MAPcon2017

I spoke at the Mid-Atlantic Podcast conference in 2016 and again in 2017.

For your reference, this page has all the details and links from the 2017 talk.

Patreon and Podcasters have a… complicated relationship.

The platform wasn’t made for the traditional, everyday podcaster. However, there have been some significant improvements to their interface—

There are things that can make it easier on you, though.

1. Get a Referral Code from another podcaster so they get credit for bringing you to Patreon—(seriously. It’s a giant gift you’ll give them)—and even better, you get the same bonus based on how many patrons you get in your first month (details here).
2. Sign up as a patron yourself.
   1. Support someone else.
   2. See what it’s like to get rewards.
3. Browse other podcasters on Patreon.
4. If you can, locate a podcaster who is doing well but who was previously unknown to you.
   1. Note anything that stands out about their use of art, video (important), & written style (e.g., are they verbose or succinct, formal or chatty, etc.)
5. Locate a podcaster or several (that you already know of—or not) who isn’t doing as well as you hope to do.
   1. Ditto 3a.
6. Compare and contrast their rewards, taking notes on what you could see yourself doing.
   1. Consider how much support you have when it comes to rewards.
      1. You’re already (most likely) creating free content. How much time/money/enthusiasm do you have to do more?
7. Walk away. Relax. Kick back. Mull. Ponder.
   1. Maybe knit a little?
8. Come back to your notes and be brutal: what would you be willing to do with/for your listeners? Frequently. Weekly. Daily.
   1. This is serious.
      1. AWOL on Reward deliveries is a big reason why patrons leave (Data Skeptics).
9. Offline: draft text for each section of a Patreon page (rewards/levels, goals, Intro, thank you); build any videos you decide to include.
   1. Send your copy to super-listeners (if you already have a show) or friends to get feedback.
   2. Get feedback back.
   3. Walk away. Take a load off. Have a drink. Wind down.
   4. Come back.
      1. Revise.
         1. Edit.
            1. Commit to your reward structure. (You can change it later, but tread gently or risk (vocal) disgruntled patrons.)
10. NOW go create your Patreon page.
    1. Enable your RSS feed.
    2. Start posting.

At MAPcon feel free to grab me if you have questions (getting started or improving what you’ve got). If MAPcon is over, head over to my coaching page and sign up for the free 15 min session and we’ll get you all fixed up. There are challenges, no doubt, but there is a lot of room for growth and success.

And you can access the slides here.

Sources you might find useful:

• Data Skeptic podcast 2017: https://dataskeptic.com/blog/episodes/2017/data-science-at-patreon
• Podcast Monetization: https://podcastingblog.com/category/monetization/
• Investopedia 2016: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/021016/5-best-ways-make-money-podcast.asp
• Smart Passive Income 2016: https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/podcasts/patreon-a-potential-alternative-for-generating-an-income-online/
• Reddit (on perks) 2016:  https://www.reddit.com/r/podcasting/comments/52unzt/what_to_provide_as_bonus_content_for_patreon/
• TAP 2015: https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-podcasters-are-making-money-with-podcasting-tap206/
• Quora 2014: https://www.quora.com/Do-you-have-any-advice-for-podcasters-who-want-to-join-Patreon and 2017: www.quora.com/Do-people-want-a-patreon-alternative-specifically-for-podcasts
• Forbes 2014: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelwolf/2014/02/10/making-money-with-podcasts-no-longer-just-about-the-ads/#23c121d0778a

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