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Patreon?! - I need your feedback!
9 years ago
Storm-Engineer Now, if you are about to freak out the instant you hear "Patreon", please read this journal first! I'm thinking for a while now about making a Patreon, and there are some things in which I would to ask your opinions. But first of all I need to point a few things out.
Why make Patreon? Isn't that just a paywall?
No. Or at least, it is not supposed to be a paywall. The idea of Patreon is this: Making a living as an independent artist/journalist/creator/etc. is hard. Back in the old days patrons of the arts were people who supported artists with money so they can focus on making art instead of struggling for their daily bread. Patreon's aim is the same: It allows these independent creators to accept monthly donations to support them, so they can focus on doing their thing.
Now the "paywall" is actually supposed to be a reward system. In one hand, you want to say thanks to the people who support you and in the other, people are more willing to give you money if they get something in return. So the idea of "Patrons only" content is to reward your supporters, and not to just serve as a paywall.
So, as an independent, now full-time artist, I don't have any income other than commissions. This puts lots of stress on me and forces me to push many of my personal artistic pursuits aside in favor of earning money. :( Not only I don't have time to work on my personal artworks, but I have absolutely zero time for writing articles, making tutorials, creating videos, putting up resource packs - things that I would love to do to help other artists out there.
I want to use Patreon to let people support me and make it easier for me to do what I do. I DO NOT want a paywall...
So... what will the rewards be then?
Now this is my first problem. I love to share, and I don't want to restrict anything I create to only people who give me money. Everything I'm comfortable sharing I already share for free, with everyone, and anything I'm not sharing now is too personal or sensitive to be shared anyway, and no money is going to change that. But a Patreon with no rewards won't be a very successful one... So what do you think? What could I offer to Patrons that wouldn't create that hated paywall? Please share your ideas! Also, I have a few ideas I would like to ask your feedback on:
1; Delayed release - the idea is that Patrons get to see some stuff sooner. Let's say, 2 weeks or something like that. After that it goes public for everyone to enjoy for free. So I still give Patrons something as they get the stuff sooner, but in the end I'm not locking out anyone.
2; Voting - for example, when I release a YCH, I would make 4-5 ideas and allow patrons to vote for which one I'm actually putting up for auction. Or, when I get to a point where I have time to write articles or make tutorials, again, patrons could vote which of my ideas to do next.
3; Discounts... of some sort? - Discounts for patrons. This is a hard one, because if, let's say, you could get more money off via discount than your contribution then I'm effectively taking money away from myself. But maybe it can be done in some smart way.
4; Patrons only streams - I sometimes stream while making art. Maybe I could make some streams patrons only? Yes, this kinda locks people out but they still get to see the finished artwork.
Please share your opinion in the comments below. Also, I made a poll: [Click here to vote on reward ideas] Oh, and before you would suggest raffles - sadly, that's illegal. If I make raffles among people who donate, it would count as gambling by US law and since Patreon is US based that is prohibited.
But when is the proper time to start my Patreon?
This is the other hard question. In one hand, I could use the monetary support already. Actually, it would be tremendous help, because right now I can barely pay my bills while putting all my energy into paid work. On the other hand however... I'm still relatively unknown. I don't have too many decent works up, and I upload relatively rarely. Am I ready? Is my output worthy yet to ask donations? Or I should wait until I can be more active and upload more decent stuff - but then, my current shortage of income delays me a lot in actually being productive.
I just really don't want to seem arrogant, or expect people to support me when I don't have too many achievements yet. So what do you think? Again, please share your thoughts in the comments, and also, check this poll: [Click here to vote on when to start Patreon]
Thank you very much for any input!
P.s.: I know some people just hate Patreon and instantly unfollow artist who set one up. If you feel the same, I will be sorry to see you leave, but please understand I'm not doing this to lock everyone out, but because I need to eat and pay my bills.
Why make Patreon? Isn't that just a paywall?
No. Or at least, it is not supposed to be a paywall. The idea of Patreon is this: Making a living as an independent artist/journalist/creator/etc. is hard. Back in the old days patrons of the arts were people who supported artists with money so they can focus on making art instead of struggling for their daily bread. Patreon's aim is the same: It allows these independent creators to accept monthly donations to support them, so they can focus on doing their thing.
Now the "paywall" is actually supposed to be a reward system. In one hand, you want to say thanks to the people who support you and in the other, people are more willing to give you money if they get something in return. So the idea of "Patrons only" content is to reward your supporters, and not to just serve as a paywall.
So, as an independent, now full-time artist, I don't have any income other than commissions. This puts lots of stress on me and forces me to push many of my personal artistic pursuits aside in favor of earning money. :( Not only I don't have time to work on my personal artworks, but I have absolutely zero time for writing articles, making tutorials, creating videos, putting up resource packs - things that I would love to do to help other artists out there.
I want to use Patreon to let people support me and make it easier for me to do what I do. I DO NOT want a paywall...
So... what will the rewards be then?
Now this is my first problem. I love to share, and I don't want to restrict anything I create to only people who give me money. Everything I'm comfortable sharing I already share for free, with everyone, and anything I'm not sharing now is too personal or sensitive to be shared anyway, and no money is going to change that. But a Patreon with no rewards won't be a very successful one... So what do you think? What could I offer to Patrons that wouldn't create that hated paywall? Please share your ideas! Also, I have a few ideas I would like to ask your feedback on:
1; Delayed release - the idea is that Patrons get to see some stuff sooner. Let's say, 2 weeks or something like that. After that it goes public for everyone to enjoy for free. So I still give Patrons something as they get the stuff sooner, but in the end I'm not locking out anyone.
2; Voting - for example, when I release a YCH, I would make 4-5 ideas and allow patrons to vote for which one I'm actually putting up for auction. Or, when I get to a point where I have time to write articles or make tutorials, again, patrons could vote which of my ideas to do next.
3; Discounts... of some sort? - Discounts for patrons. This is a hard one, because if, let's say, you could get more money off via discount than your contribution then I'm effectively taking money away from myself. But maybe it can be done in some smart way.
4; Patrons only streams - I sometimes stream while making art. Maybe I could make some streams patrons only? Yes, this kinda locks people out but they still get to see the finished artwork.
Please share your opinion in the comments below. Also, I made a poll: [Click here to vote on reward ideas] Oh, and before you would suggest raffles - sadly, that's illegal. If I make raffles among people who donate, it would count as gambling by US law and since Patreon is US based that is prohibited.
But when is the proper time to start my Patreon?
This is the other hard question. In one hand, I could use the monetary support already. Actually, it would be tremendous help, because right now I can barely pay my bills while putting all my energy into paid work. On the other hand however... I'm still relatively unknown. I don't have too many decent works up, and I upload relatively rarely. Am I ready? Is my output worthy yet to ask donations? Or I should wait until I can be more active and upload more decent stuff - but then, my current shortage of income delays me a lot in actually being productive.
I just really don't want to seem arrogant, or expect people to support me when I don't have too many achievements yet. So what do you think? Again, please share your thoughts in the comments, and also, check this poll: [Click here to vote on when to start Patreon]
Thank you very much for any input!
P.s.: I know some people just hate Patreon and instantly unfollow artist who set one up. If you feel the same, I will be sorry to see you leave, but please understand I'm not doing this to lock everyone out, but because I need to eat and pay my bills.
The way I understand traditional patronage is that patrons are paying to see whatever it is you might come up with if you're allowed to do your own thing outside of hired gigs. It's not about exclusivity, it's about helping bring art to light for all to enjoy which wouldn't have been likely otherwise. And perhaps some nudges on the direction of it, which is where the voting would come in.
Now it's different because people usually contribute smaller amounts. And in the end, if someone becomes a patron only for the benefits, well, I still get the donation and it still helps me focus on my art, so in the end it's a win-win. I want to find a balance where I cater to both those who genuinely want to support me, and those who just want the benefits, without going too far.
Anyway, voting and delay seems to be the most popular options, which is mostly what I expected.
Commission priority, hmm... maybe, not sure... I will think a bit about that.
Now for credit, you mean mentioning those who donated that month in the artwork description? That could work. Though I guess that should be the benefit of a higher tier, especially because later on if I have a larger number of $1 patrons, listing them all could be problematic. What I've seen is creators writing a public thank you post each month, mentioning everyone who donated, or everyone who donated at a higher tier that month.
Thanks for your input!
As for priority, you could do something like alternate between opening commissions here and opening them on Patreon a week or so before here. That way patrons can beat the masses (half the time anyway), but the rest of your watchers won't be completely left behind either.