Patreon has always been a subscription-based platform but now, it seems like it is opening it up its tactics to make way for another method of monetization. The platform used to only offer premium subscriptions but now, it is making way for a free tier.

Patreon Now Offers a Free Tier Option for Creators to Sell Premium Content Instead of a Subscription

This follows some other platforms that follow a free-tier model that allows creators to still sell premium digital products directly to subscribers. Instead of earning solely from subscription fees, creators can now sell directly to free subscribers.

According to the story by The Verge, Patreon has always been known as a platform that gives creators a chance to charge subscribers and place their content behind a digital paywall. Now, the platform is dropping this and giving creators an option to offer content for free.

This would reportedly be the first time that Patreon has opened up to free subscription options, which would allow users to give fans a taste of what the premium digital content looks like before purchasing them individually.

Two Ways Creators can Now Make Money on Patreon

Now, creators can make money in two ways, paid or free subscriptions. With paid subscriptions, visitors cannot see or receive content from the creators unless they pay the subscription fee but with free subscriptions, they can see everything that the creator posts but still choose to purchase specific digital products.

The decision by Patreon to offer free content or a free subscription option to its users comes as other platforms like Instagram have started to integrate a paywall, as reported in an article by Engadget. The main idea of the concept was that free subscribers would eventually purchase from the creator.

Patreon chief product officer Julian Gutman gave a statement regarding the situation, saying a lot of fans have been interested in free memberships and that they have decided to lower the barrier.

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Patreon Promotes Itself as a 'Creator-First' Platform

The platform has promoted itself as a creator-first digital venue where fans of those creators can support them financially. These include different content fields like writing, audio, video, game development, and many other projects or long-time engagements.

A free subscription is an option that already exists on other platforms like Substack, which creators can use as a way for them to showcase their content to a wider audience, potentially bringing in more people to follow them before they decide to pay for content.

The feature would reportedly allow creators to share certain content publicly. These include posts, videos, or podcasts.

Creators would also be given access to Patreon's tools, which include analytics and native video hosting, making it what was described as an "all-in-one" platform, which is still removed from traditional social media outlets.

An example given by The Verge of what creators can sell includes downloadable files like tutorials. This means that creators can advertise things on their Patreon account but if fans want to learn more, they can pay for premium tutorials or content.

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