Growing your community with creator recommendations

More than two thirds of all new paid memberships come from fans who already have existing memberships to other creators. That’s because the real fans are already on Patreon. With the new Recommendations tab, those fans can more easily find you (and you can introduce your members to new and exciting work) by cross-promoting your favorite creators.

How it works

• Head to your Recommendations tab and choose a fellow creator whose work you love.

• Write a short blurb to introduce the creator and why you’re making this recommendation. Call out something specific members should check out — Your favorite post, how you found their work, etc.

• Your recommended creators have the opportunity to recommend you back so you can help each other grow.

• New members see your recommendations just after they join, and they live permanently in your Recommendations tab. Existing members receive an email notification from time to time sharing your latest recommendations.

Ideas for getting started:

Members trust your taste, and the numbers prove it. In August, Sarah Forde of AdorkaStock saw 28% of her first-time paid monthly memberships come directly from other creators' recommendations.

• Cross-promote with other creators you admire. Gather a small group of creators in your genre, creating a circle of recommendations to help each other grow. Visual effects creators Karen X Cheng, Kevin Parry, Javadoodles, Ethan Uncurated, Hallie Tut, and kylemakesshortfilms all launched on Patreon around the same time, and they built momentum by encouraging members to join likeminded communities. (Check out the video above for why they love each other's work!)

• Cross-promote related projects. If you have multiple projects or a network of shows on Patreon, use this as an opportunity to highlight them. Cze and Peku share DND battle maps and amplify their SciFi and cinematic scenes for DND communities to members with related interests.

• Pay it forward. If you have a larger following, consider highlighting smaller creators in your niche as they build their communities on Patreon.

• Highlight creators you admire. Members are often interested in your interests, even if they’re not in the same genre as what you create. Reaction video creator 7 Deadly Bananas recently gave musician and teacher Ren Makes Music a shoutout as “the ONLY artist I have ever joined on Patreon!”

Which Patreon creators do think more people should know about? Drop their links in the comments!