Hi there,
I’m new on Patreon, just started last Friday!
I have a community outside of here and a few have jumped on my Patreon page which is awesome, but
I’m wondering how do you get people within the Patreon community? How do you grow your Patreons outside of your current network?
Any advice would be appreciated thank you!
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Welcome to Patreon! 
I find that word of mouth and social media works really great inside and outside of patreon. Most artists have social media of some kind and i know i see lots of patreon being shared and i find great artists through there. Even just talking with friends or fellow artists i end up finding more amazing creators.
Here are a few thoughts outside that,
- Post content at least once a week (sneak peaks, Q&A’s, behind the scenes, finished content, etc.)
- Make sure your page is set to the correct/most correct creator type in your settings. (Visual artist, comic, musician, etc.) This way anyone using the search can find you.
- Follow/support/comment on other Creators work and pages. Make connections!
- Post content to social media and link back to your patreon page and generally talk about what you are doing and how your patrons are helping.
I’m sure other’s here have other opinions and experiences. This is just what i’ve found works. 
Hi Temrin,
Thank you! I’m loving it so far!
Thank you for sharing your experience! When you say post content once a week do you mean public for everyone to see or for your patreons who have pledged ( sorry I’m so new its a little overwhelming lol)
I think i put my page under music videos, so hopefully its under the right category!
Yes i have started following a few people and commenting! Theres amazing and creative people on here!
I have used a bit of social medial, but i don’t want to come across like I’m selling something to them, no one likes to be sold to haha
Hopefully I’ve done my page right, if anyone wanted to give any feedback on my page to make sure I’m doing it right that would be awesome! Heres the page here
Ive noticed on my Public posts, a lot of chat is happening (these are followers from my other social media, e.g., periscope.) do i need to limit the chat happening on Posts as its a lot of back and fourth between the people who know each other. or is this ok?
Thank you so much!
Oh sorry! I should have been clearer. I meant just in general. Public or Patreon only, though it is good to have some content on your Patreon that is public so people can see some of your content all in one place. On the flip side, having regular updates and a good chunk of content on your patreon, private and public, shows people you are reliable and will make them curious about the content that is for paid users.
I also found this to be an interesting read from the Patreon blog.
In terms of social media, the best way to sell without directly saying “buyt his!” is to be yourself. You are your brand after all. Post content, make them feel involved in the process in some way. Show a little bit about you when your not working, while your working, etc. And even so, you are selling something, you just need to package it in such a way that gets peoples attention without them feeling intimidating, which in this case, is to be you. Show you are a human being and be relatable. I’ve seen this garner a lot of attention for a good number of artist. (Though, there is always a different strategy for different people and something straight up “Selling” your product is what works. It really depends on your followers.)
I think your page is great so far! I’d love to see some content (perhaps songs you already have posted on youtube) posted to your blog so that people can browse the blog and get a sense for your content. (Some people seem to miss the teeny tiny social media icons on the profile page)
Patreon is definitely something that is meant to enhance what you have with your current followers so always always continue doing what you’ve done to gain followers outside of Patreon. Only a certain portion will be interested in Patreon so the more followers you get outside of Patreon, the more will likely join in. You just need to make sure your Patreon links are visible and talked about reguliarily to make sure people know it exists.
As for comments/chats, I don’t think there is a need to moderate it unless it gets into “breaking patreon TOS” territory (or if someone talks about things that you feel are inappropriate.) Otherwise, let them chat! It shows people are active and are interested in you and your work, even if they go off on a tanget. Conversations have a tendency to bring others into the chat, specially on public posts. It’s a way to engage your audience, even if your audience is doing it for you.
My 2 cents anyways. There are many ways to approach Patreon and sometimes it takes a little experimenting or even asking your patrons what they expect from you to find out what a good balance is between your wants and theirs.
That was an Awesome Blog, thanks for sharing! Yes i will have to start posting more often!
I do agree about being yourself, i have always been myself on Periscope and that gained me 35,000 followers, didn’t have to do anything but sing and be myself. So i do understand what you mean about the best form is being yourself.
Patreon is a little different, as its not live stream, where as periscope is live streamed.
so adjusting to that will take some time.
So do you suggest i add a link in my blog for people to visit a youtube song ? so make it public on a post? i get confused by blog ( does that mean pattern post ) lol so sorry!
Awesome, i was worried about the chats as in one day it went to 45 comments, so i started deleting them as it was just back and fourth. But yes that makes sense to keep it there, to show that people are interacting and having a good time! I have only made one post so far, to everyone and to my reward tiers. I get stumped with what to post about, as i am creating cover videos. usually on instagram i post everything to my story, about what i do during the day etc. but i feel that patreon has to be more about just my music, is that correct?
Wow i really appreciate you taking the time to respond and help me out!
Sorry about the wait in response Amberlynn!
I see you posted a video publicly in your Patreon blog! That is exactly what i meant. Free content is what new and curious people are going to see so make sure you have some content for them to peruse and get a feel for what you do. Making your social media links as visible as possible is good too. (And yeah, sorry, when i say blog i mean your Patreon blog posts :3 )
I would suggest looking at other musicians on Patreon and see what they post for content. I have personally seen youtubers and musicians post a variety of content such as live Q&A sessions, behind the scenes content at gigs or recording sessions, photoshoots, gag reels, polls for supporters to choose what cover/song/games to do next, etc. The point is to keep them engaged and make them feel like they are contributing more that just money. That they feel personally involved makes people stay.
And no, Patreon doesn’t have to be 100% your music. That may be what you are aiming to do and your focus but I have seen tons of people have success showcasing other talents as bonuses and some people do many things on their pages and even show some personal life stuff, which of course is up to you. If you post that stuff to instagram it might be nice to take a few special pictures for your patrons.
No problem at all! The best i can really suggest is to look and chat with other musicians and see what they do and find works. (Since i am creating visual art, my experiences may not quite translate to your content type so the finer details will be better coming from someone with experience in your field :3 )
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