physical piece with their eyes.

3. Say how many

Set your stock so you never sell more than you have. If it's a limited run, say it: 50 numbered copies, 10 signed prints. The Pricing Playbook explains why it matters.

4. Ship fast, add the tracking

Pack with care, ship within a few days, and add the carrier and tracking number to the order. The buyer knows where the package is, and you avoid most questions.

5. Make the unboxing count

A handwritten word, a sticker, a small print: a detail in the package is what people photograph and share. Ask them to tag you.

Your drop is ready

1. shipping countries and rates set

2. real photos and a full description

3. stock set for the run

4. carrier and tracking added to every order

5. a personal detail in each package

Next: Gift Season Playbook, to get ready for the end-of-year sales.

Your community follows you everywhere. Give them a reason to come to HYK: something they only find here, or find here first. That's how Nikkfurie released Ghost Company 2, as an HYK exclusive.

Time: 30 minutes to plan your next release.

1. Choose what to keep for HYK

An unreleased track, a demo, an alternate version, an original piece, the sketches behind a series. It doesn't have to be your biggest project: what matters is that it's only here.

2. First or only

Two options. First on HYK: your subscribers get it before everyone else, for a few days or weeks, then it goes out elsewhere. Only on HYK: it stays here. Decide, then say which one it is.

3. Say it everywhere

In the description of the creation, in your bio and in your posts: “Only on HYK” or “On HYK first, one week before everywhere else”. An exclusive nobody knows about brings nobody.

4. Tell your subscribers first

Announce the exclusive with a News post before you talk about it anywhere else. The people already with you should be the first to know.

5. Price it right

Exclusive doesn't mean expensive. Keep an accessible entry point and, if the piece is rare, say how many copies exist. You set the price and keep 100% of it.

Your exclusive is ready

1. one creation chosen for HYK

2. first or only: decided and said

3. “Only on HYK” written on the creation and in your posts

4. a News post for your subscribers first

5. a price that fits the piece

Next: Physical Drops Playbook, to sell vinyl, prints and merch.

A release can take months. Your subscribers don't have to wait in silence. A News post on HYK keeps them close to your work, and they are notified every time.

Time: 15 minutes a week.

1. What a News post is

A short post on your HYK profile: a title, a few lines, an image or a video. Your subscribers are notified. No price, no pressure: it's the place to share what's happening.

2. Five ideas that always work

• a photo from the studio or the workshop

• a work in progress, before and after

• the story behind a creation already online

• a date: a release, a concert, an exhibition

• a thank you after a milestone or a sale

3. Keep it short

Three to five lines and one image are enough. Write the way you talk. A clear title helps: “New track in the studio” says more than “Update”.

4. Link it to your creations

When a News post talks about a creation, say where to find it on your profile. Behind the scenes give people a reason to buy the finished piece.

5. Find your rhythm

One News post every two weeks is a good start. Pick a day and stick to it: regularity matters more than quantity.

Your News are on

1. one News post published this week

2. a clear title and one image

3. a link to one of your creations when it fits

4. five ideas listed for the next weeks

5. a fixed day, every two weeks

Next: Exclusives Playbook, to give your subscribers something they only find on HYK.

Consistency matters more than intensity. Here’s a simple rhythm you can keep, and that grows your community.

Time: 30 minutes a week.

1. Every week: show up once

A story, a post, an email or a short video, with your HYK link. Reply to messages and comments.

2. Every other week: something new

Alternate a News post (behind the scenes, work in progress) and a new creation. The News keeps the bond, the creation creates value.

3. Every month: a highlight

A series, a limited edition, a release date. It’s also the moment to reach out again to people who haven’t subscribed yet, and to thank your contributors.

4. At every milestone: celebrate

First subscribers, first sale, 25, 50, 100 subscribers: say it and say thank you. A milestone made visible makes people want to join what comes next.

5. Every quarter: take stock

What sold, what got people reacting. Adjust your prices and formats, and ask your contributors what they’d like to discover next.

Your rhythm is set

1. one post a week

2. a News post or a creation every other week

3. one highlight a month

4. every milestone celebrated

5. a review every quarter

Next: go back to the first guide and update your profile with your new creations.

Every week, HYK features artists and their creations on Instagram (@hyk_platform) and in its newsletter. Here’s how it works and how to be part of it.

Time: 10 minutes to set everything up.

The series

• NEW ARTIST: an artist who has just published their first creations.

• NEW CREATIONS: every Friday, four creations that got people reacting this week (likes, saves, comments, sales), on Instagram and in the newsletter.

• COLLECTED: a creation that has just been sold.

• WHY HYK: our arguments, shown through real creations by artists.

1. Switch on your payments

It’s the condition for being featured: we only feature artists who can receive the money from their sales.

2. A real profile photo

Sharp, at least 800 pixels wide, no screenshot, no logo.

3. Your Instagram on your profile

Without it, we can’t tag you or invite you as a Collab.

4. Well-presented creations

A sharp visual, a title, a few lines (Storytelling Playbook).

5. Get your creations reacting

Share them so they get likes, saves and comments: that’s what we look at for NEW CREATIONS.

When we feature you

• We may feature a public creation without asking. We’ll let you know by email.

• Accept the Collab invitation on Instagram: the post then also appears on your profile.

• Put your HYK link in your bio that day and share the post in a story.

• Reply to comments.

You’re ready to be featured

1. payments on

2. sharp photo

3. Instagram on your profile

4. well-presented creations

5. Collab invitation accepted on the day

Next: Rhythm Playbook, to keep going over time.

Your first subscribers and your first buyers will come from the people who already know you. Here’s how to bring them over, simply.

Time: one hour in the first week, then 10 minutes a week.

1. Your HYK link everywhere

Instagram bio, YouTube description, link page, email signature, newsletter: let everything lead to your HYK profile. These places work for you all the time.

2. Announce it once, clearly

One post and one story, with an image of your profile. For example: “I now publish my creations on HYK. I set my prices and keep 100% of them. Link in bio.”

3. Write to 20 people, one by one

Past buyers, people who told you “let me know”, people close to your work. A personal message, with a detail that shows it’s for them, and your link. Twenty chosen messages bring more than two hundred sent at once.

4. Ask for a small step first

Subscribe, like, save a creation. On Instagram, people follow you. On HYK, they subscribe, and your subscribers are notified when you publish. People who have taken a first step are far more likely to buy afterwards.

5. Repeat the invitation

An invitation is rarely seen the first time. One story a week with your HYK link is enough to keep it visible.

Your community is coming

1. HYK link in all your bios

2. one clear announcement, post and story

3. 20 personal messages sent

4. a small step asked: subscribe, like, save

5. one story a week with the link

Next: First Sale Playbook, to land your first sale.

The first sale is the hardest and the most important: it turns a subscriber into a contributor, someone who buys your creation or supports you directly. Here’s what most often makes it happen.

Time: one week, a few minutes a day.

Before you start

Your payments are on (Payments Playbook) and you have at least one paid creation with an accessible entry price (Pricing Playbook).

1. Pick one creation to push

Just one, the strongest or the most accessible. One clear offer beats ten at once.

2. Write a personal message

The first sale often comes from someone close to your work: a past buyer, a friend who follows what you do. Write to them directly, with the link to the creation.

3. Say clearly what’s available

“This piece is available here, and I keep 100% of it.” Put the invitation at the start of your message, not at the end.

4. Say what the purchase makes possible

Time to create, the next series, a project moving forward. People support more willingly when they know what they’re building with you.

5. Give a date

A release, a limited edition, a launch week. A real date helps people act.

After the sale

• Thank your first contributor with a real message, not an automatic one.

• Share the moment on your channels: a first sale makes others want in.

• If your payments are on, HYK can feature your sold creation in the COLLECTED series on @hyk_platform.

Your first sale is on its way

1. payments on

2. one creation chosen

3. personal messages sent

4. a clear invitation, at the start of the message

5. a date

Next: Spotlight Playbook, to get featured by HYK.

On HYK, payments go through Stripe, our payment partner. To pay out the money from your sales, Stripe needs to verify who you are. It’s required, it takes a few minutes, and it’s the step many artists start without finishing.

Time: 10 minutes, with your ID and your IBAN.

Why it comes first

• Until your verification is complete, the money from your sales can’t be paid out to you.

• HYK only features artists whose payments are switched on (Instagram, newsletter).

• You set your price and you keep 100% of it. The HYK fee (10%) and Stripe fees are added at checkout and paid by the buyer.

What you need

• a valid ID

• the IBAN of the account where you want to receive your money

• your address and date of birth

• your phone, to receive a code

1. Open your payment settings

From your HYK profile, open the payments section and start the verification. You’ll be taken to a Stripe page.

2. Go all the way through

Identity, address, IBAN: fill everything in one go. A verification started and left halfway is the number one reason accounts get stuck.

3. Use your exact name

Write your name exactly as it appears on your ID. Your artist name stays your name on HYK: Stripe only needs your legal identity.

4. Take a clean photo of your ID

The whole document, well lit, no glare, no fingers over the details.

5. Watch your inbox

In the following days, Stripe may ask for one more document. Reply quickly: one unanswered request is enough to block payouts.

How to know you’re done

Your account is ready when Stripe confirms you can receive payments and payouts. If in doubt, write to us at connect@hyk.media: we’ll check for you.

Your payments are on

1. ID and IBAN filled in

2. name identical to your ID

3. Stripe flow completed

4. no document pending in your inbox

Next: Pricing Playbook, to set your prices.

What makes people want to buy a creation is often its story. Three well-written lines and a good visual do more than a long text.

Time: 5 minutes per creation.

1. A short title

A title people remember and can share. It’s the first thing they read, on your profile and in our posts.

2. Three lines of story

Where you were, what you were after, what the piece means to you. For example: “Painted in winter 2025, in a studio with no heating. I wanted to keep the morning light. It’s the first of a series of six.”

3. A clean visual

The thumbnail is what people see first. A sharp image, well framed, shown in full. For a track or a podcast, a real cover. For an object, a photo in natural light.

4. What exists only here

Keep some creations for HYK and say so clearly: “only on HYK”. It’s a real reason to subscribe.

5. The link up front

When you talk about a creation on your channels, put the HYK link in the first line or in a story, not at the end.

6. News posts between creations

A behind-the-scenes, a work in progress, a thought: publish a News post on HYK. Your subscribers get notified, and your profile stays alive between two creations.

Your creations are ready

1. a short title

2. three lines of story

3. a sharp visual, shown in full

4. “only on HYK” when it’s true

5. the link at the top of every share

Next: Community Playbook, to bring your community over.