The team at Patreon, the membership platform for creators, has been building like crazy and is now revealing the result. On Thursday, the company debuted dozens of new features to help creators get discovered, build their community, learn from insights, and more.
Patreon says its roadmap is meant to reflect the core philosophy that today’s internet has failed creators by prioritizing fleeting engagement over genuine community, making it hard for creators to be fairly paid.
“The current version of the web is a failed promise for creators and fandoms. As creators, we can’t even reach our followers on the platforms anymore,” wrote Patreon CEO Jack Conte in an announcement about the new features. “Social media has created mass polarization, addiction, and made it increasingly difficult to build a creative community and business. I refuse to believe that this is the best or only way that the internet can work for creators and fans. I believe it can and should be better,” he added.
Patreon’s changes, however, acknowledge the role that short-form video platforms, like TikTok or Reels, play in helping creators find an audience.
To make that discovery easier, it’s rolling out a feature on iOS called Clips, which will turn creators’ videos into short, shareable clips. These can be downloaded and shared off-platform, as on TikTok, or posted as Patreon’s own short-form post format, known as Quip.
