Top 5 Patron Rewards

When it comes to your patrons, there are a wide variety of backer rewards that you can offer. There are specific rewards that patrons will seek out, or join your specific patron program to gain access to.  We’ve listed off 5 of the most popular patron rewards that fans look for, and what you can do to implement them in your own patron program.

1. Patron-Only Livestream

Your patron program is a great way to offer extra or behind-the-scenes content to your listeners. A patron-only livestream is the perfect place to provide that content.  Livestreams allow your listeners and patrons to interact with you in a new way by further lowering the barrier between you as the podcaster and them as the listeners.  Check out how to create a patron only livestream with Podbean by clicking this link: https://help.podbean.com/support/solutions/articles/25000022905-how-to-launch-a-patrons-only-livestream-with-podbean-livestream

With a patron-only livestream, you ensure that only those who support you and your patron program have access to these streams!  By simply setting your livestream as ‘unlisted’ in Podbean Live, no one can access the stream unless they have a link directly from you.  The livestream is not listed in the app, nor will anyone be able to enter it unless they do so through the link you send them.

The exclusivity of such an encounter – being that they are interacting directly with you via the live-chat and the call-in feature – means that more people would subscribe and donate to your patron program in order to gain access to you and your streamed content.  

2. Merchandise

Whether it be a sticker on a water bottle, a shirt to wear to your favorite comic-con, a keychain to hang off your backpack, or a pin to stick to your lanyard, people love to rep their favorite sources of entertainment.  (Or even their favorite company – Podbean loves making stickers and folks love having them, so those are a win-win in our books!)

If your listeners are subscribing to your patron account, that means that they’re willing to put money towards you and your content – meaning that they would love to rep your work outside of the internet.  Take your patron program as a way to test out merch designs, as well as get feedback and run votes for what sort of merch they’d like to see. You can also create patron-exclusive merch. 

This is also an opportunity to give out things like discount codes for your online shop, so that those who may not have received a free item from you on their tier can still have access to the wonders of your podcast merch.

3. Homemade Swag

Patrons, by and large, subscribe to you because they like you and your content, and want to help you make more.  This means that they’d appreciate any gift from you, no matter how big or small. If you find yourself as more crafty and homebrew with your patron rewards, your backers will surely love to open mail from you containing homemade gifts.

Some things we’ve seen program-runners make and send out:

• Clay pieces (small figures to coffee cups)
• Hand-carved stamps
• Bookmarks
• Patches
• Keychains/buttons/pins

4. Services/One-On-One Time

Your patrons join your patron program because they care for you and your content. Your patrons want to hear more from you!  They may also see you and your success as a sign that you are capable of teaching them to replicate your journey to success.  

Offering services or one-on-one time with your patrons will reach to your patrons who want to learn and know more about what you do. Providing these extra services will foster deeper relationships with your patrons.  

Examples of some services to offer:

• Voice-over tidbits (IE giving a character/word amount for your patrons to send you that you then record yourself reading for them)
• Lessons/feedback on a patron’s work
• One-on-one question sessions
• Consultations

5. Exclusive “Behind the Scenes” Content

Exclusive content is one of the main reasons your patrons will join your patron program.  By including this content in your patron program, you give the followers more of what they already love: your content.  These rewards work for any tier, and can be used alongside any other gift as a way to underline the nature of your patron program.

Things to consider:

• Early access to your content before it’s published
• Blooper reels
• Extended cuts/deleted scenes from your episodes
• Commentary on past episodes/fan-favorite episodes

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When it comes to you and your patrons, we know you want to give them the best experience possible with the best tools at hand.  Thanks to thing’s like Podbean Live’s unlisted mode and merchandise sites, it’s easier than ever to give back to the patrons who give so much to you.  Let us know what methods you implement over on Twitter!

Have you signed up for our Patron program yet? Learn more about it here!

Curious about our new unlisted mode for Podbean Live? Check out how to get it started here!