It's served you well, but the time has come to switch things up. At Patreon we believe that change is good – it’s an inevitability of being a creator. Even so, it’s not always easy to say goodbye to a Tier that’s served you well. We’ve created this how-to for retiring, or repricing a Tier. Hopefully this guide will make the transition as smooth as possible for you, and your patrons. Farewell old friend!
Please note that while our examples in this article show US Dollar ($), the information is also applicable to the currency you choose to bill in.
5 simple steps to retiring a Tier:
- Build your plan
- Making sure posts are accessible
- Unpublishing your Tier
- Deleting your Tier
- Following-up with patrons not in a Tier
Find answers to frequently asked questions about retiring a Tier in the FAQ section below.
#1 Build your plan
Whether you’re creating a brand new Tier, or want to simplify, having a transition path for your patrons can be key to retaining their membership. Identify where you’d like your patrons to move.
Patrons do not receive email notifications about changes made to your Tiers. For this reason, we highly recommend proactively communicating any changes with patrons in advance.
Not sure how they’d react?
Publish a poll post to what the majority thinks. Give them example new tier descriptions, and ask which they’d prefer. Including a “I’m happy with what I have” option is always a great option. Alternatively, you can send out a Google form to get informed ideas flowing. Patrons appreciate feeling like they’re part of your process, and you’ll feel more confident in your game plan.
Add a Special Offer to your transition Tier
Special Offers are currently available for creators on Professional and Premium plans. This feature cannot be used with our per creation payment method.
Increasing your Tier price? Using a Special Offer as an extra incentive to patrons can be a great driving force for migrating patrons from one Tier to the next.
Recommended reading:
Give your patrons time to adjust
Give your patrons time to edit their membership to join your new Tier. The amount of information you share with your patrons is entirely up to you, you know them best – trust your gut on what information will make for a smooth transition.
We recommend letting them know:
- The reason for the change
- How this change benefits them
- A timeline of when they can expect changes.
Here’s an example note you can start teasing patrons with:
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“Hi lovely Patrons,
I’m so excited to announce my new “New Tier name” Tier! This Tier will be available for you to join starting March 1st. “Retiring Tier Name” will no longer be available to join starting March 10th, and will be completely deleted on March 25th. Be sure to select one of my other Tiers before then! Special offer alert: If you join “New Tier name” Tier by March 31st you get a signed postcard from me. If you’re still in “Retiring Tier Name” when it’s deleted, you’ll still be my patron, but you’ll be a “no benefit” patron, and won’t have the same access as you currently do. Here’s how to select a new Tier: How do I edit my membership? Have questions? Thread them in the comments!” |
Note: If you're repricing, be sure to price your Tier at least $0.50 more than the current Tier. We're unable to process amounts less than this. So if you want patrons in your $5 Tier to join a higher, new Tier, be sure to make your new Tier price at least $5.50!
#2 Give your Tier access to posts
If you’re creating a brand new Tier, we highly recommend doing this step prior to publishing the Tier for patrons to join. This step is vital for ensuring uninterrupted access to patron-only posts.
If you've set access to your posts using the "Select tiers" option, your new Tier, or transition Tier won’t automatically have access to those posts. Give a new, or different Tier access to older posts with the following steps:
- Visit the Published page of your Posts section.
- Click Edit on the posts you want to add access to.
- Select your new, or different Tier from the list of Tiers on the right-hand side of the Post editor.
- Save your changes.
We've created this how-to on how to edit posts: How do I edit or delete a posts?
Note: If you select the option to “Notify patrons of this change” all patrons, including those who’ve already had access to this post will be notified. We recommend not selecting this option when adding your new Tier.
#3 Unpublish the Tier you're retiring
Potential patrons can’t see unpublished Tiers, they’ll only see your published Tiers on your page. Unpublishing a Tier ensures that no new patrons can join, but gives existing patrons in that Tier a chance to edit their memberships accordingly.
Patrons in an unpublished Tier will still have an active membership to that Tier until they edit, or cancel their membership. You can still make posts for an unpublished Tier, until the Tier is deleted. Once you unpublish a Tier, it’s a great opportunity to turn the volume up on announcements of your new Tier, and reiterating your timeline to deleting the Tier.
To unpublish a Tier:
- Log in and visit the Tiers tab of your creator page editor.
- Click Edit for the Tier you’re deleting.
- Select the unpublish option at the bottom of the Tier editor.
- Click unpublish to confirm.
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#4 Delete the tier
When you delete your retiring Tier it will move any patrons who haven’t edited out of that tier into a no benefits (“no reward”) status.
Once a Tier is deleted, patrons will still have their monthly payments at the same payment amount, but will be categorized as "no reward" patrons, and will lose access to posts previously accessible by that Tier. If you’ve given your patrons a fair timeline, this part of the process should be fairly painless.
To delete a Tier:
- Log in and visit the Tiers tab of your creator page editor.
- Click Edit for the Tier you’re deleting.
- Select the Trash can icon at the bottom of the Tier editor.
- Click delete to confirm that you’d like to delete the Tier.
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Note: Deleting a Tier is not a substitute for cancelling a patron’s payment. Patrons can cancel their membership to stop future payments.
#5 Message any patrons with a “No reward” status
Once your Tier has been deleted, you’ll want to continue your patron outreach for any patrons who still have a “No reward” status.
- Head to your Relationship Manager
- Using the filters, set your Membership type to “Active patrons,” and set the Reward type to “No reward”
- Click the Message button under the filter to mass message all patrons who are both active patrons, and have a “No reward” status.
FAQ
Q: What do I do if patrons are reporting that they’ve lost access to Tiers?
A: Check your Relationship Manager. You’ll be able to see which Tier a patron is in. If they have a “no reward” status in your Relationship Manager, feel free to forward them this resource: How do I edit my membership?
Q: Why do I have to edit every post to grant access to new Tiers?
A: If you opt to select tiers specifically for access to posts, there’s currently no way to automatically grant access for new Tiers. The way that post for “Select Tiers” access currently operates, only the Tiers you’ve selected will have access. Because your new Tier did not exist when you granted tier access to specific posts when they were published, they have to be granted once the Tier is created.
Q: Why can’t I move my patrons to my new Tier for them?
A: It’s a security issue. Only patrons can decide which Tier to join, and more importantly how much they’d like to be charged. We don’t want any surprises charges for patrons, and it can create a lot of confusion, and frustration if their membership changes without their consent/action.
Q: How do I get patrons to move tiers?
A: Giving your patrons a clear timeline of events is the best way to get folks to move to a new Tier. Today, it's easy to dismiss notifications, and plan on reading messages "later." This is normal, so it's best to have a communication plan– giving patrons a month prior to the next billing cycle is optimal, and be prepared to remind them. Including a Special Offer with your new, or update Tier, is a great way to incentivize patrons to move fast.
Q: What's the different between unpublishing, deleting, and retiring a Tier?
A: Unpublishing a Tier only hides the Tier from your page. Patrons who are in that Tier, are still technically in that Tier even if it's unpublished.
Q: How do I make the announcement?
A: We recommend making announcements in any spaces that your patrons are likely to see it– making a post is a great way to ensure all patrons have access to the information, and sending private messages with bulk messaging via your Relationship Manager adds a personal touch that can often inspire patrons to take action sooner.
Q: How much time should I give patrons?
A: A month's notice before the next billing cycle is optimal, so in the first few days of the month, after payments have processed. This gives both you, and your patrons time to prepare.
Q: If I retire my Tier, what should I price my new Tier at?
A: You know your patrons best, and you know what it costs you to continue creating, and make income. If you're retiring a Tier, we recommend setting your sights higher– if you're offering more exclusive benefits, or just more, it's worth more. Retiring a $1 Tier? Think of what a $5 Tier would look like. It might be better to have a few high-impact Tiers that are priced higher, than a ton of Tiers with very slight differences.