Substack vs Patreon: Which Platform Is Best For Publishing Your Content?

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Are you a creator looking to monetize your content? You might be wondering whether to use Substack or Patreon. Choosing between Substack and Patreon can be difficult. This blog will highlight the Substack vs. Patreon landscape and compare the two for creators.

By the end, you'll have a clearer notion of which platform best suits your needs for Notion Newsletter. Are you looking to make informed decisions that align with your objectives? Our insights explore the complexities of Substack and Patreon for creators. With Feather's solution to send emails from Notion, your integration will be seamless, and your goals will be closer to reality.

Substack vs Patreon At A Glance

Substack and Patreon are two distinct platforms that cater to content creators looking to monetize their work. Substack is primarily known for facilitating the creation and distribution of newsletters, while Patreon offers a broader range of options for creators to connect with their audience.

Build Your Audience

Substack allows creators to send newsletters regularly, free or behind a paywall. This platform has become a go-to tool for writers, photographers, and artists looking to:

Grow their networks

Secure revenue streams

On the contrary, Patreon allows creators to share various types of content with their supporters, ranging from podcasts to exclusive videos.

Niche Beginnings

Substack and Patreon targeted different niches within the creator space when they first launched. Substack initially positioned itself as a platform geared toward newsletters and blogs, while Patreon focused on providing YouTubers with alternative ways to engage their fan base.

The ongoing evolution of these platforms has brought them closer together in terms of competition and functionality. This convergence could benefit creators by offering them more features and tools to explore.

Substack's Shift

Recently, Substack announced significant advancements in its support for videos despite being well-known for its newsletter capabilities. This development signals Substack's intention to expand its functionality and compete more directly with platforms like Patreon.

Creator's Advantage

As Substack and Patreon continue to enhance their offerings, content creators face more robust tools to monetize their content and engage with their audience.

What Is Substack?

Substack is mainly a newsletter tool, but it is trying to become a place to publish all kinds of content, such as:

Blog

Podcast

Chat with subscribers

Twitter clone called Notes.

Since the platform was created in 2017, it has significantly impacted media by popularizing paid newsletters.

Substack is one of the main reasons newsletters are becoming so popular again, as it makes monetizing content easy.

Writer's Haven

Substack's platform's primary focus is to empower writers and provide them with the tools they need to succeed. The platform offers various features catering to independent content creators' needs, from monetization opportunities to audience ownership. Substack allows writers to take charge of their creative journey and build a sustainable career.

Monetization Model

Marketed as a place for independent writing, Substack allows writers to:

Start a paid newsletter/blog business

Build community

Make money from subscriptions

Tech-Free Zone

They claim that zero tech knowledge is required and aim to take care of everything except the hard part (the writing itself). They promise true independence where the writer keeps the copyright to all their content.

Easy Setup

How it works is pretty simple, so it now boasts more than 35 million active subscriptions— 3 million of which are paid. Writers can import existing content they wrote on other platforms, such as:

Mailchimp

WordPress

Tinyletter

Medium

Tumblr

Some custom-built sites

Growing Audience

They can set up a new site from scratch in a few minutes. Once live, the creator chooses which posts are free and which are gated behind the Substack paywall.

Start Now with Feather

Run your blog and newsletter with Feather today — create a new account and send emails from Notion, or go from notion to blog in minutes!

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What Is Patreon?

Patreon is a content platform that launched in 2013. It allows followers and subscribers to support their creators and artists. As an artist, you have total control over setting up your page. Fast-forward to today, and they now host over 6 million patrons. More than 210,000 creators have at least one patron. More impressively, Patreon has secured $412.1 million in funding.

How Patreon Works

Content creators on Patreon encourage their audience to pay a small monthly fee to support their expenses and, in turn, get access to extra content like:

Behind-the-scene insights

Tutorials

Q&As

Shoutouts in videos

Digital downloads

Tiered Support

Patreon allows its creators to set multiple “tiers” so those paying more each month can access more benefits. The platform is a little more versatile than Substack, which markets itself primarily to writers and journalists.

In contrast, Patreon is home to:

Podcasters

Video creators

Musicians

Writers

Gaming creators

Non-profits

Substack vs Patreon: Detailed Feature Comparison

Substack Features

1. Import Your Mailing List

Substack makes it quick and easy to migrate to its platform. You can import mailing lists and writing archives from:

WordPress

Revue

Medium

Tumblr

MailChimp

TinyLetter

Ghost

Any websites with an RSS feed

2. Create Paid-for Content Subscriptions or Publish for Free

You can post content for free or only release work to paid subscribers. Setting up subscriptions is easy. First, you determine how much readers pay monthly to access your content. You can also create more than one newsletter, which makes running multiple publications from one account a breeze.

Subscription Options

You can also offer free subscription trials so readers can check out your content before parting with their hard-earned cash. You also have lots of pricing options at your disposal. For example, you can offer subscribers discounts on annual subscriptions and add multiple pricing tiers that unlock more content. However, subscriptions must be set at a minimum of $5 per month or $30 per year.

3. Substack’s Editor

Substack’s rich-text editor allows you to add a heading, subheadings, and content. You can also embed

Images

Audio

Video, and add and edit links

Post Management

Once you’ve completed a post, you can decide who to post to (everyone or only paid subscribers), whether to allow comments, and how to order said comments, be it the newest comment first, the top comment, or chronological order.

4. Building a Community

As we’ve just said, readers can comment on your Substack content like a regular blog post if you permit them. This includes the ability for users to reply to one another and create little discussion threads.

This is a great way to build a community of engaged readers. You’ll also have access to basic email marketing features. You can design a welcome email that is automatically sent to new subscribers. You’ll also receive an email whenever someone:

Subscribes to your publication

Likes your publication

Comments on one of your pieces

5. Metrics

You can review your performance on Substack using a range of metrics. When you start, you’ll see three pages on your dashboard:

Posts

Subscribers

Stats

Post Analytics

The Posts page tells you how many views your posts have and what people did with them, including:

Opening

Clicking a link

Signing up for a paid subscription

Sharing your post

Subscriber Insights

The Subscribers page tells you who has signed up to your email list, how many paying subscribers you have, and how much money you’re making.

Overall Metrics

The Stats page displays metrics on the number of visitors to your site (traffic), the number of emails you’ve sent out and their open rates, the number of unsubscribes, etc.

6. Integrations

Substack integrates with Facebook and Twitter but needs an API, making connecting to other marketing tools impossible. Its focus is more on data and tracking; you can add:

Facebook and Twitter pixel IDs

Google Analytics Pixel IDs

These pixels allow you to monitor readership and engagement levels and integrate with advertising platforms.

Patreon’s Features and Services

1. Your Creator Page

As we just hinted at, each creator gets their creator page. You can customize this page with a custom color and decide whether to display your monthly earnings and how many patrons already support you. You can also:

Change the cover image

Add a photo to your About section

Customize your creator page URL

2. Post Content

On your creator page, you can post content via your content feed. This is the top way to reward and engage with your patrons. You can:

Post videos directly or via Vimeo

Add image galleries

Host live streams

Post Options

You can also post audio files and download links, like PDFs. With each post, you can decide which membership tier to publish to or all patrons. There’s also the option to create public posts, which even non-patrons can see when browsing for new creators.

Post Scheduling

This is great for giving newcomers an idea of what to expect if they become your patron. You can also schedule posts for later.

Custom Pledges

Your audience can pledge a custom amount to you (even if this doesn’t hit your minimum tier pricing…more in a second). However, the minimum for a custom pledge is $1 per month.

3. Membership Tiers

Establishing membership tiers enables you to give more to those willing to give more to you. Patreon allows you to create unlimited membership tiers that reward higher-paying subscribers with more exclusive content.

You can also make special offers for a limited time and sell access to unique, exclusive content for an additional price.

4. Community Engagement

Of course, you can engage your audience by posting content on your creator page. You can also email patrons and communicate via direct messaging. Patrons can also comment on posts. However, viewers can’t comment on each other’s comments like they can on Substack.

Patron Messaging

When you sign up for Patreon, you have access to the Relationship Manager feature. From here, when sending messages, you can select either one patron’s name or multiple patrons. Unfortunately, sending images at the time of writing is impossible.

5. Analytics

Patreon helps you track your performance and your member’s engagement with valuable statistics. Patreon calls this the Posts Dashboard and describes it as the closest thing we have to Analytics within Patreon.

Audience Insights

Here, you’ll see how often your posts have been liked, viewed, and commented on and where your patrons are coming from sites such as:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Patreon

You can also set up Google Analytics to work with your page for more in-depth insights.

6. Integrations

Patreon integrates with a range of apps that benefit you and your patrons. There are 53 apps available, including a Zapier integration that allows you to forge your app connections with thousands of tools.

Some of the most noteworthy integrations include:

Webtoon

WordPress

Vimeo

Mailchimp

Itch.io

Fiverr

Discord

ConvertKit

99designs

7. Starter Kits

Patreon offers a range of Starter Kits that help you set up your membership tiers and present you with ideas on how you might reward patrons. This goes a long way to help creators map out what they need to offer to succeed on Patreon and saves time setting up their tiers.

Starter Kits

Once you opt for a free starter kit, you can edit it to suit your audience's needs. There are starter kits for:

Podcasters

Musicians

Writers

Video creators

Visual artists

Template Options

In addition, there are several customizable templates within each category, depending on the type of creator you are. If you’re a writer, there are templates for:

Bloggers

Novelists

Journalists.

8. Merch For Membership

This feature is unlocked with the Premium plan. It allows you to offer patrons physical rewards. Here, you can create your merch via the Patreon site, which takes care of the rest, such as:

Delivery

Product tracking

Customer support

Merch Creation

You can:

Choose your merchandise (e.g., t-shirts, mugs, stickers, tote bags, etc. )

Upload your design

Set a delivery schedule

Patreon will then recommend which patrons should receive which merchandise.

Merch Rewards

The aim is for your higher-paying patrons to be rewarded at price points that cover all your production and delivery costs. Patreon recommends that you reward patrons who give you $25+ each month. Once you’ve launched your merch, you can promote it to your patrons. For more info on this, the Patreon support center has a helpful blog on this feature.

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Substack vs Patreon: Pricing Comparison

Substack promises that writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees. In other words, they take a flat 10% fee on your earnings. Credit card fees are 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction.

Substack Pricing

For those starting on a budget, Substack is an excellent option. You only start paying once you monetize your newsletter, and you can be confident that fees won't increase once you start earning more. If you don’t set up paid subscriptions, you can still use Substack for free to see how many readers might be interested in your content. If you wish to add your domain to your Substack publication, you will pay a one-time $50 fee per publication.

Patreon Fees

Patreon’s fees are a bit more complex. They offer three pricing plans that increase expenses as you unlock more services and features. In addition to the cost, a percentage of your revenue, you also pay for payment processing per transaction: 2. 9% plus 30 cents, the same as Substack.

Lite Plan

The Lite Plan costs 5% of your monthly Patreon income. It allows you to host a creator page, use their communication tools, and access workshops. The Pro Plan costs 8% of your monthly revenue. This unlocks different membership tiers, access analytics, the special offers promotion tool, and creator-led workshops.

Pro & Premium Plans

You can also integrate with as many apps as you like and benefit from priority support. On the Premium Plan, you're assigned a dedicated partner manager for 12% of your monthly revenue. In addition, you can set up Merch for Membership and create team accounts to collaborate with fellow creators.

Substack vs Patreon: Which Platform Should You Choose?

When deciding on the best platform for your newsletter, consider the type of content you will be sharing and the audience you are targeting. Platforms like Patreon and Substack offer different features, catering to varying needs.

Patreon is ideal for creators with an established following, especially those who create:

Video content

Games

Music

Physical goods

Platform Comparison

The platform handles membership tiers and billing while allowing creators to deliver content in a single location. On the other hand, Substack is an all-in-one platform suitable for:

Blogging

Newsletters

Podcasts

Video content

It allows creators to bill subscribers directly and host their content on the platform.

Feature Gap

If your focus is on text-based content like blogging or newsletters, Substack may not be the best option. The platform lacks basic features such as:

API integrations

Automation capabilities

Discoverability Issue

While it may be suitable for hosting your content, it needs more regarding discoverability and customization options.

Feather's Edge

Feather is a standout platform for writers looking to create SEO-friendly blogs and newsletters with a user-friendly interface. It enables users to utilize Notion as their CMS, automatically publishing content to Feather without requiring coding or design skills.

Essential Features

Feather offers a comprehensive experience for writers focused on blogging and newsletters with features like:

Custom CSS

CRM management

Email collection

Seamless Workflow

Feather allows seamless collaboration among team members during the publishing process and enables users to send newsletters directly from Notion.

Enhanced Efficiency

This functionality enhances efficiency and streamlines the content creation, making it a more robust option than Substack for writers aiming for a more cohesive experience.

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Send Emails from Notion and Go From Notion to Blog With Ease Today with Feather

Feather is an innovative tool that offers a seamless solution for publishing blog content and newsletters through Notion without the need for coding or design skills. This service caters to companies looking to streamline their content creation and distribution processes, making it easier than ever to maintain a strong online presence.

Subfolder Blog Setup for SEO-Friendly Content

Feather provides an essential feature for companies focused on SEO: the ability to set up a subfolder blog instead of a subdomain. This distinction is crucial for improving search engine rankings, making it easier for users to find your content online. Opting for a subfolder setup (e.g., domain.com/blog) can significantly enhance your website's SEO performance and drive more traffic to your blog.

HubSpot Experience Through Notion

Feather offers businesses the convenience of managing their CRM and website blogs directly through Notion. This integration allows for a more streamlined workflow, enabling efficient content publication and easy access to customer data. By using Feather, you can experience the benefits of HubSpot without ever leaving Notion, simplifying your marketing efforts and enhancing your overall productivity.

Customization Options and Collaboration Tools

Feather goes beyond basic publishing features by offering customization options such as custom CSS for design changes and the ability to collect emails from readers. Additionally, the service facilitates collaboration among team members during the content creation and publishing process. Feather ensures that your content is top-notch and optimized for maximum engagement by enabling seamless teamwork.

With Feather, you can set up and send newsletters directly to your email subscribers from Notion. This feature eliminates switching between different platforms, ensuring a more efficient workflow and saving time and effort. By automating the newsletter-sending process, Feather allows you to focus on creating compelling content that resonates with your audience.

Get Started with Feather Today!

Feather is a game-changer for companies looking to simplify their content creation and distribution processes. By leveraging the power of Notion, this innovative tool offers a seamless solution for managing blogs and newsletters, making it easier than ever to engage with your audience and drive traffic to your website.

Ready to take your content strategy to the next level? Sign up for Feather today and see the difference for yourself!