How to make money on Patreon as a creator and a complete beginner

Whether it be on patreon or on Buy me a coffee or even Youtube membership platform you need to start using this amazing gold mine.

Patreon is a paid content subscription service. Authors publish articles, illustrations, photographs, music, and in exchange for access to these materials receive money from fans. The latter choose one or more authors, make one-time contributions or subscribe.

Money can be withdrawn through payment systems PayPal. Patreon is used by both individuals and companies, such as publishers, music labels, independent radio stations, film studios, and other commercial brands that share their experiences and creativity.

Patreon in numbers (according to patreon.com and techcrunch.com):

· The service is available in more than 230 countries.

· 5 million monthly active visitors.

· 150,000 users creating content.

· $ 1 billion has been paid to creators since Patreon launched in 2013.

· The political podcast Chapo Trap House, one of the most popular accounts on the platform in 2019, earned about $ 131,600 a month.

The main difference between Patreon and crowdfunding platforms like Kikstarter is that it doesn't support a specific product, but people. The service is suitable for bloggers, writers, musicians, comedians, cosplayers, artists, game developers, and other content creators.

How Patreon works Authors and patrons

Authors publish content, and subscribers who pay for it become patrons. You can be both an author and a patron at the same time, and from the same account. Patreon takes a commission from 5 to 12% on payments made to the authors, and also charges 20% VAT when paying with Russian bank cards. Foreign users pay a foreign analogue of VAT - Value Added Tax, VAT. Thus, if the subscriber transfers 10 dollars from the card, 2 dollars will be written off additionally to the state budget and at least 50 cents will go to pay the commission to the service. The rest of the amount is at the disposal of the author.

Shooting ranges and bonuses

Basic subscription is one dollar per month. The author can set several more levels of subscription, or tiers (tier - from the English "tier", "level"). Each level has its own bonuses: personal gratitude in an article or video, access to a private chat or broadcast, an exclusive photo or branded illustration, a personal lesson or consultation, as well as gifts in the form of books, vinyl records.

The publishing house and art space "Dystopia" offers three levels of subscriptions: for three dollars - priority access to materials and access to a private chat, for nine dollars - mentioning a name in published materials, for one hundred and fifty - mentioning a brand with an active link in materials, and on the site. Each next level includes the capabilities of the previous one.

Like, goal, repost

Options for interacting with content - just like in social networks. Users like and share posts, write comments and ask questions. Community, or community, is one of the features of Patreon's business model.

The patrons support the author himself, his work and ideas. They do not require a project to be completed or a product to be shown by a certain deadline, but they almost always count on close contact with the author.

To attract users, the service invites authors to set goals: "if I get 500 patrons, I'll go live" or "if I get $ 300, I'll quit my job and spend all my time on Patreon."

The more subscriptions, the more chances of a concert.

How to make money on Patreon

Fill In your account

When registering, select a blog topic (videos, articles, podcasts, etc.), indicate age restrictions, currency (US dollars, pounds sterling, euros). As with any social network, you need to add a photo and page description.

Write goals and a thank you message for subscribers to see. In the "About Me" section, the service advises publish a video message, not a text. Instead of the words "support", "help" or "donate" it is better to use "exclusive access", "join a closed community", "join the club of like-minded people."

When filling out your account, select the levels of access to content (shooting galleries) and bonuses for subscriptions (awards).

The main rule is recognition. If you have a loyal audience on Instagram or Facebook, try to attract them to Patreon. This is practically the only option for promoting an account: the service does not provide any opportunities for content distribution.

Choose a business model

· Membership: Contributors provide paid access to exclusive content. This scheme is preferred by 70% of users. They publish content when they see fit. Regularity is important, because patrons can unsubscribe at any time. In addition to creating content, it is important to keep in touch with a community of like-minded people: ask and answer questions, share plans.

· Subscription: Authors are paid for a unit of content - an episode of a TV series, a chapter in a book or comic, a drawing, or a video. For example, each episode of the documentary series is released after the closing of the collection for a certain amount. At the same time, other bonuses remain in force: photos or videos from filming, fan meetings, etc.

· Ongoing Support: Ongoing support for authors regardless of publication frequency. Format for those with a fan base. American blogger Tim Urban, the leading magazine "Wait but why" publishes articles about once a year. At the same time, he has 4,000 rounds. The fact is that subscribers know him not only as an author on Patreon: Tim broadcasts on TED, interviews Elon Musk, popularizes science.

Choose a tariff plan

· Lite: the system monthly debits 5% of all funds accrued by patrons and provides a basic set of tools.

· Pro: the system reserves 8% for the ability to add shooting ranges, operational technical support and other additional functions.

· Premium: the above features, support for a personal Patreon manager and multi-user account access. Commission: 12%.

Publish content

Think about what content to offer to users. Independent creators make money with copyrighted materials, It has to exclusively available to your patrons alone, and most important be eye-catching to attract other patrons to support you.

Content or perks ideas can include:

Shoutouts on your channel for free

Rolling credits

Dedicated videos to your patrons

Polls

Resource Library

Feedback

One-on-one consultation

Early Access to content

Behind the scenes

Giveaways

Update content and promote your account

It is difficult to attract sponsors within the platform; the service almost does not help in this. The most obvious ways of promotion remain:

· Patreon link or widget on personal website and social media,

· Announcements of upcoming publications: with the consent of subscribers, you can make a newsletter,

· Community development: respond to messages from patrons, respond to comments, thank subscribers, listen to their wishes,

· Collaboration with other users: let them talk about your account and offer bonuses in return for a subscription.

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