Home Beauty Why Did I Make a Patreon Page! You Should Too!

Why Did I Make a Patreon Page! You Should Too!

by Tavia

Hello everyone!

I created my Patreon page last year and I’m going to give you a few solid reasons on why you should do it too. Since then I got asked numerous times Why Did I Make a Patreon Page! I already shared my story on About Me page on Patreon but this post goes to content creators out there as well as my readers!

Chicprofile Patreon Page

Why Did I Make a Patreon Page!

What is Patreon?

Patreon is a membership platform that makes it easy for creators to get paid. Is not just content creators, but artists and writers, basically any creators out there. Is a way to get paid for creating the things you’re already creating (beauty content, Youtube videos, songs, webcomics, books, etc).

Your fans (Patrons) pay a few bucks per month, or per post or even make a subscription to your Patreon page. Patreon will pay you every month or every time you release something new. Here’s how you can become a creator on Patreon.

Looking from the other side, Patrons will join your community and pay you (the creator) for making the stuff you love to create and they love to read or watch. Some content creators charge a price for every post while others let you choose the type of support you want to give them. You, as a Patreon can choose one of the subscriptions the creator offers and you’ll get exclusive access to their content. Everyone (Patrons or not) can see how much money the content creator makes per month. The information is public, so visible for everyone to see, unless the content creator set it private!

This means the creators get paid regularly by doing what they do best and you become a bonafide, real-life patron of the arts.

What Made Me Think of Creating a Patreon Page?

 
I started my blog in 2008 to share my passion about luxury makeup and beauty with other makeup lovers. Earlier this month I celebrated 12 years of posting content on Chicprofile and being a full time content creator. I created Chicprofile as a place where you would find accurate, unbiased reviews of the latest makeup products, catch up on the latest beauty gossip and chat about all things beauty without any drama.

Back in the day there were no sponsored posts, no influencers, no paid campaigns or collabs. No money exchanging hands. Just a bunch of girls sharing beauty tricks, recommending the products we loved and warning others about those that didn’t work.

My, how things have changed since then! As the blogosphere exploded and brands realized we were the ones influencing beauty purchases, they’ve tried to gain control over our content and buy our recommendations. Many fall for that, tempted by the luxurious press trips, lavish PR packages, the mirage of a luxurious life style and being a famous influencer.

There’s a lot of money to be made in blogging. Desperate to land a lucrative brand deal, a lot of bloggers have started censoring themselves, refusing to say anything remotely negative about a product. Others have their hands tied behind their back by the contracts they’ve signed. Behind the glittering facade of PR trips and fancy dinners, bloggers are stabbing each other in the back, competing for whom has the most Instagram followers.

 
 

Where Does that leave You, The Reader?


YOU come first! That’s why I’ve always refused to play this game. I want to give you what you want: honest, accurate, detailed reviews of makeup products so you can buy what works for you and leave the duds at SEPHORA.

I don’t mince my words. I try to give as many details and information to my readers as possible and if something doesn’t work, you can be sure I’ll let you know. Have a look through my blog and reviews. I’m not afraid to give a product (even one received from PRs) a negative rating, if it deserves it.

But there is a price to pay to keep my reviews and content honest and unbiased.

 

Why Do I Need A Patron?


I refuse to give away control over my content. This came at high price and I’m not afraid to say this is the reason why I get PR so rarely and only from certain brands.
That’s why I’m very selective of the brands I work with. I rarely accept sponsored posts – in more than 10 years, the number of sponsored collaborations I’ve done can be counted on the fingers of one hand! And I do buy the majority of products that I review on the blog.
 
I’ve always disclosed when I received PR and because it is so rare, many think I probably forget to mention it in my reviews. In a beauty world where some content creators barely keep up with opening PR packages every day, there are still many out there who buy most of the stuff they review.

But with the overwhelming waves of beauty launches that are hitting the counters almost everyday, I can’t keep up anymore. When I started blogging, MAC would release 30 collections a year – and we thought that was a lot. Now they’re releasing 60+ collections a year! And that’s just one brand. Since then so many new beauty brands launched and even the most established ones started releasing new products almost every month.

I don’t have the funds to purchase that much makeup. I’m an independent content creator who’s not on brand’s payroll, doesn’t do campaigns, collabs, sponsored posts, press trips and neither am I on PR lists of luxury and high end brands. It’s hard to believe it, when you think I’ve been blogging for this long. But this is the price I had to pay to keep it real with you on Chicprofile, be authentic and not sell even 1% of my content to the brands.

 
Money from ads and affiliates are barely enough to cover my rent, bills and keep up with Chicprofile expenses. Having a big platform like Chicprofile does require a lot of investment, not only in the hosting plan but other paid programs, apps, plug-ins and so on.
 
The real money in blogging is in brand sponsorships, but I can’t go down that route if I want to keep my reviews honest and my content unbiased. There’s also a HUGE difference in revenue between U.S. based content creators and others. Many of you as well as other U.S. content creators were shocked by the information I posted in What No One Tells You about Content Creators Income recent blog post.

I don’t want my content to suffer. I don’t want to bring you short, positive and shallow reviews just to keep brands happy. If you’ve read this far, I guess you don’t either. As much as I appreciate the effort of some content creators posting breathtakingly beautiful photos, their content is shallow and filled only with information from press release. Ups I forgot they always mention how pretty the packaging and the colors are and that’s about how much they are allowed to share to their personal point of view.

 

How Will Your Patronage Help?


Your patronage will ensure that Chicprofile remains an independent source for makeup reviews and new beauty launches – free from any brand pressures.

Here’s how your donations will support Chicprofile – and a better, friendlier blogosphere:

More honest reviews: My aim is to double the amount of luxury/high-end products reviews on the blog. I get so many requests to feature this or that product and it breaks my heart to have to say no because I have to prioritize paying my rent. Your patronage means I can review the products you want, when you want and give you my 100% honest opinion about them so you won’t waste your money on disappointing products anymore. Thanks to the Patrons I already have I was able to review more luxury makeup than usual.

More beauty news: Telling it like it is means that I’ve been kicked off many PR lists. So how am I able to bring you news of the latest beauty launches, sometimes even months in advance? I spent many hours every week just scouring the internet for beauty news and making connections behind the scenes with sources willing to share their scoops with my readers. Your contributions will give me more free time to dedicate to my detective work so I can bring you makeup scoops before anyone else. That’s why I’ll always prioritize my Patrons by posting exclusive content on Patreon, months in advance from my blog or Instagram.

More readers’ interaction: beauty blogging isn’t just about products. It’s first and foremost about readers and makeup lovers. Your contribution will give me more free time to interact with you, answer all your questions and give you the content and attention you deserve.

Why Patreon Doesn’t Work for Everyone!

Patreon has become a popular platfrom for many beauty content creators as well and I see new ones signing up more often. You should create a Patreon Page especially if you are an independent content creator who doesn’t want to be left at the mercy of brands. Starting a Patreon account is one way to make money by doing what you like and offering top quality content.

It won’t work for anyone, let me tell you that. If you already have lots of brands collabs and deals, sponsored posts, campaigns and PR packages, Patreon may not work for you. I don’t even think that your readers support will be necessary since you already have the tools and products to keep creating the content that you do.

Let’s face it… many readers love to see the latest releases and swatches but they have a hard time trusting content creators that get a lot of PR and sponsorships. They are reluctant in trusting a content creator who is afraid to say even the slightest negative comment about a product so she won’t upset the brand. Readers, subscribers and followers will go check out whoever has swatches first but they will trust only a few content creators’ recommendations. That’s why content is king and you should always put your readers first!

Also give your Patrons time to understand why and how important their patronage is for your and how the benefits will reverse upon them. Many readers may be reluctant at first to become Patrons but in time your most faithful ones will see and understand the concept and enjoy the benefits.

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