Traditionally, content creator websites are funded by ad sponsors and/or the affiliate revenue business model. The rise of crowd-funding has revolutionized the way content creators connect with their fans. Imagine, as a content creator, you just focus on your craft as a:
· Musician
· YouTuber
· Web Comic Artist
· Writer & Blogger
· Indie Gamer
· Video Producer
· Author
· Podcaster
· Animator
· Artist
· Photographer
…and the fans of your content become the sponsors of your content by opting to become patrons that support your work. Patreon is a crowd funding platform created by Jack Conte and his friend Samuel Yam that serves as an alternative to the traditional ad revenue business model. It gives content creators a place to set up their own personalized hub for the most engaged/supportive members of their audience.
· Musician
· YouTuber
· Web Comic Artist
· Writer & Blogger
· Indie Gamer
· Video Producer
· Author
· Podcaster
· Animator
· Artist
· Photographer
…and the fans of your content become the sponsors of your content by opting to become patrons that support your work. Patreon is a crowd funding platform created by Jack Conte and his friend Samuel Yam that serves as an alternative to the traditional ad revenue business model. It gives content creators a place to set up their own personalized hub for the most engaged/supportive members of their audience.
Fan Based Sponsors vs Ad Sponsors
Ad based sponsorship is a way of monetizing content through a business to business (B2B) marketing strategy. No one really likes to sit through ads or commercials, but I don’t personally think there is anything wrong with this type of business model. I do, however, feel like this business model can lead to producers swaying towards a creative bias that serves the need of the sponsors more than the appreciation of their fans. Case and point mostly derives from the entertainment and news media industries, where ratings can make or break their business.
Fan based sponsorship has become quite the phenomenon for online producers with the rise of crowd-funding, which is a business model based on fan appeal. PayPal offers a “donate” button, which could be used as a way for your audience to support your content. Kickstarter is one of the most popular crowd-funding sources on the internet, for producers who are trying to launch a new creative project. Even though I do not see a serious issue with traditional ad sponsorship, I will say that fan based sponsorship just seems to feel a little more genuine in terms of funding. As an artist or producer, you really want your main focus to be on creating content for your audience.
A New Level in Promoting Audience Engagement
What sets Patreon aside from the traditional PayPal “donate button” style of receiving sponsors, pledges, tips, etc., is the centralized hub you can create to keep tabs with your most engaged members of your audience. Not only can you share Patron exclusive content, but the website also gives content creators the ability to offer rewards to their fans for their support. There is a lot of room for creativity to really promote a new level of engagement from your online audience.
Discover the Value in Your Hobby
Patreon is a great example of how you can make fun cash, as a hobbyist. I wouldn’t say that this counts as a method to monetizing a hobby per se, but rather a way to set a stage for your content with an accompanying tip jar. Say you create game review videos, well if you have a channel on Youtube, you can easily sync your channel with your Patreon page. Youtube now let’s users set a link to their Patreon page as an annotation, which will bring them to your virtual tip jar/engagement hub. So what you have actually created is a way for the members of your audience, who see the value in your craft, the chance to give back with a gesture of gratuity. Congrats, you just created a way to earn some fun cash by pursuing your passion in playing video games!
Ad based sponsorship is a way of monetizing content through a business to business (B2B) marketing strategy. No one really likes to sit through ads or commercials, but I don’t personally think there is anything wrong with this type of business model. I do, however, feel like this business model can lead to producers swaying towards a creative bias that serves the need of the sponsors more than the appreciation of their fans. Case and point mostly derives from the entertainment and news media industries, where ratings can make or break their business.
Fan based sponsorship has become quite the phenomenon for online producers with the rise of crowd-funding, which is a business model based on fan appeal. PayPal offers a “donate” button, which could be used as a way for your audience to support your content. Kickstarter is one of the most popular crowd-funding sources on the internet, for producers who are trying to launch a new creative project. Even though I do not see a serious issue with traditional ad sponsorship, I will say that fan based sponsorship just seems to feel a little more genuine in terms of funding. As an artist or producer, you really want your main focus to be on creating content for your audience.
A New Level in Promoting Audience Engagement
What sets Patreon aside from the traditional PayPal “donate button” style of receiving sponsors, pledges, tips, etc., is the centralized hub you can create to keep tabs with your most engaged members of your audience. Not only can you share Patron exclusive content, but the website also gives content creators the ability to offer rewards to their fans for their support. There is a lot of room for creativity to really promote a new level of engagement from your online audience.
Discover the Value in Your Hobby
Patreon is a great example of how you can make fun cash, as a hobbyist. I wouldn’t say that this counts as a method to monetizing a hobby per se, but rather a way to set a stage for your content with an accompanying tip jar. Say you create game review videos, well if you have a channel on Youtube, you can easily sync your channel with your Patreon page. Youtube now let’s users set a link to their Patreon page as an annotation, which will bring them to your virtual tip jar/engagement hub. So what you have actually created is a way for the members of your audience, who see the value in your craft, the chance to give back with a gesture of gratuity. Congrats, you just created a way to earn some fun cash by pursuing your passion in playing video games!
