A Guide to Patreon for Student Creators

By Antigone S.

Students at WEquil school are creative and often are interested in sharing their work with others. For those students, Patreon is a way to make a little extra money. This article will explore the basics of Patreon, its pros and cons, and advice for WEquil students interested in creating an account.

Patreon is a service that allows content creators to receive funding from their supporters on a monthly basis. In return for donating money, patrons get rewards, such as exclusive content created by the artist. Patreon also allows content creators to create tiers that categorize their patrons based on the amount of money they donate. Patrons who donate the most money are placed in the highest tier, and receive the most rewards.

One of Patreon’s best qualities is its convenience. Patreon allows users to directly connect their accounts to their PayPal or bank account, expediting transfers. It also gives patrons flexibility in how much they choose to donate. Another advantage of Patreon is its lack of any upfront costs. This eliminates the risk of losing money without making some first. A major downside of Patreon is it’s high commission costs. It charges content creators 5% to 12% of the revenue they received from their patrons. Bandzoogle, a similar service, charges 0% commission in comparison. Patreon also has high credit card processing fees.

WEquil students with fewer content supporters should know that they probably won’t make a ton of money, at least at first. However, one of the great things about WEquil School is the enthusiasm and support members have for student creations! After sharing your creation with the rest of the school, members will likely become reliable patrons.

Patreon is a vehicle for supporters to fund their favorite content creators directly. It has very minimal financial risk due to a lack of upfront costs. The commission costs are higher than similar services, but I am confident joining Patreon will be worthwhile for WEquil creators because of the unlimited student support of the WEquil community.