Thank you @Jack, @Sibuor, @artbyemilyhare, @CelestialBlueMusic, @pattyloof, @Temrin, and @Maarika for adding your thoughts to this topic.
I’m a product designer here at Patreon, and the team I work on is very much focused on this issue, both this quarter and ongoing. We just posted Open Studio #4 yesterday, where we shared some explorations specifically addressing fans (aka “not yet patrons”). I’ve compiled the thoughts here to discuss with my team, but if you have more I encourage you to add there or message me directly, since it is timely for what our team is working on.
I agree wholeheartedly that we, Patreon, can do more to communicate 1) what being a patron means to fans, and 2) what a new patron can expect and do now that they are a patron. We have a few key initiatives based on fan & patron research, and are validating more over the next couple of weeks. We will be updating the Open Studio post with outcomes, and communicating more generally with all creators as we prepare to roll out new options or functionality.
Keep the feedback coming!