How Indie Musicians Can Launch on Patreon

Launching your first Patreon web page could be scary. You’re not solely coping with the daunting job of launching your web page, however you’re additionally nervous about ensuring you will get your group collectively in the identical place.

First off, you’ll be able to cease worrying about whether or not Patreon is an efficient place to convey your group. Patreon is the proper place for musicians to attach with their most engaged followers. Nonetheless, going into it, you’ll should be lifelike about your established viewers.

Keep in mind, Patreon is a membership platform, not a discovery platform. Consider your Patreon web page as much less of a spot for followers to find you, and extra of a hub the place your present followers can collect for perks and unique content material from a musician they already respect and love.

We put collectively this information for indie musicians to make launching on Patreon simpler than ever. By the tip of this weblog submit, we hope you’ll go away with a cohesive technique, lifelike expectations, and an actionable timeline, so that you’ll be prepared when it comes time to hit that inexperienced launch button.

Right here is how one can strategy your Patreon web page launch over the course of two months…

About two months earlier than you propose to publish your Patreon web page, you need to be asking questions on your viewers and potential engagement ranges. You’ll want to contemplate whether or not or not Patreon is definitely match for you as a musician. This implies being vital of how giant your viewers truly is and whether or not you’ve got a bunch of tremendous followers who will probably be extremely engaged together with your music, movies, and extra.

From there, should you decide that Patreon is a proper on your creative model, then you definitely’ll then need to begin brainstorming some reward concepts that your followers would discover beneficial. In the event you need assistance determining what to supply your followers in trade for membership, take a look at this weblog submit titled, “The High 10 Rewards Patreon Musicians Supply Their Followers.”

When deciding which rewards to supply your followers, make sure to be lifelike. The purpose is to supply attractive rewards that gained’t find yourself overloading your schedule and stressing you out an excessive amount of. Ask your self how a lot time you’ll be capable of commit every month to rewards, and don’t overcommit your self as a result of that’s a fast path to burn out.

The next chart is an efficient method to take a look at rewards:

Once you’re contemplating what rewards to supply your followers, attempt to think about the place your reward concepts would slot in the chart above. This excersize will assist you perceive how a lot work you’d be signing up for should you provided that reward to your followers.

Additionally, when contemplating your rewards, be at liberty to hunt out your followers’ opinions via social media (or an e mail e-newsletter) to see what sort of Patreon rewards they’d be curious about. Ask them outright in the event that they’d be curious about turning into your patron on Patreon. With reassurance out of your followers that they’re curious about membership, and the data that Patreon will yield outcomes on your group, it is going to be simpler so that you can give Patreon your all.

That is the proper time to begin making a tough draft of your Patreon web page. It doesn’t should be remaining, nevertheless it ought to have your entire concepts in a single place, in order that your creator web page can simply be refined as you get nearer to launch time.

Begin by doing a little analysis to see what different musicians in your style (and outdoors of it) are doing on their pages and what types of advantages they discover profitable. Graphtreon is a good place to search out different muscians on Patreon, so you’ll be able to see — and be taught from — how they construction their creator pages.

When you’ve checked out another muscians on Patreon to get some concepts, make sure to take a look at Patreon U. It’s a fantastic useful resource for every thing Patreon, from constructing your web page to what to do after launch.

Then, after you’ve constructed your web page, share a trial of it with a trusted group of friends to get suggestions. Moreover, you need to do analysis on Patreon to see what apps and integrations can be found to you so you may make your workload simpler and save your self time when importing songs or movies.

On prime of that, you’ll need to begin fascinated by how you can be selling your launch date (although you shouldn’t truly put it up for sale immediately — extra on that later). You too can begin to finesse your Patreon elevator pitch the place you’ll let your potential patrons know what the platform is, and why it could be vital to them.

Additionally, think about timing a Particular Supply together with your launch on Patreon. The Particular Supply function permits you to supply a limited-time reward to your followers. When it comes time to advertise your web page, and also you’re prepared with a novel reward that your followers can solely get throughout the first few weeks of your launch, they’ll be much more excited to develop into your patron.

At this level, you’ll need to be sure to’ve finalized the tough draft of your Patreon web page, and that you’ve got all of your integrations, hyperlinks, rewards, and many others., able to go. In the event you haven’t gotten suggestions at this level, discover somebody that may log off on what’s or isn’t working.

Now could be the time to begin your pre-launch promotion. Begin by teasing the discharge in your social channels. Inform your followers that you simply’ll be asserting some huge information quickly, which can construct anticipation to your launch and get your followers excited.

Then, whenever you’re a couple of week away from publishing your web page, submit on all of your social channels that you simply’ll be launching on Patreon, and share the entire superior advantages your followers can count on.

If doable and with out spoiling something on your followers, you need to publish your web page and do a take a look at run to make sure that all hyperlinks and advantages are working appropriately. You don’t need to launch after which obtain an onslaught of DMs or emails as a result of your followers are unable to help you thru the web page and are having different technical difficulties.

Congrats! You’re formally launched. However the work doesn’t cease there. From right here on out, you want to be sure to proceed to advertise your Patreon web page and that you simply fulfill all of the benefit-related guarantees you made to your followers in trade for membership. Set a cadence and stick with it so that you simply don’t fall in need of expectations.

Moreover, you too can see what’s and isn’t working in your web page. For instance, it’s all the time doable to unpublish tiers or supply them solely to smaller teams if you end up overwhelmed. Additionally, be certain to maintain the road of communication open and hearken to the suggestions you obtain from patrons as a result of that may assist you proceed to supply actual worth to your followers.

Lastly, don’t neglect to take a look at our bustling Patreon group discussion board. There, you’ll be capable of join with different music creators, and get suggestions and tips about Patreon (and operating a inventive enterprise, typically). Fill out this temporary type and get began in the neighborhood right now.