8 Tips for using Patreon to support an independent artist
It’s time to get rid of it (way back).
Start earning money on Patreon as soon as you can!
Do not worry about creating a membership page. Most fans will be more than happy to support you immediately. You’ll save time and effort in creating your page and perks. This will allow you to spend more time promoting your Patreon.
Your Patreon message should be clear and concise. Clear messages are more effective than confusing your fans with details about who, what, when and why.
Start by creating your page and implementing Patreon’s 1 – 3 Tiers option. This will give you all the benefits you need to get started.
You can add more tiers or offer other rewards later on, but for now, ensure that all key elements are present, including the ‘About section, the ‘Introduction video’ and your overall branding.
Plan and stick to it! )
Patreon accounts that are well-structured and managed will save you money in the long term, especially when patrons expect you to deliver on your promises.
It might take a few months to create your page and plan all of the content you want to share with your followers as soon as it launches.
Planning will prevent you from being under pressure and time constraints and allow you to build excitement and anticipation among your supporters in the days leading up to the official launch.
Take advantage of the resources available.
Patreon’s unique design is a great way to support creators and musicians.
The platform provides a variety of benefits geared towards providing an exceptional user experience for artists and their fans.
Here’s a list of the top five most requested features by musicians who use Patreon to give you an idea of what we mean.
– Access to exclusive music collections and early access to new albums.
– Direct fan interaction: Use the in-platform messaging tools to interact with fans directly
– Digital content sharing and file-swapping: Patreon allows creators and fans to share and swap digital content.
– Giving out personalised or free merch to your subscribers has never been easier
– View the audience insights: Find out what your followers are most interested in and what they would like to see more of through the platform’s polling and chat facilities
Be inspired by Patreon musicians.
Please take a look at the pages of some top-performing musicians on Patreon to see what they are doing right.
Compare the benefits they offer and which tier they offer to their fans.
Find out what your followers want.
Could you give it to them?
Patreon’s success is about choosing the benefits that make sense to your supporters.
You’re probably already working on new music and promotional campaigns, so extra content is available. Extra photos from an album cover shoot, outtakes from music video shoots, videos from your show or any other audiovisual media that can double up as valuable content for your audience.
You don’t need to think of new ideas if you are stuck on content ideas. Instead, consider how you can make valuable content from existing content and involvements. Record one show if you’re on tour or performing multiple live gigs. Your fans can download the recording and view it the next day.
Other Patreon artists have hosted meet-and-greets with patrons at live shows or conducted collaborations with others on the platform. They also offered unique rewards to Patreon, such as a weekly podcast or something completely different like visual arts.
These are some of the most popular rewards musicians could offer their patrons…
– Additional content: including premium packages, access to future music videos and behind the scenes footage, and more
Physical merchandise: A concert poster, ticket slip, t-shirts, and other branded goods
– Live streaming: streams live concerts and solo performances.
– Get early access to new and upcoming projects.
– 1X1 lessons and Q&A sessions: Communicate with your fans and offer one-on-one lessons and tutorials to improve their musical skills.