How to Create a Patreon for YouTube [Step by Step] (2024)

Do you have a YouTube channel into which you pour your heart and soul but struggle to make a sustainable income? Maybe you’ve considered monetization through ads but find it difficult to earn enough to cover your expenses.

If this sounds like you, creating a Patreon for your YouTube channel could be the solution you’ve been searching for.

Patreon! For those who don’t know, Patreon is a membership platform allowing fans to support the creators they love.

SimilarWeb reports 100,210,000 unique visitors to Patreon in January of 2023. On average, visitors stay on the site for 3 minutes and 15 seconds and view 3.19 pages. Globally, Patreon.com has risen in the rankings in just three months, from number 555 to number 483. Patreon has a whopping 57.52% abandonment rate. ~Source

Creating a successful Patreon requires a thoughtful approach, however. Setting up a page and hoping for the best is not enough. In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about setting up your Patreon and making it a success!

So, without further ado, let’s get started!

What is Patreon?

Patreon is a membership platform that makes it easy for artists and creators to get paid. Members subscribe to their favorite artists and content creators on Patreon. Patreon charges them a predetermined amount every time the artist releases new content or reaches a certain milestone.

The best part? You can give your fans exclusive experiences like behind-the-scenes photos, videos, live streams, and more!

Nevertheless, apart from showing their appreciation for their favorite channel, what benefits do viewers reap from doing so?

Users of Patreon can set up payment tiers with varying benefits for their “patrons” or monthly donors.

A patron might, for example, pay $5 per month to gain access to special content that is only available to patrons. In exchange for $25 per month, a customer may be assured of receiving answers to any of their inquiries.

The best part is there are zero membership prerequisites. Patreon is accessible to all creators, regardless of whether they have 100 subscribers or 100,000 subscribers, unlike typical YouTube revenue tactics.

How Patreon Works?

Using Patreon, your audience may also become your most generous patrons. Maybe you’re thinking, “Don’t fans already support the team?” However, let’s dissect that a bit.

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Spotify pays its artists less than a penny for every song stream, even if it’s by one of their biggest stars. Jack Conte, founder of Patreon, would have a video become viral on YouTube yet earn only $100.

While they had big followings, creators lost money doing what they loved before Patreon.

Most of your earnings used to go to middlemen, but now Patreon eliminates them. They put into practice and demonstrated that it is possible to monetize an audience by catering to what they want to read. This strategy eliminates the need for restrictive third parties that siphon off your profits and creative control.

For their support, what benefits does Patreon receive? How much you spend on benefits will range from 5% to 12% of your total revenue.

Unlock the Power of Patreon for Your YouTube Channel – What are the Benefits?

Patreon isn’t just for YouTube channels or musicians — you can use it for any creator, like bloggers, podcasters, and YouTubers.

Here are some benefits of using Patreon:

Monetize Your Content

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Patreon is a great way to monetize your content, especially if you have a loyal following. If you want more ways to make money with your YouTube channel, we recommend looking at our article on how to make money on YouTube.

Create a Community

Using Patreon to create an exclusive community around your channel can be great for building an engaged audience and growing your subscriber base.

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You can also offer exclusive perks like early access to videos or meet-ups with fans as rewards for patrons who pledge higher amounts.

Increased Creative Freedom

If you have ever felt limited by YouTube’s rules on content and monetization, Patreon could be a good alternative for you. You can choose the amount of money you want from each patron and how often they will pay it (every month or every video).

This gives you complete control over what content is available and when and how much money you make from each piece of content released through Patreon versus YouTube ads alone (or both!).

Enhanced Branding

You can use your Patreon page to create a more cohesive brand experience by linking to your social media accounts, including your YouTube channel, website, and other social media platforms.

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You’ll also be able to share blog posts, podcasts, videos, and other content directly with your patrons through Patreon.

Better Engagement

Patreon provides tools that allow you to engage with your fans on a deeper level than just through likes and comments. You can send personal messages or even video chat with them via their Patreon profile page.

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This means you can build relationships with the people who matter most: those who support you financially.

Stabilize Your Income

You can create multiple rewards tiers so your patrons will be happy to pay any amount — even if it’s just $1 per month.

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For example, if someone pledges $3 per month, they get exclusive content from your channel; $5 gets them an extra video every month; $25 gets them access to all the videos on your channel; and so on.

This helps you make more money while making sure that everyone feels valued.

Exclusive Content

While all patrons get access to exclusive content like behind-the-scenes photos or videos, high-level patrons can access even more exclusive content like private live chats with you or other special events where they can interact with you and other patrons directly!

Steps to Create Patreon for Your YouTube Channel

We’ll show you how to set up a Patreon page for your YouTube channel. You’ll need to go through a few steps first, so read on!

Join Patreon – Sign in If You’re New!

First, sign in to your Patreon account. If you don’t have one yet, create one here — the process is quick and easy.

Give a Brief Description About Your Content

Next, fill out the information needed for your Patreon page: what kind of content you’ll produce, who it’s for, and where it will be posted.

This will help people understand what they’re supporting when donating money to your campaign(s).

Currency and Merchandise Set Up

Next, set up currency and merchandise options on your profile so people can donate money directly through PayPal or purchase cool products like t-shirts or whatever they like using their credit cards!

Now you need to decide if you want to allow Merch for Membership. Users will be rewarded with a special item when they reach a certain milestone.

Get Verified

Before charging patrons, connect your Patreon account with Stripe (the payment processor). This process takes about 5 minutes, but it’s something that you can only do once you’ve received enough pledges from people who have agreed to pay you regularly.

Once you’ve reached this point, go to your account settings page and click “Connect with Stripe.” You’ll then be taken through connecting your Stripe account with your Patreon one.

Checklist for Patreon Launch

There’s a lot to think about when you’re launching Patreon. If you’re doing it yourself, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

If you’re launching a new channel or just starting on Patreon, here’s a list of things to consider as you plan your launch.

Setting up a Patreon profile

You should pick a 256×256 pixel profile picture and a banner for your page as a starting point (1600 x 400 px minimum).

For your Patreon page, you’ll also need a catchy name, a brief description of what you do, and a little more detailed “about me” section. Your preferred web address can be modified in this section as well.

Modifications to the Settings for this Page

Click on Page Settings after that. While it’s common for artists to publish under a pseudonym, Patreon requires your real name and location. The bare minimum can be accomplished by filling in the mandatory fields with those.

If you’ve previously supplied a banner and profile picture, Patreon will estimate a suitable brand color for the buttons and links on your final page, which you may customize here.

Once you’ve finished setting up your Patreon page, you can preview it and send the link to your friends and family for feedback. Keep in mind that until you click the button labeled “Launch,” no one will be able to view your page.

Check out the pricing plans

Review Patreon’s plans thoroughly before launching or enabling any advanced features. You may find them here and above, next to the preview. Our page has been set on the Pro + Merch plan, meaning Patreon will take 11% of any revenue generated.

Of course, the “+ Merch” denotes the Merch for Membership option.

If you’ve settled on an appropriate plan, you may go live, making your page available to the general public and allowing you to run targeted advertisem*nts.

But you should wait a little while longer before doing that.

Following this, you’ll learn how to create a Patreon page, how to add Patron Tiers and Merch, and how to start receiving payments.

Patreon Tier Setup

Setting up Patreon tiers is crucial to creating a successful crowdfunding campaign for your creative endeavors. These tiers represent the different levels of support your patrons can provide, each with its rewards and benefits.

• Determine Your Goals: Before you start creating your tiers, you should first consider what your goals are for your Patreon campaign. Are you looking to earn a full-time income from your creative work or supplement your current income? Your goals will help you decide what rewards to offer your patrons and what tier levels to create.
• Offer a Range of Tiers: Creating a range of tier levels will allow you to appeal to a wider range of patrons. Consider offering tier levels at different price points, with increasing rewards at each level.
• Create Desirable Rewards: Your rewards should be both appealing and achievable. Offer exclusive content, behind-the-scenes access, personalized shoutouts, or even physical merchandise as rewards for your patrons.
• Set Achievable Goals: Setting achievable goals for your tiers will help you keep your patrons engaged and motivated to continue supporting you. Consider setting goals for new content creation or for reaching certain milestones.
• Test Your Tiers: After creating your tiers, ask for your audience’s feedback and make necessary adjustments. This will help you fine-tune your offerings to maximize your success.

Merch Setup

Setting up merch for your membership program is a great way to reward loyal supporters while generating additional revenue. To get started, consider creating branded items that represent your brand or creative work, such as t-shirts, stickers, or even custom artwork.

Make sure to offer these items exclusively to your members and at a price point that is fair and affordable. Consider creating special limited edition items for your members to make them feel valued and appreciated.

By setting up merch for your membership program, you can create a sense of exclusivity and excitement that will keep your members engaged and supportive for years to come.

Final Words

If you’re unfamiliar with Patreon, consider it a cross between Kickstarter and YouTube. Creators post “content,” typically videos, which people look at and comment/talk about on Patreon.

There are a lot of creators who want to make their hobby into something bigger, and Patreon is the perfect tool for accomplishing that goal. It’s useful for finding an audience and making money, but it’s also good for reaching out to fans.

You can use it to discuss new videos instead of shouting at people in YouTube comments. Most importantly, as a growing creator, you’ll need things Patreon provides, such as analytics and community support tools, if you want to keep up your momentum.