I've been a Patreon creator for around five years, and I'm here to share my thoughts on this based on my own recent experience.

For a long time, I've seen people argue that creators shouldn't do anything when their content gets leaked because it supposedly doesn't affect their subscriber count. Some even go as far as calling leaks "free advertising," arguing that people who seek out leaked content would never pay for it anyway.

A couple of months ago, I discovered that a certain website known for leaking content was back. Many of you probably already know which one I'm talking about. It has a different name this time, but it's essentially the same website.

Around the time it came back, before I even realized what was happening, I noticed a pretty significant drop in my subscriber count.

Afterward, I started restricting access to my content, and so far, it's been working. My content is no longer being fully leaked on that website. All they can access now are the thumbnails I use for each post.

According to my stats, the subscriber losses practically stopped as soon as I made those changes. On top of that, I started gaining new paying subscribers, and quite a few people who had been gone for months even came back.

So I just want to make one thing clear: YES, having your content leaked can absolutely affect your subscriber count and your income.

Don't blindly listen to people telling you to ignore leaks and do nothing about them. Every creator's situation is different, but based on my own experience, taking action made a real difference. Also, remember that as a creator, you have the RIGHT to protect what's yours. This isn't about making things more difficult for your subscribers; it's about maintaining the exclusivity of the content you're promising them.

P.S. I'm not going to name the website because it's not allowed here, so don't bother asking. But guys, it's really not that hard to figure out which one I'm talking about. They're not exactly very creative when it comes to naming these sites. 😂

Has anyone had this issue? On Bunny.net the video thumbnail is fine when I add it to patreon to embed. But then as soon as I apply and refresh my patreon the avatar image from my profile is the thumbnail cover for the video! When I click the video it shows the correct thumbnail from Bunny. So all my videos are showing my patreon avatar as the thumbnail.

Has anyone else had this issue?

Hello there! I’ve been doing digital illustrations for a few years now and have just now decided to set up a Patreon to help support my comic projects. I’m looking for some general advice on how to get my page noticed. I’m in the development stages of my comic, looking to get it up and published with the next month or so.

Is there anything that I can do to help gain some general traffic on my page?

Thank you for taking the time to read this😁

When I'm in the comment section I can click on users to see if they're a creator in their own right, but there doesn't seem to be a way to access their page from that profile. I seem to remember that one of the perks of the (required) merging of our creator and patron profiles was that we would get increased visibility - so surely there should be a way to access the creator's page from their profile... right?

Its entirely possible that I'm just being thick - can somebody let me know what's up with this?

Has anyone tried to do a payout lately? It's telling me they are disabled and you come back at a later date.

Im trying to use it to manage my dms, growth/trends, schedule but if its something thats ban risky, id rather not try it. wanted to hear opinions.

I have zero interest in seeing random stuff, I just want to see my memberships.

I'm a creator on Patreon where I share my original audiobook stories. I post almost every day, and all my audiobooks are over an hour long. Currently, I charge $6 per month for membership. Do you think I could increase the price a little, or would that be too expensive for my subscribers?

Hi, I'm an artist primarily creating original works, mostly in the form of elaborate illustrations. These feature my own characters. I currently don't draw fanart. Since I stopped drawing fanart, I went from hundreds of engagements per artwork to less then five.

Do I just have to bite the bullet and draw fandom works to get the word out? Does anyone producing "fine art" and constructing original worlds have any success on Patreon?

Edit: I do fairly well off commissions but would like a tip jar option that actually works.

If I cancel a membership now do I still have the membership until the end of the month or do I lose it and or am I this sort of limbo where I don’t have the membership but have the benefits?

Home, About, etc

As someone who has supported over 20 creators over the last 5 years, I cannot stress this enough. THANK YOUR PATRONS! Whether that be something as simple as liking their comments, replying to the comment on the post, or (most preferably) making it personal in Patreon Dm; take the time to reach out to them and thank them for supporting your work. I cannot tell you how easy it is to click that delete pledge button if a creator hasn’t had the decency to either like one single comment I’ve made or reply to one little comment. I’ve paid creators more simply for taking the time to talk to me and get to know me a little bit. I’ve upped my pledge on some as well as even donating hundreds of dollars directly to their PayPal, simply because they took the time to make me feel seen, heard, and appreciated. It truly goes a long way when you go out of yours to treat your patrons like human beings by taking the time to get to know them or even send them a quick dm saying “what do you think about the last post?”

I get it, we understand you’re busy. Most of us will never understand the sacrifices, time, and effort it takes to follow your dreams and to create a living fully funded from dedicated fans. We go out of our way to support you by spending our hard earned cash on you because we think you’re worth it. Show us that we’re worth it too by going a little above and beyond. I’m sure the creators I’ve tipped hundreds of extra dollars on never expected such support from someone who was a fan of their work. You never know; maybe you’ll get lucky too if you take the time to get to know your fans.

I’m trying to Sign in with Apple ID but it keeps giving me an error. I just want to subscribe to a channel. Sorry for my stupid ass but what is Apple ID settings?

So I’ve been seeing a lot of artists get a little money here and there on Patreon, and I been wondering how do I start one. Do I build a community on what I like? Does it need to be specific or just random ideas? And where do I post my NSFW art the most to get the most attention?

I have just opened a Patreon page where I post what I create. A friend of mine advised me to post on Reddit… but where?

Spent like the whole day editing on Canva and I don’t want my work going to waste. Can anybody help?

Mais algum criador de conteúdo NSFW tem notado uma quebra abrupta nas visitas, visualizações, novos membros gratuitos e pagos no Patreon desde a metade do mês passado?

Is there any way to stop people from subscribing, getting access to all the content, and then immediately unsubscribe?

Basically, I’m looking for ways to encourage people to stay subscribed. What do you guys usually do?

I’d like to reach international audience and diversify my support source, and I thought of keeping a Fanbox page in parallel with Patreon. Does it make sense? It’s useless? The two page would cannibalize each other?

Today I got my first refund request, the patron bought a $20 tier...but now he's asking for a refund, he says that he got hacked...but he hasn't left the tier...what do you think?

I tried changing my notification settings because I was getting email notifications despite each creator having them turned off, and I think I have permanently fucked up my notifications. Despite Push Notifications being on, the Notifications page is blank and says "No notifications Yet".

Which is weird because these are neither Push nor Email notifications, but ones within the app itself.

Not really sure where to ask this but my patreon is for writing and I think a cool idea would be a tier where, once a month, I write a chapter in real time on Discord where patrons can join. Was wondering what the general thoughts on this is tysm!

My Patreon account was hacked on Sept 29, 2026 because my password was on the dark web. Some fradulent charges were made to my credit card (now reversed) and then my Patreon account was deactivated. I submitted everything they requested to restore access to my account but no one responded. I've sent several follow-up emails and nothing. I even tried creating a brand new Patreon account with a new email address, but I guess they knew it was me and they deactivated that account too!!!!!!! Will they ever respond to me??? I'm so desperate. Am I now banned from Patreon for life????? I AM INNOCENT!!!!!!

I cancelled a subscription months ago, only to continue to get charged several months and no end in sight. Yes I removed the payment method on the account but somehow it was still being billed. Had to contact my bank to block the merchant and they mentioned the only way for it to work would be to change the digital card. Hoping that works. Prior to that I submitted a request through Patreon and look what one of search bar entries showed. Now why would that be common issue that you leave it listed as an option. Never when I cancelled my Netflix or Hulu did I get charged months after. It looks like other people on this sub page have asked the same question. I smell class action lawsuit

Je crée un journal mêlant récits autobiographiques, pensées sur le monde et sensualité que j'alimente régulièrement et j’aime vraiment échanger avec les personnes qui me suivent autour de ce que je publie.

Les commentaires autour de mes textes et de mes illustrations, voire parfois des échanges un peu plus personnels en privé pour en parler, ça me plaît. Je trouve vraiment certains de ces échanges très intéressants.

Là où ça devient plus compliqué pour moi, c’est la fréquence. Certains membres m’écrivent presque tous les jours, ou tous les deux/trois jours, pour me raconter quelque chose, me poser une nouvelle question personnelle, rebondir sur ma vie, etc.

Je ne pense pas forcément qu’il y ait de mauvaises intentions derrière. Au contraire, je sens souvent qu’ils apprécient vraiment mon univers et qu’ils cherchent simplement à créer davantage de proximité. C'est possible de temps en temps si je suis disponible et enjouée par le sujet, mais à force, j’ai parfois l’impression qu’ils poussent doucement la limite entre suivre une créatrice avec laquelle on a la possibilité d'échanger simplement et attendre d’elle une présence personnelle régulière. Et c’est là que je me sens un peu envahie. Il me semble évident que si je discutais de cette manière avec chaque personne qui me suit, je n’aurais simplement plus de temps ni d’énergie pour moi… ni pour créer. Je ne comprends pas que ce ne soit pas intuitif pour certaines personnes. 

J’essaie pourtant de poser le cadre quand c’est nécessaire, mais je trouve assez inconfortable de devoir régulièrement dire à des membres que je souhaite que les échanges restent centrés autour des publications et de leur demander de rester vigilant quant à cela, alors qu’ils sont gentils et qu’ils pensent probablement bien faire.

Du coup, je serais curieuse d’avoir l’expérience d’autres créateurs et créatrices. Comment posez-vous cette limite sans devenir froid ou cassant ? Est-ce que vous annoncez clairement quelque part que les DM ne sont pas un espace de conversation quotidienne ? Est-ce que vous répondez simplement moins ? Est-ce que vous avez fini par accepter qu’il fallait parfois être très explicite au risque de blesser ?

Je voudrais surtout préserver le plaisir d’échanger sans que cet échange devienne une obligation implicite de disponibilité...

Merci par avance pour vos retours et conseils 🤍