Patreon Series Part II: How to Write Your Page

​The most important step of creating your Patreon is writing a killer intro page and coming up with tiers that benefit you just as much as they benefit your patrons while still standing out from the rest.

Should be easy, right? Let's jump in!

I strongly encourage you to go through the Patreon toolbox and blog to get thoroughly acquainted with the platform and their own insider tips. I will be reiterating a few things will throwing in my own thoughts.

Intro Page

The intro should be fairly simple. You want to tell people WHY you're on Patreon, what YOU get from it, and most importantly, what THEY get from it. Tell people about yourself, a brief bio, and things that make you stand out. 

When you talk about what you get from Patreon, try not to mention money. It's obvious that you're getting money so if you only state that you're in it for the cash, people will be less likely to contribute. Instead, tell them the projects you'll be able to make and what you'll be able to give back to them. This will correlate with the next section and your reward tiers.

The important part; what do your patrons get from this relationship? They want high value rewards for low cost. Try to avoid saying things like paying, money, donation, or cost. Instead, offer words like pledge, and contribute.

Once you've written it, create a video to add to your page that outlines these benefits in summary form. This is also great to share on your social media pages as an additional way to encourage potential patrons to your page. A video is proven to boost the amount of patrons you get, according to Patreon. 

This is optional, but I strongly encourage it. If you already have a presence on youtube, or you plan on promising vlogs and other videos as rewards, then you should definitely have a video. This is the first thing they see and can judge your quality on this. Make it good!

Reward Tiers

This is what will bring people to your page. You need to make great rewards that people can't resist. They think it's such a good deal that they can't wait to sign up. Statistics show that people will spend $1 - $7 on average. Make these your best tiers. 

This is tricky because you want it to be the least amount of effort for maximum impact. Offering a patron only feed is great, but if you only post twice a month is it really worth signing up? What else can you add to the tiers that really make them unique. 

Con vlogs, Q&A's, exclusive wip photos etc - things that keep you active all month is great for a starter tier. Once you get into the higher tiers, you can offer fan signs, shout outs, MORE exclusive content, etc. 

Patreon doesn't allow you to add additional shipping, so you need to calculate for that in your tier price. You also need to keep in mind that you still want to profit from your reward tiers. Yes, offering your prints at the $10 tier is the same as your store, but you need to account for shipping costs, plus every tier eligibility they get below that tier. 

I'll break it down for you. Let's do a little scenario. You offer the patron feed for $1, and additional fan signs and shout outs for $5. That means you're only placing a $5 value on your prints. Make sense? Make it easier for yourself. Only offer shippables in the higher ($20+) tiers. This makes less work for you in the long run, plus you're still getting value.

Struggling to find "filler" tiers between $1 and $20? This is where you get creative!! What else can you offer? Maybe you can create a printable worksheet, or a pattern for a piece of your cosplay. Maybe you promise a certain amount of tutorials, or project walk throughs per month. Or, like me, you offer ridiculous reaction GIFs for your fans to use. You can also offer hi-res photos to use as wallpapers etc.

The ideas are endless. You're a cosplayer. You're a creative person. Do some brainstorming and come up with some killer ideas!

Goals

Once you have your tier ideas ready to go, you should consider some goals. You should have about 3 goals ready. Goals shouldn't be what benefits you, but what benefits your patrons. Perhaps once you reach a certain goal, you can unlock a new tier with bigger and better content. Or maybe at a certain goal, ALL tiers get a free print.

Little things that aren't too overwhelming for you, but can really encourage your fans to help you out. These will be helpful in the long run and great marketing techniques to bring people back to your Patreon.

Okay! Now we have a great page! Send it to a trusted friend to give you some advice. A second opinion is always appreciated. I will have more to say on this tomorrow! The moral of today's lesson is to be prepared. Put in all your effort here. If you half ass it because you don't think you'll get many patrons, you'll definitely not get many patrons. 

Patreon isn't something you can rush, because it's a commitment you need to stick to for a long time. Keep that in mind and remember to have fun!! Patreon is essentially another social media site, so have fun with it and be yourself. After all, that's why your fans would want to pledge to you, because they love you for you!

You can check out my Patreon for some inspiration, and use the search bar to search for other similar artists. See what other people are offering and what you can add to your patreon to stand out.

When you're ready, click this link to start your own Patreon! (Yes, it's a referral link, and yes we both get a bonus from it!)

​Missed Part 1? Head back over to get in the loop, or check out the third and final segment.