Complex payment plans and hidden processing fees on content sharing platforms can send subscribers looking for services elsewhere — something Patreon learned the hard way when it attempted to revise its fee structure. In the latest Subscription Commerce Tracker, Wyatt Jenkins, senior vice president of product at Patreon, explains how transparent pricing and enabling access to plan options helped it gain 4 million subscribers.
Careers in music, filmmaking or even YouTube video essays can be daunting and have few financial incentives, causing many young creatives to give up on their dreams so they can make ends meet. Content membership platform Patreon aims to ease these professionals’ financial stressors, enabling them to find success as creators. The company’s origins date to 2011, when Founder Jack Conte uploaded a high-concept music video to YouTube. It turned out to be more trouble than it was worth, however, according to Wyatt Jenkins, senior vice president of product at Patreon.