How To Set Up Goals, Rewards & Payment Tiers To Optimize Patreon Subscribers
Patreon is a platform for artists and creatives to promote their work and receive ongoing revenue from their fans. Think of it as a digital tip jar! In our post last week we shared the who, what, why, when, where and how — providing an overview of Patreon (see below).
In this week’s post, we’ll be diving deeper into the Patreon platform — covering some best practices for setting up your account. We will cover Goals, Rewards, Payment Tiers, and how to write your campaign summary to optimize subscribers.
Let’s begin!
Setting Up Goals & Milestones
Patreon is designed for ongoing revenue. It’s also a place for you to grow and improve your craft while sharing premium content and insights with your patrons. So with that in mind, it’s important to set goals and milestones that will help you achieve these things.
To begin, think about your work — where is it now and where do you want to be? For example, maybe you’re a filmmaker. You’re a great storyteller but need to improve your editing skills. A great goal would be to take a course in video editing. Figure out how much a course would cost and then set it as one of your goals. Your patrons will be pumped to know they helped you improve your craft — because in the end, they benefit from it too!
Here are some more examples of goals that successful creators have on Patreon:
- Thank You Video: this is a super easy goal to set as your first milestone. Pick a small number of patrons (~10) and once you hit this goal, create a short video thanking them all. Call them out by name or list them in the credits to give them a shoutout. They will appreciate it and new patrons will see that you really care about your audience.
- New Equipment: whether you’re a filmmaker, photographer, writer, illustrator, gardener or craftsman — better equipment allows you to improve your work. Make this one of your goals and your patrons will love helping you improve your craft.
- Tutorials & Extra Content: once you have more support on Patreon, you’ll be able to devote more time to your creative work — which means more content! Setting a goal based around releasing more and/or different content (tutorials, live Q&A hangouts, etc) is an awesome way to get your patrons excited. Plus, this will help build your credibility and fanbase.
It’s also important to consider the number of goals you should set for yourself. According to Maura Church, the author of 5 Data-Backed Tips to Be Successful On Patreon Your First Month, setting more than one goal is a must. High-earning creators tend to have multiple goals. Shoot for at least 3–5 in your first month so you and your patrons stay motivated!
Setting Up Rewards & Payment Tiers
As mentioned above, Patreon is designed for ongoing revenue. So when someone signs up to support your page, you need to present them with payment options. You can set it up so patrons pay a certain amount every time you share new work, or as a flat monthly fee.
You’re also able to set more than one price and offer incentives for paying more — this is where rewards come in. Rewarding your patrons is a great way to show your fans how much they mean to you. Plus it provides a way to incentivize potential patrons to support your page.
So…what’s a good reward?
The secret to a good reward is something that doesn’t require too much of your time. It’s even better if it’s something you’re already doing, but not sharing. For example — if you’re a writer, one of your rewards can be sharing early drafts of a new story. Or if you’re a photographer, you can record your screen while editing a photo so your patrons can learn from you. If you’re a musician, you can offer early access to concert tickets or backstage passes. These rewards keep money in your pocket and provide a valuable reward to your patrons!
Rewards tiers ensure that it’s a win-win for creators and their patrons. According to Patreon’s data team, having more than two rewards increases your chance of success in your first month. So shoot for 2–6 reward tiers to incentivize your fans.
Want more examples?
Here are rewards offered by: Writers, Visual Artists, Vloggers/Filmmakers, Musicians & Podcasters. And if you want to see rewards from one of the most successful Patreon accounts, check out Crash Course — they have a whopping 13 reward tiers and over 7,000 patrons!
Writing A Great Campaign Summary
This is the first thing someone sees when they view your page so it’s important to make a good impression.
Your summary should include some basic information about your page — including goals, rewards, and reasons for setting up a Patreon Page. This way your audience knows how to support you, what they will get in return, and how their money will be spent to improve your work.
Your message should be on-brand. Most people visiting your page will be followers from your other social media platforms, so it’s important that your tone and writing style is consistent with your voice on your other channels.
Overall, communication and transparency is key when you’re starting your Patreon page, so be upfront and honest. The more genuine you are, the more authentic your message and page will be in the eyes of your patrons.
Patreon Tip! 👍
Try creating a short video welcoming visitors to your page. Explain your goals and reasons for starting your page and thank them for this support and interest in your work. Personal videos can go a long ways and help you convert visitors into patrons.
Thanks For Reading!
Thanks for checking out this post and hopefully it helped you set up your Goals, Rewards and Payment Tiers on Patreon. If you have any questions, ask us in the comments below. 👍
Next Up!
Read the next post! In this post we explain how to share your Patreon Page with your existing audience. Social media is a massive driver of traffic to Patreon, so capitalizing on your existing audience is key to your success.
Learn more & click the post below!
