How to Make Money on Patreon: 8 Best Ideas for Content Creators

What is Patreon?

Patreon is a membership site that allows content creators to build passive income from their craft. The platform is used by artists, podcasters, musicians, bloggers, YouTubers, and others that want to earn more income from their followers.

As a content creator, you can offer exclusive access to content (like articles, videos, live streams, or podcasts) in exchange for a membership fee. The site allows you to relate with your fans and give them insight into your vision.

The following ideas will help you make money on Patreon:

1. Know Your Target Audience

This is the most important aspect of making money on Patreon. You won’t get any tangible results on the site if you don’t know who your audience is. You need to know who you want to target even before creating your Patreon account.

Consider those you want to create your content for. Do you want to target children, teens, or adults? Once you’re able to answer this question, then you already have lots of information about your audience.

Depending on who your audience is, you need to make some adjustments to your Patreon subscription amounts. If you’re targeting children, then there is a high chance that their parents will be in charge of buying the content for their kids.

In this case, you need to set a lower amount so that the parents can be convinced to pay for your content.

It is important to know your audience on Patreon because you have just one chance to create a good impression on the site.

2. Grow Your Audience

Now that you know who your audience is, you need to figure out how to grow your audience. Doing this will help you make money on Patreon. You need to figure out a way you can use to get people because they won’t just flock to your content.

You can do this in different ways. One of the best tools you can use for this purpose is social media. Join social media groups of artists and make valuable contributions to the group.

You can easily make money with your social media followers when more people know more about your Patreon account.

Another place to grow your audience is via a YouTube channel. Many content creators can grow their audience on YouTube.

Content such as how-to videos, ‘draw/ paint/ sketch with me’ videos, and other forms of videos can help you make money and also grow your audience.

When you operate your Patreon account simultaneously with a YouTube channel, you will be able to get people interested in your craft since those that watch your videos already know the quality of your work.

SEE: The Ultimate Guide to Making Money on YouTube

Furthermore, you can use blogging to grow your audience. Create a blog and share valuable content on it. A blog is effective in getting people interested in your projects.

It has worked for many content creators and it will work for you if you focus on providing value.

3. Entice Your Audience with Your Tiers and Rewards

You are in charge of setting the tiers and rewards on Patreon. Also, you can decide the amount a subscriber needs to pay to have access to some specific content that you create.

For instance, if you are a digital artist, you can allow patrons to have access to your artwork for a specific amount per month.

You can set the amount around $1.5 per month since they won’t get much for their money but they will be able to have access to the artwork that interests them. This will also encourage them to support you.

However, if you create how-to videos or other types of videos on Patreon, you can charge $5 per month. With this subscription, a subscriber will be able to have access to your artwork and the videos that you publish on the platform.

4. Create a Good Experience for Your Audience

The best way to keep creating a good experience for your audience on Patreon is to keep them happy. You can do this by being consistent with your activities on the platform. Have a posting schedule and stick to it.

Since your followers are paying you to have access to your content, they need to know when you’ll be creating your content. This will encourage them to stick to your content and also keep paying to get more from your content.

Your posting schedule may be weekly or monthly. Posting irregularly can end up disappointing your followers, especially those that subscribe every year.

Also, always keep your Patreons updated. Art is a time-consuming project and no one knows when you will finish working on a particular piece that you’re working on.

So keep updating your patrons on your progress. You may lose Patreons over time if you don’t update them consistently.

5. Let Your Patrons Know About Your Business Plans

To make money on Patreon, you need to be transparent. A good way to do this is to always update your patrons about your business plans.

Although you may start creating content on Patreon as a side-hustle gig, your followers are still paying for your service; so they take it as a serious business.

Let your patrons know what you hope and plan for the future. Communicate with them about your long-term goals on Patreon.

Irrespective of what you post on the platform, keep your patrons informed so that they will know more about you and what you do.

SEE: Turn Your Artistic Talent to Profit with These Ideas

6. Use Features Offered by Patreon

Patreon has many features that you can use to increase your Patreon subscribers and earn more money. Ensure you use these features.

Here are some of the main features that Patreon offers for you to make money on the platform:

Posts: This is the main avenue through which you update Patreons and let them know more about you.
Videos: These can be used for how-to content that higher-paying subscribers might be interested in.
Images: This offers a way of showcasing your artwork and giving access to the finished work.
Polls: They are a great way to interact with your audience and know what they want from you.

Ensure you use these features because most successful Patreon account owners are using them. If you are not providing unique content with the help of these features, your subscribers may end up following accounts that do.

7. Include a Thank You Video

This is an important aspect that you shouldn’t omit if you want to make money on Patreon. People are paying you for your content so it makes sense to thank them for doing so; it’s a way of giving them the credit they deserve.

Let your audience know that you’re grateful that they subscribe to your content. Your subscribers will be glad to keep supporting you when they see that you appreciate their support and willingness to help you make money.

One of the best ways to make this appreciation known is by creating a thank you video. In this case, they will see you and will also be able to know all they want to know about you and your craft.

The video will also allow you to clearly express your gratitude.

SEE: Best Free Screen Recording Software

8. Show Your Gratitude Whenever You Make an Update

As stated earlier, appreciating your patrons will help you to quickly make money on the platform. Although a thank you video is a great way of showing your appreciation, it shouldn’t be a one-time thing.

Your subscribers will keep coming back to your content, so you need to keep thanking them for supporting you. Whenever you make any post or update, always show your gratitude.

The more gratitude you show, the more appreciated your subscribers will feel. As you build a happier community, you will be able to make money on Patreon.

So, always thank your patrons for their support and let them know you love them as much as they love you.

How Much Can You Make on Patreon?

Your earnings on Patreon depend on different factors such as the number of dedicated followers you have even before you open a Patreon account. Your followers will determine the number of patrons you can have on the platform.

However, we have many success stories of those earning on Patreon. For instance, The Tom Dillon Show makes more than $130,000 every month on Patreon.

Who Can Make Money on Patreon?

Anyone can sign up and make money on Patreon. Once you start earning from your subscribers, the platform will get a commission from your income.

The following professionals can make money on Patreon:

Podcasters
Teachers and educators
Video creators
Musicians
Game creators
Writers, and
Visual artists

Why Should You Use Patreon?

You should use Patreon because it is a great platform for making money. It is also good for building a community.

The practice behind Patreon is an improvement of the traditional way that content creators use to make money. Artists, musicians, and other creators used to depend on the donations made by wealthy people to finance their work.

Patreon uses this same philosophy, but it allows small and regular payments (in form of monthly and yearly subscriptions). These payments give more people access to become patrons.

FAQs

Can you make good money on Patreon?

Yes, you can earn good money on Patreon. Some creators on Patreon have successfully made over $200,000 per year on the site. However, before you get to this level, you need to know the type of content that attracts a huge audience that can boost your earnings.

How much does it cost to have a Patreon account?

It is free to get started on Patreon. However, Patreon will receive a small commission from your earnings when you start making money on the site. There is also an industry-standard rate that is used to process payments from your subscribers.

Do you have to pay taxes on Patreon?

Your earnings on Patreon are taxable income except you are a non-profit organization. Thus, you need to report all your Patreon earnings on your tax returns.

Is Patreon great for podcasters?

Yes, Patreon is a good platform that podcasters can use to make money. There are features like a private RSS feed and community messaging that you can use to connect with your patrons.

Some podcasters have earned a lot from Patreon. For instance, the Tiny Meat Gang podcast makes over $90,000 every month on Patreon.

Conclusion

I hope the ideas shared in this article have inspired you on how to make money on Patreon. With the ideas shared in this post, you should be able to turn your followers into loyal subscribers and earn consistent income from them.

However, don’t forget that being successful on Patreon is not all about making money. You need to engage your audience and nurture them so that they will trust you enough to keep paying for your content.

If you are looking for ways to make money online and you feel Patreon is not the ideal platform for you, there are lots of options at your disposal.

The best ways to make money online are those that do not require any investment and also give you the freedom to work at your schedule.

If you love entrepreneurship and you’re also creative, there are business ideas you can venture into to make money. For instance, you can sell handmade items and artwork on sites like Etsy.

Check out our guide on how to make money on Etsy to learn more. As a creator, you can sell downloadable patterns, knitted blankets, jewelry, and lots more on the site.

Thanks for reading.