Launch Checklist: Everything You Need to Know Before You Hit Publish

Welcome to Patreon! In this guide, we'll help you quickly get started as a creator and then take you through additional settings and customizations you can make to your Patreon before you launch.

If you're just getting started with Patreon, we have a comprehensive collection to successfully launch. Check it out on Patreon for Creators.

Your Launch Checklist

When you're setting up your page for the first time, you'll see a Launch Checklist in your creator dashboard. This list is your go-to guide for getting everything in place so your launch feels confident and cohesive. Let's break it down step-by-step:

1. Start with the Basics

Set the foundation for your page with your name, images, and description. These elements help fans quickly recognize you and understand what your Patreon is about.

Name, Photo, URL & Description

• Title your Patreon. This can be your name, the name of your creative work, or anything you like
• Use a clear profile photo that shows your face or brand (1024x1024 recommended). This is the primary photo displayed on our Patreon app and in search results
• Write a short, keyword-friendly byline so fans can easily find you. This shows up primarily in discovery surfaces
• Lock in your custom URL (patreon.com/yourname)

2. Add your podcast (If Applicable)

If you identify as a podcast, you'll see an option to Add your podcast on your launch checklist. This section is tailored for podcasters and includes the following steps:

• Set up your podcast and enable podcast settings
  Turn your audio posts into a podcast so members can listen through their favorite podcast apps. If you host your podcast elsewhere, you can import or sync episodes to Patreon. Learn more about setting up a podcast on Patreon
  • Set your cover art
    Help people discover your Patreon by adding your podcast cover art.
    (Recommended size: 3000x3000px square image). This won't replace your Patreon profile photo
• Turn on your RSS feed
  With Patreon RSS, each member gets a personalized RSS link that includes episodes they have access to. They can copy this link into their preferred podcast player app.
  You can also:
  • Sync your public RSS feed so all episodes live in one place
  • Enable Spotify Synced Feeds so that non-members see your bonus episodes in Spotify (as a marketing preview), while members can stream exclusive content directly in Spotify

If you don't see this option in your onboarding checklist, you can still go to your Podcast and audio settings to add your podcast later.

3. Make Your First Post

Before you invite fans to join, give them something to see. A first post helps set the tone and shows visitors what they can expect. Check out our guide to Writing your first post.

Kick things off:

• Feature a welcome post that introduces you and outlines what members can expect.
• Add custom welcome notes — a short message members see right after they join. Keep it personal and on-brand. Learn more about How to create tiered welcome notes

Show immediate value:

• Share 1–2 bonus pieces of content (e.g., an early drop, reaction, or newsletter)
• Add a quick poll or question to spark early engagement

Start your Community chat:

• In the Community tab, send a first "hey!" or a simple prompt to open the conversation

The chat isn't officially created until you send that first message.

4. Choose Your Layout

From your launch checklist, click Choose your layout to set up the details and layout of your page. You can also access this page anytime and change it by going to your Dashboard and clicking on Edit Page.

Header Details: cover image and branding

• Pick a brand color to give your page a cohesive look.
• Add a header image — you have two options:
  • Upload a custom cover photo (2500x1000px). For best results, place key visuals on the right side of the image and avoid text. Since your page title and About section appear on the left, this ensures important elements stay visible across devices
  • Use your profile photo as the header, and Patreon will auto-fill the background with your brand color
• Tell your story in the About section: share why you're launching, what members get, and why now. Here are some tips for writing a description
• Connect your socials to display them on your page and create a cohesive presence.
• Adjust stats visibility to control which member and earnings statistics are shown on your creator page.

Page layout: customize your creator page

Your layout shapes how fans experience your page. By default, visitors land on the Home tab — a curated overview of your work. You can customize the layout to showcase what matters most. Use shelves to reorder, remove, or replace sections. A few ideas:

• Highlight your latest or most popular posts
• Organize collections by theme, series, or project
• Feature upcoming drops or livestreams
• Surface top-performing shop items
• Curate seasonal content (holidays, launches, campaigns)
• Pin important announcements or updates

Page navigation: customize your tabs

Your navigation tabs shape how fans move through your page. You can add custom tabs to guide fans directly to what matters most — from your merch store and events to featured posts, collections, or any external site. A few ideas:

• Link to your merch store or shop
• Point fans to upcoming events or tour dates
• Highlight a featured post or collection
• Connect your Discord or newsletter
• Link out to your website or portfolio

A clear, intentional navigation and layout makes it easier for fans to find everything you create, on and off Patreon. Learn more about customizing your page here.

5. Choose what you offer and start earning

On Patreon, you can decide if — and how — you want to earn from your work:

• Enable paid memberships to receive recurring income from fans who subscribe
• Sell individual posts or collections for one-time payments

You'll find both options directly below your launch checklist, so you can start with the model that works best for you.

If you prefer, you can also publish your page without selecting either option and simply offer free memberships. In that case, skip ahead to step 6.

• Enable paid memberships

  Tiers are how you set your membership price. Start with a single tier or create multiple tier offerings for fans to choose from. If you don't set up membership tiers, you can still go live with your Patreon so fans can join your community for free.

  All you need to create your first tier is the monthly price and tier description — these are prefilled with $5 and access to exclusive content and more, which you can keep or edit.

  You can click the (...) More options button to add things like a name for your tier and structured benefits; however, these settings are optional and are not required to start getting paid.

  Here's a great resource on all of our best practices on building your membership strategy: How to structure your membership and price your benefits

  Here's how you can edit and add more tiers:

  1. While logged in to your creator profile, click Dashboard from the left sidebar navigation
  2. Click on the Membership tab
  3. Click the button to Add tier or Edit tier, depending on what you'd like to do

• Sell individual posts and collections

  You can also sell content like videos, images, podcasts, and other digital products as one-time purchases without a membership or alongside your membership. This can be done by offering posts or collections as one-time purchases.

  Learn more about Selling one-time purchases on Patreon

6. Additional Page/Creator Settings

Page Details

From your Page details, you can set up:

• Merch – Patreon's merch solution makes it easy to deliver physical benefits to your members, backed by Patreon support. Learn how to add Merch to your page
• Welcome notes – Add a custom note (and optional thank-you video) that new members see when they join. This isn't required to launch your Patreon — you can set it up anytime
• Special offers – Create a one-time deal for new members in specific tiers to drive sign-ups

Creator Settings:

From your Creator settings, you can also explore additional account options, including:

• Teammate permissions: Invite teammates to help you manage your page
• Connected apps: Connect integrations like Discord or Vimeo
• Podcast settings: Set up and manage one or multiple podcasts
• Notification preferences: Control how and when you receive notifications
• Billing and payout settings: Add your payout method, set your currency, and update tax details to ensure you get paid correctly

Promotions:

From your Promotions tab, you can create special offers to attract new members, reward existing fans, and grow your community:

• Autopilot: Autopilot is an automatic way to give your fans promotional offerings that help grow and retain your community on Patreon. Learn more about automating your growth with Autopilot
• Discounts: Discounts let you offer a percentage off memberships or shop products, encouraging fans to join or purchase. Learn more in our Managing Discounts guide or explore our Best practices for product discounts to help you strategize effectively
• Gifts: Gifts make it possible to give complimentary memberships to fans. This is a great way to thank loyal supporters

7. Publish & Promote

By completing the previous steps, you'll have the essentials ready. Once you're confident, you can hit Publish and make your page live. (Tip: you can publish your page first to get everything set up, then start promoting later.)

Check out The Ultimate Guide to Launching on Patreon for more detailed promotion and content strategies.

Our Trust & Safety team will review your page before it goes live to make sure it follows our Community Guidelines.

• • Pick a weekday launch date that aligns with your usual content rhythm

  • Map out a simple 2-week plan: teasers → big reveal → follow-up posts

  • Build anticipation with sneak peeks or "something's coming" posts

  • Use polls or surveys to involve your fans and shape your offerings

• • Share a short launch video with a clear pitch and strong call to action

  • Explain what Patreon is, your top benefits, and why you're launching now

  • Create urgency with teasers, bonus content, or a limited-time offer

  • Share your Patreon link everywhere: bios, video descriptions, emails, streams, website

  • Create a launch moment: go live, host a premiere, or release exclusive content

• • Stay consistent with at least weekly posts (batch content in advance if you can)

  • Remind fans regularly — multiple mentions are usually needed for conversions

  • Use promotions like a gifted month or limited-time discount to build momentum

  • Cross-promote with other creators to expand your reach

  • Keep it simple: start with one or two strong benefits, then expand over time

Final tip

You only launch once — but your Patreon will keep evolving with you. Don't stress about perfection. Start strong, listen to your fans, and keep iterating.