How Patreon will support your migration to subscription billing

  • Updated

How we’re supporting creators on legacy billing models during the transition to subscription billing

We know some creators have concerns about how switching billing models may impact the way they run their business. Here’s what creators can expect when they switch and what’s coming soon for all creators on subscription billing.

Creator business needs already supported for you

  1. You will maintain 100% control over your earnings, regardless of Apple’s App Store fees. Despite Apple’s App Store fees being applied to new memberships sold through the iOS app, we’re providing tools that make it possible for you to maintain complete control over your earnings. You will be able to adjust your iOS tier prices to accommodate fees and earn the same you’re used to. We’ve also provided the ability for you to edit all your tier prices however and whenever you see fit.
  2. Your existing fans will continue to be charged on the 1st of the month. Nothing about billing dates changes for your existing members. Your existing members who are used to being charged on the first of the month will keep the 1st of the month as their bill date. This is true for creators on first-of-month billing and per-creation billing. And, for Per-Creation creators, fans with limits on the amount they spend each month will maintain their monthly limit even if you choose to increase your monthly membership price when you switch to subscription billing.
  3. You can keep the same payout schedule you’re used to since your earnings will continue to replenish on a monthly basis as payments are processed. You will still be able to use auto-payout to withdraw your available account balance on the 5th each month. You can also continue to manually payout multiple times a month any time you like. Any amounts still pending will also continue to be accounted for in your Payouts dashboard. Since your existing members keep their old bill date of the 1st, the shift to having more members renew throughout the month will be gradual as new members join, which means your Account Balance will continue to have a large influx at the beginning of the month.
  4. If you don’t want to charge upfront, you don’t have to since we added the ability to offer Free Trials on any or all of your tiers. This allows new members to sign up without the commitment of paying on day 1.

Creator business needs we’ll be supporting over the next year

We’ve gathered feedback from creators offering a diverse range of memberships and their biggest concerns about switching to subscription billing are covered in the following key focus areas for our team. We are committed to directly addressing creator concerns as quickly as possible over the next year, and we invite you to provide feedback along the way to ensure you have the best tools to run a thriving business.

  1. You won’t need to change how or how often you deliver benefits. Sending digital and physical goods to your members must become easier. We’re committed to making sure you still will be able to deliver benefits just once a month and ensure only the correct members receive them.

    What this may look like…
    • A 3D model creator is able to share a digital file with only those members who are eligible for it, without new members who join later in the month getting access to more than they should.
    • An illustrator who regularly ships a sticker pack to members through the mail is able to easily grab the complete list of members who earned the next sticker pack since the last time they sent out benefits.
    • You can spend less time in spreadsheets and other tools because you have the ability to add, edit, and track important details about members’ benefits, like eligibility, shipping address, and t-shirt size.
    • What other improvements would help you? Share your feedback so we can build the best tools for you.
  2. You will maintain control over how frequently your members are billed. By default, members are billed monthly, but creators will also be able to offer less frequent billing options, like Annual billing, to reduce the pressure to produce something new for fans on a monthly basis. We’re also committed to maintaining the ability to pause billing when you need to take a break.

    What this may look like…
    • A journalist producing a new edition of a magazine every 2-3 months can charge members once a year upfront like other specialty print magazine subscriptions.
    • A musician who goes on tour every summer can pause billing on Patreon while they are focused on the tour, and resume billing when they are ready to get back to other projects.
    • What other improvements would help you? Share your feedback so we can build the best tools for you.
  3. You will maintain your earnings through this transition. We’ve designed the migration to subscription billing to be as smooth as possible for you and your fans, so everyone can continue focusing on your work and community. We’re also committed to making it easy to monitor your earnings and member retention so you can feel confident about your account balance and growth. Our team will provide the tools you need to continue growing your business through membership.

    What this may look like…
    • A creator on per-creation billing has the ability to continue earning the same amount on subscription billing by setting monthly tier prices that equate to what they are used to earning based on their previous posting schedule. Members continue paying the monthly amount they are used to and the creator doesn’t lose any earnings.
    • A creator who wants to continue paying out and delivering benefits around the 5th of every month has increased visibility into the membership renewal process, so they can withdraw funds confidently knowing everyone who should be charged has been charged since their last withdrawal.
    • Visibility into your pending earnings that are scheduled to be billed (e.g. upcoming annual membership renewals) and still being processed, including estimated dates when pending earnings will be available to withdraw.
    • What other improvements would help you? Share your feedback so we can build the best tools for you.

We’re committed to making updates to the product so you can feel confident switching to subscription billing before the end of next year. If there’s something you need that you don’t see mentioned here, we’d love to hear from you so we can do our best to ensure you’ve got what you need to continue growing your business. Share your feedback

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