Introduction
Let’s face it. Most of us hate our jobs. Even if we’re making a pretty good living, the majority of us would rather be doing something else instead of working.
But what if you could get paid for doing whatever it is you’re most passionate about and interested in? Wouldn’t it be great to turn your hobby into a full-time, sustainable income? Most people dream of this very scenario, but few ever live to see it happen.
Well, guess what? You won’t be one of those people after reading this special report that reveals one of the easiest ways to make money online, even if you have absolutely no experience and have been stuck in digital limbo for months, or even years.
But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me quickly explain what this is really all about.
You’ve probably heard the term “starving artist” before, right? It became a popular term because artists have historically had a very hard time making a decent living. Their work is rarely appreciated (often times, until after their death)—and even then, more often than not, it’s simply overlooked. It’s the same for most musicians, actors, writers, etc. They just can’t make a decent living unless they happen to hit the big time. And we all know how rare that is.
Luckily, a powerful, new system has come along that can make that dream come true easier than you might imagine.
The basic idea is simple. You do whatever it is you do—draw, paint, sing, write, film videos, make music… you can turn just about anything into a surefire moneymaker! People can then pledge money to help you live your dream and fulfill your aspirations.
Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Why would people pay you to do whatever it is you love to do? What do they get out of it?
Some people pledge because they appreciate you and want to be supportive. Others do it because they are a big fan of your idea, industry and/or your work, and want to have a direct line of contact with you. And some do it because they want the rewards offered.
The bottom line is that people WILL pay you to follow your dreams, if you offer them something of value—even if that value is just getting to watch you do what you love!
Are you starting to get excited? Good! Then, let’s begin.
What Can I Do On Patreon?
Right about now, you are probably wondering what you could do that people would be interested in watching and supporting you for. But the fact is, just about anything you are passionate about, and good at, could be translated into a Patreon page!
Do you like playing video games? People could sign up to support your Twitch stream, or your YouTube channel where they could watch you play games, review new releases, or give tips and walk-through strategies on various gameplay.
Or, perhaps you really enjoy cooking. You could film yourself working on interesting, healthy or low carb dishes, and post those recipes for your patrons.
Or you might be good and drawing, sketching, crafts, or painting. You could post your artwork, as well as things like tutorials and resources that you personally use to create your art.
Maybe you have some sort of obscure (as in not hugely mainstream) hobby that you think no one else would share, but that makes it even more likely that people would want to support you, because they might have a hard time finding that type of content elsewhere!
It might be something like:
- Model building (cars, ships, planes, etc.)
- Crafting (woodworking, knitting, crochet, sewing, etc.)
- Gardening
- Outdoor activities (hiking, camping, fishing, cycling, boating, etc.)
- Art (drawing, painting, digital art, 3D, sketching, etc.)
- Entertaining (acting, comedy, making music, singing, etc.)
Basically, anything where you can teach people something, or entertain people will work well for Patreon! Chances are, you are already into something that will work just fine on the platform. All you have to do is translate that hobby into a medium that works online, such as writing, photos, or video.
Building Your Page
The first thing you need to do to start participating on Patreon is to create an account and build your page.
Creating an account is very simple. It shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes. Even if you choose to create a video for your page, it shouldn’t take more than a day.
Head on over to:
Click Log In at the top right of the page, and then look for “New to Patreon? Sign Up” underneath the LOG IN button. Click that link.
It will ask you for some very basic information. Just fill out the form and sign up, or you can use Facebook to make the process a little easier if you prefer.
Next, you have to set up your profile. This will only take a few minutes, plus a little more time to create a video to showcase what you offer your patrons. You don’t have to create a video, but it’s a very good idea to do so because it does help increase conversions.
Let’s look at the different options that are available, and what you need to do to set up each one.
Per Month vs. Per Thing
One of the first things you need to decide is whether you’re going to charge “per month” or “per thing”. Most people charge per month, and patrons seem to prefer that setup because they know exactly how much they will be charged, and when it will happen.
Patreon even specifically states in their documentation that 80% of creators are on the “per month” plan.
Their golden rule is that if you are releasing 4+ pieces of content per month to your patrons that you should choose the monthly option. The “per thing” option is best if you post content sporadically and don’t want the pressure of releasing content on a regular basis.
Creator Photo
Your creator photo is an important way to connect with your audience. It should either be a great representation of your own personality, or a great representation of your talent.
If you are mostly known for your personality, such as if you’re a comedian, actor, teacher, or if you have a YouTube channel or social media channel that showcases you as a person, you will probably just want to use a really great photo of yourself.
But if you are known more for your talent, such as if you are an artist, writer, filmmaker, or other area where people see your work a lot more than they see you personally, you might want to use your talent to create your photo. You could draw yourself in caricature,
Cover Photo
Your cover photo is another spot to showcase what you have to offer. Make sure it shows off your best work and represents exactly what your Patreon is about.
For example, put some delicious looking pictures of food you’ve made if you have a cooking channel, or your best art pieces if you’re an artist. If you’re an entertainer, just put some pictures of you into a collage!
Your cover photo should ideally be 1600×400, as that is the largest size it will be displayed at.
Description
Your description should not be some robotic, programmed response that you think people will want to hear. Your personality should shine through. After all, many people sign up to support you as much as they do your work!
In your description, you should do two main things:
- Describe who you are and what you do
- Tell people exactly why they should sign up to support you, and what they will receive if they do
Try to approach the writing of your description from the viewpoint of a visitor. Make sure you let people know how much value they will receive if they sign up to support you but do it in a way that doesn’t make it seem like you’re greedy. You’re just a passionate creator who wants to be able to spend their time creating, right?
Milestone Goals
Milestone goals can either be focused on something for YOU or something for your PATRONS. They’re a very good way to encourage people to subscribe at higher levels, especially if they see you’re getting close to your goal, and they’re interested in seeing you meet that goal.
Personal milestone goals would be something like getting a new laptop to help you process videos faster, or a new set of expensive paints. You can make a personal goal seem like it will also benefit your patrons with creative wording.
For example:
“If I reach this milestone, I will purchase a new laptop that will help me process videos faster, which means you’ll get to see new videos more quickly and I’ll be able to produce them more often!”
Milestones that benefit your patrons would be more like:
“If I reach this milestone, I will start posting two new paintings per week instead of just one!”
You may think people won’t care about such milestones, but if people are paying to support you and your work, they DO care! So be sure to set a couple of realistic milestones to help encourage people to pledge as much as they can.
Rewards
The rewards you offer are generally the most compelling reason people have to support you, so they should be valuable and appropriate for your audience.
I can’t give you specific suggestions for rewards because they will vary wildly based on your industry. Just try to think about what your fans might be interested in.
Perhaps they would be interested in downloading your custom brushes if you’re a digital artist.
Or if you’re a musician, they might like to get access to your new songs early, or even songs that aren’t available anywhere else.
Think along the lines of offering either tools they can use, special tutorials, or exclusive or first-look items.
You will probably want to have multiple levels, with better rewards for each level.
For example, at the $2+ level, they might not actually get a reward, but you could have levels at $5, $10, and $25 that would offer increasingly better rewards.
You can check out what some other people are offering in niches related to yours to get ideas.
Creator Video
Having a creator video isn’t essential, but it really helps, because you can express through video a lot more personality and talent than you can through a simple text description.
While you don’t have to appear on camera or even use your voice, I recommend doing so if possible, because most people who sign up to support people on Patreon do it to support the creator as a person, not just the end product.
You can check out other pages similar to the one you want to create to get ideas for your video but try to be as original as possible.
Thank You Video
Technically you don’t have to create a thank you video. It can be just a message that thanks them for their patronage and reminds them about the rewards they will receive. But a thank you video will have a lot more impact, and will be a lot more personal.
Remember, each month people will need to decide if they still want to keep supporting you. They can cancel anytime. It’s important to make a personal connection with as many of your patrons as you can because this is your most powerful tool in retaining those monthly pledges!
Getting Patrons
Some people seem to have a very easy time finding patrons, but others struggle. You can’t just put up a Patreon page and expect people to sign up. There’s no good way for people to find you directly on Patreon unless you get popular enough to be featured.
Instead, you have to get out there and really promote and market yourself. You are building a brand that is recognized and that people will become comfortable with supporting.
The method(s) you’ll use to market yourself will depend on what form of media you specialize in.
For example, art can be promoted in many different locations, while videos can only be promoted via those channels that accept videos.
Social media is the easiest way to promote yourself, so that’s what we are going to concentrate on. Just keep in mind that each site has its own rules and policies, and its own type of user base, so what works in one niche may not work in another.
Facebook’s gotten a lot of flak lately over some of the changes it has made to the way content is delivered. Fan page owners were the first to start complaining, because in many cases they had already paid for fans from Facebook, and then suddenly they were forced to pay for ads just to have their content seen by the fans they already paid for! But now even group owners are seeing the same thing. Posts are not being shown to group members unless the member is extremely active in the group, or the group owner pays to have the content shown.
Facebook is still a great way to gather fans, but you can’t depend on it alone. I recommend setting up a fan page and a private group for your work, but don’t count on it as your only traffic source.
YouTube
YouTube is a fantastic potential source of traffic in just about any niche you can think of. As long as you can demonstrate your talent or teach something through video, you can get supporters through YouTube.
In fact, YouTube is one of the most common sources of Patreon supporters, and a lot of YouTubers are making thousands of dollars a month through the site.
If you’d rather not appear on camera yourself, you can still make a YouTube channel. Just show your hands, or your computer screen.
For example, you can show only your hands making crafts, or you can record your screen and show speed paints if you’re a digital artist, or you can just put together a video of stock photos to go with your music if you’re a musician.
Instagram is another very popular source of potential supporters. Even if you’re into video, you can post screenshots, images, and even videos directly to the platform.
Keep in mind that you cannot link to anything in an Instagram post, however you can tell people to visit your profile for a link to your Patreon page and put a link to it in your Instagram profile.
DeviantArt & Other Communities
If you’re an artist, the various artist communities like DeviantArt.com are excellent sources for finding patrons. It will be easier to get supporters if you offer exclusive tutorials and resources such as brush packs and PSD files.
Tumblr
Tumblr is another good source for artists. Posting regularly and offering tutorials and resources can get you a lot of patrons quickly if your art is good. Certain types of art fare better on Tumblr than others.
Anime/manga is especially popular there, as are the cutesier styles of art, but you can find fans of nearly any type of art there.
Keeping Patrons
It’s not enough to get people to pledge their support as a patron. You also need to do all you can to keep those people on board for as long as possible.
There will always be people who stop supporting you. It’s important to not take it personally and to realize they may be doing it because they can’t afford it anymore, or something came up and they need the money. There isn’t much you can do to keep those people as patrons.
However, you can do a lot to keep other people as patrons, so we’re going to take a look at a few of those things now.
- Update regularly. One reason people sign up to support creators is to make sure they have the financial support they need to keep creating content regularly without having to worry about spending a lot of their time at a job. Make sure you set a regular update schedule and stick to it.
- Interact with your supporters. This is one of the biggest things you can do to keep people supporting you. The more you interact with them, the closer they will feel to you, which will keep them paying each month.
- Over-deliver. It’s always a good idea to go above and beyond for your supporters, so try to deliver unannounced bonus content whenever you can just to thank people for continuing to be patrons.
- Stay in contact during delays. Other than just interacting with your patrons, be sure you let people know if there are going to be any delays in posting new content, let them know why, and make sure they know when the next update will be. Most people will be patient if you just stay in touch.
Conclusion
Patreon is a great way to get paid for doing whatever it is you love most. Even if you’ve tried to make money with your hobby in other ways and failed, Patreon could be exactly what you’ve been looking for!
Just remember that ultimately people are supporting you because they like you, not just your work, so be sure to let your personality shine through as much as you can.
Stay in touch with your patrons on a regular basis, even if you know your posts and rewards are going to be delayed. Most people will be happy to hear from you, even if it’s just telling them you’re going to be a little late.
Keeping current supporters happy will always be easier than finding new people, so keep those people happy!
Best of luck on Patreon!
