Excellent new twist on the “ongoing crowdfunding” model from Patreon today.
After teasing Twitter followers about an upcoming cool announcement (illustrated with an understated snapshot of a devil horns-shaped nuclear explosion), Patreon launched what they’re calling a “patreon creation page”, which, in their terms “completely changes [the ad-funded, soul-sucking fan monetization] system”. They might not have used those exact words there in the brackets…
Anyway, what had previously been a somewhat confusing introduction to each creator, accompanied by their general explanation of what they’re up to and a pitch to fans, is now a much more focused presentation of a single item – a song, a video, etc. – with an explanation from the creator, comments from other fans, and a really clear call to action inviting the visitor to Become A Patron.
Me likey.
I think this approach results in something much easier for fans to grok, and for artists and creators to pitch to their fans. This is especially important right now, as the whole idea behind Patreon (ongoing crowdfunding, amounting to something like a stipend or salary for artists) is something of a new concept, and a notion that several of my fans, anyway, have been a little confused by.
Artists are now able to link directly to a creation page, where they’re showing something tangible and distinct to fans, collecting and displaying relevant comments, and making it clear that fans can click the “Become A Patron” button to support the creation of more art like this.
These are actually all elements that were present on Patreon before, but it truly is the little things that matter here, and it’s amazing how much more compelling the value proposition becomes with everything brought together on one page, in its right place.
Nice work, Patreon.
P.S. I’ve knocked up a creation page for my band’s latest video, here. Dig it? Let me know what you think!
P.P.S. Check back here for updates as I get feedback from fans on my creation pages, and as the incredibly responsive creative fanatics at Patreon roll out tweaks to this new template.
