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Hey everyone, Ashton here with RSS.com.

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In today's episode, we're chatting with Tom McNeil, who's senior partner manager at Patreon.

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We'll be chatting all about how to build community with Patreon.

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Enjoy the show.

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Alrighty, welcome to the show everyone.

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I am so excited to have Tom McNeil here with Patreon.

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Tom, can you do us a favor, introduce yourself and tell us what it is you do?

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Absolutely.

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Hi, Ashley.

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Hi everybody.

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My name is Tom McNeil.

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I work at Patreon, where I am one of the senior partner managers on the creator success team.

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What that means that I work with some of the biggest creators, biggest podcasters on the

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platform and I understand, work with them to understand their business, give them the

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tools to do it better and then amplify their success moments both externally so everybody

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hears about what people are doing really well on Patreon and then also internally so that

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we can make it a better product by understanding how people are using Patreon to the best of

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their and our abilities.

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That's awesome.

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Now for anybody who's been living under a rock, can you tell us what is Patreon?

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Great question.

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Yeah, Patreon is a membership platform that makes it easy for creators to build meaningful

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memberships with their fans.

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And what that means, like with an example, is that say like one of my favorite True Crime

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podcasts is True Crime Obsessed.

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So I can listen to the podcast and the world outside of Patreon on Spotify, Apple Podcasts,

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whatever it might be.

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And then if I want more, it means I can sign up to them for $5 a month, say, and get access

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to exclusive content and be part of a really beautiful community of people who also share

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that passion of like listening to True Crime Obsessed.

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So that is in a nutshell what Patreon does.

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Okay, so how do podcasters sign up for it and what would be the benefit of it for them?

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Yeah, great question.

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So in terms of signing up, super straightforward.

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You go to patreon.com and you start signing up as a creator and that's totally free.

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You don't pay any money in terms of building your own profile and launching it to the world.

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And what's the advantage?

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Well, one of the really cool things about Patreon that we see in the podcasting space

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in particular is that unlike like advertisements and selling on BPM, like really having to

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build thousands and thousands of listeners before you can really start monetizing from

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a branded advertising perspective, you can launch a membership and start really bringing

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a consistent, reliable, repeatable form of monetization into your work by your fans who

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love your show.

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And the thing that we consistently see at Patreon is that fans really show up and really

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care about podcasters.

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Like they don't care really about like how well the podcast is performing in the market

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or whether they've taken a week off because they need to get the relaxation in or whatever

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that might be.

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So it's really beautiful for the fans who get more of the thing that they love.

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And it's really robust and strategic for the podcaster who's able to plan their future

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based on this predictable income that they have.

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Okay, so whoa, wait a minute.

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We got to back up for a second.

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So you don't even have to have any listeners to have a following on Patreon?

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That's a great clarifying question.

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So the thing I was saying is that you could launch a membership at whatever stage of your

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podcasting journey you're on.

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The thing that's different between starting a membership and building kind of like ad

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based revenue is that say like, say you've got 1000 listeners and 10% of them visit your

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Patreon page and 10% of those visitors actually become patrons.

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Then let's say that they become patrons at the $5 level.

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That if my maths isn't awful, is about 50 bucks worth of repeating recurring predictable

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revenue that's coming into your show.

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Now in order to build any form of like ad based revenue, you have to build your listenership

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into like thousands of thousands of like 10, 20, 50,000, 100,000, whatever it might be.

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Whereas membership is something that you can get going with at a very early stage of your

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podcast long.

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And in fact, we've worked with some creators who launched their podcast without any form

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of ambition to bring in advertisers where the membership is really the entire driving

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force behind it.

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So to give an example there, I was a big podcaster, but Stacey Schroeder decided to launch a podcast

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called The Good, The Bad, and The Baby and was documenting her journey as a mother.

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And when she launched her podcast, she was doing it entirely within Patreon.

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So she told people about it on her social media, but then the podcast entirely lived

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within Patreon for her fans, for the people who were becoming members.

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You know, what's incredible about that to me is like even with Podcorn, which is one

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of our partners that we work with for monetization, they generally say, you know, you have to

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have at least 1000 downloads before you can get started.

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So it sounds like even before I launch a podcast, I could go ahead and start building a community

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on Patreon.

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Is that right?

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That's something we could do.

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Yeah, actually, it's really, really flexible.

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The thing I would say typically for podcasters is that it is a good idea to have a public

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facing part of your work as well as the membership.

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So a great way to kind of grow what we might describe as your top of funnel is by launching

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a Patreon, sorry, launching a podcast into the into the world of RSS beads and wherever

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people will get their podcasts.

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And then to have a call to action that says if you liked this free podcast that you're

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listening to right now and you want to get more content and more community, you can go

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to patreon.com forward slash your podcast and then offer those things.

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The way that I think about that just strategically is like giving free samples to people outside

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a pie shop.

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So you know, you might have the town's best pies inside your pie shop.

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But the way to get people through the door by giving out a free sample so that somebody

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like me walking past is not ending to buy a pie, has a free taste and goes, oh, that's

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the best pie in the world and then goes and buys into multiple pies multiple times.

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And that's the same kind of principle of having your public facing part of the podcast where

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people can hear it for free, get a taste for it, and then you invite them through the door

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into your membership.

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So it sounds like it's a really great way to build community with a podcast.

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Yeah, it's an incredibly good way to build community with a podcast.

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And something that we see also is that community is just so sticky as well for podcasters and

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for their fans.

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By the time that you really start creating an environment that's not algorithmically

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driven but is just human driven, people really form connections, form enthusiasm.

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We heard some amazing stories of Patreon where somebody has started a community, the community

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like made friends with each other, and then they do stuff like buying presents for somebody's

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baby shower or going to somebody's wedding or contributing to like major life events.

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And it's not the creator, the podcaster who's coordinating that.

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It's just the fans with each other because they've found something that they all love.

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It's really brought them together and it's had real life impact for all of them.

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So you mean instead of being listener 26479, I'm actually a name.

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Yeah, you're exactly that Ashley.

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You're fully Ashley in that membership.

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And yeah, I think that's really, it's a really good point as well because it's podcasting

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in particular, as you know, like the magic of it is often that you don't know how many

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other people are listening.

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Like it feels very personal because it's just in your ears, like you're having a conversation

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with your favorite podcaster.

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And what's really special about that membership experience is you're right, like you stop

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going, you stop being like an anonymous number and you can make friends with other people

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who love the same thing and are really invested in it.

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And also kind of like have a closer relationship with the creator and the podcaster, which

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is really cool.

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Now, I kind of want to talk a little bit about Patreon itself.

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You had mentioned, you know, it could be patreon.com backslash the name of your podcast.

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So when you get an account with Patreon, you can create a handle that matches your brand.

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Yeah, exactly.

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So I'm very customizable and getting even more customizable, but we want membership

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spaces to really feel like they're part of the culture of a show, the culture of a creator,

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the culture of a podcaster and their fans.

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So yeah, you customize your URL so that it's very kind of ownable, very branded, very memorable

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as well.

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So that when you're saying on your podcast, you can go to patreon.com forward slash RSS.

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Everybody is like, oh, great.

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I know that you can put your link in your bio, of course, and put it in the show description.

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But being able to say it out loud, being able to say something that's very on brand for

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you is exactly what you can do on Patreon.

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And you can also customize the banner image, the tier names, the tier images, the profile

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pictures, you can have video introducing what it's all about.

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So many different tools to really make sure that it reflects who you are and what you

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do.

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Well, to that note, I guess I should say that, you know, if anybody who is listening to this

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is a user of RSS, if you have a Patreon, you can actually add the link to your Patreon

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in your donate button or your website button.

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So if you don't have a website and you want to drive people to your Patreon, for example,

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you can actually put your link directly into your account.

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Now, so you said that it doesn't cost anything to get started.

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But what would someone need to know?

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Like what kind of deliverables would be recommended for the best chances of success?

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Yeah, love the question.

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Oh, these are great.

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Okay, so in terms of setting yourself up to success, the main thing that you want to think

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about as a podcaster starting a Patreon are what are your tiers?

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What are your benefits?

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And by that, what I mean is that you can as a podcaster, as the creator, decide on your

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own price points, which I think is really cool, because it means that you're able to

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make the most of your expertise of your audience.

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You'll have a sense of like, hey, what's affordable?

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What's a median level of affordable?

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And what's kind of at the top end?

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So just kind of if you're starting with a blank piece of paper, start with one tier,

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you know, if you're just like looking, looking to get going, and I would typically recommend

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based on kind of what we've seen in our launches that you want it to be about the price of

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a cup of coffee, like something between maybe three and five bucks, depending on how fancy

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your coffee is depending on where you're buying it.

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But something where somebody can easily go like, Oh, yeah, I can afford that every month.

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Click, I'm in.

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So pick something that feels very affordable, whether it's one tier or three tiers, make

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sure that the entry level or single tier is affordable.

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So that's thing number one.

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Thing number two is thinking, okay, what are the benefits that I'm gonna put in line with

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this tier?

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And if you're just going for that one tier strategy, the things that we see working time

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and time again, that work really well for podcasters really well for their fans, our

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blend of content and community.

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So to break that out like a little bit further, the way I've been thinking about it is, okay,

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I'm making one podcast episode every week that my fans get.

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Do I have the bandwidth to make them a bonus episode that goes out once a month?

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Or okay, I've got my Twitter, my Instagram or like whatever social channel is the best

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one for engaging people and broadening the podcast reach.

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So if I was to have a version of community in my Patreon, in my membership, where I start

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a patron only discord, or I do a monthly Q&A, or I do a weekly poll about a topic that we're

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going to cover in the podcast that only my members can vote on.

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So I think that the key kind of conversations to have are number one, what's affordable

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for the fans, so that you're actually putting something in the market that's going to make

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them excited.

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And also, what's affordable for the creator in terms of the time that they're going to

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spend making it.

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Is it a bonus episode every month?

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Some podcasters do a bonus episode every week.

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Is it an always on discord?

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Or is it a once monthly Q&A, but thinking about something that's going to be sustainable,

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so that you can launch it confidently and know that you are going to be able to grow

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it in a way that feels really healthy and compatible with the rest of your business.

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I like that you said that because one of the big things that I've been hearing from people

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in the community is they're afraid to start a membership type site because they're afraid

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it's going to take so much extra time.

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And one of the things that I have seen some people do that I think is just brilliant is

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if they have a guest on their show, they will just keep their guest on a little bit longer

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and release some of it to the public and then release the rest of it to their membership

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community.

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So I think it's a great idea.

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I think it's something that everyone should consider.

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I'm curious though, from the subscriber standpoint, how does it work when someone comes on to

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someone's Patreon page and they want to sign up as a contributor?

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How does that work from their perspective?

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Yeah, totally.

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So it's going to be a similar journey for that person in as much as they're going to

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go to a Patreon page, patreon.com forward slash RSS, if that's something that you were

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putting as part of the Paul Caff Ashley.

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And they're going to see those tiers and benefits that you've designed and they're going to

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get to make a decision about what they sign up for.

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So to give you an example, there is a podcaster that I work with podcasters, ladies and tangents,

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Jerry and Asyara.

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And when you go to their page, you see different tier options.

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And if it's a $5 level that you really want to sign up for, where you're going to get

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a bonus episode every month, where you're going to get the opportunity to vote as part

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of episodes, where you're going to be able to get early access to releases projects.

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I'm going to see the $5 button, I'm going to click through on it, and then go through

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like a standard checkout flow where I'm able to select a payment option that I want to

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use.

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And that will then become part of my regular billing.

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And as soon as that happens, I get full access to everything that's on that page at that

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tier level.

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Now when you say full access, do you mean like anything that's been released previously

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as well as now?

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Yeah, exactly.

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So it's a sort of thing where the creator is kind of really paying it forward to themselves

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because the more of an inventory of cool kind of like content and community moments that

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they've had, the more the value proposition grows for the audience member.

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So say like, you launch your Patreon today, October, wherever, whenever this is going

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out, I don't know when this is going out.

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So you launched it today, today's day one.

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And I hear about it on day one.

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And I go, some people are going to go, yes, straight away.

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Some super fans are just like, yes, I'm in.

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Some people have seen the standout for Patreon, like when Joe Budden launched his Patreon,

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he launched it like five days before there was any content or community.

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And so many of his fans are just like, we're in, we're in, we don't even know what this

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is going to be, I'm in.

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Which is amazing.

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Let's say like, I might hear about that and sign up on day one.

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I might hear about it and be one of those consumers needs.

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Other marketing touch points, other advertising moments where the idea of something has to

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reach me a few times before I sign up for it.

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So say on day one, I go there and there's one bonus episode and I think, okay, that's

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interesting, but yeah, I'm not sure.

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Hear about it again five days later or a week later.

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Go and have a look at it.

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Oh, that's interesting.

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Another bonus episode.

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That's kind of cool.

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Maybe I go back.

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I'm sure about it.

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I go back 30 days later and I see that there's three bonus episodes and there's a monthly

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Q&A coming up.

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I'm going to get access to a discord.

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The value proposition is growing and it makes it easier to bring people in and grow the

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membership beyond just the first people who are like the wider dies.

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I'll go there straight away.

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So yeah, full access to the archive of material that's in there and then even more promising

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appealing value proposition for your fans.

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Yeah.

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I'm definitely kind of experiencing FOMO right now with one of the podcasters I follow.

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There's a couple of girls that have created a podcast and they release private episodes

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on their Patreon and you can't get them anywhere else.

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It's not early access.

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It's like private access.

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So I think it's interesting giving someone access to something that they normally wouldn't

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be able to have access to because that FOMO, it is real.

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Yeah.

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So I love that you use the word FOMO because that is exactly it.

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And something that I really see working really well for podcasters who are going to the trouble

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of creating those bonus episodes is actually putting a little taster or teeter of that

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out in the market, out in the like for the listeners.

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So you know, because there's nothing quite like FOMO when you've got a kind of a little

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sense of what it is that you're missing out on.

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So if I say to you like, hey, I've got a bonus episode, how do you might think of what that's

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like?

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If I say, I've just released a bonus episode on my Patreon and I'm going to give you the

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first three minutes of it for free.

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And so what's coming up is the first three minutes of the bonus episode.

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And at the end of it, you say, hey, if you really enjoy listening to this, you can get

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the rest of it right now on my Patreon.

287
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That's a really good way of attracting people's attention.

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Not the bill to your FOMO.

289
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Absolutely.

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I don't mean to build to the FOMO, but you know.

291
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Absolutely.

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Because if I hear that and I'm like, oh my God, I got to hear more.

293
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So do you have any other tips that you would suggest to Patreon users to earn more money

294
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on their pages?

295
00:17:55,260 --> 00:17:56,260
Yeah.

296
00:17:56,260 --> 00:17:58,980
That's a really great, really great question.

297
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So yeah, I had a great session with our finance at Patreon.

298
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He was doing some office hours and he was talking about a consulting framework where

299
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if as a consultant, you go into the company, you ask two questions.

300
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Is this company making money?

301
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How's it losing money?

302
00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:25,260
So in terms of growing a Patreon, I think it's really smart for casters to think about

303
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the top of their funnel.

304
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Like how are they bringing people into the membership?

305
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And then the bottom of the funnel, like how am I retaining people within that membership?

306
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So it's not, you know, you've built this bucket, let's make sure it's not leaking and let's

307
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make sure there's good stuff coming in the top.

308
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So first bit, in terms of growing the membership, there's some tactics, data back tactics that

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we see working consistently well for pod casters and their memberships in terms of growing

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them.

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First, let's start with a principle.

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Make your membership part of the culture of your show.

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By that, what I mean is that it's something that you always have something interesting

314
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to say about that your fans know is a place that they go for exclusive content, where

315
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you're even cheeky and say something like, you know what, I think we're going to have

316
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to save this for the Patreon because this is going to be a bit too spicy for the real

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world.

318
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Or as you were saying, like, this has been such a great conversation.

319
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And as you all know, we're going to have 20 minutes more with this guest on the Patreon.

320
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We can also get access to other really cool benefits like early access or patron on the

321
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merch or a patron on the discord.

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But make it part of the culture of your show so that it feels very organic when you're

323
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talking about it.

324
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And that's a really good principle for building the Patreon as well.

325
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Look at it and go, I'm proud of this.

326
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It's just something I'm going to be able to integrate.

327
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Is it fun?

328
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Does it fit my culture?

329
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Is it going to fit me?

330
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Is it going to fit my guests and my fans?

331
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But yeah, make it part of the culture of your show so it doesn't stand out like it's an

332
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advert.

333
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So yeah, make it part of the culture.

334
00:19:53,740 --> 00:19:54,740
That's a principle.

335
00:19:54,740 --> 00:20:00,940
In terms of actual growth tactics, we've got some really good research on the best ways

336
00:20:00,940 --> 00:20:04,220
that creators, podcasters in particular, grow on the platform.

337
00:20:04,220 --> 00:20:07,500
So these tips are actually specific to podcasters.

338
00:20:07,500 --> 00:20:14,700
I'm going to refer to them in kind of like cute little pet names for tactics.

339
00:20:14,700 --> 00:20:18,700
The first one is the teaser tactic, and that's what we've just kind of talked about in terms

340
00:20:18,700 --> 00:20:21,140
of putting a little free taste out in the market.

341
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It's the pie shop.

342
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It's standing at the front and saying, here, have a free sample of my bonus episode.

343
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Get on my Patreon.

344
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And then when you've shared 5% of it, say, hey, do you want to hear the rest of this?

345
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Go to patreon.com forward slash your podcast name where you can get access to that right

346
00:20:36,620 --> 00:20:37,620
now.

347
00:20:37,620 --> 00:20:43,660
That is by far and away the tactic I've seen work most consistently for podcasters in terms

348
00:20:43,660 --> 00:20:45,340
of growing their memberships.

349
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I think it's largely because you have access to an RSS feed.

350
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Like this isn't just me kind of like blowing smoke here, but you know, if you're publishing

351
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things in other environments which are algorithmically driven, a percentage of your fans will see

352
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that, but not all of them.

353
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Whereas if you built your podcast following up around an RSS feed, around people who are

354
00:21:04,020 --> 00:21:10,140
subscribed to you on Spotify or Apple or wherever it might be, by dropping a teaser into your

355
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feed, people are going to see that and they are going to hear that.

356
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That's tip number one, teaser tactic.

357
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Tip number two for podcasters is doing a part one and a part two.

358
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What I mean by that is that you share the whole of your part one on your RSS feed.

359
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This is something that True Crime Obsessed do really well.

360
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They do the first part of the two part show.

361
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And at the end of part one, they say, you're going to be able to hear the rest of this

362
00:21:38,700 --> 00:21:43,580
story in a week's time here on the feed.

363
00:21:43,580 --> 00:21:47,580
Unless you want to hear it right now, in which case you can go to our Patreon where you can

364
00:21:47,580 --> 00:21:52,860
get access to part two right now, along with a bunch of other really cool bits of content

365
00:21:52,860 --> 00:21:54,100
and benefits.

366
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So that's a really strong way again of kind of giving people a taste of what they might

367
00:21:58,460 --> 00:22:01,900
be able to get when they get inside the Patreon.

368
00:22:01,900 --> 00:22:06,060
So that's that's tip number two is the teaser is the part two tactic.

369
00:22:06,060 --> 00:22:09,900
So we've got the teaser tactic and the part two tactic.

370
00:22:09,900 --> 00:22:13,900
Third tip is one that you've mentioned already, actually, the extended episode.

371
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Essentially, this is something that podcasters, video podcasters called the Yards do really

372
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well.

373
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So the Yards have their podcast and YouTube is one of the main places that they find their

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audience and they do about 60 minutes that goes out for free.

375
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And then they do a bit of click bait.

376
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They say like, hey, wasn't there that story you were going to tell us about your mom embarrassing

377
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you at your birthday party when you're five years old?

378
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And the person will be like, yeah, I mean, I'm going to tell that story, but I'm not

379
00:22:41,820 --> 00:22:42,820
going to tell it on YouTube.

380
00:22:42,820 --> 00:22:45,820
I want to tell it on Patreon.

381
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And they go and tell the rest of the story.

382
00:22:47,020 --> 00:22:51,660
They do another extended part of the episode for 30 minutes over there.

383
00:22:51,660 --> 00:22:57,300
So those are kind of like three episode specific recommendations that I'd make.

384
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The other thing that I would say is kind of embracing those tactics in your social media

385
00:23:00,900 --> 00:23:01,900
as well.

386
00:23:01,900 --> 00:23:07,300
So again, teasing out bonus content by clipping together an audio clip or a video clip, sharing

387
00:23:07,300 --> 00:23:12,420
it on your Instagram, sharing it on your Twitter, sharing it on your Facebook.

388
00:23:12,420 --> 00:23:18,140
It's something that yeah, we see like loads of different kind of creators do incredibly

389
00:23:18,140 --> 00:23:19,140
well.

390
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I think like the reads, for example, do a really great kind of things of ranting and

391
00:23:24,220 --> 00:23:28,060
reading the bonus audio segment that they do as part of their show.

392
00:23:28,060 --> 00:23:32,940
And just going to put it on your Instagram like, hey, this bonus bit of content is live

393
00:23:32,940 --> 00:23:36,860
right now on the Patreon creates another one of those marketing touch points that we talked

394
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about.

395
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Somebody might have heard about your Patreon and know that you have one, but then it's

396
00:23:40,860 --> 00:23:45,100
on the Instagram, for instance, where they see, oh, that bonus segment talking about

397
00:23:45,100 --> 00:23:46,460
that topic or that guest.

398
00:23:46,460 --> 00:23:47,460
I love that.

399
00:23:47,460 --> 00:23:48,460
I want that.

400
00:23:48,460 --> 00:23:49,740
I want to become a member.

401
00:23:49,740 --> 00:23:57,180
So those are four tactics and one principle for growing your Patreon as a growth fit.

402
00:23:57,180 --> 00:24:02,160
In terms of retaining people, really, really straightforward here.

403
00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:05,300
Make sure that you're delivering what you said you would.

404
00:24:05,300 --> 00:24:10,540
So if you said you're going to get one bonus episode a month and a month of Q&A and the

405
00:24:10,540 --> 00:24:13,940
ability to vote on show topics, deliver that.

406
00:24:13,940 --> 00:24:16,980
And ideally, if you've got the bandwidth, go a little bit above it.

407
00:24:16,980 --> 00:24:20,060
Like maybe you get like a bonus episode and a half.

408
00:24:20,060 --> 00:24:23,620
Maybe you get like a couple of Q&A's that surprise and delight the people that are inside

409
00:24:23,620 --> 00:24:28,540
your Patreon so that they feel really, really seen and valued.

410
00:24:28,540 --> 00:24:33,820
And if you are thinking kind of long term about retaining this group of people, you

411
00:24:33,820 --> 00:24:38,980
can also embrace tactics like telling them what's coming up for the rest of the month

412
00:24:38,980 --> 00:24:42,860
or what's coming up in the new month, but just giving people the experience that you

413
00:24:42,860 --> 00:24:48,420
might get when you're watching a TV show, like you're watching something on HBO and

414
00:24:48,420 --> 00:24:50,700
it's like, hey, next time on the show.

415
00:24:50,700 --> 00:24:54,820
And they're starting to hook you in to the next episode before the first one's even finished.

416
00:24:54,820 --> 00:24:56,460
And that's the same thing you can do with your membership.

417
00:24:56,460 --> 00:24:58,500
You know, we've had a great month on the Patreon.

418
00:24:58,500 --> 00:25:00,260
October's been amazing.

419
00:25:00,260 --> 00:25:02,580
Let me tell you about some stuff coming up in November.

420
00:25:02,580 --> 00:25:07,260
The great way of nurturing the FOMO that you were talking about, Ashley, like, well, this

421
00:25:07,260 --> 00:25:08,260
month's been fantastic.

422
00:25:08,260 --> 00:25:10,460
I don't want to miss out on what's happening next month.

423
00:25:10,460 --> 00:25:12,900
I'm hooking people in like that.

424
00:25:12,900 --> 00:25:14,740
I'm really glad you said a couple things.

425
00:25:14,740 --> 00:25:17,540
First you were saying, well, first of all, I really want some pie now.

426
00:25:17,540 --> 00:25:20,180
We've talked about pie a lot.

427
00:25:20,180 --> 00:25:21,580
So I really want some pie.

428
00:25:21,580 --> 00:25:24,980
But you had said, you know, make sure that the thing you promise you're going to deliver

429
00:25:24,980 --> 00:25:26,340
that you actually deliver.

430
00:25:26,340 --> 00:25:32,060
I'm so glad you said that because I actually was subscribed as a subscriber to a Patreon

431
00:25:32,060 --> 00:25:36,300
member and he kept promising, you know, these free bonus episodes every month and he never

432
00:25:36,300 --> 00:25:37,300
delivered.

433
00:25:37,300 --> 00:25:39,940
And so of course, you know, you pull out, you're like, all right, I'm done.

434
00:25:39,940 --> 00:25:41,260
I don't want to subscribe anymore.

435
00:25:41,260 --> 00:25:43,220
So I'm so glad you said that.

436
00:25:43,220 --> 00:25:48,640
And I also like how you were talking about everything with how to not make it so spammy.

437
00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:52,280
And what I mean by that is you're talking about doing it organically, promoting it organically

438
00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:56,660
and making it feel not so much like an advert as you called it.

439
00:25:56,660 --> 00:26:00,420
So I have to ask you one last question that I ask everyone before I let them go.

440
00:26:00,420 --> 00:26:01,620
And that is one thing.

441
00:26:01,620 --> 00:26:05,980
What is one thing I did not ask that you really wish I had?

442
00:26:05,980 --> 00:26:06,980
Great question.

443
00:26:06,980 --> 00:26:07,980
I love that.

444
00:26:07,980 --> 00:26:08,980
All right.

445
00:26:08,980 --> 00:26:15,900
Everybody wants to be flippant and like, I'll do the, I'll do the serious one first and

446
00:26:15,900 --> 00:26:19,260
then I'll do the bonus bit of episode, the bonus content, which is the flippant one.

447
00:26:19,260 --> 00:26:20,900
Which will be on our Patreon.

448
00:26:20,900 --> 00:26:23,900
I'm just kidding.

449
00:26:23,900 --> 00:26:24,900
Okay.

450
00:26:24,900 --> 00:26:33,060
So the thing that I wish you'd asked was why is Patreon such a great place for podcasters

451
00:26:33,060 --> 00:26:35,980
specifically?

452
00:26:35,980 --> 00:26:42,420
And because we are, we're creator founded and I think that like very well known now,

453
00:26:42,420 --> 00:26:47,100
like one of the reasons that we have creators and being creator first in our DNA is because

454
00:26:47,100 --> 00:26:49,940
we're founded by a creator.

455
00:26:49,940 --> 00:26:53,900
One of the things that's really special about podcasting though, is that it has always been

456
00:26:53,900 --> 00:26:59,540
a very strong, strong genre on our, on our platform.

457
00:26:59,540 --> 00:27:04,340
And actually podcasts have doubled in the course of the last three years and they're

458
00:27:04,340 --> 00:27:08,660
now actually earning fourfold what they used to three years ago.

459
00:27:08,660 --> 00:27:10,940
So there's huge growth.

460
00:27:10,940 --> 00:27:15,020
And with that comes another really cool thing.

461
00:27:15,020 --> 00:27:21,140
That is that podcast listeners know what a Patreon is.

462
00:27:21,140 --> 00:27:25,340
And they know that because so many people have launched really successful Patreons and

463
00:27:25,340 --> 00:27:30,100
memberships in the podcasting space, that as a podcaster, you can be confident that

464
00:27:30,100 --> 00:27:32,260
they know what it is that you're launching.

465
00:27:32,260 --> 00:27:34,060
They're already kind of sold on the idea.

466
00:27:34,060 --> 00:27:36,000
So you don't have to explain what Patreon is.

467
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:37,000
They already kind of sense.

468
00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:39,700
You just have to explain what your Patreon is.

469
00:27:39,700 --> 00:27:41,380
Why you're excited about that.

470
00:27:41,380 --> 00:27:45,980
And it is one of my favorite things to see on the internet.

471
00:27:45,980 --> 00:27:51,260
When the comments that I see under a Patreon launch, like on social media, are things like,

472
00:27:51,260 --> 00:27:54,260
this is the Patreon that I've been waiting for.

473
00:27:54,260 --> 00:27:59,140
I love seeing that because it shows so clearly the podcast listeners know exactly what it

474
00:27:59,140 --> 00:28:01,320
is that you are talking about.

475
00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:02,320
They're totally ready.

476
00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:05,700
Many of them will already be subscribed to their payment details are already in the system.

477
00:28:05,700 --> 00:28:09,980
It will be really interesting, really easy to bring them in.

478
00:28:09,980 --> 00:28:14,260
And all you have to do is really explain to them what your version of a Patreon is.

479
00:28:14,260 --> 00:28:16,660
I saw it happen with the Reads, who we talked about before.

480
00:28:16,660 --> 00:28:22,300
But yeah, I saw when they launched loads of their fans, they're like, damn, okay, yeah,

481
00:28:22,300 --> 00:28:23,580
this is the one I'm waiting for.

482
00:28:23,580 --> 00:28:24,580
I'm there for it.

483
00:28:24,580 --> 00:28:25,580
I'm in.

484
00:28:25,580 --> 00:28:30,780
That's what I want every podcaster to experience is that glow of knowing that their super fans,

485
00:28:30,780 --> 00:28:36,340
their biggest supporters and listeners are waiting for them to launch their Patreon and

486
00:28:36,340 --> 00:28:38,340
we get them to do it.

487
00:28:38,340 --> 00:28:41,140
Alright, so did you get both of them in?

488
00:28:41,140 --> 00:28:42,860
Or you only got the serious one in?

489
00:28:42,860 --> 00:28:44,860
Okay, yeah, fair, fair.

490
00:28:44,860 --> 00:28:49,820
So, so I thought what I would flip on one question I wish you'd ask me, I guess because

491
00:28:49,820 --> 00:28:57,620
it's turning into a particular season in the year is like, what's my favorite Starbucks

492
00:28:57,620 --> 00:28:58,620
seasonal coffee?

493
00:28:58,620 --> 00:29:03,000
That's the one that I was like, yeah, that's going to be very revealing of my inner soul

494
00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:07,860
when I tell you like, what's my favorite seasonal coffee?

495
00:29:07,860 --> 00:29:12,320
And the answer actually, if you'd asked me that, was a Java chip Frappuccino.

496
00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:16,020
Now that is not a very Halloweeny or Christmasy drink.

497
00:29:16,020 --> 00:29:17,660
They used to do that in the UK.

498
00:29:17,660 --> 00:29:21,980
They discontinued them, I assume because I drank too many.

499
00:29:21,980 --> 00:29:24,100
Not everybody else drank enough.

500
00:29:24,100 --> 00:29:26,340
So that's, yeah, that's my point.

501
00:29:26,340 --> 00:29:27,340
That's my bonus content.

502
00:29:27,340 --> 00:29:30,060
Okay, you know what, I'm going to ask you one more question.

503
00:29:30,060 --> 00:29:31,900
It wasn't on the list.

504
00:29:31,900 --> 00:29:35,820
It wasn't even in my purview, but because you brought up the coffee.

505
00:29:35,820 --> 00:29:41,460
If you're drinking coffee, what pie are you eating with it?

506
00:29:41,460 --> 00:29:42,580
I am into that.

507
00:29:42,580 --> 00:29:44,540
I'm into that so much.

508
00:29:44,540 --> 00:29:51,180
Oh gosh, you know, because there's not a very strong pie culture in the UK.

509
00:29:51,180 --> 00:29:55,060
Like people who are enthusiastic about pie are usually telling you about a mathematical

510
00:29:55,060 --> 00:29:57,500
principle which starts 3.14.

511
00:29:57,500 --> 00:30:02,720
3.14, hope it is, my math teacher's probably dying right now.

512
00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:09,060
So since moving to the States, I have developed a taste for pumpkin pie.

513
00:30:09,060 --> 00:30:10,380
I really like it.

514
00:30:10,380 --> 00:30:16,420
It's like, and I feel this is part of my naturalization process is having a favorite pie to go with

515
00:30:16,420 --> 00:30:17,420
the coffee.

516
00:30:17,420 --> 00:30:20,980
But I would love to hear from you, Ashley, is that an acceptable answer?

517
00:30:20,980 --> 00:30:23,420
And what's your favorite pie to have with some coffee?

518
00:30:23,420 --> 00:30:28,420
I think it's a very acceptable answer, but mine is not nearly as fun because it's not

519
00:30:28,420 --> 00:30:35,180
necessarily like seasonal, but I love my mom whenever I was growing up, we always had chocolate

520
00:30:35,180 --> 00:30:36,180
pudding pie.

521
00:30:36,180 --> 00:30:41,100
And so that's something, you know, come Thanksgiving and Christmas, I get very excited about is

522
00:30:41,100 --> 00:30:42,100
chocolate pudding pie.

523
00:30:42,100 --> 00:30:43,100
So good.

524
00:30:43,100 --> 00:30:44,100
I love that.

525
00:30:44,100 --> 00:30:49,100
Now everybody, I hope everybody listening to this goes out and get the pie immediately.

526
00:30:49,100 --> 00:30:52,460
I hope they get a pie and I hope they get a Patreon.

527
00:30:52,460 --> 00:30:53,460
The two P's.

528
00:30:53,460 --> 00:30:57,860
Yeah, it's like we planned it or something.

529
00:30:57,860 --> 00:30:59,620
Where can everyone find you online?

530
00:30:59,620 --> 00:31:00,620
Absolutely.

531
00:31:00,620 --> 00:31:03,620
So you can get me on Twitter.

532
00:31:03,620 --> 00:31:06,020
I am at fool with words.

533
00:31:06,020 --> 00:31:09,460
Fool is spelled F O O L with words.

534
00:31:09,460 --> 00:31:13,860
And if anybody wants to ask me about Patreon questions specifically, you can get me on

535
00:31:13,860 --> 00:31:16,660
LinkedIn where I am Tom McNeil.

536
00:31:16,660 --> 00:31:20,380
I work for Patreon and I will gladly answer all of your mentioned questions.

537
00:31:20,380 --> 00:31:21,380
Fantastic.

538
00:31:21,380 --> 00:31:24,580
Well, we will put all of the links in the show notes and Tom, I just want to say thank

539
00:31:24,580 --> 00:31:25,980
you so much for being here today.

540
00:31:25,980 --> 00:31:29,860
Thank you for everything that you answered and all the amazing points that you gave us.

541
00:31:29,860 --> 00:31:31,340
Yeah, it's a pleasure.

542
00:31:31,340 --> 00:31:36,180
I, as you can probably tell, I'm not doing a good job of hiding that I love the nerdiness

543
00:31:36,180 --> 00:31:37,180
of all of this.

544
00:31:37,180 --> 00:31:42,940
And yeah, the podcasting community is really special and I feel very grateful to be part

545
00:31:42,940 --> 00:31:43,940
of it.

546
00:31:43,940 --> 00:31:47,140
Well, what I love so much, I mean, I know we're kind of wrapping up here, but I love

547
00:31:47,140 --> 00:31:51,340
the fact that with Patreon, you can really have your listeners invested in what you're

548
00:31:51,340 --> 00:31:52,340
about to do.

549
00:31:52,340 --> 00:31:55,620
Because I mean, yes, they're paying you and whatever, but just the fact that they're showing

550
00:31:55,620 --> 00:32:01,780
up and really contributing to the conversation, it becomes more than just a talking head,

551
00:32:01,780 --> 00:32:04,820
talking into a microphone and into a camera.

552
00:32:04,820 --> 00:32:07,740
It's really building a community and I think that's really special.

553
00:32:07,740 --> 00:32:08,740
Yeah, totally.

554
00:32:08,740 --> 00:32:11,900
It's, as we all know, it can be lonely.

555
00:32:11,900 --> 00:32:14,100
It can be lonely making a podcast.

556
00:32:14,100 --> 00:32:18,060
It can be lonely making a show, especially if you're just kind of there talking into

557
00:32:18,060 --> 00:32:19,540
a mic.

558
00:32:19,540 --> 00:32:27,020
And yeah, and it was really cool working with Josh Molina and Rishi Keerwe.

559
00:32:27,020 --> 00:32:33,700
And he's very famous for the West Wing song, Exploder, and their podcast, West Wing Weekly.

560
00:32:33,700 --> 00:32:37,740
And they pivoted to doing a video podcast called Unnecessary Commentary, where they

561
00:32:37,740 --> 00:32:39,220
do a watch along.

562
00:32:39,220 --> 00:32:40,580
It's very cool.

563
00:32:40,580 --> 00:32:47,860
And what's really clear is that there's like a real buzz about actually, as you're saying,

564
00:32:47,860 --> 00:32:50,460
putting names to faces and faces to names.

565
00:32:50,460 --> 00:32:52,820
It's a two-way experience.

566
00:32:52,820 --> 00:32:56,700
It's not just that the fans get to meet each other and that they get to meet their favorite

567
00:32:56,700 --> 00:33:02,260
creator, but that the podcaster gets to know those people on the other side of the microphone

568
00:33:02,260 --> 00:33:03,260
as well.

569
00:33:03,260 --> 00:33:04,260
So yeah, it's really cool.

570
00:33:04,260 --> 00:33:05,260
That is awesome.

571
00:33:05,260 --> 00:33:06,980
Well, thank you again so much.

572
00:33:06,980 --> 00:33:11,220
And yeah, if anybody wants to set up a Patreon, you should definitely check out the links

573
00:33:11,220 --> 00:33:12,780
in our show notes.

574
00:33:12,780 --> 00:33:18,100
Well, my fellow podcasters, we hope you enjoyed the insights, tips, and ideas shared in this

575
00:33:18,100 --> 00:33:19,300
episode.

576
00:33:19,300 --> 00:33:24,220
To learn more about launching and growing your own show, head over to rss.com backslash

577
00:33:24,220 --> 00:33:25,220
blog.

578
00:33:25,220 --> 00:33:29,540
And if you're ready to launch a podcast of your own, you can get started for free with

579
00:33:29,540 --> 00:33:31,580
your first episode on us.

580
00:33:31,580 --> 00:33:32,580
Thanks for tuning in.

581
00:33:32,580 --> 00:33:45,300
Make sure you like this video.

582
00:33:45,300 --> 00:33:50,180
And don't forget to subscribe.

583
00:33:50,180 --> 00:33:52,420
Thank you.

584
00:33:52,420 --> 00:33:54,420
You