How do I set access to my posts?

This article will cover how to go about making certain posts available to certain tiers in your account. It will go over how to troubleshoot with patrons having trouble and how to edit previous posts to be given access to specific tiers.

Our post creation workflow gives you power over who has access to your posts. Whether, you'd like to publish something publicly, for all patrons, or only for select tiers, our post creator offers flexibility to better target your content.

In this article, we’ll go over:

How to make a post using the new workflow
What's new with this update
What this will mean for your existing patrons
Suggestions for how to communicate with patrons who are seeing locked posts

Make a post by selecting New in the Posts section of your left-hand navigation bar. On the right-hand side of your post editor, you’ll see the option to make your post Public, visible to All patrons (including patrons not in a tier), or Select Tiers.

If you are in our Pro, or Premium platform plans, and want your post accessible only by patrons in specific tiers, choose Select Tiers. You’ll see all of your tiers appear. Deselect any Tiers that will not have access –– by default, all Tiers will be selected when you choose Select Tiers.

Here’s what your post will look like after it's published:

Learn more about how to make a post here.

Why is posting for Select Tiers helpful?

It gives you more control over which patrons see your posts. When you publish posts by Tiers, rather than payment amount, you can post exclusively to patrons in one tier, instead of that tier and everyone above it.
Higher-paying patrons won't be spammed with notifications for posts for lower Tiers.
Do you have multiple projects, and want to offer different benefits at the same tier level? You’ll have the option to offer content to multiple tiers at the same price. So you can have two $5 tiers offering completely different benefits.

You'll can easily view all of your patrons organized into the tier that corresponds with their payment level within the Relationship manager– so no more guess work on what posts different patrons can view!

What does this mean for patrons?

The most important thing this means is: if you publish content for Select Tiers, patrons will need to be in that Tier (not just paying the tier price) in order to have access.

If you select Public, anyone can see your posts even if they’re not a patron.
If you select All Patrons, all of your paying patrons will see your post, regardless of the tier they are in, even if they selected "no tier" when they signed up.
If you Select Tiers, then only the patrons in the tiers you select will see your posts. That means patrons who selected "No tier" when they pledged are not actually in a tier, and won’t see your post unless they update their membership with you. And patrons who are paying a higher amount than the tier they signed up for will only see the post if it’s available to their tier.

If you have patrons in the "no tier" tier, or patrons who are pledging more than the tier they’re signed up for, we suggest you reach out to them to inform them that they may not have access to all your posts.

You can use the filter options (No tier) in your Relationship Manager to select these patrons and send them a group message. Learn how to message multiple patrons in the patron relationship manager here.

Sample letters

Sample letter to “no tier” patrons

Dear patron,

I noticed that you created a custom pledge, or “no tier” when you joined my page. As a heads up, I post most of my content for the specific Tiers I offer. If you aren't in a Tier, you might not get to see all of the posts I'd love you to see.

If you’d like access to posts for my [TIER NAME] Tier, you want to select that Tier. You can make sure you're in the right Tier by going here in your Patreon settings and it will only take a minute.

If you need any additional help with this, you can find Patreon's guide to ensuring you have access to posts, here.

Thanks for your continued support!

Sample letter to patrons pledging more than their tier

Dear patron,

I’m messaging you because I noticed that you’re currently pledging a higher amount than the membership Tier you’re signed up for. I post the majority of my content for my specific Tiers only, so you might not see all of my posts with your current membership.

I want to make sure you have access to the posts and benefits you intended. To join my [TIER NAME] Tier, simply head here. This will only take a minute.

If you need any additional help with this, you can find Patreon's guide to ensuring you have access to posts, here.

Thanks for your continued support!

What about my posts before November 7th 2018?

All of your old posts will remain the same within the old model – so they'll be accessible to patrons based on the tier amount they're paying.

FAQ

Q: When did this change taking place?

A: November 7th 2018.

Q: Can I select post access based on payment amount?

A: No, you will only be able to select post access based on Tier, or All patrons status.

Q: Will selecting all patrons populate check marks in all the boxes in the post workflow?

A: Yes, all the check boxes will be populated when you select all patrons.

Q: Can creators move patrons into tiers?

A: No, they cannot. You'll need to request your patrons do this themselves.

Q: Where do I send my patrons to join a new tier?

A: Patrons can find this by going to their Active memberships page, and clicking edit.

You can also send this help center article detailing how to edit their membership.

Q: Can people sign up for multiple tiers that add up to their membership?

A: Patrons can only sign up for one tier.

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