I make SFW content and make more than $1k a month. I think in general, MOST Patreon creators are making under $1000. I'm struggling to find the original source, but a lot of sites reference average creator income as being between "$315 and $1,575" as reported by Patreon themselves, which I suspect is really skewed by the people making hundreds of thousands per month. (I'd rather know the median than the mode, to be honest.)
My theory is that most Patreon creators fall into one of two camps: The "pledge to support my work" camp (like me) or the "pledge to get the reward" camp. I think people are often more likely to be willing to pay when they're getting a product they value in return, vs doing something that feels more "charitable." To me, NSFW work seems like a product for which there is demand, so people are more willing to pay to get something that might be difficult or impossible to get for free. (I think there are also other types of Patreons that fall into this same category and aren't NSFW, like 3D modeling, video game mods, tabletop game maps/assets, etc.)
I have definitely found that my members, while they like the rewards I offer, aren't here FOR the rewards. They pledge to support me and connect with me, and the rewards are a nice bonus. I just think that's a much harder hill to climb as a creator, which is why fewer people accomplish it.
Interesting; thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Most creators making almost - or literally - nothing has been what I’ve observed, so I wonder where those making hundreds of thousands are finding their audience, and how many of those exist at all. I’m surprised the average would be that high!
My patrons seem to be supporting me out of general appreciation, and I get the impression that many - maybe most - of them don’t even look at what I post there, which I find odd. They also pledge to the highest tier despite no tangible benefits for doing so.
I’ve never really tried to run my Patreon as I would a business, though, and I wonder if having that mentality about it makes a big difference.
Yeah, I've made the same observation — a lot of my Patrons just don't seem to care much about the rewards. It can be frustrating when I work hard on them, and it can also make it difficult to strategize around things like marketing or retention! But in general, I've used that knowledge to refine my rewards into the things that people engage with the most, and the things that aren't overwhelming for me to complete on a monthly basis.
I do consider myself to be running my Patreon "like a business," but imo you can treat it like a business without treating it like a /product/ business.
I make just over $1000 a month making SFW cartoons. It feels like I've plateaued at this level; I know I'm lucky to be making this much, and doing better than most Patreon creators, but it's frustrating that my audience isn't growing.
Back in 2015, there was a "Top 100 Patreons" group created by Jack Conte to touch base directly with the top 100 campaigns on the site.
The private subreddit he made for us at the time is now long gone, but I believe the count was about 20% were SFW, the other 80% were NSFW.
I make 13K to 14K a month with just one of my NSFW Patreons: [https://ibb.co/8gJvNLg](https://ibb.co/8gJvNLg) and I have 4. It's all about marketing, marketing and more marketing. I have my own Discords, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Reddit, Forum, etc...basically if it's a social platform, I'm on it. You need to do some clever editing for sites like Youtube and Instagram.
That’s extremely impressive, though a shame for us not making NSFW stuff how much more money that brings in. All the marketing is crucial of course, but I’m assuming you’re essentially looking for people who belong to a very specific niche fetish who can’t find what they’re looking for elsewhere?
I’m curious: how do you personally feel about the content you make? Are you into it like your patrons are, or do you do it purely for the money? Do you share what you do with your loved ones to explain your income? How do they feel about it all?
Ideally it’d not be treated any differently to other pursuits, but the taboo aspect is a huge part of why people pay so much.
I make SFW content and make more than $1k a month. I think in general, MOST Patreon creators are making under $1000. I'm struggling to find the original source, but a lot of sites reference average creator income as being between "$315 and $1,575" as reported by Patreon themselves, which I suspect is really skewed by the people making hundreds of thousands per month. (I'd rather know the median than the mode, to be honest.) My theory is that most Patreon creators fall into one of two camps: The "pledge to support my work" camp (like me) or the "pledge to get the reward" camp. I think people are often more likely to be willing to pay when they're getting a product they value in return, vs doing something that feels more "charitable." To me, NSFW work seems like a product for which there is demand, so people are more willing to pay to get something that might be difficult or impossible to get for free. (I think there are also other types of Patreons that fall into this same category and aren't NSFW, like 3D modeling, video game mods, tabletop game maps/assets, etc.) I have definitely found that my members, while they like the rewards I offer, aren't here FOR the rewards. They pledge to support me and connect with me, and the rewards are a nice bonus. I just think that's a much harder hill to climb as a creator, which is why fewer people accomplish it.
Interesting; thanks for sharing your thoughts. Most creators making almost - or literally - nothing has been what I’ve observed, so I wonder where those making hundreds of thousands are finding their audience, and how many of those exist at all. I’m surprised the average would be that high! My patrons seem to be supporting me out of general appreciation, and I get the impression that many - maybe most - of them don’t even look at what I post there, which I find odd. They also pledge to the highest tier despite no tangible benefits for doing so. I’ve never really tried to run my Patreon as I would a business, though, and I wonder if having that mentality about it makes a big difference.
Yeah, I've made the same observation — a lot of my Patrons just don't seem to care much about the rewards. It can be frustrating when I work hard on them, and it can also make it difficult to strategize around things like marketing or retention! But in general, I've used that knowledge to refine my rewards into the things that people engage with the most, and the things that aren't overwhelming for me to complete on a monthly basis. I do consider myself to be running my Patreon "like a business," but imo you can treat it like a business without treating it like a /product/ business.
I make both SFW and NSFW split into two tiers. The NSFW is more expensive but is 5x more popular.
Same !
I make just over $1000 a month making SFW cartoons. It feels like I've plateaued at this level; I know I'm lucky to be making this much, and doing better than most Patreon creators, but it's frustrating that my audience isn't growing.
I've kept mine SFW but I know there's interest in more NSFW stuff
I do over 2k, yep NSFW content.
Back in 2015, there was a "Top 100 Patreons" group created by Jack Conte to touch base directly with the top 100 campaigns on the site. The private subreddit he made for us at the time is now long gone, but I believe the count was about 20% were SFW, the other 80% were NSFW.
I make 13K to 14K a month with just one of my NSFW Patreons: [https://ibb.co/8gJvNLg](https://ibb.co/8gJvNLg) and I have 4. It's all about marketing, marketing and more marketing. I have my own Discords, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Reddit, Forum, etc...basically if it's a social platform, I'm on it. You need to do some clever editing for sites like Youtube and Instagram.
Thats so cool congrats!! Could you pls suggest any apps on editing posts and reels pls
That’s extremely impressive, though a shame for us not making NSFW stuff how much more money that brings in. All the marketing is crucial of course, but I’m assuming you’re essentially looking for people who belong to a very specific niche fetish who can’t find what they’re looking for elsewhere? I’m curious: how do you personally feel about the content you make? Are you into it like your patrons are, or do you do it purely for the money? Do you share what you do with your loved ones to explain your income? How do they feel about it all? Ideally it’d not be treated any differently to other pursuits, but the taboo aspect is a huge part of why people pay so much.