Hi @SoberDwarf! Fellow video creator here. I think plateaus or even slight slumps are the default state of being for most creators. It’s helpful for me to realize this because then a slump doesn’t mean I’m doing something wrong as much as it indicates that I’m not actively inviting/enticing people to join. Looking back at the past two years, you can see that my own earnings very much follow a “plateau then jump” pattern:
Aside from the serendipity of receiving support from a high-tiered patron, the other increases in revenue were a direct result of a lot of work where I promoted and invited as much and as often as I felt like I could. The things that seem to have worked the best for me personally (educational worksheets exclusive to Patreon) probably aren’t going to be as helpful for a gaming channel, but as @laurab mentioned, shoutout/thanks to patrons in credits of every video are super valuable because they both educate your current fans about Patreon and are a simple and effective way to connect with and thank your current patrons.
Refining your content on Patreon so that it’s something your fans will value/appreciate is important too. Personally, I haven’t found exclusive videos to be much of a draw - when I put an unlisted video with a link on a patron-only post so I can see how many people view the video, the numbers are very low–only about 2-5% of my total patrons. I follow a few other larger YouTubers on Patreon and from what I can tell from their feeds, most of their patrons don’t watch their bonus patron-only videos either. This doesn’t mean I don’t ever do patron-only videos, I still do – but only if it’s something easy that doesn’t take much time on my end. Sharing an outtake or alternate version etc.
Tone is another thing to consider too. When you mention Patreon in videos if you can do so with enthusiasm (thanking current patrons) or a sincere recommendation (“If you like these videos you’ll love the bonus content on Patreon”), I think that will be much more effective than a request of “Please support me.” Not that there’s anything wrong with requests – I just notice that I’m much more likely to consider pledging to another creator if my introduction to their Patreon campaign falls into the former two categories rather than the latter. I hope some of that is helpful!