Discover Patreon's new network
Patreon is building a network where creators can grow their audience and stay meaningfully connected to the people who already love their work — a better model for art and community on the internet.
This week we went live to share more about the network and how creators are using the new features and now the recording is available to watch on-demand.
Here are the highlights:
[2:10] The Live kicked things off with Patreon’s CEO and cofounder, Jack Conte sharing his vision for the new network.
[11:45] Attendees then heard from Bhavik on Patreon’s Product team, who shared more details on what the network is, the features, how they work and how to participate.
[18:37] Next, creators Tyler and Katy from Katy Lipscomb – Fantasy Watercolor Artist and Malte from Watchpaintdry_minis were in conversation with Erin from Patreon’s Community team to hear about their experience being early testers of the network, what they’ve learned and how they figured out their strategies.
[33:36] And lastly, the broadcast wrapped with Bhavik answering the top questions about the network creators submitted to us with their RSVPs prior to the event.
Learn more
For more information about the launch of Patreon’s new network, as well as to find tips on how to use these features and learn from creators like Katy Lipscomb and Watchpaintdry_minis, check out our Discovery on Patreon collection to dive deeper.
Comments (77)
Hello, I’m new here and I am not good with technology at all and I find this app very confusing. I am doing my best though and I’m think I’m getting it slow slowly little by little I’m not quite sure what these quips are I don’t really understand what they are and I don’t know how to get people to join my patron. I don’t know how to get visible I guess seen
Hi Tara, welcome to Patreon! It's completely normal to feel overwhelmed at first, and it sounds like you're already figuring things out at your own pace, which is exactly the right way to go about it. To answer your question, Quips are short, free posts that show up in Patreon's Home feed, kind of like quick, casual updates. You don't need a big, polished project to share, just a quick thought, a work-in-progress photo, or even a simple hello to the community. Since you're just getting started, we actually have two collections that walk through the basics step by step, no pressure to read them all at once: Launching your Patreon: www.patreon.com/collection/2098097 (the fundamentals of setting up and getting started) Growing your Patreon: www.patreon.com/collection/2235387 (tips on visibility and getting your work seen) Every creator starts somewhere. You've got this!
I really wish I could have been here. He's absolutely right.
As a history creator who rather struggles with marketing, this excites me ....
I am working in Wellbeing/Chaplaincy - I love Justin Paul Abraham on Patreon
I'm a former KJV‑onlyist unmasking Bible version conspiracy theories — one claim at a time. I have a YouTube channel where I go live and upload videos, and a website where I post articles and pages from my research and Babylon Bee-esque satire. 😁
Hi everyone ☺️
السلام عليكم
I've been thinking of making a Creator account, but think I'll hold off. The term "quip" is just plain dumb sounding. What's wrong with "post" a term folks are familiar with? I predict it won't catch on.
Ok, so now I have to combine my personal and public profiles. Yes, I know I can opt to keep it private, but frankly, as a content creator, I already have to do a lot, and doing more for a glorified tip jar site that now wants to be more of a social media center is not exciting. I want to do less, not more. Most of the recent changes are unlikely to bring me more subscribers, or only a few at most. I have thought Patreon does a great job of sending out subscription benefits seamlessly, and you take a cut for it. Which you should. I have greatly appreciated that. But don't try to be more than you are. You will only do both things poorly.
is it possible to have only free followers receive a notification for Quips? I'd like for my Quip to be visible to my paid subscribers while they're scrolling in general but they don't receive a notif for it. (I'm afraid of overwhelming my paid subscribers with notifs and i also don't want them seeing duplicate posts, since I think it's a useful strategy to re-use some old paid posts as free samples to new folks who never saw them before.)
Yeah, notifications should just be for free members.
Quips were wonderful during beta and went really far but now I only reach my existing audience, what gives? Who dialed it back and why? Extremely disappointing and makes me not want to post them at all.
Quips are so cool!!
Love it....uncertainty and uncomfortable when starting over.So many things on the net can make you feel all kinds of different ways and that's why I'm here,to come at it full force and not be scared of change.We are here to help all types of people who believe real life, Live interactions can come a long way.People love honesty consistency and most of all unique and authentic.It would be great to help bring out the best in you and help you feel a part of something positive. The world can be so negative at times and we need something to distract us from all that negative attention that seems like more and more young people are not only paying attention but are engaging in things that we wouldn't want them doing.Im just here to help support and if I get a job well that'll be great also.Im here my 1st time and I'm loving it already.Im someone who's not only lost everything in life to almost losing my own life but something happen and let's just say that my calling came from somewhere which allowed me to help those who believe the world is working against them to recovery, changing our life still mouring those we miss and never got over and just being able to over coming the stigma of how a person should live to just being there for everyone and anyone no matter their color or how you were raised or how much you make or what you've done but want to just be the best version of yourself and help those around us.We are here for each other and that is the point ,let our talk match our walks and our hearts match our actions,to be continued... A.V.
Introduce # please. My quips don't really reach anyone
I'll cry if I start seeing # on Patreon! 🥺😭 I think that would make it too much like all the social sites. I hope when they introduce labels to quips they just have a tag or category system
I'm new to patreon. Sort of well I joined patreon maybe a few years ago but I really didn't know how to interact with the site. And I still don't. You know being a Creator and living this kind of lifestyle is a bit rough. Because I don't let up on my dreams even though my financial situation is very messed up and my family is helping me. Since I am also mentally I'm not like the social Norm of the majority of people that can work I worked but I get fired because of my mental illness and I've always done art and would love to do it for a living. But I keep creating I've done a few murals and sold a few paintings and right now I'm going around my neighborhood just trying to do artwork for anyone in any business and actually just for free so that I can get my art out there in my name out there more. I'm 46 and I've been creating since I was around 10 so recently I have been practicing portraits like mad because there are some sites that I want to join and I believe that I am more than capable and more than talented enough it's just I'm so in love with practicing that I never get a real nice portrait out anymore. And a lot of my things are in Texas so I'm doing with what I can but my capabilities are getting more and more capable I guess I can say I'm not very eloquent with words but I would like to join and just Network. I've never really had art friends and I've never really been successful just selling here and there and really unnoticed by the majority of the world and I have I believe that a lot to offer. A lot to give and a lot to maybe receive I'm open and humble and I just want an opportunity to be accepted and embraced for what my dreams are. My family has never really embraced my gift and never really encouraged me in this direction. Not say that day have not given me you know an art gift every so often you know because they know I love it but they never really take me seriously and it's a real shame and I'm just not giving up I'm not doing it out of spite I just know what I love and I won't stop and I won't let anybody tell me or discourage me from the path that I believe I was put here on this Earth to pursue. So I would appreciate and welcome and embrace any help. To get my work on here the right way and in the right context.
Hey there, welcome! First off, thank you for sharing your story. Your passion for creating and your commitment to continuing your art journey really comes through here, and it’s clear how much heart you put into your work. Starting on Patreon can definitely feel overwhelming at first, especially when you’re learning the platform, figuring out how to share your work, and building your community all at once. This collection from Patreon for Creators may be a helpful place to start as you build out your creator page and find your rhythm on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/collection/2098097?view=condensed
I had a single quip get 800 impressions and 400 views. Everything else nothing can you explain why @patreonforcreators
My biggest fear with quips is that it will turn Patreon into an arms race, where creators are going to be encouraged to post nonstop, instead of posting quality, we’ll be drug into posting quantity, and our followers and members are going to get absolutely deluged in low quality spam notifications because of it.
This. The new network homepage should have been optional, or at the least, not the first thing that pops up when opening the app. Also having all notifications automatically turned on when they updated was unwise. I've experienced less interactions from my members and patrons since the upgrade - probably because they're overwhelmed with all the new random notifications from the new homepage.
Get to try it.
Very nice
If you cared about your creators being able to reach new fans, you wouldn’t sabatoge them by unpublishing their content! My original post is dated 1/8/2024, yet Patreon lists me as a creator since only April 2026. This is unconscionable. There should be no skin off your nose to keep people’s content up even if they are infrequent posters. Hell, when people die, their Facebook content doesn’t disappear. Why should my Patreon content disappear if I don’t post for a few months. Also, creating Quips as a mechanism to reach a larger audience should be no different than creating public posts, which were already an option. The problem is PATREON’s algorithm picking and choosing who to promote and who to bury. This is all lip service.
I am trying out the quip. Got a notification after I made a regular post to make a quip so I followed that link and made a general description of what the post was focused on. Can someone tell me if I did it right . As for what my project is .. its a project on semantic OS . Patreon.com/c/lupopedia/ I felt scared where ai was going so I worked and solved it with Hawaiian semantics
Very nice! ❤️✨️
Thank you Jack & Team so much
This was soo good. Let us have more of these. Joining from London!
Literally these updates haven't helped my page at all. Actually members who have canceled don't like the platform and how cumbersome it is. It doesn't allow us to organize content easily for members to find it
Your app hasn't worked for now a week. I can't make any post from my phone.
Hey there, sorry to hear you’re having trouble with the app. For help with this, we recommend reaching out to our support team here: https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
Bravo! Thank you!
I am brand new (since Dec 25) and only have 25 paying followers. I teach painting in Acrylics and will be shortly expanding to mixed media. I have been approaching my Patreon experience slowly and carefully, as I have had so much to learn. (In other words - I am patient! Rome wasn't built in a day - right?) I only began feeling comfortable and getting into a rhythm in the past few weeks. I had to learn this platform, how to make and edit videos properly, how to market to the main platforms, etc. So I am giving myself time to really absorb everything. (Plus - I am 64 years young and while probably older than most here, I am eager to learn and willing to put the time in, and most of all EXCITED to be here! ;) ) So with that said, my question is "How often do you think we should 'Quip'? I am thinking maybe 4 or so times per week. I don't want to do 'too much' but I also need to connect more with people and encourage engagement (I have about 200 free members that I would love to convert!) I want to feel like I am not talking to myself or doing things for nothing. I think my content is decent and my videos are well thought out and a decent teaching source. I am working on doing smaller projects so I can engage beginners or get people to try mediums they may be afraid of trying by creating smaller projects. Thank you for looking out for us - your creators. I will be going over to the Patreon for Creators site and trying to learn from there, too. I haven't been there much as I have been overwhelmed. Please let me know if you have thoughts on a 'sweet spot' of 'Quipping'. :)
Hey Sheila, we’re so happy you’re here! 25 paying members after just starting in December is something to be proud of, especially while learning a whole new platform, video editing, and your marketing strategy all at once! There’s no “perfect” number of Quips to post each week. The nice thing about Quips is that they’re meant to feel lightweight and conversational, so over time you’ll naturally find a rhythm that feels good for both you and your community. You might also enjoy this case study on Patreon for Creators from Ologies about how they use Quips to deepen community and encourage engagement: https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-ologies-uses-150433994
Can you explain what's the difference between posts and quips? Do Quips go to peoples email inbox like Posts? How is the quip content different from posts?
There's not much difference in reality; others still won't be able to see your posts or Quips unless you share the same followers as other creators, in which case your work will be recommended to those followers.
Thanks for sharing the repost! I was recovering from an illness and had to skip the live in favor of sleep. I love Jack's enthusiasm. I feel like he actually cares about humans instead of just profits.
I've been using Quips (great so far!) and I'm going to try the collab features with another creator next week.
BTW one feature request – it would be great to have OTHER social profile links available for our Patreon ABOUT page. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok are OVER – we need to move on to smaller spaces (BlueSky, Masto, Subvert, etc). This request feels aligned with the Patreon ethos.
I have a slightly older audience on Patreon. They generally don't want to do things like having to opt out so they don't see quips. I'm concerned that my Patreons won't want to sort through free content and/or feel that it dilutes the experience of having access to high quality excluisve content. I'm concerned I would actually lose paying subscribers and at least so far the models show a good climb in free followers but very little uptick in paid subscribers. I'm concerned this model will trash the original purpose of Patreon and become another low volume social media site. Thoughts from others?
This is an interesting perspective I didn't consider before, that patrons might be sort of bothered by having to sift through free posts along with their subscriptions (especially older users who don't use a lot of social media in general.) Quips are easy to avoid if you don't want to see them though. Quips are only in the app for right now, and your older patron audience is probably using a desktop computer or laptop to visit Patreon. Quips aren't visible on pc yet. And even in the app, quips from random creators are only in the "Home" feed column. If your patrons stay in the "Memberships" column in the app, they will only see content (paid posts and quips) from creators they're subscribed to. Even if you're pretty sure of what most of your patrons would prefer, I recommend making a poll to ask your patrons just in case because bringing it up will also help them ask any questions they might have about the changes. Patreon's sent emails out to patrons explaining the changes and also has other posts on this Patreon for Creators page you can point your patrons to if they want more explanation. And quips can only introduce your posts/content to a broader audience; they can't immediately guarantee more paid subscribers. No amount of exposure could. But advertising your page to folks who are already here on Patreon is advertising to people who are much more likely to convert/subscribe than advertising to just anyone who's scrolling free posts on social media. It's an encouraging sign for your page that folks are interested enough to follow for free! I suggest releasing older paid posts as free to show the new folks exactly what they'll get if they subscribe (and save yourself from having to make new content for the free followers!) I do agree that adding free posts from folks I'm not subscribed to is a big update to Patreon's system, but I see it as an upgrade. If you don't like quips, you don't have to post them at all; your paying patrons will still see your paid posts like always. If you want to try posting quips, they don't have to be some trendy algorithm crap that won't appeal to your audience or fit your content/brand. And quips are very easily avoided by patrons who aren't interested in that kind of stuff. I feel like moving forward Patreon needs to REALLY make clear how completely segregated random Quips are from the regular Patreon experience, because a lot of creators and patrons get spooked when they hear talk about adding posts from 'randoms' into paying patrons' feeds.
The email I got about this threw me pretty hard, because I forgot Jack Conte is co-founder of Patreon, and my brain recognized him as "Voice of the Teen Males in The Sims 2", and so I thought I got an email that said "The Sims 2 Teen Male Voice Actor has a thing to say about patreon" and I was baffled by the irrelevance of that claim. But I just forgot he's actually direclty involved with patreon lol
Thanks for all you do!!!! I have been on Patreon since Feb 2014 and it changed my life. (but quips haven't been working as well as I hoped)
Anyone watches TV SHOWS?
A week ago I actively started moving my content on Patreon. It will be challenging in the beginning as I have only 1.2k followers on youtube but hope slowly building audience. Also will be creating free digital products, so gradually I will meet like minded people. It is awesome platform. Happy to share other small creators art products on quips or posts if they wish so.
i do not think i am doing the quips right? so sorry to sound like a old man but i click create make a quips .. then it makes a post but then it disappears.. not sure if anyone will answer me but if someone does walk this old senior citizen through it .. sorry brah i stay old and dumb
No worries Lupopedia, this is a good question and we're happy to help clarify! If you compose the Quip in the Patreon mobile app, after you publish a Quip there is a status bar at the bottom of the screen with a button to "View" the Quip you just published. You can also go to your Patreon page and select your "Quips" tab to see a collection of all the Quips you've published: https://www.patreon.com/cw/lupopedia/quips
i'm trying quips, not seeing much from them yet.
Same! I`m checking the reach on those through analytics, but not much is going on with them at the moment.
Quips has actually been effective in reaching a few new followers. We play a game with the hidden 5th category of NYT Connections which people seem to like
As a history creator who rather struggles with marketing, this excites me!
I hear you, I have a same problem but keep doing :)
It seems to be doing "something". I am getting new people pop into the feed occasionally but it doesn't seem to be working precisely as advertised. I am also seeing an increase in numbers but that hasn't translated into any additional followers / subscribers.
Same with me
I have searched extensively both in browser and mobile app to figure out how I would discover new creators. The only content I see is from my memberships. I find no way to "discover" more creators. Does that require a second fan-only account? Also, I'm seeing a lot of likes but no responses to any of these questions.
I think many new and small creators here might feel the same, so I have been creating posts and quips about these issues and recommending potential fixes that I think could help. You can check them out on my page if you are interested. Can you think of any other recommendations?
Loved getting to enjoy this live. And loving quips. Even more excited about all the things to come!
As a creator with many varied interests that may not overlap for all fans (technology activism, d&d, music production), it would be nice for fans to be able to bucket themselves, ie. follow one type of content and not the others
Yep, I think that is a great idea because I`m actually getting a ton of D&D Map stuff (which I used to play when I was a kid and still have fond memories of), but I`m not that into it or the communities now - yet my feed is still filled with those posts or quips and others that I may only be slightly interested in. And I`m only really seeing the top creators in those categories. not smaller creators who really need exposure to grow (the people I actaully want to support). I think many new and small creators here might feel the same, so I have been creating posts and quips about these issues and recommending potential fixes that I think could help. You can check them out on my page if you are interested.
I love writing fantasy books. Litrpg, progression fantasy, etc. I love artists who make original art!
My quips get to nobody why?
I think many new and small creators here might feel the same, so I have been creating posts and quips about these issues and recommending potential fixes that I think could help. You can check them out on my page if you are interested. Can you think of any other recommendations?
Today marks two weeks since I joined Patreon. I love this platform, its philosophy, and how it supports artists, allowing them to discover fellow artists and showcase our own work. Now all I need is to grow my followers. 😊 So this video is a great help in understanding how to do that. Thank you.
So true about not being able to reach our followers who subscribe to us. What I like about Quips is creators sharing their WIP, behind the scenes, the social part
Really appreciate what Jack and the Patreon team are trying to build here, and I can definitely see the effort going into these new discovery features. I do think there are still some challenges for smaller and newer creators when it comes to visibility and organic growth, though, so I shared a few thoughts from my own experience using the system over the past couple of weeks. Not trying to tear anything down. I genuinely want to see Patreon succeed for creators of all sizes. If anyone’s interested, I posted more detailed thoughts on my page and in a new Quip.
im very interested about the new Network!
Loving "Quips"! And my community is loving them as well 🤗Gracias Patreon! Gracias Jack! ❤️
Excited
Couldn’t watch live. But now I’m getting hyped watching Jack give his introduction in the replay. Looking forward to see where this new network goes…
I like really ❤
Exciting news!
Excited to grow with yall! Just started my Patreon page last month. Seems like I got here just when things are expanding and that feels great (and overwhelming but I'm focusing on the great and taking everything else one step at a time)💜
You've gained a new follower, I wish you all the best on Patreon 👍🔥
Nice 👏👏👏👏
I used Quips as small Patreon and I only reached my community. Others have time to drop tons of Quips a day and already have a great reach. I can drop only 1-2 Quips a day, but will opt out because I learned no new interesting Patreon and gathered no new fans.
I’ve shared Quips but no new discovery … I’ve been on here 11+ years 🎉🤓 I had to do a lot of work to introduce people to the concept let alone the platform, and I do wonder if my account has been downgraded as a result… but maybe the model of “musician / multifaceted human sharing creative process” isn’t all that discovery friendly. Another creator I love: HEADEXPLODIE … artist animator n fellow feelings enthusiast from Oakland