From a design improve to our final spherical of product updates, we’ve been working exhausting this yr to make Patreon the most effective dwelling to your membership. With that objective in thoughts, we’ve additionally been exploring methods that will help you acquire extra patrons and preserve them round longer.
However first, so as to be certain that these concepts profit the complete spectrum of creators on Patreon, we’re planning to watch and study by a sequence of managed exams. Learn on for a preview of our focus areas and the way we strategy experiments at Patreon.
A give attention to gaining — and protecting — patrons
We all know that membership progress continues to be a prime precedence for a lot of of you. 93% of creators who took the Creator Census this yr stated you’d prefer to get extra patrons and develop your Patreon earnings. 45% additionally ranked advertising and promotion as further assist you need most from Patreon.
Primarily based on these indicators, in addition to different knowledge and creator analysis, we began asking two key questions:
- How can we assist potential patrons clearly see the worth of your membership, so that they’re extra probably to enroll?
- How can we make it simple for potential patrons to enroll and get began, so that they’re extra prone to keep for a second month (and past)?
Within the subsequent few months, you and potential patrons may even see a few of the updates we’re testing to reply these questions. Right here’s a preview of what we’re pondering:
Methods to assist potential patrons clearly see the worth of your membership:
- Video previews and different sharing options – so that you may give followers on and off Patreon a style of the content material they will unlock as patrons.
- How tiers are displayed and highlighted – so potential patrons can extra simply perceive the worth of every tier as they select one.
Methods to enhance patrons’ preliminary expertise, so that they keep round longer:
- Onboarding moments that spotlight the most effective of your advantages – together with put up web page design and onboarding emails, so new patrons can shortly and simply interact along with your finest content material.
- Easier signup and checkout experiences – so patrons can begin having fun with your membership quicker.
When you discover modifications in any of those areas, let our crew know what you assume. When you’ve got concepts for enhancements to check, share them right here!
How we take a look at
Very like creativity itself, testing new concepts takes time and repeated drafts till we attain a last product. (And even then, we’re nonetheless tweaking and bettering!) When you’re curious, right here’s how we strategy experimentation at Patreon.
- Begin with targets. On this case, we wish to assist flip extra web page guests into patrons, and preserve extra patrons subscribing previous their first month. Primarily based on previous analysis and knowledge (together with the characteristic request kind, neighborhood conversations, assist tickets, surveys, and extra), we kind concepts for a way we may obtain simply that.
- Type and take a look at hypotheses. A speculation is an assumption that we are able to take a look at. For instance:
- If we visually spotlight a tier to potential patrons, then they’ll be extra probably to enroll in that tier.
- If we provide potential patrons the flexibility to see richer previews of patron-only content material, then they’ll be extra prone to subscribe to entry that content material.
- We then take a look at the speculation “within the wild” for a portion of potential patrons. All through the take a look at, we monitor each metrics we wish to change (for instance, whether or not there’s a rise within the share of holiday makers to your web page who join) and associated metrics to ensure the take a look at isn’t having unintended negative effects.
- Evaluation outcomes and observations. As soon as we’ve collected sufficient knowledge, we analyze whether or not we are able to confidently attribute the outcomes to the particular modifications we examined, fairly than pure likelihood. Typically the info confirms what we had been pondering. Different instances, it surprises us with an surprising perception.
- Iterate based mostly on what we’ve discovered. If a take a look at is inconclusive or unsuccessful, we’ll refine what we’re testing. We may use a special structure, wording, or shade, or return to the drafting board. If the outcomes look promising, we may broaden the take a look at to a wider viewers. As soon as we’ve confidence that what we’re testing will profit the vast majority of creators, we’ll roll it out.
Share your concepts
We’re excited to share our learnings with you as we take a look at, so keep tuned for periodic updates within the subsequent few months! And in case you have methods you’ve examined (or are curious to check) which have helped you appeal to and preserve new patrons, tell us right here.
