With our Vimeo integration, you can upload gated videos directly to Patreon posts. This means exclusive content for your patrons without the fear of link sharing. The feature is available for our Premium and Pro creators.
In this article, we will review:
- Connecting your Vimeo and Patreon
- Uploading and processing videos
- Embed videos using the From Library feature
- Making a Livestream with Vimeo
- How your videos will display
- Frequently asked questions
Important: You'll need a Vimeo Pro account (or above) to upload videos with our integration and a Vimeo Premium account for Livestreaming. If you don’t have a paid subscription to Vimeo, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial for the Pro or Business plans. Additionally, Patreon creators can use this link to receive 10% off their first year of Vimeo Premium
Connecting your Vimeo Pro account to Patreon
You can connect your Vimeo account to Patreon through any of the following sections of your account:
- In the Vimeo section of the post editor while making a new video post
- In the Connected Apps section at your Profile Settings
- In the Apps section of your Creator Settings
Selecting the Connect button in any of the above sections will prompt a message asking for permission for connecting your Vimeo account.
After selecting Allow, Patreon will connect your Vimeo account.
Now you can post patron-only videos or embed your videos when making a new video post by going clicking the Create button → Video.
You can also disconnect and reconnect your Vimeo account in the same manner anytime. Patreon can also prompt you to reconnect your account if Vimeo reports that your connection has expired.
Posting Patron-Only videos with the Vimeo integration
When uploading please ensure that you have enough storage/bandwidth quota within Vimeo and are uploading using a minimum of a Vimeo Pro account.
- Start a new video post by clicking the Create button → Video
- Select the Vimeo button to display the Vimeo interface
- Select Upload for the video form
- After locating your video, select upload
- In a moment, your patron-only video will be uploaded and embedded. How fast this happens depends on how fast Vimeo prepares the video, so if the video does not get embedded, just wait a few minutes and refresh the page as the on-screen instructions explain
- If you're uploading on desktop, once your video has uploaded, you can preview your post before publishing by clicking the View
button
- Now you are ready to post your video post
If you change the thumbnail for a video on Vimeo, it will also update on Patreon.
You can also upload a video directly to Vimeo and then copy and paste the video link into the textbox of a video post on Patreon.
Embed videos using the From Library feature
If you do not have a Vimeo Pro account we recommend using the From Library feature to easily embed your existing videos or the videos you recently uploaded directly to Vimeo by using the post editor while making new video posts.
While embedding a patron-only post via this feature, you may end up with gray thumbnails due to this feature being aimed at embedded public videos from your library. If you wish to have the video be patron-only we recommend first making the video at Vimeo Public before embedding it with the From Library feature and then changing the video settings at Vimeo to patron-only again.
- Start a New video post
- To embed a video from your library, click the From Library button
- In a moment, you will find a list of your videos being displayed. Navigate the pages to find the video that you want to embed if it is not on the first page
- When you find the video that you want to embed, click on it to embed it to the post. Your video will be embedded and ready to post
- Give your post a title and description, and let us know who can see the post
- On desktop, you can preview your post before publishing by clicking the View
- You can Publish it right away, Schedule it to go live at a later date, or simply exit the post editor and we’ll save your draft
Livestreaming with Vimeo
If you have a Vimeo Premium account, you can go live with your Patrons with our integration. Patreon creators get 10% off their 1st year of Vimeo Premium.
Ready to go live? Here's our article to help you set up a patron-only exclusive Livestream: How to Livestream with Vimeo
How will my videos show up?
Eligible patrons can view your video on the Patreon website and mobile app. If patrons have post notifications enabled, we'll send them an email with a preview of your video.
How will this display on Vimeo?
For creators:
Your video will populate in your Vimeo library, with privacy settings already configured so that only patrons who can access a particular post can check out the video. (Not to worry, though — you can always change the settings if you need to!)
For patrons:
Since videos uploaded via Patreon will automatically be whitelisted(protected), these videos will not show up when a patron visits your Vimeo page. Videos will only be accessible on Patreon.
FAQ
Do the videos I posted on Patreon using the integration take up space on my Vimeo account?
A: Yes. You’ll find videos posted on Patreon in your Vimeo account. They’ll be gated so that only patrons who can access a particular post can check the video.
What should I do if posting with the Vimeo integration isn’t working?
A: A few different troubleshooting steps will likely clear up any issues with this integration. Please try the following:
- Refresh the page
- Disconnect Vimeo and reconnect
- Try uploading directly onto Vimeo
- Visit Vimeo.com and upload the video you want to post on Patreon. Then, make a post on Patreon by pasting in the link: "Video > Add URL." Your video will automatically be whitelisted.
I have Vimeo Plus, can I still upload videos with Vimeo?
A: In order to use the new Upload integration you will need to have a Vimeo Pro account. If you do not have a Vimeo Pro account we recommend using the Add From Library option
What happens if I end my paid Vimeo subscription?
A: Your videos will become private and you won’t be able to check your previously posted content. To continue to access and post your private Vimeo videos, you need to have an active Vimeo subscription.
What if I can't use Vimeo?
A: We recommend using YouTube if you are unable to use Vimeo. Learn more about How to share videos on Youtube. If you can't use YouTube or Vimeo, and you are not currently eligible for early access to Patreon Video, here's a list of other video hosting options that we recommend.