Suppose you are in the creative media industry, whether an artist, a voice actor, or a podcaster. You already know about Patreon. This service helps you earn additional monthly income from your fans. If your fans love you, some might be willing to pledge to donate a certain amount to you monthly to help financially support your content. Sounds fantastic. Before you dive right into creating an account, you should review Patreon SEO basics. This will help you get more patrons and get your creative juices flowing. Take it from an Orange County SEO expert. Patreon needs well-constructed SEO!
Like all of your other platforms, you have already thought about which keywords will likely attract an audience that will be interested in your services based on your industry. If you are a freelance artist, you have a lot of competition from millions of other artists out in the world, so you might feel daunted with trying to stand out. You already have your primary social media outlets where you will share your Patreon account, but you want new people to discover your content through Patreon and convince them why they should pledge even just $1 a month to you.
Using Your Primary and Secondary Keywords On Your Page
There are plenty of opportunities to use the exact keywords you use on your website and your social media pages on your Patreon creator page. When you set up your account, you will be asked to provide what exactly you are creating. This is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of your primary keywords, and be sure to use your keywords in your update posts as well.
Stay Up to Date!
You don’t have to go to social media boot camp to know how important not being yesterday’s news is. Staying up-to-date across every platform you use should be a given by now, but this is super important on Patreon. People can subscribe to your Instagram for free, but if you stop providing content on Patreon, people will feel that they are wasting their money and stop pledging to you, so it is of utmost importance to update your Patreon page a few times a month. Give your audience updates on the content you plan to keep them informed and excited about. Another important thing you must know is there are unpaid and paid posts on Patreon. Anyone can see your great posts, but only your patrons can see paid posts. The Patreon staff themselves recommends that during your first month on the platform, you create at least 3 unpaid posts to increase your chances of getting more fans to pledge to you.
Create Worthy Tier Lists
We recommend creating at least 3 tiers, rewarding your patrons for pledging to them. Create unique names that stand out for each level. It will help your audience feel valued by you. Start with little gifts like a basic sketch or thank you card. As the tiers go up, make the rewards even better. Early access to your upcoming content or a monthly discount on your products. You can also send gifts through the mail if your Patrons feel comfortable providing you with their addresses. Be sure to give alternatives to those who don’t!
Create Goals
Nate Maingard’s Patreon page is successful for several reasons. He is not only transparent about what exactly he is creating, but there are numerous examples of engagement, such as the YouTube videos and the tier rewards system being straightforward. He also has created a goal for 500 Patreons and promised a reward for all his fans once he reaches that number. This will help your fans feel they have helped build a community together and feel it is worth their money to support you. Nate considers his accomplishments to be everyone’s accomplishments. Set multiple goals and rewards for when that goal is met, for 50, 100, 500, and so forth. This could motivate your fans to persuade their friends to pledge to you if they enjoy your content.
Add Discord Perks
Discord is an instant messaging service similar to Skype. Launched in 2015, you can make your server devoted to just about anything, so this is an excellent opportunity to allow your audience to interact with you directly, and your fans can even bond over their love of your work. Isn’t that heartwarming? Having a Discord server can encourage your fans to want to pledge to you so that they can have access to your patron-exclusive server. You can learn how to use Discord here if you are new to the service.
Put Your Patreon Page On All of Your Social Media Bios
Because you’re looking to rake in some additional income, you will not just make a Facebook status that you are on Patreon and then call it a day. Include the link to your page on all of your “about me’s” so that your page is easy to spot for all your returning fans and new audience members. It will make it easier to remember, “Hey! I like this person’s content, and if I pledge a few dollars a month, they can create more things I like!” That will make them feel good about themselves.
Final Word
Patreon is a unique platform for a variety of reasons. People can engage with you for free on most websites, and depending on your industry, you may hesitate to use the paywall tactic. If you are a writer, an artist, or an actor, we recommend giving Patreon a shot. Using your knowledge will help you better succeed at mastering the platform and increasing your income.