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14 Rewards for Software program Builders to Fund Unbiased Initiatives
Most software program builders on Patreon have one factor in frequent: They’re on the platform to develop assist for his or her unbiased growth initiatives. This text exhibits reward methods that software program builders on Patreon use to get funding (and nonetheless have sufficient time to commit to growth).
Which rewards you provide influences how profitable your Patreon marketing campaign can be. Most rewards software program builders provide fall beneath two classes:
- Rewards for company sponsors
- Rewards for his or her consumer base
Generally, one reward can successfully serve each classes. We’ll cowl which rewards work nicely for every viewers, together with the pricing that profitable builders have used for these rewards. For reference, listed below are essentially the most profitable reward tiers that software program builders provide on Patreon:
Most Profitable Reward Pricing for Software program Builders on Patreon
- $5 Tier
- $10 Tier
- $1 Tier
- $15 Tier
- $Three Tier
- $30 Tier
- $100 Tier
As you’ll be able to see, establishing rewards value $15 or much less is essentially the most profitable technique for a majority of the builders on Patreon. However that solely works should you plan on interesting to numerous folks. In the event you’re going for company pledges, a wholly completely different strategy is required (we’ll level out examples and pricing beneath).
That can assist you work out the reward technique and pricing that’s best for you, we’ve included 14 of the most well-liked (and most profitable) rewards provided by software program builders on Patreon. It’s as much as you to determine which rewards are proper for your corporation. These rewards drive the majority of the highest Patreon builders’ pledges (not so as — each undertaking’s wants are distinctive).
Wish to use Patreon to fund your software program growth profession? Join Patreon right here.
1. Recognition
The Godot Engine options sponsor logos on its homepage in the event that they pledge $400+/mo.
Generally, most patrons gained’t assist you monetarily except they consider in what you’re doing. Many instances, your customers are those who will pledge month-to-month. If their major motivation is to assist what you’re doing, then they’re more likely to recognize “recognition” rewards. That might imply placing their names in your web site, giving them a shout-out on social media, or itemizing their names in your README.
However recognition additionally motivates corporations that both use your software program or have a consumer base in frequent with yours. Company recognition is behind the success of builders like Evan You (creator of Vuejs) and Taylor Otwell (creator of Laravel), who provide quite a lot of sponsorship-level tiers. For instance, corporations will pay $500/mo to have their emblem featured on the Vue homepage. Different choices embody putting your organization title in high-traffic areas for the undertaking such because the Vue repository, in Vue’s documentation, or within the README file.
A tweet from @hapijs (Eran Hammer) recognizing Auth0 as considered one of its sponsors.
Different examples embody the Godot Engine, an open-source online game creation engine which presents outstanding emblem placement on the homepage and editor’s web page of their undertaking for $1500/mo, with particular person supporters getting a point out on their ‘About’ field for $10/mo.
Sindre Sorhus presents an identical combine: Backer names go on a ‘thanks’ web page beginning at $10/mo, however sponsorship packages can be found for $100 or $1000 monthly. Anybody supporting her work at $100/mo will get a shout-out on Twitter. Eran Hammer has related choices as nicely; his Twitter shout-outs additionally begin at $100/mo.
2. Entry to a Group
Your patrons are sometimes united by related pursuits. Normally, they profit from having a typical area to work together, share concepts, and make new connections. You possibly can select to be energetic in that group or not — it simply will depend on what your patrons are fascinated with and the way a lot time you’ll be able to decide to interacting with them.
For instance, Laravel creator Taylor Otwell arrange a Slack channel for $99/mo patrons. It’s occupied by Taylor himself, core Laravel builders, and patrons from that tier. He has related Slack channels for higher-tier sponsors. Matrix.org is making a decentralized, open supply communication community. Patrons get entry to their very own group inside that community based mostly on assist stage (beginning at $1/mo). World Anvil arrange a Discord channel for his or her customers beginning on the $3/mo tier.
Who you admit to the group and the place you deliver them collectively relies upon strongly on whether or not you’re pursuing company sponsorship (like Taylor Otwell) or assist from a big consumer base (like Matrix and World Anvil). In the event you’re fascinated with utilizing Discord, Patreon has an integration for Discord to make managing patron entry straightforward.
3. Enhanced Options & Upgrades
Many builders on Patreon take a ‘freemium’ strategy to membership. Whereas primary use of the applying or database is free, sure options are higher for higher-paying patrons. In spite of everything, should you’re constructing a device somebody makes use of rather a lot, they’re more likely to take into account add-ons that make their expertise even higher.
For instance, Sergey Galyonkin is creating Steam Spy, an software that collects knowledge on Steam video games. Patrons get extra exact estimates at $3/mo, extra graphs at $10/mo, and historic knowledge at $30/mo (along with different rewards).
An instance of the info freely out there on Steam Spy. Upgrades to this knowledge can be found on Patreon.
Or, take into account the strategy taken by Rythm, a Discord music bot. Patrons of Rythm get entry to further options like longer songs, autoplay, and quantity options. Entry to further options begins at $5/mo.
4. Growth Precedence Polls
One other very widespread reward is voting. Customers usually have a laundry record of requests; establishing polling as a reward implies that you recognize which options and patches to prioritize based mostly on the wants of paying members of your group.
Gina HäuBge, the creator of OctoPrint, begins polling her customers at $3/mo. RPCS3, a PS3 emulator undertaking, kicks off growth polls for $10+/mo patrons. The Godot Engine holds voting on their growth roadmap, beginning at $26/mo. Patrons who pledge extra than $26/mo get further votes. Supporters at $14/mo and $18/mo get to vote on tutorial and demo matters.
5. Entry to Stay Help
Stay assist is a superb worth proposition for paying customers, however can also be rather more time-consuming. Plan on dedicating a big period of time to triaging points, or be capable of put aside sufficient cash within the finances to rent some assist. However how a lot you cost on your stay assist may help you handle the following time dedication.
Customers in search of help can use the general public #assist channel on RPCS3‘s Discord.
In the event you don’t at the moment provide stay assist, charging a premium is sensible. Alternatively, you’ll be able to provide improved stay assist to paying patrons like Nekotekina of the RPCS3 undertaking does. He prioritizes tech assist requests from patrons that pay $10/mo or extra. Non-paying customers can nonetheless entry assist on the discussion board, and so they can get questions answered on Discord when precedence requests have been dealt with. The job is made simpler by a bot that evaluates consumer logs.
6. Non-public Consultations
In case your customers are primarily within the company world, then it is sensible to supply personal consultations to assessment their set-ups and provide customized assist.
For instance, Eran Hammer of hapijs presents one hour of month-to-month assist to company sponsors on the $1,000/mo tier. He’ll both assessment their software set-up or present extra assist relating to their use of his open-source framework. Sindre Sorhus presents $1,000/mo sponsors a assessment and a few extra assist on a undertaking of their selecting.
7. Extra Customers & Information
This reward, like #Three on this record, can also be associated to the freemium mannequin: Customers who need extra knowledge, or the flexibility to incorporate extra customers on their account, will pay for improved entry. Whereas this sometimes appeals most to company customers, you don’t should be concentrating on massive corporations for this reward to be efficient.
For instance, the world-building platform World Anvil offers creators the flexibility to have extra co-authors and extra subscribers based mostly on the dollar-value of the reward tier they select. Their closing tier caps at 99 co-authors and 500 subscribers for $200/mo, along with many different helpful rewards. Sergey Galyonkin additionally makes use of this reward for Steam Spy, providing elevated knowledge by way of the $30/mo tier, which supplies entry to all historic knowledge.
8. Early Launch/Beta Entry
Early entry usually implies sneak peaks, perception into the progress being made, or an early model that your followers can begin utilizing. Whether or not this reward will be just right for you relies upon strongly on the pursuits of your patrons and whether or not your work may be shared at an earlier stage.
Crew CEMU releases its new variations to patrons earlier than releasing to the general public. Picture credit score: BSOD Gaming.
Crew CEMU tries to provide $5/mo patrons one week of early entry to new variations of their emulation software program. It’s their hottest tier (out of three complete). ImBursting (the creator of Discord music bot Rythm) contains beta testing of latest options as a reward for his $20/mo patrons. SparkDev, who makes iOS “tweaks,” contains miscellaneous early entry and beta launch rewards to all $4/mo patrons.
9. Hangouts & Stay Conferences
Hangouts can be utilized for a lot of causes: giving your patrons an replace on present progress, answering questions, giving them a glimpse into your life, or simply hanging out. In the event you’re okay with sharing extra about your private life and have a cadre of followers following you, hangouts could be a nice incentive. In the event you’re like most builders, that’s in all probability not the case — however that doesn’t imply hangouts can’t be for you.
For instance, Nikolai Kondrashov holds a assist hangout the place his $15/mo patrons can talk about points and work by way of options collectively. And the group at Matrix give patrons on the $10/mo stage the flexibility to pay attention to inner sync conferences (or, for $50, they’ll be a part of the decision).
One of the vital widespread makes use of for hangouts and stay conferences is Q&A, which we talk about in additional element beneath.
10. Q&A Time
Query & Reply rewards are simple: They ask, you reply. And relating to understanding new options and software program, Q&A may be actually helpful.
Gina HäuBge solutions her patrons’ questions in “OctoPrint on Air.”
OctoPrint‘s creator Gina HäuBge presents Q&A for $5+/mo patrons. She offers patrons time forward of the Q&A to submit questions, then releases a video replace to the general public that features her solutions to these questions. The Godot Engine hosts a stay Q&A video for $18+/mo patrons, permitting them to submit questions earlier than and in the course of the session. Afterward, the video is made public.
11. Bonus Content material
Relying in your undertaking, peripheral supplies could also be very fascinating to your supporters. Unique tutorials, trade insights, and extra may very well be related relying in your area of interest.
As a result of World Anvil offers a platform inside a distinct segment creator group, considered one of their rewards contains interviews, articles, and different bonuses referring to world-building. This stuff enrich the expertise of their patrons after they use the platform. Are there related objects you might present to your group for a value?
12. Unique Updates
Unique updates are a well-liked reward for entry-level tiers. They’re mostly seen on the $1 or $Three assist stage. Whereas they don’t add important worth, they do provide one thing that patrons’ can’t get anyplace else. Generally, that’s all it’s good to nudge them into supporting your work. In the event you can touch upon new options and patches you’re creating, give supporters an inside take a look at your schedule, or give them particulars about one thing earlier than most people, that’s sufficient to promote “unique updates.”
13. Merchandise
Merchandise is much less frequent for software program builders than for a lot of different classes on Patreon, however there are nonetheless alternatives to make bodily items part of your rewards combine. Stickers (usually together with your emblem or a associated design) stay widespread. Simply ensure that the worth of the tier justifies your achievement efforts.
Patrons of Ladybug Instruments get considered one of these 4 stickers as a ‘thanks’ reward for his or her assist.
Matrix.org presents T-shirts and stickers to their $50/mo supporters. Ladybug Instruments offers a sticker to all $5/mo supporters upon their first month’s pledge. Gina HäuBge offers OctoPrint stickers to her $10+/mo patrons.
14. Net Convention Tickets
Right here’s a inventive one which works nicely for open-source initiatives: tickets to an internet convention. In the event you’re fascinated with getting collectively like-minded builders for a web-based convention targeted in your open supply undertaking, pull collectively an internet convention. It’s Taylor Otwell‘s reward to $10/mo supporters of Laravel. Whereas this reward is finest for established initiatives, there’s no cause you’ll be able to’t modify it to incorporate a small, yearly gathering that you just manage.
Fourteen rewards is a place to begin, however you’re the one who is aware of your undertaking and viewers higher than anybody else. Hopefully, these choices have given you some concepts on how one can construction rewards that make sense for your corporation fashion. By including your personal inventive contact to those concepts, you may make one thing distinctive simply on your followers.
In case your rewards change over time, that’s to be anticipated— as you develop, your free time, monetary wants, and viewers dimension will change. It’s value reviewing your rewards combine commonly, maintaining pricing vs. time, effort, and price in thoughts.
Given what you recognize about your undertaking and viewers, which of those rewards and tiers could be most profitable for you?
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