Here are some tips to help you promote your Patreon page, attracting more patrons over time
Creating content on Patreon is an outstanding way to develop recurrent revenue while building a very dedicated community. But to maximize the potentiality of your Patreon page, one needs to promote it effectively and reach the proper audience. Be it an artist, musician, writer, or any type of creator, promoting your Patreon page is something that involves a well-rounded strategy for attracting patrons. In this article, we will be discussing some marketing advice and ways to promote your Patreon page, building up the patron number.
Know your audience
Target the right audience
Clearly understand who your target audience is before jumping into any marketing strategy. This will help you to create your content and promotional material, targeting those people who can support your work.
- Analyze your current following: Take a look at your following on all platforms to find some pattern. What kind of content are they most interested in? What kind of people usually tend to be engaging most?
- Demographics and psychographics: Think of age, sex, location, and interests. For instance, if you were a musician, your fans could be on the younger side, whereas visual artists may have a wide range of age groups as their target audience.
- Customize your messaging: Once you have determined your target audience, ensure you have messaging on your Patreon page addresses that target audience directly. Bring to their attention the benefits they will derive from being patrons.
Create a user persona
Personas are fictional characters and embody your target audience segments. According to the interests, behavior, and demographics, create a few personas of your ideal patrons. This shall help you guide the content and the marketing approach in the direction to make your Patreon page convert more.
Optimize your Patreon page for conversions and write a compelling headline
Your title is the first thing that viewers will be seeing. Make it catchy yet descriptive. Let the viewers know just what your Patreon is about and what people will get from becoming patrons in supporting you. Keep it simple and powerful.
Use an engaging Introduction video
This adds a lot to the engagement of your Patreon page. Introduce yourself and let people know what their project is and why people should support them. Be real, be concise, and let the video match your brand.
Clearly define tiers and rewards
In your tier system, make sure you make it look attractive to patrons and create some worth-it rewards. Rewards for higher-tier patrons can be continuously making it better and may include exclusive content, early access, or behind-the-scenes stuff, to personal interactions. Always ensure the rewards you create are rewards that you can sustain. By delivering these rewards time and again, you can easily promote your Patreon page.
Create a call-to-action
Each page should have a clear call to action that encourages conversion. In this case, the call to action would be for them to become patrons. You can encourage this by offering instructions like, “Join my community” or “Support my work.”
Utilize social media platforms for promotion
As it is, this has turned out to be one of the most effective ways to promote your Patreon page: social media. Your followers on these other platforms already like your work, and converting them into paying patrons on Patreon is a pretty logical next step.
Cross promotion
- Instagram: Share strikingly beautiful posts or stories featuring your Patreon rewards. Make sure to include an active swipe-up link in your stories to drive traffic to your Patreon page.
- Twitter: Share your Patreon page with interesting updates, such as behind-the-scenes or sneak peeks of your content featured in the membership area. If at all possible, pin a tweet to your profile with the Patreon link.
- Facebook: Join Facebook groups where your target audience is likely to be. Engage your Patreon membership naturally with no spam, or post on your personal or business page.
- TikTok: Create small, interesting videos about creating your content process, teasers, and why people should support you on Patreon. Put the link to your Patreon in your TikTok bio.
- YouTube: if you are a YouTuber, don’t forget to promote your Patreon page in videos and place links in the description. Consider making one video just to explain all the Patreon benefits.
- LinkedIn: If your target audience is business professionals, then LinkedIn could work for you. You can tell your story of creation and how patrons on Patreon make a difference in your work.
Apply consistent branding
Make sure your branding is consistent across all of the social platforms; that means the same profile picture, bio, and messaging so people know it’s them. Consistency breeds trust, and it also helps people connect the dots between your Patreon page and your greater brand.
Create engaging content
Social media is competitive, so make your posts engaging to capture attention. Use high-quality images, graphics, or videos reflecting your work. You could run a poll or quiz on any of your work to get your audience involved with your work and thereby increase their likelihood of supporting you on Patreon.
Influencer collaboration
Partnering with influencers can help you promote your Patreon page to more people. Research and find any influential people or creators within your niche that hold the target audience you need. You can do cross-promotions or shoutouts as an effective method for growing your supporter base.
Leverage email marketing
Email marketing is one of the most potent channels to build a relationship with your audience by encouraging them to subscribe to Patreon. Here is how you build and optimize your email list to promote your Patreon page:
Build an email list
If you haven’t done so already, start collecting emails from your followers. You can do this by giving them something that they want in return for your email addresses, maybe something like a free downloadable guide, artwork, or exclusive content.
Segment your audience
Once you have an email list, you need to segment it based on the interests of your audience. You could have segments of highly engaged fans, casual followers, and past supporters, among others.
Craft messaging accordingly
Design successful email campaigns
- Welcome series: When one joins an email list, a series of onboarding emails should introduce one’s self, describe their work, and invite subscriptions on Patreon.
- Special offers: Give your patrons early access to new content or time-sensitive rewards in your emails. This could be the motivation some people need to join.
- Newsletter: Send regular e-mails with a collection of your current projects, Patreon success, and rewards. Keep them informed with links to your Patreon page directly in every email.
Use personalization
Personalized emails are more effective in converting subscribers into patrons. This should include using the recipient’s name, and segmentation of emails so that the target of the content is relevant to their interests.
Deliver exclusive content
Among the primary reasons people back creators on Patreon, they want to get access to exclusive content. So, it’s paramount to remind audiences what kind of unique perks they will get with being patrons.
Types of exclusive content:
- Backstage access: Give patrons an insider look at how your work is created by giving them a tour of making the work.
- Live and pre-recorded Q&A sessions: Allow patrons to ask you questions in live and pre-recorded Q&A sessions.
- Early access: Allow patrons early access to content before it is available to anyone else.
- Exclusive merchandise: Give patrons access to limited edition merchandise only the patrons can get.
- Bonus content: Create videos, illustrations, or even blog posts that may be only viewable by patrons.
Promote the exclusivity
Mention exclusiveness on your social media, emails, and direct messages with patrons. Let them know that they’re going to get special privileges and access that others don’t, and tease them a little to create some sort of FOMO.
Engage with your patrons
Creating a Patreon is not just about financial rewards; it’s also a great way to build a community around your work. Making time for your patrons is a way to show appreciation, and it counts in maintaining loyalty.
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Thank your patrons
Thank every one of your patrons in person once they join-subscribe be it through messaging or even shoutouts over social media. Small acts of gratitude will go a long way in building up your community of loyalist patrons.
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Host patron-only events
Events could be anything from live streams and webinars to virtual meet-and-greets with your patrons. Events nurture a sense of community and add value for your patrons.
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Polls and feedback
Ask your patrons what they would want to see or what reward they wish to get. Pull a poll or open-ended question that makes them feel involved in your creative process.
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Send personalised messages
Send personal messages to your largest patrons with thanks for continued patronage. Give them advance access to some of your future work as a “present” of gratitude.
Create with other creators
Collaborations can expand your reach and expose your Patreon page to a new audience. Here is how you can do it effectively:
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Collaborate with similar creators
Reach out to creators in the same niche who target a similar audience and collaborate with them. You can create something together, or you can cross-promote each other’s Patreon pages. Cross-promotion opens up both sides to a wider reach.
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Guest posts and appearances
Guest post on other creators’ blogs; go as a guest on their podcasts, or create content for their YouTube videos. On these occasions, you can mention your Patreon page and describe what rewards patrons get by becoming patrons of your work.
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Patreon-only collabs
You can also create Patreon-only content with other creators, such as joint live streams or Q&A sessions that both of your audiences can have access to by becoming patrons.
Share success stories
Success stories shared with the audience will show them the effect of their support and encourage others to become patrons too.
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Milestones
Whenever you reach a milestone-whether it’s unlocking a new tier of rewards or hitting a certain number of patrons-make sure to let your audience know. You can make this a memorable event with special perks or rewards only available for a limited time.
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Patron support case studies
Holding up patron support stories is one surefire way to build a narrative surrounding your Patreon page, as it shows this page is keeping your creative journey alive.
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Testimonials and social proof
If you have die-hard patrons who love your content, ask them for testimonials. Positive reviews from current patrons will help drive others to join. Display these on your Patreon page, social media, and email campaigns.
Drive Traffic to Your Patreon Page with SEO
SEO is one effective way of building organic traffic to your Patreon if you want to successfully promote your Patreon page. When you optimize your content for search, you’ll drive visitors to your Patreon page who are looking for a creator like you. You’ll also want to put into effect some keyword research. Find keywords related to your content that people use to search for. Tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs can identify high-traffic, low-competition keywords that will drive traffic to your Patreon page.
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Optimize your Patreon page
Once relevant keywords are identified, place them in the text on your Patreon page. Make sure your headline and about section are optimized for search engines, and optimize tier descriptions, too.
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Write blog posts
Do you have a website or blog? Write content posts that pertain to your Patreon content and link back to your Patreon page. When you write SEO-optimized posts, you may attract those visitors and viewers who could become patrons of yours.
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Backlinks and guest blogging
Improve the Patreon page authority with backlinks from great websites. Guest blogging, podcast interviews, and collaboration with creators who can link back to your Patreon page are some of the options.
Run paid advertising campaigns
While organic marketing strategies take a while to come into their full flow, paid advertisements can immediately start giving your Patreon page much-needed traffic.
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Facebook and Instagram Ads
With Facebook and Instagram Ads, target those who are most likely to become patrons by using their specific targeting criteria: demographics, interests, and behaviors.
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Google Ads
With Google Ads, you can target the user’s intention. Suppose somebody searches for a creator like you; your Patreon page will appear in the search results and drive them to the webpage.
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YouTube Ads
If you create video content, YouTube ads may be a good fit to advertise your Patreon: video ads are super engaging and a great way to showcase your content and talk about why people should support you on Patreon.
Analyze and improve your strategies
Lastly, it’s important to continually evaluate and optimize your marketing strategies. Pay attention to what does and doesn’t work, and make adjustments accordingly.
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Use analytics tools
Patreon’s built-in analytics give insight into your patrons: who they are and how engaged they are. Take that insight and work it into your marketing strategy.
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A/B testing
Try a few different approaches to find what works for you. Consider testing variations in headlines, CTAs, or even reward tiers to see which drives the most sign-ups. Make informed decisions to optimize not just your page but your marketing effort, too, based on those data-driven conclusions.
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Be consistent
Success on Patreon requires a lot of consistency. Continue engaging with your audience, building value through content, and promoting your page regularly. These efforts will stack up over time and eventually lead to long-term growth.
Cross-promotion and guest features
One of the best avenues for showcasing your Patreon page to new audiences is through collaborations with other creators in your niche or verticals. These cross-promotions will make it much easier for you to tap into an already engaged audience and raise your chances of gaining new patrons.
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Guest appearances on podcasts and YouTube channels
As a guest on popular podcasts or YouTube channels in your niche, if you’re comfortable talking about your work, it can help expose your Patreon page to a larger audience. During your appearance, be sure to bring up your Patreon, explaining to listeners or viewers what support you will provide for them.
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Guest blogging and features
Offer guest posting on other websites or blogs that speak to your target audience in exchange for receiving a small mention or link back to your Patreon page for traffic. Correspondingly, open up your website or social media accounts to guest bloggers in return and ask them to promote your Patreon page.
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Collaborate on projects
Then, create a collaborative project with another maker in which both of your audiences will engage. For example, as an illustrator, then collaborate with a writer to create an exclusive digital comic for your patrons. This is where both creators increase visibility on their Patreon page by promoting the project to their audience.
Provide limited-time promotions and discounts
In this way, by using urgency to create scarcity with your special offers, you are nudging the potential patron to act quickly toward becoming a patron of your Patreon page.
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Time-limited offers
Periodically offer time-limited offers. For example, you can have a bonus reward for the first 10 people who join at a particular tier. Offering a special discount on higher-tier memberships for a limited period is also an option. You must mention the date of expiration to make them feel urgent.
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Holiday or event-based promotions
When major holidays, milestones of creators, or other special events are near, you can take that as an opportunity to offer themed promos. For example, your Patreon anniversary-wherein you grant all of your patrons in a particular tier some exclusive content or physical merchandise-would surely be something special.
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Highlight milestones and offer rewards
If you are coming up on a big Patreon milestone, give your patrons something special, or a reward, once you hit said milestone. Promote to the audience to help you reach the goal of joining your Patreon during the promotion period.
Final take
Taking the right steps to promote your Patreon page takes a lot of time, involving great effort and strategy. By following these marketing tips, with ongoing optimization, you grow your patron base, foster support, and develop an income stream that is viable from the creative work. Whatever begets social media, email marketing, collaborations, or paid ads, staying true to your audience is probably the best thing to help one be successful on Patreon.
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