Content creators, including us, are always looking for new and innovative ways to generate income. Recently I came across another startup which has a simple platform which is a cross between a crowd funding page and a membership site.
I like Airplane Simulator Software and was following Mentour Pilot when I saw this sponsorship link to https://www.patreon.com/mentourpilot. The page looks like a crowdfunding app with different levels of sponsorship for different levels of support and information.
Each page has an income goal and levels of contribution which can be monthly or one fixed amount, are set by the Page Author. The idea is that you then provide video and posts on the platform for the exclusive access of the Patrons who have subscribed to one of your offers.
I see that other authors have arranged private google hangout events, snapchat accounts and anything else they can think of. On the platform, you can post content or video. it is all ‘locked’ till somebody signs up.
This is effectively another variation on the subscription model, but very refreshing for those that may be happy creating the content but not so sure on how to display and support it. Payments are taken at the start of each month as one payment for all the services that you become a patron of.
As you explore the platform you can see that there are some serious creators here making good revenues. However, I do not see so much support for outgoing marketing activities, so you will still need to create the interest and find your potential customers yourself. The 5% commission fee from the site is a reasonable amount for the managing of the system.
If you are creating content on YouTube, and you do not find that this will support a decent revenue, then you need to create higher value content somewhere else and charge a fee for access. Many people will turn to another video platform like Vimeo to host private video content, although you can put videos as private on youtube, anybody can watch them when they find the URL.
Once you have your videos somewhere more secure you need a platform to allow access and take payment. This could be by using a membership site on your WordPress site. The membership page could then access the video content from their protected pages. You can also use a simple subscription model directly on Vimeo.
Conclusion
If you are considering creating courses, then Patreon is not really a suitable platform. However, if you want some sort of membership model for on-going content, then this is another way to deliver your content. I must say that I am impressed with the layout, and we may also look at this ‘crowdfunding page style’ – We are looking for ways to deliver content that up to now has been physical courses.
However, you still need to create the audience, which, if you have a great following on youtube already, this may be the perfect upgrade?
Remember that this is still another platform owned by somebody else, who can change anything in the future without your say so. Always make sure you have a website of your own which is under your control.
