Patreon is a platform in which you, as a creator, create content for a group of fans that pay a monthly subscription to get access to exclusive content. Patreon, in turn, takes a percentage (and transaction fees) from your monthly Patreon income. Patreon offers an additional, recurring revenue stream for your business or creative venture. I know jewelry makers, restaurant consultants, bartenders, and painters who have expanded their revenue stream by going this route.
Taariq David, a cohort of The Lab, answered a few questions regarding his Patreon experience creating content for his partnership culinary collective Hospitality Bruhs:
What kind of content do you create for your Patreon audience? We currently have 3 tiers of content. For $5 a month you get two recipe cards with the Hospitality Bruhs watermark that can be printed out on a 4x6 card. One food recipe and one cocktail recipe. For $10 you get the recipe cards and a video of Sam making the food selection and with me making the cocktail. For $25 you get the recipe cards, the videos, and another video of discussions between the Hospitality Bruhs about various topics connected to the culinary world.
Does having a Patreon account help your income? It helps a little bit. I feel that we haven't fully taken advantage of the platform, but are working to gain more from it.
How do you grow your audience? We are working on that. We have been posting on social media to get people to sign up, but most of my success has come from word of mouth. The handsell.
What is your favorite thing about the Patreon platform? Honestly, just that it exists. And it's really easy to work with and set up. They also offer a lot of free workshops and such that I haven't been taking advantage of, but am going to invest more time into.
For more details about using Patreon as an artist, musician, writer, or other creative see the article How To Use Patreon: Examples For Artists, Bloggers, and Creators. It breaks down the costs of the different pricing structures to help you decide what works for you or your business. CLICK HERE to tell us about your favorite Patreon and sign up for The Big Bad Business Newsletter!