The primary-ever Patreon Creator Census

Earlier this yr, we launched our first-ever Creator Census: a survey that requested you — creators incomes an revenue on Patreon — to inform us extra about yourselves. We’re always studying about our group by ongoing analysis, suggestions types, focus teams, and extra, however the Creator Census gave us the prospect to listen to from all of you without delay and get a broader view of your desires, wants, and aspirations in a single place.

Thanks to each certainly one of you who took the time to finish the Census. 1000’s of you shared who you might be, the way you run your artistic companies, your excessive factors and your ache factors, and what you wish to see subsequent, each on and off Patreon. We spent the previous couple of months studying each piece of suggestions and poring over each bit of information. Your enter has helped sharpen our focus and inform which areas we’ll discover subsequent.

Right here’s a have a look at what we realized in regards to the vibrant and assorted creator group that makes up Patreon.

A observe on outcomes you’ll see right here: To precisely replicate the inhabitants of creators on Patreon, we’ve weighted the respondent information you’ll see under (until in any other case famous). Particularly, we discovered that visible artists had been greater than 4 occasions extra possible as different sorts of creators to fill out the census. For questions the place the outcomes differed considerably by creator medium, we present the unweighted information.

I. Who you might be

Over 13,000 incomes creators weighed in from 113 international locations, in 18 languages. That’s our largest single pattern but of the 250,000+ creators energetic on Patreon.

What you make

As creators on Patreon, you specific yourselves in a variety of mediums, from music to visible arts and every part in between. Video is the most well-liked main medium on Patreon (utilized by over a 3rd of creators), adopted by writing and podcasts.

What subjects are you interested by?

It’s clear that your pursuits are as broad and assorted as your mediums of expression. Your work touches on every part from recipes to true crime to finance to popular culture.

II. The way you run your artistic enterprise

Creativity isn’t one-size-fits-all, and we bought an inside have a look at all of the distinctive methods you’ve structured your companies, together with the place and the way Patreon suits in.

The place are you in your artistic journey?
56% of you contemplate yourselves nearer to being a seasoned skilled, whereas 44% mentioned you’re nearer to simply beginning out.

Who do you’re employed with?

80% of you’re employed alone, 11% of you might be a part of a crew, and eight% work solo, however accomplice with a crew of non-creators. Podcasters are almost definitely to work in groups (39%), whereas visible artists are almost definitely to work as a crew of 1 (94%).

Discovering your followers

Unsurprisingly, the platforms the place you first discovered and grew your viewers range based mostly on medium.

So, the place does Patreon slot in?

How vital is Patreon to your revenue?

You informed us that, on common, you make over 40% of your revenue on Patreon. Different high revenue sources embody jobs associated to your artistic pursuits, commissions, and subscriptions on different platforms. (Numbers rounded as much as the closest complete proportion.)

What does your Patreon membership seem like?

The preferred advantages you present your Patreon members (except for the power to help your work basically) are unique content material and early entry to content material. For a lot of of you, patron interplay by fan requests/voting, shoutouts, and/or group areas for patrons is a key element of your memberships.

Constructing a group: what’s in a reputation?

1 / 4 of you may have a customized identify to your communities, one thing apart from “patron” or “member.” Some distinctive monikers embody: “Lanterns,” “Resistance officers,” “Sleepyheads,” “Inklings,” “Slay Squad,” “Podsiders,” “Sofa potatoes,” and “Amigos.” A 3rd of podcasters have customized names for his or her communities, which is greater than another sort of creator.

Even when considering variations in month-to-month revenue, we discovered that creators with customized names for his or her patrons see, on common, 4-8% greater month-to-month retention from their present patrons. Whereas this information is just not causal — naming your patrons received’t essentially trigger them to remain round longer — it’s a sign that fostering a way of group amongst your patrons might help create a deeper a way of belonging.

Speak in regards to the cool stuff you’re doing.

79% of you promote your Patreon no less than as soon as a month, whereas 43% put it up for sale no less than as soon as per week, primarily on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube (in each movies and the video description textual content).

We additionally discovered that promotion frequency is correlated with earnings. Frequent promoters usually tend to have greater earnings than creators who promote sometimes. On common in contrast with creators who promote solely as soon as a month (and controlling for earnings), creators who promote day by day earn 75% extra and creators who promote as soon as per week earn 31% extra.

III. Zooming in: excessive factors & ache factors

We requested about your on a regular basis expertise on Patreon, and also you gave us suggestions on a variety of key areas, together with ease of use and the way we talk product and coverage updates.

Alternatives for enchancment

General, you informed us that Patreon meets your wants, gives correct account info, and has clear insurance policies and pointers. Particularly, you mentioned you wish to see extra from us in three essential areas. Listed below are some steps we’re taking to enhance in every of them.

• Extra transparency round determination making
  • What we heard: You need extra context across the selections we make, from coverage to product.
  • What we’re doing about it:
    • Product priorities and new options: We began by sharing our 2022 product priorities, with context for a way we got here to every determination. We’re additionally experimenting with new methods you possibly can join with our Product Staff to know the reasoning behind our strategy, equivalent to stay Q&A classes round particular launches.
    • Tips and insurance policies: Along with quarterly livestreams to assemble suggestions on upcoming coverage proposals, the Coverage Staff will probably be releasing a Transparency Report later this yr that gives information and context round how we tackle unlawful, dangerous, or in any other case violative content material.
• Higher communication
  • What we heard: You’d like extra simply discoverable updates about product enhancements, assets, and group occasions.
  • What we’re doing about it:
    • Making common updates extra accessible: To make sure our quarterly product roundups are extra broadly accessible, we’ll now submit every replace to the weblog so that you can entry at any time. We’ll additionally ensure that the “What’s New” feed in Creator Assets (on the backside left of your creator dashboard on Patreon.com) is stored updated. Lastly, we all know some foundational enhancements we make (like web site pace and playback expertise) aren’t at all times clearly noticeable. We’ll be higher about giving updates on under-the-hood (however vital) adjustments like these.
    • Updates on key product priorities: Look out for a mid-year replace on our 2022 product priorities.
  • Right here’s how one can count on to listen to from us:
    • E mail: Subscribe right here for normal product newsletters and notices of upcoming occasions and workshops.
    • The weblog: We’ll use this house to share product roundups, introductions to new crew members, and deep dives on particular product enhancements.
    • Creator Group Discord: Whereas this house is primarily so that you can join with different creators, you’ll additionally hear from us in #patreon-announcements, #ask-patreon, and devoted Q&A channels round particular applications, information and bulletins (like quarterly coverage livestreams).
    • Useful resource middle: Entry a feed of the most recent product adjustments through Creator Assets on the backside left of your creator dashboard on Patreon.com.
• Listening to creator suggestions
  • What we heard: You wish to know that we’re listening to your suggestions, and higher perceive the place/how we accumulate suggestions.
  • What we’re doing about it: Over time, we’ve realized that not all creators are comfy giving suggestions in the identical means, which was a theme we noticed repeated within the Census. That’s a key motive why we ran the Census — to supply a brand new means for all energetic creators to precise themselves. Right here’s an outline of all the opposite channels we at present use to listen to and study from creators. We’ll proceed strengthening these channels by commonly sharing what we’ve realized (like this report, the Creator Coverage Engagement Program, and the upcoming Transparency Report), and discovering new methods to attach.

IV. Trying forward

As creators, you’re always reinventing and experimenting, and we’re alway seeking to study what’s serving to you alongside your journey. We needed to know what new instruments, companies, and applied sciences are in your radar to higher help your future aspirations — whether or not or not it’s one thing we’d construct ourselves.

2022 product priorities

We appreciated the chance to get your suggestions on our 2022 priorities, asking you to rank them by worth to your corporation. Throughout the board, native video, improved posting, and content material group rose to the highest as most steadily ranked within the high two spots, adopted by fixing billing confusion and an easier, cleaner design.

We’ve been increasing beta entry to native video and a brand new billing possibility, and we’ve begun improving the posting circulation (autosave drafts, extra responsive load occasions) and web site navigation. Keep tuned throughout all our communication channels for a complete replace on our 2022 priorities within the subsequent couple months.

Potential future options

We additionally needed to understand how you are feeling about varied steadily requested potential options. Your enter will assist inform how we prioritize our roadmap transferring ahead. Among the hottest of those options embody:

• One-time tipping
• Reward memberships
• Personalized touchdown web page structure
• Information about the place new patrons come from
• Notifications when a patron upgrades, downgrades, or cancels
• Permitting creators to manage entry to beforehand posted content material

A observe on web3:

We all know the impression of web3 on the creator financial system is a hotly debated concern. Whereas we stay centered on what you’ve informed us you care about most (which your Census responses have bolstered), we’re additionally doing our analysis to know how purposes of web3 would have an effect on creators, each positively and negatively.

From the Census, public dialog, and different suggestions channels, we all know there are a selection of views inside our creator group. Some creators, together with many who took this survey, are against Patreon constructing any web3 performance as a result of considerations about potential fraudulent conduct, environmental sustainability, and inaccessibility of the know-how in its current purposes. Different creators already provide web3 advantages off Patreon, and are excited in regards to the flexibility and worth they’ll provide members with new sorts of digital items. Within the Census, 68% of visible artists and 50% of writers had been against creators being able to simply accept funds in cryptocurrency on Patreon, whereas 39% of picture, 34% of audio/music, and 31% of video creators indicated it will be a “essential” or “good to have” functionality. Throughout creator varieties, a few third say they “don’t care.”

As new purposes of web3 come up, we’ll proceed doing our due diligence in evaluating what alternatives and pitfalls they could maintain for creators, as we do with any rising know-how. We’re not within the enterprise of doing one thing new simply because it sounds cool. Now and sooner or later, our north star is deliberately constructing know-how that drives long-term worth for creators. For that motive, any time we contemplate constructing something new, it must:

• Give creators possession of their creations and fan bases
• Supply creators freedom and suppleness to work on their very own phrases
• Give creators alternatives to construct their companies

What do you most aspire to do as a creator within the subsequent couple of years?

With out query, your high aspiration for the following couple of years is to develop your viewers. 1 / 4 of you might be additionally eyeing new collaborations with creators and experimentation with new mediums.

Thanks!

Being a creator right now is among the most tough jobs on the market, nevertheless it’s additionally one of the crucial rewarding. Our objective with this Census was to higher perceive what you want and need, so we are able to present the very best platform so that you can do what you do greatest. To all of you who participated in our Census: thanks. We’re so excited to make use of what we’ve realized right here to hone our priorities within the coming months, and past. Keep tuned!