How doodling can make you a millionaire with Line

Japan’s beloved messaging app Line went public earlier this year, raising over US$1 billion. Stickers make up close to a quarter of the company’s revenue. US$250 million worth of the digital drawings were sold last year, and over 2.4 billion are sent per day. Earlier this month at Tech in Asia’s Tokyo conference, the manager for the sticker planning team Naotomo Watanabe shared how to get in on the action.

Users are cuckoo for stickers. Since Line opened its creators market two years ago, anyone is able to design stickers – a number of people have made a pretty penny. The average top 10 creator brought home over US$1 million in 2015, rising to the top of the nearly 260,000 sticker sets on sale.



A picture tells a thousand words

Naotomo cites the simple and friendly nature of stickers for their success. Users can easily express their feelings in a tap or two. It’s curious to see what stickers are popular around the world – from affirmation-focused Japan to our more romantic friends in Europe.

PHOTO: LINE

The little illustrations are separated into three main categories of expressions, activities, and greetings. A Line study of sticker sets for 289 different characters shows those sent most are thumbs up confirmations, “ok,” and “love” related.

How to make a million

Naotomo suggests that designers make illustrations easy to understand and are sure each picture sends only a single message. When in doubt, go for the over reaction. An explosion of laughter is easier to interpret than a suppressed giggle.

Display order also plays an important role. Users see a set of eight stickers at a time when crafting a message. Naotomo points out that data show the second spot from the left on the top row is most often used and creators should place the sticker they want or believe will be used the most there.

Creators must also consider the direction of the message. On your own screen, messages appear on the right side, but to the person who receives your sticker, it shows up on the left. This is especially important for gestures like apologies where the way a picture faces can change the meaning.

Sticker enthusiasts should be sure to add personality to reach the top ranks. Popular methods include using dialects for text, famous phrases by celebrities, or seasonal greetings. Naotomo says you should strive to make your design stick out, make it different, and ensure that it gets a reaction. A tap on any sticker you send will bring users to a purchase screen, so being silly or a little dirty can help get attention.

PHOTO: LINE



A new brand

There are currently around 68 million registered Line users in Japan and about 600,000 designers on the creators market – that’s less than one percent of total users. Naotomo mentioned that Line is working on making it easier for anyone to create stickers in the next coming months but was hush, hush about specific plans.

Line’s creators market is relatively less competitive compared to places like YouTube where less than 0.01 percent of creators reach the million subscriber mark – believed to be one of the stats needed for a full-time vlogging carreer. However, even that doesn’t guarantee success.

If you’re looking for a new alley to express your artistic talent (or lack thereof), sticker master could be an option to take you from doodler to major brand.

This article originally appeared on Tech in Asia.