As content cosmos morphs into its own course of business, creators look for ways to stabilize their income. Some look to social media to monetize, others make and sell merchandise (merch). Merely in that location's a centuries-old way to focus on creating while making coin — patronage. That's where having a Patreon comes into play, and if y'all're here, you may have heard a little bit near it.

Anyone can utilise Patreon equally a source of revenue. It has no up-front costs, and at that place are just a few things you demand to make it successful. And then, should you jump on the trend? In this mail, we'll get through everything yous want to know about how to start a Patreon — why it was founded, gauging if it's right for yous, how it works, and launching your own Patreon campaign.

We brand it piece of cake to get your work out to your network and beyond with all the marketing tools you demand.

Well-nigh Patreon

Like many great businesses, Patreon was founded past someone who wanted to solve a problem. Patreon'due south origin story goes dorsum to when Jack Conte was making videos online. He noticed YouTube monetization was unstable and largely dependent on an algorithm for views. Conte called his Stanford friend Sam Yam and asked for help creating something that could help. The idea alluded to Renaissance-style patronage nether which artists could create freely with financial support. They got to work on a platform that allowed creatives to ask for the support they needed. Then in 2013, Patreon was born.

Unlike Kickstarter — which funded big projects in advance with one campaign — Patreon allows creators to make recurring high-quality content in commutation for a monthly donation. Fast forward to 2021 and creators are using Patreon to make all kinds of content with support from their followers. Some are fifty-fifty well-known creators similar Issa Rae, who went from making web series to producing the HBO hit "Insecure." So, how exactly are content creators making money to piece of work instead of working to get paid? Let'south see what goes on backside the Patreon mantle.

How Patreon works

Patreon lets your followers and fans become your biggest supporters, financially speaking. Yous might be thinking, "Aren't fans already supporters?" but let'due south break that downwardly. When you stream a song past your favorite artist, Spotify gives them less than one cent for that stream. Patreon founder, Jack Conte, would get millions of views on a YouTube video, and encounter but $100. Before Patreon, creators were really losing money doing what they loved, despite having large audiences.

Now, Patreon cuts out the third parties that take most of your profits. They implemented and proved the theory that if yous focus on creating content fans love, those followers will pay for it. This model frees you from third-party limitations that curb your creative freedom and take all your cash.

What does Patreon get in return? Around v% to 12% of your acquirement, depending on the benefits that you desire.

Signs that Patreon is right for you

When getting started with digital marketing on a new platform, a lot of questions ascend. Like social media, Patreon offers ways to connect with those who follow you lot, but what if you lot're concerned supporters volition be turned off by a paywall? How do you know if Patreon is worth it for you? Should you just keep developing your content on your ain?

Here are some signs that you should hop on Patreon:

  • Yous have an audition. Patreon won't help much in finding new audiences for you, and then you accept to bring your ain or have a growth strategy in place.
  • Your content is toll-effective. If you're raising $1,000 a calendar month simply need $20,000 to create, Patreon volition barely make a dent.
  • Yous demand a boost to make better content. Patreon gives y'all that external motivation every month reminding you lot that people desire to see what you make.

If the above sounds like what you lot're looking for, start your Patreon page and tell your followers to see you there. Allow'south become through how to get started.

Beleaf inFatherhood's Patreon Page
When starting a Patreon, remember to add a text and video introduction to what you do. Beleaf in Fatherhood is a great example of this.

How to start a Patreon

Patreon is totally complimentary to start. In fact, if you never get a patron on the platform, you'll never pay a dime. Their job is to manage your community. They're not looking to make coin if you lot aren't either. With the following steps, y'all tin learn how to offset a Patreon and launch a campaign:

  1. Beginning past registering for an account with an e-mail or online account.
  2. Next, become through the questions nigh the type of content you lot create. Practise you make videos? Manage communities? Is your content 18+?
  3. Choose which currency your patrons will see when they visit. Choose from US dollars, British Pounds, and Euros.
  4. Connect Patreon to your social media and choose a custom URL.
  5. Add together a high-quality profile photo (at least 256 x 256 pixels) and cover image (1600 ten 400 pixels).
  6. Add a text and video introduction for what your channel is about. Remind people why they're in that location. Some of your followers may non know what Patreon is.
  7. Set up up your tiers for how much money followers can give every calendar month.
  8. Fix goals for your Patreon. Tell followers your goals (for patrons or monthly revenue) and what you'll do in one case you reach each goal. For case, in one case you achieve 1,000 patrons, y'all'll practice a live stream Q&A or release a new EP.

Choosing a Patreon plan

Previously, learning how to start a Patreon didn't involve choosing a pricing plan. Patreon only offered support for payment and community direction and took 5% of acquirement. Then, in June 2020, they launched a Merch for Membership programme for all creators. This opened up more options for their pricing structure.

Patreon's plans
Cull a Patreon plan co-ordinate to what you want to offer and the type of support you need.

These are the plans currently offered on Patreon:

  • The Low-cal program (5%) manages your patrons' recurring payments.
  • The Pro plan (viii%) has everything in Low-cal plus:
    • Tiers
    • Analytics
    • Special offers
    • Workshops
    • Unlimited app integrations
    • Priority customer support
  • The Pro plan + Merch (11%) has all the Pro features and Merch back up.
  • The Premium plan (12%) has:
    • Dedicated partner manager
    • Merch for membership
    • Team accounts

Choosing which 1 is right for you will depend on how many patrons you programme to take, how big your arrangement is, and what y'all want to offer. If you're unsure, go with the Light. You tin can always modify this programme afterwards.

Understanding and using the Patreon tier system

When figuring out how to start a Patreon and apply their tier arrangement, it can be tricky to define what to ask for. Y'all might find yourself wondering what's too much or what's likewise footling. What can you offer that will exist worth that donation? Remember, your fans are there to back up y'all, non to purchase from you. Each tier offers an incentive to give (chosen benefits) not a product.

Patreon tiers are made so patrons can choose what they're capable of giving every month, not how much the do good is worth. While perks are great, they're non the main reason why fans become patrons. Not every tier has to requite a long piece of content or merch. The get-go one or 2 tin just give access to your Patreon customs and exclusive updates.

If you're just starting out, try offer one to three tiers for your fans to choose from. The commencement tin be anywhere from $1 to $three, the 2nd $iii to $six, and the third about $10. As you grow your Patreon, add more tiers for people that want to give a higher corporeality. You'll be surprised how many people volition want to give more than if given the chance.

What to offer as benefits

To advantage your patrons for their ongoing support, you may want to offer them benefits. There are a few become-to options for patron benefits that creators dear. Among these, you lot'll find:

  • Early on admission
  • Concrete rewards (like Patreon's merch)
  • Votes on futurity content
  • Recognition (a mention in your newsletter or video)‌

‌‌You can get creative with what you offer. If you do coaching or consulting, create a big tier that gives a limited number of fans a monthly session as a benefit. If you're an creative person, give them a digital download for the commencement tier or two. If you lot're a customs leader, Patreon has a total list of ideas of benefits you tin offer, including courses.

If you have a Pro plan + Merch or a Premium programme, you can choose what merchandise you want to offer and what designs you want to use. Yous tin decide whether yous want to ship the merchandise afterward iii payments or every three months. Patreon will tell yous what it will toll you per item to requite you an idea of what tier you can attach that reward to.

Rancho Relaxo's Patreon page
Rancho Relaxo's Patreon uses tiers to give supporters options and to offer different rewards.

Setting goals on Patreon

When visitors see your page on Patreon they can encounter your tiers and your goal(s). For those learning how to start a Patreon, this can be confusing. We've gone through what the tiers are and how to use them, just how does this differ from your goals?

Goals on Patreon tin exist either how many patrons you want to reach or how much you want in monthly earnings. Y'all tin can set several goals and attach events to them. For case, you tin set your first goal as $50 and announce that once you reach it, y'all'll do a giveaway or accept a special invitee on your podcast. These goals incentivize new patrons to join and help you lot succeed. As you reach them, you can set new ones to continue you and your community going.

Types of content to post on Patreon

Patreon is all well-nigh making your supporters experience special. For creators, this tin hateful sharing bonus content and giving early access to upcoming work. What type of content falls under these categories? Hither are some examples.

Behind-the-scenes content

Share what it's like to run your system or concern. For example, maybe y'all brand family unit content on YouTube like Beleaf in Fatherhood. People have connected with your story then much and the growth of your channel that they're invested in you. Sharing behind-the-scenes content allows them to know and see more than. Don't underestimate how much people capeesh that. Beleaf gathered almost 800 patrons giving anywhere from $five to $100 per calendar month.

Bloopers

Most piece of work shared online has been edited and curated carefully to look and sound perfect. Only what well-nigh the natural language-tied moments and comical goings-on that didn't brand it to the finished product? Use your Patreon to share those moments and give your audience a laugh.

Showtime look at new work

Writers who have created a following often share upcoming piece of work affiliate-past-chapter on Patreon. In fact, many writers have asked their supporters to help them quit their full-time chore. That'due south the instance for science fiction writer N.K. Jemisin. She has a customs of almost 1,500 supporters with whom she shares daily updates and exclusive fiction, like side stories of the characters they love.

Bonus episodes

Podcast creators take too benefited from sharing content on Patreon. If you lot're considering podcasting as part of your marketing, you could utilise Patreon to give your listenership additional content. If listeners are tuning in to your show every week, they'll be happy to take an extra episode to heed to as well.

Exclusive blog posts

On Patreon, information technology'southward common to share blog posts and updates that your supporters want to meet. For example, the nonprofit animal rescue Rancho Relaxo updates oft with exciting news. Their supporter-exclusive posts tell stories of recently-arrived rescues to reconnect fans with why they donate in the offset identify.

Then, how to outset a Patreon is out of the way. Now you need to drive traffic to it. Given that yous probably have a post-obit already, consider using marketing tools for this purpose. Here are some options to do that:

Create a landing page

Gather the people that honey your content but aren't sure about supporting you right now. Send them to a landing page that tells them all the benefits they go from what you do and how much work y'all put into it. You can either ask them to catechumen right abroad (request that they turn into patrons) or ask for their e-mail instead. With an e-mail, you'll exist able to transport free content to their inbox and connect with them more. At the bottom of every email, you lot can add a telephone call to action (CTA) to access patron-only content on Patreon.

Remind current fans via email

If you already take a list of your fans' emails to update them on the goings-on of your work, consider using an electronic mail marketing tool like Constant Contact to keep in touch. Like nosotros mentioned higher up, you'll and so take the option to drive traffic to your Patreon with every electronic mail sent. Create "fright of missing out" by talking about all the extra content patrons get, share photos of trade, if you have it, and how the Patreon community gets more connection with you.

Social media is likely ane of the most effective ways you get new fans. Now, it can too be one of the easiest means to go new patrons. Share your Patreon page on your social media or use paid social media marketing options to get more sensation.

If you need help, use tools that let you to build your social media presence and automate posting.

Kickoff by asking

With this guide, you accept everything y'all need to know about how to start a Patreon. You lot've learned what it'due south most, what kind of creator it's for, and the services it offers. You lot've even learned a picayune fleck of the backstory of how information technology all started and developments it'due south had over time, like the possibility to offer merch and change your pricing program.

If you're curious nearly whether your customs would be on board with Patreon, start a conversation with them. After all, this is something you lot'll be embarking on together. See what they know virtually Patreon and what kind of content they'd like to see there. Consider running polls or surveys on your social media to become an thought of what to create for your launch. Once you've decided, y'all're all set with the data yous need to become started. Happy creating!