The internet is full of content creators doing great work and there are more and more ways to support them. Through subscriptions on Twitch we can give our support so that they can be financed but it is not the only method and that is why we explain what Patreon is and what it is for, how we can support creators.
The patronage of artists has been a common practice since classical Florence with the Medici as the highest representatives. But a lot has changed in art and the way of financing artists since then, of course. Currently the Internet allows us to be patrons and it does so with useful and recommended platforms such as Patreon.
What is Patreon and why?
Patron is a crowdfunding system for creators. In other words, it allows you to support the creators you like through an amount of money donated monthly. There are systems such as crowdfunding where we support a project or an idea so that it goes ahead in exchange for a reward. Crowdfunding is something punctual while Patreon seeks to be a kind of subscription to your creators so that they can continue creating content thanks to the “fans”. Similar to subscriptions on Twitch, for example, but applied to any scope.
Patreon was born in 2013 in San Francisco as a platform to help a musician who tries to live without having to fall into the different traditional channels. Creating content through the Internet there was no mechanism, beyond advertising or platform money, to get instant money in exchange for his art. This is when Patreon is born. What Patreon allows us is to pay creators so they can continue creating and earning money for it. We can choose to do it in a timely manner, for each post or for monthly installments.
For example, if you are going to create vignettes or illustrations, it can be an excellent option since you will not post them for free on the Internet , but rather a series of people can access Patreon to show you their support through money and donations that will help you finance yourself and you can keep creating. In return, for example, they can receive something extra: exclusive and unique content, gifts, etc.
How to support creators
It will depend on the creator you are looking for who has some requirements or others. Patreon is different for each creator and we can fully customize it for our community. We can choose what is the minimum fee that our community can give us or we can choose (in the same way that you would in a crowdfunding) what are the rewards or gifts or advantages for those people who support us.
Each Patreon is different but they all allow us to support, donate to a creator… How? The first thing we must do is go to the web, create an account and search for the artist that interests us. Or, in many cases, we can surely find their link from their social network profiles to directly find the content that interests us without having to go to the official Patreon website to search.
The first thing we need is to register. From the web page we fill in name, email, password. Either we sign up with Google or Facebook. Once you have filled in the data, you will have access to your profile where we can see all the publications or the exclusive publications for patrons. On the left side, as you can see in the image, you can see “supporting…” and the creators you support will appear here, once you have financed one for the first time.
To find them, we tap on “find your favorite creators” and look for their name. We can search by content type or simply by name. Once you have found it, you will be able to see the options and choose a subscription level.
Tap on “Join” and you will have to fill in the payment details to start financing that creator. Depending on the one you choose, you will see that the payment is monthly or punctual, etc.