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Hiiiiiii today I'm going to talk about Patreon and why I think it's a great option for board game content creators! And also a bad one. Let's lay some ground work.
Before you get serious about making board game content (reviews, how to plays, podcasts, videos, blogs, whatever), you need to decide who you're making the content for. WHO do you want to be interacting with the most? Who is your content for? WHY for them?
One example answer for who/why could be: people that are lost and confused by so many options"/to make them less lost and confused. Another I hear is: to highlight a specific type of game that doesn't get talked about a lot/to help people that like this type of game.
Only wrong way to answer this question of Who/Why is when you don't have an answer. If you cannot tell YOURSELF who your content is for and why in one sentence, you gotta figure that out. Once you know it, every time you want to make something, you make sure you met that who/why
The reason this who/why is important to Patreon is because if you don't know who/why you're making content, you can't have a good Patreon. BECAUSE you have to sell your patreon (and your content) to people. Can't sell to an audience you don't know to target.
If your who/why targets Publishers, Patreon isn't for you. An example? Someone making high quality photos and/or videos for publisher marketing services. (This service exists! And is needed! This is a BAD thing to put on Patreon.)
If your who/why targets a specific audience that isn't just a generic "the world/because board games are awesome", you can in theory target them with a Patreon. Niche groups, hobbyists, and hardcore fans are great audiences. BUT! Only if you have a good "What."
Now that you know the who/why, you need to settle on a What. What, specifically, are you making? What are you offering this audience to meet the goal of why? Try to be specific with this as well. Too general of an answer will leave you scattered and your audience unsure.
Patreon is a service where you are selling your content, in some form. That content needs to be defined. Saying "I make videos about games" that's a bit broad. "I make short weekly videos about new games" is a lot more helpful to understand and sell.
Once you have the What, you need to actually do it. You have to prove you can do it. To yourself, to your audience, and to your future Patrons. Consistency is key, and significantly important. Done and on time is better than perfect. Done, even late, is better than never.
If you cannot be consistent with your What over the span of several months, then you need to revaluate if your What is accurate (and achievable). Try to not give yourself excuses, try to make a goal you can achieve. Life is life. Something popping up is ALWAYS going to happen.
ONCE you have the Who/Why/What established (with some When in the What, if we're honest), THEN you can look at Patreon seriously. And the most important thing to know at that point is that Patreon is NOT Kickstarter. It does not end. It is timeless. It is indefinite.
If you want money for a specific project that has a deadline, like going to SPIEL in Essen, or Gen Con in Indy, that's something better set for Kickstarter. If you want support in creating your never ending content (that might take you to SPIEL or Gen Con), Patreon is the answer.
Because Patreon is never ending, the rewards you give people that support you need to be never ending. This is not Kickstarter. A t-shirt is an AWFUL reward. Think of rewards you can do monthly, every month, until you die (or delete your Patreon). Blog posts, short videos, pics.
Your rewards need to make sense for the scope of your content creation, as well as your goals. You don't want rewards messing up your consistency or adding unneeded stress. In fact, maybe you don't want rewards at all.
Having a reward that is just more access to you is fine. Unless you're making something ALREADY that could be sold (art, stories, adventurer one-shots, maps, etc), providing a physical or digital reward is silly. Don't add that stress to yourself. Your Patrons don't want it.
In addition to the rewards being endless, so is your marketing effort. To make a Patreon actually work, you need to market it. At the end of every video, post, podcast, thank your backers and advertise your Patreon. Occasionally do Calls to Action where you ask people to join.
Patreon is work. And it's work that is never ending. You need to set yourself up for success by going with what you decide the bare minimum is in regards to effort that you can do, in addition to everything you're already doing for your content.
Most Patreon supporters want to support you and your content because they like it and want it to continue. Burning yourself out by setting unrealistic expectations on yourself is not what they want. Don't do that. Don't set yourself up for failure by trying to go above and beyond
Patreon is a great tool that can help you support the continued creation of your work, and help a dedicated part of your audience feel a stronger connection to you. It is not a great way to make money quickly. It is a great way to quickly burn yourself out, though.
TLDR; If you don't have a consistent posting schedule and consistent quality of content, as well as a stable audience, Patreon isn't the answer. If you do, Patreon might help you regularly earn some money to support your content, if you don't treat it like Kickstarter.
