Patreon Promotion Budget: Advertising Your Membership

Patreon promotion budget covers advertising to grow membership subscribers on the platform. Effective Patreon advertising targets existing fans rather than cold audiences. Typical budgets range from $100 to $500 per promotional push.

What Patreon Promotion Costs

Patreon advertising typically includes:

• Patron drive campaigns
• Exclusive content announcements
• Tier benefit explanations
• Behind-the-scenes promotion
• Creator milestone campaigns
• Cross-platform awareness

Budget considerations specific to Patreon:

• Platform takes 5-12% of earnings (affects ROI calculation)
• Recurring revenue model changes acceptable acquisition cost
• Existing fan conversion is primary strategy
• Content value proposition must be clear

How to Budget for Patreon Promotion

Budget tiers by promotional approach:

Launch or relaunch ($200-500):

• Initial push for new Patreon
• Multi-week campaign
• Full audience targeting
• Testing tier messaging

Patron drive ($100-250):

• Periodic growth push
• Time-limited campaign
• Goal-based (reach X patrons)
• Urgency messaging

Content announcement ($50-150):

• Promotes specific exclusive content
• Drives curiosity and conversion
• Shorter duration
• Specific benefit focus

Maintenance ($25-75/month):

• Ongoing low-level awareness
• Retargeting website visitors
• New follower conversion

Key Considerations

• Patreon conversion requires warm audiences
• Cold advertising rarely works for subscriptions
• Content quality determines patron retention
• Platform fees reduce net patron value
• Lifetime value justifies higher acquisition costs
• Test tier pricing before scaling promotion

Common Questions

What cost per patron is acceptable?

Acceptable cost per patron depends on tier and retention:

Calculation: Tier price x Expected months retained x (1 - platform fee) = Net patron value Acceptable acquisition cost = Net patron value x 0.3-0.5

Example with $5 tier:

• Expected retention: 10 months
• Gross value: $50
• Platform fee (8%): $4
• Net value: $46
• Acceptable cost: $14-23 per patron

Benchmark ranges by tier:

• $1-3 tiers: $5-15 acceptable cost
• $5 tier: $10-25 acceptable cost
• $10 tier: $15-40 acceptable cost
• $25+ tiers: $30-75 acceptable cost

Higher tiers justify higher acquisition costs due to increased lifetime value.

How should Patreon advertising target audiences?

Patreon audience targeting priorities:

Tier 1 - Hottest audiences (60-70% of budget):

• Email subscribers
• Website visitors
• Past purchasers
• Engaged social followers

Tier 2 - Warm audiences (20-30% of budget):

• All social followers
• Video viewers
• Content engagers
• Streaming platform followers

Tier 3 - Cool audiences (10% or less):

• Similar artist audiences
• Interest targeting
• Lookalike audiences

Cold Patreon advertising is ineffective. Most successful campaigns target exclusively Tier 1 and 2 audiences.

What creative approach works for Patreon ads?

Effective Patreon ad creative:

Content preview approach:

• Show exclusive content samples
• Create FOMO for non-patrons
• Demonstrate value clearly

Behind-the-scenes approach:

• Personal artist connection
• Studio and creation process
• Relationship-based appeal

Benefit listing approach:

• Clear tier explanations
• Value comparison to price
• What patrons receive

Community approach:

• Highlight existing patron community
• Social proof from testimonials
• Belonging and access messaging

Video creative typically outperforms static images for Patreon. Personal, authentic content converts better than polished marketing.

Display advertising through networks like LG Media at $2.50 CPM can support Patreon awareness on music websites, though conversion typically requires warmer audiences reached through social platforms.

Summary

Patreon promotion budgets range from $100-500 per campaign with acceptable patron acquisition costs at 30-50% of lifetime value. Target existing fans almost exclusively, as cold audiences rarely convert to subscriptions. Use content preview and personal connection creative approaches. Video typically outperforms static images for Patreon promotion.