I’d Really Appreciate Your Help
Added 2025-02-12 11:32:17 +0000 UTCI’m grateful that so many of you are such wonderful communicators in this growing community. As many of you know, this is all happening so fast for me and I’m doing the best I can to make the next right decision. Sometimes I don’t get it quite right, and this was one of those times.
The structure I was going for with PATREON was completely wrong before and I’d love your help on designing next steps. That’s what this video is about.
My word of the year is PROCESS, and I want to find the right processes for us over here to provide the experience you all are hoping to have, to the best of my ability. Obviously, I can’t make everyone happy, but I definitely can aim to get things set up in a way that satisfies the most people possible.
This is such a fun and exciting new chapter in my life and I’m having such a blast connecting with you all. I see myself doing this for a long time and I just want to have things in place properly moving forward to support that.
Thanks in advance for sharing any ideas you have as comments below on this video. I’m specifically looking to figure out how to structure 4 tiers $5, $10, $25 and $50. Any and all ideas are welcome and will be considered.
I’m so grateful to have so many amazing people over here with me, and I hope you have an awesome rest of your week.
Cheers,
Tim
Comments
What am I doing here ? 🙃 I would go bankrupt trying to support the channels I follow. Everything cost and you're not sure if it's meaningful to or for you. I am a music creator and just want to bring people of all races , gender and age together and spread love (Period)
SJ ONE
2025-02-23 20:10:05 +0000 UTCGreat ideas Kevin, I like the idea of creating a smaller more personal chat for higher levels. Also great idea about everyone being at the livestreams. Thanks Kev!
Tim Welch Vocal Studio
2025-02-13 09:28:52 +0000 UTCI am so grateful for you Jevon. This message has helped me a ton. You have a brilliant mind my friend. It's great to have you in my inner circle here. 🙏
Tim Welch Vocal Studio
2025-02-13 09:27:19 +0000 UTCThanks for sharing that Whitney, it helps. 🙏
Tim Welch Vocal Studio
2025-02-13 09:13:30 +0000 UTCFrankly, I have no idea how Patreon works. I try but everyone I support with the different levels and all different, it’s hard to keep up with. If there’s a person I want to support, I pick the level I’m able to pay and just select that and if there’s benefits, I see them pop up on the main feed or if there’s something shared here and I see a post about it, I’ll search harder if that makes sense? For me, it’s about supporting channels to at bring something more and meaningful that I feel deserve whatever we can do to help them stand out because the work and knowledge they bring deserves it.
Whitney Bruscato
2025-02-13 04:07:18 +0000 UTCI forgot about a definite place for the extended analysis. I think that should be on the $5.00 tier. Add the early access to regular reaction videos and access to videos that are blocked on YouTube to the $10.00 tier. Another idea might be to add all of these to the $5.00 tier and for the $10.00 tier add an exclusive reaction or two of your choice that aren't placed on YouTube. I tossed that around in my head before, but it would put more work on you. One thing no reactor needs is to be overwhelmed with special work on the channel. It can get to be stressful after a while. And, another thing (see -- novels). Maybe you have thought of this and I am assuming that you are going to do open live chats on YouTube once in a while. For the open chats especially, you will need a few moderators. They can get wild at times with trolls. You need mods to deal with them. For Patreon only live streams on YouTube it's a bit easier because we are interested enough in the success of the streams and the channel to not cause too many problems.
Gaye McCullough
2025-02-12 21:51:33 +0000 UTCThis is so helpful! So you think the Extended/early and exclusive analyses should be at the $10/month tier instead of the $5/month tier as they are right now?
Tim Welch Vocal Studio
2025-02-12 21:19:40 +0000 UTCAw, thanks for this Beth, I really appreciate it!
Tim Welch Vocal Studio
2025-02-12 21:14:27 +0000 UTC$5 - All paid subscribers vote for a winner in All Monthly Poles, Access to Censored YT Content, Participation in all Live Stream Events [Could be a LIVE Reaction Party]. You want EVERYONE that is a paid subscriber to participate in Live Streams. $10 - Vote for your top 2 song choices for the next Monthly Pole (you need to get enough votes), this voting is open for 6 days, top 4 songs go in the monthly Pole with final vote of winner by all paid subscribers $25 - 1 Guaranteed REACTION by artist of their choice (limit video to 5-6 minutes) to be filmed and edited within the next 2 months). $50 - Dump Patreon Direct Messaging. Its largely worthless, and at this level communication is the key. Activate this communication on Google Chat. Check it a couple times per week, that's sufficient. Offer these members ANY 4 questions they want to ask you, it doesn't have to be about the channel, it might be to clarify something, it might be to get to know each other better. These "answers" are typically quick unedited video and/or audio messages that can be added directly in Google Chat. These members will enjoy replying with video and/or audio messages of their own. I personally will send you videos of my 2-yr old frisbee champion Golden Retriever, Jackson. Its all about communication and at this level, you might get a dozen over time. You can always limit the number of these slots. Besides, this is also a way to keep communications like this one Private, which I would have preferred. I would also add "BMAC" where a $25 donation from ANYBODY, MEMBER OR NOT also gets 1 REACTION by artist of their choice, to be filmed and edited within the next 2 months. Why would you leave this channel funding on the table? Some folks just simply want this ONLY. You can adjust it if you get the really great problem of being overwhelmed with paid requests. Note, these donations can be private as well. KEV
Kevin Coplon
2025-02-12 20:03:52 +0000 UTCThe main issue I feel that you need to think about with tiers and rewards is scaling in the future, and ability to deliver. Social media projects such as yours here tend to be binary in outcome, given steady input work from the creator. They either gain momentum and mass and start to grow exponentially. like a snowball rolling down the Alps. Bigger and Bigger faster and faster until it maxes out due to natural limits. OR they never go anyplace and stay at a small level, and are basically hobby projects that a small but loyal following enjoy. Not unlike singers in the music industry if I think on it for a second. :) For you this means thinking about what you can realistically give to this project if the snowball option happens. You have already attracted a sponsor I see (the internet security outfit, which you delivered a very solid embedded ad for that wasn't annoying or intrusive and quite professional) and YT's algorithm is already slotting your videos with extra ad breaks meaning that you crossed some magic computer measured threshold in the hierarchy of content producers. These are both signs of your snowball getting bigger and faster. You are gathering mass. That puts you on the trajectory to start moving toward 100K subscribers. Of which a percentage (7% or so) will further engage by adding Patreon, or other platforms you offer. 1% will be possible big spenders that will invest in what they enjoy and back you harder Often in the real of reactors this means willing pay to see you review a specific song. (I've seen this service go for $100 and be bought often) Given that most of your reactions cannot be monetized thanks to copyright strikes alternate flows of income have to be developed. The tier structure here on Patreon was designed with that monetization in mind, but it was also designed for creators. Musicians, Artists, Authors, etc. People that produced creative work that was sellable. And ties could be easily designed to fit their offerings. Higher tiers could give more art samples, concept sketches, process work, and exclusive content done for those tiers alone. for super high tiers commission slots open and so forth. Easy to manage if you are an artist producing regular content, that you can tap for such. But much harder for Demi-creatives that don't produce direct Artistic works, but peripheral ones such as you do. So the tier structure is problematic for you given that if you snowball bigly you'll face a fulfillment issue. Because the real 'valuable' incentives to tier up will come at the cost of your real time. A Skype to evaluate a persons singing takes X amount of time in your day. And if you get 1 or 2 a day.... you can see the problem already. My suggestion is that except for exceptional high tiers your rewards should be limited to 'exclusive content' that you produce specially for those tiers once a month or so. Live interactive watch show once a month for tier 1? Sure. Special video that you do a super duper depth analysis upon once a month for all tier 2 folks? Sure. Behind the scenes videos of you teaching your students, or using them to showcase aspects of how hard what some singers you review do (So just how hard is it to do Chappell's flips? Here are 4 of my best trying. Oh my...) for tier 3's once a month. Then you hit the high tiers. The can offer discounts on paid service. For example paying you to review a specific video costs $100 cold for anyone. But a Tier 4 can have you do one for $25 once a month. and so forth. All this is designed to keep your 'service' time to tiers in line with the income those tiers generate. Even if you are seeing an exponential growth. If you are looking to do this long term, and at more then hobby level, these are the foundational issues you need to address now when starting out, or the Jinga tower will get super swaying very fast as it grows. Your members here are offering great advice. They are a wonderful resource to tap as you have.
Jevon Kasitch
2025-02-12 19:51:46 +0000 UTCHi Tim, I think maybe for the two upper tiers more direct access to you in the form of X number of free vocal lessons? Also, I just want to say I joined not only because of your very knowledgeable and thorough analysis of the music but also because you clearly have a great respect and love of music and artists. I support you at the level I can afford ($10), and I would do it whether you offered perquisites or not. Anyway, I hope everything works out bc you are an exceptional reactor and human being. 💜💜💜💜💜
Beth Reilly-Cadwell
2025-02-12 18:13:58 +0000 UTCI have had my coffee and my brain is actually functioning. For the tiers. $5.00 - support and appreciation for the channel and a chance to vote in the polls. $10.00 - Add early access to reaction videos. Also access to those videos that are blocked on YouTube. $25.00 - Add a request for one reaction video per month. That includes access to the live streams that I mentioned in my earlier comment where you restrict access to the two upper levels for reactions to all requested reactions. $50.00 - Add the ability to request two reaction videos per month. Because I'm so new, I don't really know your goals for this channel. Some reactors want to grow and monitize their channels quickly, where other reactors are interested in that, of course, but want the opportunity to find new music and great artists who may not be the ones who will bring in huge amounts of subscribers and may slow their growth down a bit. I, for instance, came here because of the Nightwish who do draw large numbers of subscribers and who, for me, will always be home. But, I like to explore and many of the artists I like are not the ones that will do that for you. My favorite Nightwish singer, for instance, is not one of the three female lead singers, but the bassist/male singer, Marko Hietala. He has left Nightwish and has a good sized following, but isn't going to bring in a huge number of new subscribers. Others in the same boat are artists like Beth Hart, Brandi Carlile, Jimmy Barnes, Slimane and a hard rock band out of New Zealand called Black Smoke Trigger. It will be interesting to see what direction your channel takes. P.S. I also tend to write small novels in my responses both here and on reactions.
Gaye McCullough
2025-02-12 17:32:48 +0000 UTCI really appreciate these great ideas Kate. Definitely some good food for thought.
Tim Welch Vocal Studio
2025-02-12 15:50:02 +0000 UTCThese are already brilliant ideas! You got my wheels turning Gaye! I’m looking forward to hearing more of your ideas if you have some
Tim Welch Vocal Studio
2025-02-12 15:48:21 +0000 UTCI really appreciate the feedback, Peter!
Tim Welch Vocal Studio
2025-02-12 15:45:50 +0000 UTCThanks, Barbara. I appreciate it so much!
Tim Welch Vocal Studio
2025-02-12 15:45:37 +0000 UTCHi Tim, I think Gaye's recommendations are spot on. Remember though that there will be people like me—willing to spend money to support good work (like yours) but who will not want to spend hours engaging. I agree that having a Discord channel is important, but I won't have the time to spend lots of time there. (Some of the Discord channels I belong to seem to be just filled with endless inane chatting.) I like the idea of the higher tiers getting more guaranteed reactions, and I really like Gaye's suggestion of the livestreams that are available for higher tiers and that you just record and put aside until you are ready to polish them for wider YT release. It would be nice if the higher Patreon tiers had access to the backlog of raw recordings, but maybe that's more complicated. For context, I am one of the people who've joined because of your The Warning reactions, and given my deep dive into that band right now, I am only listening to them and watching TW videos. (Wait, there are other bands??) That said, I have always loved your breakdowns to other songs, and I expect that I will learn about other music or learn to appreciate music I already love that much more after listening to you, so I intend to stay engaged for the long haul. Thanks for asking for feedback.
Peter Barr-Gillespie
2025-02-12 14:50:16 +0000 UTCHi, Tim! Thanks for this video. I've got a full day but will set aside time this evening to brainstorm the tier structure. I'm also new to Patreon and online groups. Learning how to balance my fierce commitment to and advocacy for healthy selfishness for personal well-being with being part of a community whose members appreciate and perhaps expect to have input on how things are done is interesting for me -- especially when money is involved 🙃 It's weird how protective of your energy I feel ✨ even though I know you don't need it 🤦♀️ Happy to hear you and your gal are getting away for a few days! 💖
Barbara Lawrence
2025-02-12 13:28:59 +0000 UTCThank you for considering our input. That always makes an already great channel even better. I always like to have a say in what artists are reacted to. I think that the tiers are good. Off the top of my head, $5, basic support for those who like the channel and want it to succeed. I'm going to think about the others and will probably comment again later. One thing, right off of the top of my head, however is to make Discord available for all levels. And, be active on Discord. Discords where the reactor isn't active tend to be very quiet. Active Discords also are sources for musical suggestions and inspirations, not only for the reactor, but for those who are supporters. And, another thing that works very well on another channel that I support is to restrict guaranteed requests to the two upper levels and play and record those requests on a live YouTube stream that is only for those levels. Those levels have no guarantee that their request will be broadcast on YouTube, but, in fairness, most will be. You record the reactions on the spot, rough draft if you will. Then you pick which ones that you edit and release to YouTube, at your convenience. That also gives you a backlog of reactions, which can be good for those times when life happens and you can't record on your own. You can deep dive, or not, at the time you decide to release and put that deep dive out for all levels on Patreon also. You can get a lot of reactions done fairly quickly, and it helps create a core group of people who are invested (not the greatest word choice but I haven't had coffee yet) in the success of the channel. I'll think more about the tiers and what they should include as the day goes on and I have some coffee.
Gaye McCullough
2025-02-12 12:26:46 +0000 UTCI know some reactors give higher tier members one guaranteed reaction they can nominate per month, but I don't know if that would be feasible given your busy schedule. Harry Mack does an exclusive livestream with his biggest Patreon supporters (not sure how regularly). Members voting on reactions is great, as long as it's all paid members with an equal vote. Perhaps the higher tier members get to brainstorm in a chat to help you choose which tracks to put in the poll? It has been lovely getting to 'meet' you through your YouTube channel and now Patreon and I've learnt a lot from the sharing of your experience. I'm not in a position to join as a paid member just yet but try to support by liking, sharing, and participating where I can to help more people find your content and community. (My only income is disability benefit, so I've had to limit my monthly support to a few artists, and just make one-off donations to other creators.) Hope you and your partner have a lovely break and that it gives you the peaceful pause that you need from such an exciting but very busy work life. Balance is key. 🙏
Kate L
2025-02-12 11:46:17 +0000 UTC
