Post Tags in Beta on Patreon

Good news for Patreon users!  The ability to tag posts with topics is in beta to a small percentage of users on Patreon!  These post tags will allow users to organize their posts by unique tags, which will make things like finding Rewards and referencing older posts much easier.

You can read more about this new feature here.  But the long of the short of it in beta phase is this:

• Maximum amount of 5 tags allowed per post.
• Tags will sort your user posts only and don't apply to other user's posts.
• Some tags will be auto-generated for you, mainly your Reward tier tags by Pledge amount and Public/Private posts.  (See the screenshots below)
• Patron-Only posts are blank when displayed in tag feeds where a user is not a Patron. (See the screenshots below)
• No way to tag multiple posts at once.

Here's how the tags currently look on my art Patreon. The archive of all tags used shows up on the left. You currently cannot toggle this archive list on and off:

Here's how Patrons-only posts look to non-Patrons:

I'm personally planning to set up a Library section in the top of my bio/intro post that will link to my main Rewards and other topics, such as my finished paintings and main projects.  This would make things so much easier to find for new Patrons who might be overwhelmed by the stream of posts.

EDIT: I've tweaked my intro section to test out the new functionality of tags. See the tags in action here!

The highlighted sections of these screenshots show hyperlinks which link to tagged posts.

How do you plan to use the tags?  Share in comments!

Patreon Project Kit for Artists

EDIT 2: As of 10/25/2017, Patreon has added Apps to help automate certain tasks, such as Patron-only posts for Wordpress and adding Patrons to your mailing list with Mailchimp. Check the apps out here! I'll post my thoughts on them after I've had a chance to experiment with them.

EDIT: Patreon has started a referral program! So if you'd like to give it a try, feel free to use my referral link - https://patreon.com/invite/gpvq

I'm a firm believer that crowd-funding is the wave of the future and the core building block of a growing breed of artist-entrepreneurs.  As soon as Patreon launched back in 2013, I knew they'd be something special for the creative community!  Through this format, people have been able to share more directly than ever before.

I thought I'd join in that spirit of giving by sharing the structure, templates, and other resources that keep my Patreon ticking!  I hope it helps other artists out there considering promoting their projects via this site.  Let's make a Patreon!

Release Schedule

When you set up your account, it's important to have an idea of how and when your releases will occur and also other notices you'd like to send to your Patrons so you can be aware of how much you might be spamming them at once so they don't get fatigued by your posts. Mine go something like this:

- Last Day of the Month.  Patreon begins charging your Patrons on the 1st of the month, so let's start there!  The monthly image is uploaded before or on the last day of the month. I only release one painting per month to keep things simple, but you may want to release more frequently!

EDIT 11/20/2025: I eventually moved to charging once per month for any updates rather than Per Creation, as this way Patrons won't be surprised by any charges if I happened to be especially productive in any given month.  Patrons gave me feedback that this was easier for them to budget.

- Within the First Week of the Month.  Rewards for all levels are posted in individual posts (one for each tier) and a PM is sent out regarding my Keyword Inspiration sketch (an event I hold monthly for $5+ Patrons where they turn in prompts and I draw the most inspiring prompt).  (You can also use Patreon's Shop area to host rewards, as you can make shop items free for individual tiers.)

- The 15th of Every Month.  A mid-month reminder post reminding people to attend my monthly Studio Hangout (with a link to the Event on Google+), sharing a WiP of that month's art, and any other important reminders that might be relevant. The 15th is also my internal deadline to have the physical Rewards mailed out. (EDIT: I have since moved to letting Patreon Merch fulfill on my behalf and this has made my life easier! Very much worth the extra cost of the program.)

- Last Wednesday of Every Month.  A link to the recording of my live Studio Hangout is posted to Patreon.  The recording is auto-generated by Hangouts and posted to YouTube for me, which makes things easy.

(EDIT 11/20/2025: Lately, I use Twitch to broadcast hangouts and take recordings with Streamlabs.)

Digital File Rewards

Digital Rewards are the cornerstone of any Patreon since they're easy to fulfill and require less of an expense on the artist's part. Here are a few ideas for distributing digital items.

- EDIT 11/20/2025 Patreon's Shop.  Patreon natively hosts shop listings now which you can offer free to specific tiers, making it great storage for digital rewards.

- Patreon File Attachments. Now that Patreon supports post tags, Rewards are easy to find and autotagged by the cost of the Rewards level without you needing to lift a finger.  You could also create tags with custom Rewards names, if you've personalized your tier titles.  Be aware that a single post can support unlimited attachments as long as each attachment is not larger than 200MB.

- Gumroad.  Gumroad is a free online shop service that allows a user to create shop listings and host digital files of up to 16GB per attachment.  They allow users to create private listings, which is perfect for sharing Patreon exclusive files.  You can also share files that would usually cost money by creating a special offer code and sharing links where the code is auto-applied to your listing only with your Patreon Patrons.  Best of all, Gumroad takes care of the file hosting and link management for your Patrons!  You can find out more about using Gumroad the way that I am suggesting here and here (the 2nd method discussed on the help entry about creating an offer to make a product free is the one I'm referring to).

- DeviantART's Sta.sh. DA's sta.sh allows for private viewing of file links for anonymous viewers who have the url. You can store any kind of file (image, video, etc.) and also 'stack' them if you have multiple releases you'd like to show at a single url. The current default limit for free users of DA is 2GB while Premium members get 10GB. Another random perk is that you can also hotlink to sta.sh files if you are embedding images into html on other sites.

- YouTube. YouTube allows you to upload videos at private links (called 'unlisted videos') that are only accessible to those who have the link.  It's a good alternative if you want to offer a streaming option for videos instead of requiring a complete download of the entire file.

Private Journal Entries

Sharing exclusive posts can really make Patrons feel special! However, Patreon's current journal function is very limited and doesn't allow images and text to be formatted easily. For this reason, here are some suggestions for ways to share private journals:

- WP Hide Post. If you run a site built with Wordpress, the WP Hide Post plugin allows you to completely hide a post from search engines, your website's categorization, etc. so that you can essentially host a private post on your server that you can link people to.  Only those with the direct link can see it or find it.

- DeviantART's Sta.sh. While also useful for storing files, you can also use Sta.sh Writer to create more robust journal entries than Patreon currently does that can be linked to directly, but not accessed publicly. These private journals also allow DeviantART users to comment on them.

- EDIT: 5/17/2023 Patreon's Wordpress Plugin.  This plugin for Wordpress will let you lock posts behind a paywall organized by your Patreon's tiers on your Wordpress site so that you can encourage promotion natively from your own website.  You can see this in action on my website here.

Physical Rewards

- Postcard and Greeting Card Mailings. I use www.postable.com for a fast, secure, and easy solution for mailing out postcards (ie. Christmas cards, Thank You cards, etc.) to my Patrons. You can personalize your cards online, though they will not be handwritten.

- Prints. I usually print off my own prints via an Epson Artisan 1430 which boasts lightfast inks and wide format printing (up to 13x19 inches), but when I need bigger and/or fancier prints (ie. giclee, canvas, mounted prints, etc.), I turn to www.iprintfromhome.com (tell them Angela Sasser sent you and we both get Thank You dollars when you make your first order!).

- EDIT: 5/17/2023 Patreon Merch.  I've recently joined the Merch program to test it out and I'm very excited!  I know the quality will be good, as they have integrated with Printful, which I already use in my shop for drop-shipping.  This program promises to save me time by managing all my merch packaging, delivery, and loyalty tracking needs.  Once I have tried this program for awhile, I'll be sure to share a full review here.

Reader Suggestions

Before I get to the Templates, I'd love to hear your reader suggestions in comments!
If you have any tips or resources you'd like to add that I find particularly helpful,
I'll add your tip to this journal entry with a link to your Patreon page.
Let's make this entry a great resource for the community!

Templates

Patreon has an official set of logos, wordmarks, and swatches you can find here!  They have specific rules of how they prefer their logos to be used, so it's definitely worth checking out this page.

Patreon 6 Month Follow-Up Report

I'm nearing the 6 month mark of my existence on Patreon and wanted to share my thoughts!

For the most part, I still stand behind my positive first impressions of Patreon.  I believe it's an amazing way for artists to connect directly with their audiences in a uniquely intimate way that's only going to gain momentum as time goes on, especially with the infusion of funding that Patreon has recently received from investors.  They're well on their way to making this format bigger and better!

My Art page on Patreon.  See my Artisan page here.

Building Audience Engagement

Hosting on Patreon has only made me grow fonder and closer to the special few who have sought to support me not just with their words, but with their wallets.  This is important as I feel like I am nurturing an important list of clientele who, due to their relationship with me, will also feel more motivated to spread the word about my art, word of mouth still being the most powerful marketing method available beyond any method we could pay for.

Engaging with people on Patreon has also had the wonderful side effect of motivating me to finish work not just for myself, but so I can have something amazing and worthwhile to share with my patrons.  It's a positive form of pressure that really energizes me as an artist.

The funds I do get from Patreon have had real results, such as allowing me to upgrade my old paints and to purchase a yearly membership to Artist Market Online.  Again, I've created engagement because my Patrons are a part of helping me succeed, further building a rapport between us.

Doing the Math

As of this writing, I am making $50 per painting thanks to 4 patrons and they have helped me to meet 2 of my goals.  This generally results in $50 extra a month on top of my current income because I usually only produce one detailed painting a month.

For those who say that this isn't a lot, I still believe my time on Patreon to be worthwhile because I have built my rewards in such a way that I am not doing too much extra work that I wasn't already doing before to share with my fans (more on this in the next section).

Chances are that my current patrons will stay if I can keep my material meaningful and engaging to them, meaning that my Patreon page is more than likely to gain exponentially higher return on investment as time goes by.

EDIT:  I had a question about charging per Creation or per Month, as you are able to choose either method on Patreon.  I have my Patreon set up per creation since that seems to work the best for me.

I am not always sure I'll have time to finish something, so that removes any pressure from me if I don't deliver, as I'd hate people to pitch in and then get nothing that month either because I wasn't able to produce, or I was working on a project under an NDA that couldn't be shared on Patreon. If I don't produce anything, patrons won't have to worry about spending any money and being disappointed in their investment in me, which could lead to a bad reputation on my part.

However, I can see a monthly pledge working really well for comic creators who have very concrete schedules of production and releases. They'll always know when they're going to have pages out and exactly how many they can expect for a month so that their patrons will never be disappointed or feel like their investment was misplaced.

Patron Rewards

The way I have crafted my rewards by fashioning them as a natural extension of what I am (or planning) to do with my art business has made them much more manageable and proactive for my business.

For instance, I host Q&A sessions each month which are meant for my Patreon patrons, but are open to the public, so I'm not completely excluding a large part of my audience.  I had planned to do this before, but had never gotten around to it.  Patreon provided important motivation for me to get serious about sticking to a video production and broadcast schedule, which is a great move for my art business.

I also provide my Patreon patrons with sketch diaries of my paintings, which I used to do on this very same blog.  However, they are private and only for Patreon patrons now.  To make up for this loss to my blog, I still produce a video compilation of my creative process for the public at large which covers much (but not all) of what I talk about in the sketch diaries so that my regular fanbase won't feel neglected.

My Patreon patrons also get to see these process videos a week ahead of my regular fanbase, which still helps them to feel special.  My patrons also get to interact with me privately on these sketch diaries, which are open to their comments, where they can engage with me directly during my creative process.

Sketch diaries and videos were already part of my business model, but I have monetized them in such a way that is more friendly to my fanbase rather than alienating them.  I advise others to consider doing the same on Patreon.  Find a way to make interesting exclusives and consider doing time-based releases that still help your patrons feel special, while still leaving material for your non-Patreon fanbase.

Web comics on Patreon use this strategy to great effect by providing rewards for patrons such as exclusive stories, week early releases, and other such enticing digital content (ie. My $5+ patrons also get exclusive wallpapers!).

Conclusions

Patreon is a wonderful way to create engagement with your audience and is especially smart for creators who produce regular ongoing digital content, such as podcasts and web comics.  It is less effective for painters and other 2D one-off creators, unless you can find a way to create rewards that do not take you too much time to fulfill or that work in synergy with your current promotion efforts.

Even though it may not be as effective for painters as it is for podcasters, this may change in the future as Patreon becomes more widespread and improves their format, especially their currently limited categories.

Patreon also represents an opportunity for painters to get creative with what they're offering.  Just because it doesn't seem as good for us now as it is for others doesn't mean we can't discover brand new ways to creatively engage our fanbase!

That's what I'm planning to do and why I have no intention of leaving Patreon any time soon.

Reader Questions

1. Are you on Patreon (or a patron)?  What are you creating there and who are you sponsoring?
2. How do you handle your rewards?  If you're a 2D artist, what rewards are you offering for your patrons?
3. What are some particularly groovy rewards you've received on Patreon?

(I'll share my answers in comments!)

First Impressions of Patreon

The word 'Patreon' has been buzzing around my creative circles for the past few weeks now. I had heard a lot of comparisons to Kickstarter, but I soon learned it's something different than that, something vastly more personal. Instead of focusing around the one big project an artist might have in mind, Patreon encourages individuals to support an artist in a persistent way, funding their journey of creativity day by day.

Patreon harkens back to the days of yore when affluent individuals and institutions would sponsor artists very directly not just through commission work, but through constant financial support on a more personal level. This kind of system in modern times hasn't been widely available to every artist and has been more about chance and networking than any specific website.

Now, with the internet and Patreon, it's possible to find that niche of sponsors who might both love your work and be able to support you directly via Patreon using its unique giving system, which removes one more roadblock between artists and their prospective patrons.  Chris Oatley's ArtCast #68 has an informative interview with the founders of Patreon, if you'd like to hear their thoughts on why they started up this site.

How Does it Work, Again? 

Patreon is centered around a sort of tip system in which a patron can sponsor an artist for any amount they wish, usually starting at a $1. Tips are only given when an artist completes a new work, which is wonderful encouragement to keep an artist creating. Patrons can set a monthly limit so they will never spend more than they have allocated in their budget.  In return, artists usually provide a number of rewards based on your contribution level.

For instance, at my Patreon, I offer access to a patrons-only work-in-progress journal, exclusive updates and sneak peeks, a 15% off coupon at my shop that never expires, access to a Q&A, the ability to help me choose a theme for a future set of Patreon-only collectible paintings, and other goodies depending on your contribution amount.

How Does this Help an Artist?

Patreon seems to work bests for artists who aren't planning to make a large amount of money fast and who plan to keep on creating no matter what.  Contributions, though they might seem small until they build up, can help an artist in so many ways.  The little expenses of art supplies, paying for one's own health insurance, attending online classes, attending cons, etc. can add up!  Even if these are expected costs of doing business, Patreon is a way to have a nice little bonus each time an artist creates new content that could help an artist feel more able to expand their creative horizons and make important investments in their future.

For example, some of the milestone goals I hope to reach at my Patreon are to receive enough patronage to attend more conventions out of state, which are usually a luxury I can't afford and that would help me greatly in my career, as well as help me to connect more directly with my fans who don't live in the Southeast.  I am also hoping to reach a patronage level where I can start providing some fun things for my fans, such as a way to send out my yearly Christmas card to everyone, which is usually reserved for members of my family.

First Impressions

I've only been a part of Patreon for a short while and am still hoping for my first patron!  My first impressions so far are positive based solely on the potential of this site alone and the tips I've seen other creators receiving on their work.  I'm excited to see how this format might benefit my career and bring me closer to my fans.  The only downside I can sense so far is that I may get carried away with fulfilling rewards, though I've tried to keep them manageable for my own sake and my patrons'.

One of the most encouraging things, so far, is that should I happen to simply be too busy to produce work to share on Patreon, there is no harm done.  Patrons are not charged and there isn't a soul-crushing, reputation ruining hole in my life as there would be if I did not fulfill the goal of a Kickstarter project.

And finally, some shameless plugging!  Check out my Patreon page and let me know what you think!  Since it's so new, I'm looking for ways to improve it and make the rewards more worthwhile for future patrons:

Right now, this Patreon page is only for my art. One for my Artisan Crafts is coming soon! (EDIT: A Patreon page for my crafts is now up, here!)
Once I have more experience with Patreon, I'll be sure to make a follow-up report here.