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[00:00.42] When we first started podcasting many, many years ago, other podcasters who didn't have worksheets to sell suggested that those who used their podcasts to buy me a coffee.

[00:12.37] Yeah, buy me a coffee.

[00:13.43] It was a way of generating a small income for their work, wasn't it?

[00:18.75] And also advertisements on sites are also one way of making money and there are a few websites that don't have Google Ads or something similar on them.

[00:28.31] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:29.11] But for this week's podcast, we're looking at an alternative way of making money, Patreon.

[00:36.28] OK, Jackie, so what is Patreon?

[00:38.67] Well, it's an American membership platform.

[00:41.59] It's a way of helping creators and artists earn a monthly income.

[00:47.17] It provides the tools to run a subscription payment service.

[00:51.42] All right, OK.

[00:52.21] But how does it actually work then?

[00:54.07] Well, content creators, those people who have a website or a blog, they set up a Patreon page, right?

[01:02.57] And this allows patrons to pay a fixed amount to the creator on a monthly basis.

[01:10.01] Right, OK. So who are these patrons then?

[01:11.87] Well, they're the people who want to support the creator and help to pay for their income.

[01:17.45] Right, OK. Instead of buying them a coffee, you become a patron.

[01:21.43] Yeah, and rather than buying the product, which they don't necessarily have, you're paying for their service.

[01:28.34] OK, for example, Richard, there's a Spanish chef behind Spain on a Fork.

[01:33.92] Ah yes, OK. Now on his website, all the recipes are free to read and all the instructional cooking videos that he produces are all free to watch.

[01:45.34] Right, so just like many, many blogs on cooking.

[01:47.73] Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[01:49.06] But the patrons want to support him to carry on producing his content, which is just fantastic.

[01:57.56] And how much do they pay for this then?

[01:59.42] Well, it depends.

[02:00.48] Every single creator chooses the amount.

[02:03.93] If we look at Spain on a Fork again, he has four levels and you can choose to pay as little as one euro a month, subscription remember.

[02:14.03] Right. Up to 22 euros a month.

[02:17.48] OK, and what do you get for that then, for the different amounts?

[02:20.40] Well, it depends.

[02:21.20] But for all of them, you get extra content, extra recipes, extra instructional videos that other people won't see.

[02:29.96] Right. And if you pay more, you presumably get to see more.

[02:33.42] And also he thanks you publicly, you know, that you've paid to support him.

[02:40.85] Also, Richard, patrons can cancel at any time.

[02:43.51] So you can do a one-off payment if you want.

[02:45.90] But most people like join for a year to support these people who are working at the end of the day.

[02:53.07] OK, it sounds like a good idea.

[02:54.67] But of course, how much do the creators pay Patreon for this?

[02:59.71] Well, it's not free, is it?

[03:01.84] I can imagine.

[03:02.37] They charge, Richard, anywhere between a commission, five to 12 percent.

[03:08.74] Wow, that's quite a lot actually, isn't it?

[03:10.34] Of their monthly income. Yeah.

[03:15.12] And also, sorry, and also there are payment processing fees as well. Of course.

[03:19.37] I think one of the problems is, Richard, with the Internet is that many people expect the content always to be free.

[03:27.34] And there is a lot of stuff on the Internet that is completely free.

[03:30.79] Yeah, so good quality stuff, which takes a lot of time to prepare.

[03:35.04] And these videos, for example, very well done, very well presented.

[03:40.35] It's his job at the end of the day.

[03:42.48] And you can choose whether you want to pay or not.

[03:45.93] I think that's a great idea.

[03:46.73] Yeah, it's a way of supporting those who work online.

[03:49.91] And if you're just paying a few euros a month, well, that's keeping someone in employment.

[03:55.76] Everybody's happy.