Megan Weeks on building a community for her audience:
…because my whole goal is to have at least one to two videos within each of the collection when you join, so you have something to go look at when you’re joining.
But, I want to do weekly tutorials, so I need to have content ready to go in there. Like, valuable li’l tutorials to post weekly.
And, the best part about Patreon, and the whole reason I decided to go with that over other community platforms is because it notifies you through email when a new lesson’s uploaded.
And, it’s so simple to use. I don’t have to put any money upfront either. It’s just basically gonna take a percentage from whatever you would pay to join the community, which is also really cool, so—
And, I— to be honest, the whole reason I went with Patreon doesn’t have anything to do with the money. It has everything to do with how simple the platform is. Like, I have tried so many community platforms, and they’re all just— there’s too much involved in it.
And, I want it to be a place where you guys are not overwhelmed, because we’re already so busy with everything in our lives. Like, I don’t want you to feel like you have to add another thing on. So, yeah.
Ouch. Would’ve much preferred to see Megan go with a membership solution that lives on her own WordPress platform, and not Patreon (for all of these reasons).
Still, I’m always happy to see creators making moves that show they understand the value of new product development, and building a uniquely branded rapport with their audience.
But, yeah. No one can really be blamed for just… slipping right on over to yet another big platform.
No money up front… the simplicity… I get it. I do. Patreon’s made it so easy.
So easy, in fact, that I think we’ll see a ton of creators jump from the frying pan of one platform they don’t control and into the fire of another.
Of course, I don’t speak for this creator (I can’t know all that went into her decision), but here’s what I see a lot:
Joining more platforms — Patreon, TikTok, Teachable, Shopify, X, etc. — often makes creators feel like they’re making a savvy diversification play.
Diversifying to multiple platforms is only smart when you own the platforms you’re diversifying to.
- Think you need Patreon or Uscreen? You don’t. Launch a membership on your own site, instead — there are some surprisingly simple options out there.
- Think you need Teachable? or Udemy? You completely don’t. Put your course on your site, no revenue split necessary.
- Think you need Shopify? You totally do not.
Build (or have someone build for you) independent platforms and offers, one by one. Build, nurture, and staff as you go. That’s diversification.
— Tang
Megan Weeks’ owned platform is: Megan Weeks Design Co.
