We’re doubling down on growth & discovery this year

We know that audience growth is the number one factor creators want platforms’ help with. We’ve heard this feedback from you here, and it’s one of the leading themes in our recent State of Create report. We’ve already invested heavily in growth and discovery tools like free membership, creator recommendations, and an Explore page – the sum total of which is currently driving over $200 million dollars to creators per year. But we're not stopping there.

Over the coming months, we’ll be testing and releasing more improvements to Patreon’s home feed, recommendations, and the overall discovery experience to help you reach – and keep – even more new fans on Patreon.

Avoiding the traps of “For You”

We’re keenly aware of the risks: the reason why many creators are so fed up with TikTok, Instagram, and the rest of the “For You” internet is that they’ve gone all-in on new fan discovery at the expense of your ability to form meaningful relationships with the fans you already have.

In State of Create, just 49% of fans reported feeling connected to the creators they care about on Instagram, compared to 90% on Patreon. So it's no wonder that creators report their average annual income per fan is 24x bigger on Patreon than Instagram. It’s clear that strong fan connections are what ultimately lead to more income, more stability, and more fulfillment.

On Patreon, you can grow without compromise and reach more fans without sacrificing deeper relationships. Here are the principles you can expect to see reflected in every new discovery product and feature we release to make sure we deliver on that promise:

Discovery architected around “the follow”

Protecting and deepening the relationship between you and your fans is not a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have. The first few posts that fans will see in their home feeds will come from creators they already follow, full stop. Then, and only then, come recommendations for new creators.

What’s more, each recommendation is designed specifically to create a new “follow” – to bring new fans into your world and ultimately have them join your Patreon. We’re currently testing dozens of new ways to show off creators and their work in the home feed to see what drives the most new free and paid memberships. We’ll continue to update you here on Patreon for Creators as these new features are released, along with stories of how creators are using them.

Discovery that leads to income

The goal of discovery on Patreon is not to reach “eyeballs,” but rather to form and then strengthen lasting relationships with potential new fans.

We’re exploring ways to better optimize what posts are shown in fans’ feeds to improve your fan retention, and more organically encourage the journey from casual follower to the kind of passionate fan who would be excited to pay for access to your work and community.

An example of the difference between optimizing for retention vs attention: on other platforms, a post that gets lots of negative comments but no new subscribers might get boosted for being “engaging,” but on Patreon it wouldn’t be recommended because it’s not helping creators convert more fans to members.

Discovery that encourages community over competition

We want to make sure our approach to discovery incentivizes a culture of creators lifting each other up for making great work, instead of racing to the bottom to compete for attention. 

I enjoy lifting other creators up. I think recommending other creators actually helps to attract more people in the long run.
-Michael Habiger (The Fluffy Folio)

Last year, DnD creature designer The Fluffy Folio made use of Patreon's creator recommendations to plug two other creators he was into. This led to a virtuous cycle where those creators plugged him back. The result? Over the last six months, 12% of The Fluffy Folio’s new paid members and 37% of his new free members have come from creator recommendations.

This is just one example of the network effects of creator recommendations, which have driven over 2 million new memberships since launching last year.

Discovery that puts creators in control

We believe creators deserve a say in what they are known and valued for, so they can maintain what fans love most about them: their individuality and artistry.

In the Patreon feed, curations and recommendations will continue to be built in partnership with creators, because you know your work better than anyone. Giving creators more control over your growth is the best way to achieve a discovery ecosystem that incentivizes you to make what excites you instead of ever feeling pressured to create purely out of a sense of what will “perform.”

Growth without compromise

Any platform’s algorithm is just a manifestation of that platform’s priorities. Right now, the priority for most of the big platforms is just to keep users scrolling and swiping for as long as possible, because that makes their feed the most valuable to advertisers.

On Patreon, we don’t have advertisers. We’re incentivized to build what’s actually best for you. And what is best for creators – what you have told us you want – is to make great work, build strong communities, and earn stable income. So unlike “The Algorithm” on other platforms, discovery on Patreon is designed to help every creator reach the fanbase, and the future, that they deserve.

For growth strategies to try, check out our Cool Tips for Growth Collection right here on Patreon for Creators.