My Patreons and Hangouts: A Journey of Discovery and Growth

As I sit down to record this video, I am filled with excitement and gratitude for the incredible journey that my Patreon campaign has taken me on. For those who may be new to my channel, I want to start by explaining what a Patreon campaign is. In simple terms, it's a way for creators like myself to share exclusive content with their fans in exchange for a monthly subscription fee.

The concept of Patreon was first introduced to me about five years ago, and at the time, I was hesitant to even consider it as an option. Many people told me that Patreon wouldn't work for my channel, that no one would pay for my content, and that it was just a pipe dream. But, as it often does, reality proved them wrong.

I launched my Patreon campaign, and at first, the response was slow. It took some time for people to get on board and understand what I was offering. However, once they did, the response was overwhelming. More and more people started to join, and soon I found myself with a loyal community of patrons who were eager to support me.

Over time, I've learned that Patreon is so much more than just a way to make money; it's also about building relationships with my audience. It's about creating exclusive content that only patrons can access, such as monthly vlogs that showcase behind-the-scenes footage, sneak peeks, and other goodies that are not available on YouTube.

One of the most significant benefits of Patreon is the flexibility it has given me. As a creator, I've always been passionate about making high-quality content, but I've also had to balance my schedule with other commitments, such as Twitch streaming and editing vlogs. With Patreon, I can now prioritize my time and focus on creating the best content possible without worrying about how I'm going to make ends meet.

Of course, there are some challenges that come with running a Patreon campaign. There are times when it feels like the community is small or disorganized, and it's hard to keep everyone engaged and motivated. However, even in these moments, I find solace in knowing that I have such an amazing group of people behind me.

As for my hangouts, they've become an integral part of my Patreon campaign. These live sessions allow patrons to interact with me directly, ask questions, and get feedback on their favorite vlogs. It's a fantastic way to build relationships with my audience and create a sense of community that is hard to find elsewhere.

Unfortunately, not everyone can participate in the hangouts due to limitations. We've had to cap the number of people who can join at ten, which has been a bit tricky to manage. However, we also have an alternative solution – our YouTube channel. Patrons can now watch the hangouts live via the unlisted link on YouTube, and they can even participate in the chat room.

I'd like to thank everyone who has supported me on Patreon thus far. Your kindness, generosity, and enthusiasm have meant the world to me, and I'm grateful for each and every one of you. If you're not a patron yet, don't worry – there's still plenty of content waiting for you on YouTube.

Patreon Can Change Your Life

In all honesty, Patreon has changed my life in ways that I never could have imagined. It's allowed me to be more flexible with my time and spending, which has been incredibly liberating. As a result, my schedule has flipped around quite a bit lately, but I'm determined to make the most of it.

I've learned to prioritize my time and focus on creating high-quality content that resonates with my audience. And, as a bonus, I get to spend more time with my family, pursue my passions, and simply enjoy life in general.

Of course, there are some challenges along the way, but those have only strengthened my resolve to keep pushing forward. One of the most significant takeaways from Patreon is that it's allowed me to prove doubters wrong. Many people told me that I wouldn't succeed with Patreon, that no one would pay for my content. But, as we all know now, reality proved them wrong.

The Biggest Advice I Can Give

If you're thinking about starting a Patreon campaign or launching your own project, here's the biggest advice I can give: ignore the haters! Don't let people bring you down or make you doubt yourself. Instead, focus on creating quality content that resonates with your audience and building relationships with them.

It won't be easy, but it'll be worth it in the end. And remember, if I can do it, you can too. I'm no one special; I'm just a dude who enjoys being with his family, playing video games, and making content. But, through Patreon, I've been able to turn my passion into a career.

So, don't be afraid to take the leap and start creating. You never know what might happen until you try. And, most importantly, always remember that your fans are waiting for you – with open arms and ready to support you every step of the way.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: entoday's video has been five years in the making let's talk about it hello guys how are you my name is david franco from david's patreon campaign.com and well guys that's what today's video is all about patreon today june 27th 2019 is my five year anniversary since i've launched my patreon campaign yes it's been five years already isn't that crazy and guys i gotta say honestly patreon is a life changer it's not only a game changer it's quite literally a life changer it has changed the way i look and live at life that doesn't make sense live at life you guys you guys get the point right it's changed my life for the better so for today's video i'm going to reflect on the past five years and tell you everything i've learned because perhaps i can motivate you to finally take action on that idea you've been thinking about for a while now because guys let's not forget we only live once so hey if you got something run with it i'm serious run with it despite what anybody tries to tell you and i'll talk about that in just a moment so the first point i want to cover in today's video is and yes i have notes here because i don't want to mess up anything in regards to going over things i actually want to say if you put your mind to it you truly can accomplish anything whether you're just looking to start a blog or take up an instrument or jog every day guys it's really as simple as that you just got to put your mind to it you have to put your mind to it nobody can do what you want to do but yourself hey guys honestly i couldn't have done patreon if i did not have an amazing community by my side i mean you guys are just truly supportive for the past five years you've pledged five dollars ten dollars twenty five dollars fifty dollars some people have pledged a hundred dollars the support is just insanity and i could not be more grateful for everything you have done for me so from me to you thank you so much i truly do appreciate it and you know what despite what the naysayers tried to tell me look all these negative comments popping up right now i still moved forward with my decision and guys am i glad i did i cannot express this enough i will never ever let anyone tell me that i can't do something and the same goes for you so please never listen to the negative people in this world there will always be someone around you at some point trying to drag you down trying to stop you from doing what you believe in but as long as you can do it yourself it doesn't matter what others think honestly i mean it really doesn't it's all in your hands so make the most of it i'm a big big believer in that because if it wasn't for my positive community i mean i wouldn't have launched a patreon campaign i mean if i had all this negativity pull me down i wouldn't have done that i wouldn't have done an indiegogo campaign a while ago i wouldn't have started on twitch despite what people still try to tell me your twitch will never grow yes it will i'm here to tell you that today yes it will why because i put the time in i put the work in and i have an amazing community by my side those are the three things you need to keep in mind whenever you want to start something in this world so just do it that's a nike slogan for a reason just do it get out there and run with it the second thing i want to talk about is exclusive content is everything if it wasn't for exclusive content i don't think my patreon campaign would do nearly as well as it's been doing for the past five years and it's actually a big deal because at first my patreon consisted of mostly listing people's names on a page and a link to their page you know facebook twitter whatever and giving them early access to my tech reviews tech unboxings and all that stuff and of course that wasn't enough one day it clicked with me i'm like well what if i start making exclusive vlogs accessible only by patrons and what do you know that was a few years ago and i'm still doing it every single week the only thing that's changed is the vlogs have consistently become longer but i don't think that's necessarily a bad thing right i mean the vlogs started out what like 30 40 minutes long and now the average patient's only vlog is about an hour and 30 minutes long yes every friday my patrons get an exclusive vlog and i'm proud to say i have uploaded over 200 exclusive vlogs over 200 that's hundreds of hours of exclusive content that honestly on a weekly basis are only seen by what three to five hundred people so i'm putting a lot of time in for a very small audience so i think that says a lot about my work ethic i like putting the time in and the work in because it's worth it i'm doing this for you guys and you support me back so it's a win-win situation so yes the exclusive vlogs have definitely been working but what else has been working well just recently i introduced early access to the weekend vlogs patrons get the weekend vlogs on mondays whereas non-patrons get the weekend vlogs on fridays i think that's fair patrons are paying for a service so i want to make it worth it and also they get early access to the holiday videos especially around the holidays i mean thanksgiving and christmas my patreon campaign literally goes like this it goes way up currently my patreon campaign is kind of like this which is fine that's perfectly normal for this time of year but i'm telling you when the holidays do eventually make their way around my patreon campaign just sees a really really nice spike and i cannot express you i cannot express to you enough come on david how grateful i am for that also i just introduced this last year patrons now get one full day of recording at seaside heights so last year seaside heights 2018 i put aside my primary vlogging camera busted out the gopro gopro session as well so i two gopros a day i believe and i recorded a vlog exclusively all day exclusively for patrons and no one else and guys honestly i think it worked people loved it and for me it allows me to be more creative because i get to look at seaside ice from a different perspective not just my typical vlogs that i do every year but instead i'm like hey here's a secret side to see side heights and i hope you guys enjoy it and i think it's working out quite well and yes i will be doing that again this year so stay tuned patrons also monthly video chats via google hangouts every single month as long as i'm available i've only missed a few due to like vacations in the summer and whatever every single month we just had one last what two weeks ago uh we get together on google hangouts we turn on our webcams our microphones and we just chat we get some drinks get some snacks have lots of laughs and we talk for what like five to seven hours once a month yes five to seven hours i mean i could easily just do like an hour or two but yes we go all night long literally into the early hours of the morning like five six o'clock in the morning and i hope you guys have been enjoying the hangouts now unfortunately those hangouts are only limited to 10 uh people who can actually participate but you can watch the hangouts live uh via the unlisted link on youtube which i do share via patreon but you can also watch the hangouts monthly now on twitch so yes if you're not a patron this doesn't mean you have to miss out on viewing the hangout you can at least watch it on twitch but if you do want to participate you have to become a patron and finally i do have an exclusive facebook page for patrons only that sees activity daily so guys that's what's been working for my patreon campaign exclusive content it's everything people love exclusive content and even then i gotta say this it's quite quite fascinating not everybody cares about exclusive content some people just want to support me as a content creator and for that i'm extremely grateful so thank you thank you if you're one of those patrons but if you're missing out on the content please start consuming it i mean again i have over 200 exclusive vlogs for you to enjoy and they're all listed by year over david's patreon campaign.com which is linked right below so click enjoy and thank you it sounds like i'm done my video i'm not i'm almost done my next point is patreon can change your life it really can i mean i know it's changed mine dramatically and i have here in my notes it's allowed me to be more flexible with my time and my spending so my schedule's kind of flipped around lately you know with editing the vlogs i had to balance that with twitch and all that stuff but i still try my hardest to do what i do and i do it successfully i believe i mean i've yet to fall behind on any exclusive content for patreon i mean week by week i still put out that content despite putting so much time into the weekend vlogs on the weekends or all this all this twitch time now that i stream twice daily almost daily so yeah i mean it's all about balance and it's all about putting the time and the work in and plus it keeps me busier which come on it's great i love being busy if i'm not busy then i feel lazy and i hate i absolutely despise the feeling of being lazy and finally last but not least just some motivational words for you guys if you're thinking about putting out content if you have quality content people are willing to pay for it despite what people tried to tell me david no one's gonna pay for this no one's gonna pledge yet here we are five years later and i'm not trying to sound cocky by the way i'm just a success story for patreon so i'm trying to motivate others i'm trying to inspire you to make a difference in this world despite what people try to tell me it worked it worked beautifully especially if you're committed you need to commit yourself you need to dedicate yourself to just putting the best work out there that you possibly can and i'll say it again if you have quality content people are willing to pay for it you just got to make a name for yourself first and i'm going to say this one more time this is the biggest advice i can give anyone out there ignore the haters please whatever you do ignore the haters i am proud to say that my patreon announcement video is one of my most disliked youtube videos ever ever i quite literally defied the odds i went against the odds of people doubting me i work best when people doubt me so please feel free to post negative comments in the videos it's fine you motivate me to become a better person you motivate me to not be like you you motivate me to prove you wrong and guys i'll just say this if i can do it you can too i'm no one special i'm just a dude who enjoys being with his family enjoys technology enjoys playing video games enjoys overdosing on coffee it's who i am so please get out there create a patreon campaign if you have content to offer create a youtube channel if you've been thinking about making videos create a website if you've been thinking about it create a blog if you've been thinking about it take up an instrument go out there jog every day life is too short to keep putting things off make it happen today so with that said i just want to thank everyone out there for your support the positive people and even the negative people it's okay keep it coming keep it coming keep the support coming keep the hate coming i encourage it because it makes me a better person and it just encourages me to work harder thank you so much and patrons stay tuned for another exclusive vlog in the coming hours peace youtoday's video has been five years in the making let's talk about it hello guys how are you my name is david franco from david's patreon campaign.com and well guys that's what today's video is all about patreon today june 27th 2019 is my five year anniversary since i've launched my patreon campaign yes it's been five years already isn't that crazy and guys i gotta say honestly patreon is a life changer it's not only a game changer it's quite literally a life changer it has changed the way i look and live at life that doesn't make sense live at life you guys you guys get the point right it's changed my life for the better so for today's video i'm going to reflect on the past five years and tell you everything i've learned because perhaps i can motivate you to finally take action on that idea you've been thinking about for a while now because guys let's not forget we only live once so hey if you got something run with it i'm serious run with it despite what anybody tries to tell you and i'll talk about that in just a moment so the first point i want to cover in today's video is and yes i have notes here because i don't want to mess up anything in regards to going over things i actually want to say if you put your mind to it you truly can accomplish anything whether you're just looking to start a blog or take up an instrument or jog every day guys it's really as simple as that you just got to put your mind to it you have to put your mind to it nobody can do what you want to do but yourself hey guys honestly i couldn't have done patreon if i did not have an amazing community by my side i mean you guys are just truly supportive for the past five years you've pledged five dollars ten dollars twenty five dollars fifty dollars some people have pledged a hundred dollars the support is just insanity and i could not be more grateful for everything you have done for me so from me to you thank you so much i truly do appreciate it and you know what despite what the naysayers tried to tell me look all these negative comments popping up right now i still moved forward with my decision and guys am i glad i did i cannot express this enough i will never ever let anyone tell me that i can't do something and the same goes for you so please never listen to the negative people in this world there will always be someone around you at some point trying to drag you down trying to stop you from doing what you believe in but as long as you can do it yourself it doesn't matter what others think honestly i mean it really doesn't it's all in your hands so make the most of it i'm a big big believer in that because if it wasn't for my positive community i mean i wouldn't have launched a patreon campaign i mean if i had all this negativity pull me down i wouldn't have done that i wouldn't have done an indiegogo campaign a while ago i wouldn't have started on twitch despite what people still try to tell me your twitch will never grow yes it will i'm here to tell you that today yes it will why because i put the time in i put the work in and i have an amazing community by my side those are the three things you need to keep in mind whenever you want to start something in this world so just do it that's a nike slogan for a reason just do it get out there and run with it the second thing i want to talk about is exclusive content is everything if it wasn't for exclusive content i don't think my patreon campaign would do nearly as well as it's been doing for the past five years and it's actually a big deal because at first my patreon consisted of mostly listing people's names on a page and a link to their page you know facebook twitter whatever and giving them early access to my tech reviews tech unboxings and all that stuff and of course that wasn't enough one day it clicked with me i'm like well what if i start making exclusive vlogs accessible only by patrons and what do you know that was a few years ago and i'm still doing it every single week the only thing that's changed is the vlogs have consistently become longer but i don't think that's necessarily a bad thing right i mean the vlogs started out what like 30 40 minutes long and now the average patient's only vlog is about an hour and 30 minutes long yes every friday my patrons get an exclusive vlog and i'm proud to say i have uploaded over 200 exclusive vlogs over 200 that's hundreds of hours of exclusive content that honestly on a weekly basis are only seen by what three to five hundred people so i'm putting a lot of time in for a very small audience so i think that says a lot about my work ethic i like putting the time in and the work in because it's worth it i'm doing this for you guys and you support me back so it's a win-win situation so yes the exclusive vlogs have definitely been working but what else has been working well just recently i introduced early access to the weekend vlogs patrons get the weekend vlogs on mondays whereas non-patrons get the weekend vlogs on fridays i think that's fair patrons are paying for a service so i want to make it worth it and also they get early access to the holiday videos especially around the holidays i mean thanksgiving and christmas my patreon campaign literally goes like this it goes way up currently my patreon campaign is kind of like this which is fine that's perfectly normal for this time of year but i'm telling you when the holidays do eventually make their way around my patreon campaign just sees a really really nice spike and i cannot express you i cannot express to you enough come on david how grateful i am for that also i just introduced this last year patrons now get one full day of recording at seaside heights so last year seaside heights 2018 i put aside my primary vlogging camera busted out the gopro gopro session as well so i two gopros a day i believe and i recorded a vlog exclusively all day exclusively for patrons and no one else and guys honestly i think it worked people loved it and for me it allows me to be more creative because i get to look at seaside ice from a different perspective not just my typical vlogs that i do every year but instead i'm like hey here's a secret side to see side heights and i hope you guys enjoy it and i think it's working out quite well and yes i will be doing that again this year so stay tuned patrons also monthly video chats via google hangouts every single month as long as i'm available i've only missed a few due to like vacations in the summer and whatever every single month we just had one last what two weeks ago uh we get together on google hangouts we turn on our webcams our microphones and we just chat we get some drinks get some snacks have lots of laughs and we talk for what like five to seven hours once a month yes five to seven hours i mean i could easily just do like an hour or two but yes we go all night long literally into the early hours of the morning like five six o'clock in the morning and i hope you guys have been enjoying the hangouts now unfortunately those hangouts are only limited to 10 uh people who can actually participate but you can watch the hangouts live uh via the unlisted link on youtube which i do share via patreon but you can also watch the hangouts monthly now on twitch so yes if you're not a patron this doesn't mean you have to miss out on viewing the hangout you can at least watch it on twitch but if you do want to participate you have to become a patron and finally i do have an exclusive facebook page for patrons only that sees activity daily so guys that's what's been working for my patreon campaign exclusive content it's everything people love exclusive content and even then i gotta say this it's quite quite fascinating not everybody cares about exclusive content some people just want to support me as a content creator and for that i'm extremely grateful so thank you thank you if you're one of those patrons but if you're missing out on the content please start consuming it i mean again i have over 200 exclusive vlogs for you to enjoy and they're all listed by year over david's patreon campaign.com which is linked right below so click enjoy and thank you it sounds like i'm done my video i'm not i'm almost done my next point is patreon can change your life it really can i mean i know it's changed mine dramatically and i have here in my notes it's allowed me to be more flexible with my time and my spending so my schedule's kind of flipped around lately you know with editing the vlogs i had to balance that with twitch and all that stuff but i still try my hardest to do what i do and i do it successfully i believe i mean i've yet to fall behind on any exclusive content for patreon i mean week by week i still put out that content despite putting so much time into the weekend vlogs on the weekends or all this all this twitch time now that i stream twice daily almost daily so yeah i mean it's all about balance and it's all about putting the time and the work in and plus it keeps me busier which come on it's great i love being busy if i'm not busy then i feel lazy and i hate i absolutely despise the feeling of being lazy and finally last but not least just some motivational words for you guys if you're thinking about putting out content if you have quality content people are willing to pay for it despite what people tried to tell me david no one's gonna pay for this no one's gonna pledge yet here we are five years later and i'm not trying to sound cocky by the way i'm just a success story for patreon so i'm trying to motivate others i'm trying to inspire you to make a difference in this world despite what people try to tell me it worked it worked beautifully especially if you're committed you need to commit yourself you need to dedicate yourself to just putting the best work out there that you possibly can and i'll say it again if you have quality content people are willing to pay for it you just got to make a name for yourself first and i'm going to say this one more time this is the biggest advice i can give anyone out there ignore the haters please whatever you do ignore the haters i am proud to say that my patreon announcement video is one of my most disliked youtube videos ever ever i quite literally defied the odds i went against the odds of people doubting me i work best when people doubt me so please feel free to post negative comments in the videos it's fine you motivate me to become a better person you motivate me to not be like you you motivate me to prove you wrong and guys i'll just say this if i can do it you can too i'm no one special i'm just a dude who enjoys being with his family enjoys technology enjoys playing video games enjoys overdosing on coffee it's who i am so please get out there create a patreon campaign if you have content to offer create a youtube channel if you've been thinking about making videos create a website if you've been thinking about it create a blog if you've been thinking about it take up an instrument go out there jog every day life is too short to keep putting things off make it happen today so with that said i just want to thank everyone out there for your support the positive people and even the negative people it's okay keep it coming keep it coming keep the support coming keep the hate coming i encourage it because it makes me a better person and it just encourages me to work harder thank you so much and patrons stay tuned for another exclusive vlog in the coming hours peace you\n"