Patreon just went social: How to turn “Quips” and new recommendations into recurring revenue this month

What changed — and why it matters for your income

Strategically, this meets a real need: Patreon’s discovery tools (free memberships, recommendations, Explore) already drive $200M+ per year to creators — and the company says it’s doubling down on growth without the “For You” tradeoffs of ad‑driven feeds. That means your public reach is architected around follows and conversion, not just watch time. ^[2]

Context: Patreon crossed $10B in total creator payouts, with 25M+ paid memberships — so this social feed push lands on top of a mature monetization engine. ^[3]

The economics: platform fees, processing, and hosting

Monetization playbook: 7‑day “Quips‑to‑Paid” launch

Use this sprint to seed the new feed, grow on‑platform follows, and convert to paid tiers before Black Friday/Cyber Weekend demand spikes.

Day 1: Turn on your funnels

• Join the early‑access waitlist for Quips/collab posts (if available to you). Add “Follow me free” CTAs to your bio header and pinned public posts. ^[7]
• Create one short “pillar” teaser for each paid benefit: members‑only video, downloads, community chat, early access.

Day 2: Ship your first “3–3–1” Quips block

• Post 3 micro‑wins (tips/frames), 3 narrative hooks (why this matters), and 1 hard CTA to join at your entry tier.
• Pin the best‑performing Quip for 48 hours; reply to comments to keep the thread hot.

Day 3: Collaborate to double your reach

• Co‑publish a collaborative post with a peer creator in your niche; make the post a joint challenge or mini‑guide so both audiences engage. ^[8]
• Offer a limited‑time “Buddy Pass”: first 72 hours = 20% off first month at your mid‑tier; require follow + email capture on entry. (Patreon supports one‑time digital sales and membership — make sure your benefits reflect both.) ^[9]

Day 4: Publish a members‑only “win” and preview it publicly

• Release a paid post (or video) for members. Cut a 30–45s teaser as a Quip with a cliffhanger and a direct “Unlock the rest” button.
• Use recommendations: explicitly shout out two adjacent creators (this has driven meaningful free and paid joins for creators in case studies). ^[10]

Day 5: Price anchors and tier trims

• Set three clear tiers: $5 Starter (archives + community), $10 Supporter (full library + monthly live), $25 Pro (workshops/feedback). Keep benefits simple, recurring, and deliverable.
• Sanity‑check margins with the fee math above so your $10 tier still nets your target after ~15% fees. ^[11]

Day 6: Run a 48‑hour conversion event

• Live AMA for followers only; the final 10 minutes are paywalled to members. Post highlight clips as Quips afterward with a “Join to see the full replay.”
• Co‑post one more collaboration to pick up last‑minute free follows and direct them to the offer.

Day 7: Retention setup

• Schedule two weeks of Quips: alternate between micro‑lessons, behind‑the‑scenes, and member wins. Public cadence builds habit without burning full posts.
• Publish a members‑only roadmap for the next 30 days (two deliverables, one community event). Consistency is the best churn reducer.

Examples and revenue math (so you can benchmark)

Positioning Patreon vs. Substack if you’re video‑forward

Substack added in‑app video posting and monetization earlier this year — a meaningful upgrade for writers pivoting to camera. If your audience discovery still leans newsletter‑first, you can run a hybrid (newsletter on Substack, community/video on Patreon). But if your core product is member video, Patreon’s included video hosting (up to 100 hours/month) and native membership infrastructure can reduce tool sprawl — now with an on‑platform social feed to grow follows. ^[14]

Compliance and cash‑flow notes

• Fees vary by currency and payment method; US‑based card and PayPal (US) generally run 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction in addition to the platform fee. Plan your price points accordingly. ^[17]
• If you compare with Substack, budget for a similar cost stack (10% platform + Stripe). ^[18]

Quick market snapshot

Bottom line: Treat Quips as your on‑platform “awareness ads” — low‑lift, high‑frequency posts that warm followers and push them to recurring value. Then deliver one reliable members‑only win per week. Consistency + collaboration will compound.

Actionable takeaways

• Set a 14‑day Quips calendar today: 2–3 posts/day for the next week, then daily.
• Schedule one collaborative post per week for the next four weeks; measure follow growth and paid joins from each partner. ^[22]
• Price to margin: for $10 tiers, expect ≈ $8.41 net before taxes/refunds in the US; adjust benefits to sustain that margin. ^[23]
• Use recommendations deliberately: shout out peers you genuinely love; this has driven meaningful free and paid memberships in Patreon’s own data. ^[24]