Annual membership?

Patreon withholds some percentage as a platform fee, right? Is it a fixed amount +x% per payment? If so, an annual subscription option would allow patrons to give more money to the creator vs. patreon. Where I am willing to make an annual commitment, I prefer to frontload the cash outflow, so an annual subscription option could represent a win-win for both patrons and creators.

Would it put more pressure on you to keep up a minimum level of content a month? If it wouldn't be healthy for you mentally to have the added pressure then it's not worth it. There's no harm in offering it if you want to, but it does need balancing with the number of videos you do per month etc.

Katrina Trigari

I saw that option on some creators when I did a checkup on my Patreon subscriptions a few days back. I saw they offer a discount (as per usual) on paying annual. Which leads to the question: Where do they cut that discount out of? There is no harm in offering it for people who are well-to-do enough to plan that long-term. But I'm currently not in a position to use it. (I do usually prefer monthly over per video, though.)

Thomas 'Kranodor' Hahn

I probably couldn't do a whole year at once, but you could offer it alongside the monthly ones for those who can /want to 🤷

Jenni Banks

I guess it adds more flexibility, though this way it is more like a one time donation and you could use other ways for that.

Nathaniel Muscharaf

As a Student I’d find that better, as it’s the only reason I didn’t go for a higher tier

Eh, I don't care? I mean, it's not like the other options are going away, yeah?

regina burks

I like the per-video format because I like knowing I'm paying more when I'm getting more content. On the other hand, if some people want it I don't see why you shouldn't offer it as an alternative.

EAH

I like paying annually. Enable it as an option.

Gary Leigh

To be honest I would be interested in an annual payment but it depends how much it is. Working in retail during Christmas time I wouldn't mind signing up during a time when I have a better cash flow than hoping I have enough money every month. A one time payment seems nice for me personally since I prefer to pay things off and have less on my mind on a monthly basis financially. I don't mind giving all my money at once because I've never been disappointed by the Dom's content so I find it unlikely I would regret the payment.

I think the main benefit of an annual subscription is as a loyalty discount ( x% off if you buy 12 months). Which means this mainly works for creators or tiers that offer access to rewards each month. So maybe good as an option for those who pay for access to the discord? For those of us who are using Patreon more as a tip jar to pay a bit back for content we enjoy it is less useful.

Personally, I don’t think that I would ever feel comfortable doing a yearly subscription, as this means that I would have to spend another big sum next year, and I have no way of guaranteeing that I would have that money. A small sum every month is far less stressful to plan for.

Saaski

A monthly subscription is a way to remind the creator that someone cares and they are going in the right direction. not sure if one time per year donation is healthy. Would it make you feel more financially secure? If so, I can see a point

I don't seem the harm in offering it. People don't have to go through with it if they don't want to. And with fluctuations in earnings, could be a good idea.

I've seen this outside Patreon as a means of being able to pay article writers up front, which seems to be its primary benefit--basically counting on a larger immediate payment that will cover what is expected to come out later. Either seems fine, and if an up-front payment is better for someone, I'd like to be able to pay that when I can, but monthly payments allows for more flexibility if you need to cancel or cut back expenses halfway through the year.

Shannon

Perosnally no. I wouldn't be able to afford being a Patron if I paid a whole year at once.

I could see where it would work for creators who don't do the payments by video. Especially if like. . .you're like me and sometimes forget the nonbill payments so your Amazon Prime membership somehow comes as a shock every month. <__< But I would rather have control over if I maybe need to cancel for a couple of months or something because of finances. IDK it seems a little strange since a lot of the artist patrons I've seen just get paid monthly and then do patreon artwork as like commissions.

Thats a good question... I have no idea currently O_o

Dominic Noble

Since your tiers are amounts per video, how would that work for an annual payment? If we'd have to pay the year in advance, would you be estimating the numbers of videos, or would you need to change your tier structure? I'd probably be okay with whatever, just trying to think through the logistics for what that cost might be.

Elysia Fields

There's obv pros and cons either way but I wonder if this might give some smaller creators more of an opportunity to upgrade equipment or make other purchases bc they're also getting the money in chunks, so may have similar budget stability as the supporters? Idk, I'd be really interested to hear creators who've made that switch talk about it.

Eli Jenal

I personally would not subscribe to an annual membership because making monthly payments lets me budget effectively. Also I like having the flexibility of canceling in case I lose my job or am particularly tight on finances for a short period. But hey, can't hurt to add an additional membership option right?

I had not thought of that, very good point!

DK Jones

One of the other creators I patron has opted into this. Theirs offers 10% off if you do the annual payment which is I guess an incentive? I mean, I'm here to give you money because I like your work and saving money on that seems like it would hurt the creator I am trying to support but that option may be creator specific or perhaps (although unlikely) that savings is taken out of patreons cut.

DK Jones

Absolutely. For anyone working gigs/freelance or with less-than-stable finances right now, this would be great. Bigger chunks of one-time payments are way easier to factor into a budget than $2 here and there, for me. Hope you consider offering this!

Eli Jenal

I suppose it's up to you whether you want to have to spread out the lump payments over the year.

Colin Raiden-McRae

That would be amazing. Especially now