What Hannah Witton learned from 10 years on Patreon

I’m Hannah! I’ve been making YouTube videos since 2011, and written books and hosted podcasts. For over a decade I made sex and relationships education content, and now I’m a consultant and mentor for other creators looking to build sustainable creative businesses, and I make lifestyle content about work, parenting, fashion and books.

A lot has changed in my 10 years of creating on Patreon. As I find myself embarking on another tier reshuffle, I’m breaking down all the phases my Patreon page has gone through and the lessons I learned along the way. Come with me on a trip down memory lane!

2014 - 2016: The overenthusiastic creator

Many of us have been there… getting too excited with tiers and perks before even launching. I had 6 tiers from $1 to $40 that promised everything from group calls to handwritten postcards. It was fun for a while, but I completely over-extended myself and found fulfilling many of the perks emotionally draining.

2016 - 2017: The burnt-out creator

Feeling overwhelmed and burnt out, I stripped back my Patreon to just a $1 tier for early uploads and behind-the-scenes content. This phase taught me that it’s okay to step back and take a break. Sometimes you have to wipe the slate clean to figure out what it is that you want.

2018 - 2019: The cautious creator

I finally felt ready for my return in 2018 after an awful relapse of my chronic illness, ulcerative colitis. Returning to work while I recovered from surgery made me realise how precarious the job of a creator is. I knew relaunching my Patreon was the smart thing to do but also that I needed to take it slow. I did my own shitty artwork on my iPad and created a three-tier structure with perks that were easily scalable, like monthly recommendations and a Discord server. And so The Common Room was born!

2019-2023: The flexible creator

This was really when I hit my stride with Patreon. A lot was happening and I was constantly adapting. The Common Room community Discord was thriving and I was able, with lots of clear and honest communication with my members, to retire the $1 tier and change my Patreon currency to GBP (I’m British!). I also ran regular special offers during this time — stickers, pins, bookmarks — that massively helped to grow the Patreon. I worked with a designer for the first time to create some proper branding for The Common Room which made everything feel very special and official, and then got new branding again a few years later!

I also gave birth to my son. Parental leave can be really difficult for independent creators to navigate and I explained to my audience that I wanted to be able to take three months off. Many people decided to join my Patreon to support me during my “break,” and many of them have stuck around since! This really cemented for me that members aren’t necessarily there for specific perks. They also want to support creators they like.

2024: The half-retired creator

That brings us to this year, following my big career change (an indefinite sabbatical from my online sex ed work). I had fully expected about a third of my members to immediately leave when I announced the news, but this has not been the case at all. As expected though, my overall number of members has slowly decreased over the last nine months (when you make lifestyle content it’s a bit of a harder sell to ask people to support your “lifestyle”!). But many people also joined to support me during my career transition and new people are still joining every month.

I boil this down to all the work I’ve put in over the years building the community — people join for the other people. And my work, whilst it has changed, has always appealed to those who are kind and curious. And The Common Room community is not something that can be built over night — it’s taken 10 years!

Lessons I’m bringing with me

As I journey on to my next Patreon phase, here’s what I’ve learned about how to build a sustainable income on Patreon over the years.

• Transparency is key. Members tend to welcome and support changes. They are your biggest cheerleaders and want what is best for you. If the creator is happy and healthy, then the community is too.

• Your members are adults who can make their own financial decisions. Creators often feel guilty about charging for certain things or making changes to their Patreon. But if you communicate your reasons and give members plenty of notice then you have done your bit. You’re not forcing anyone to spend any money they don’t want to.

• You might be wrong about the reasons why people support you. It’s always worth regularly checking in and seeing what it is that people like and what value they get out of being a member of yours. Their answers may surprise you!

What phase are you currently in? What lessons have you learned so far on your Patreon journey?

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