So a few weeks ago I announced some benefits for those who support me through the patreon page. I just wanted to take a few minutes on here to further explain those benefits, answer some questions that regularly came up and just explain more about the patreon page, what it’s for etc etc
For those of you who don’t know Patreon is a platform that allows people to support content creators such as myself with regular monthly cash pledges. Generally there is an expectation that the creator would provide some kind of benefit for these pledges to their supporters however while the page launched in 2020 due to the pandemic I wasn’t able to provide much in the way of incentive to sign up beyond the warm fuzzy feeling of helping me out. That is something I resolved to change in 2021 and I’ve been talking to the handful of supporters who joined up in 2020 to discuss ideas of incentives with them.
The patreon page will offer the following incentives in 2021
Exit Poll Results
During 2020 the results of my polls were used to generate an indication as to how things have gone to provide a spoiler on Saturday Night before I got the confirmed spoiler. This shouldn’t be necessary in 2021 as moles will be back. As such I intend to provide the results of this poll to patreon subscribers a few minutes after The BBC vote has closed each week to provide them with the earliest indication as to how things have gone hours before the spoiler or any other spoiler source!
Those around last year will know this poll was not always brilliant at predicting a precise bottom two or elimination but was very good at predicting those in danger.
Ad Free Spoiler
It cannot escape your attention that this website is monetised. Through adverts, referral links and donation links. Sadly this is a necessary evil as this site is expensive to operate and operating it is my job and I do have to make a living, as do we all.
However I will be providing the spoiler to patreon subscribers in an ad free format as the amount they contribute through the patreon platforms massively eclipses the amount I’d make from them coming to the website and viewing the ads
Since announcing these perks I’ve had a few questions on social media which I’d like to take a minute to answer and will also update this post if I get any other questions coming in
Is this a paywall?
Absolutely not!!!!!!
I’m not a believer in paywalls and were I to paywall this site all that would happen would be that people would go elsewhere to source their spoiler. This is about providing added value to those people who regularly provide donations. These people have been invaluable during the last year in helping to cover my costs which I incur all year round and I won’t lie I’m currently living off fumes whilst I wait for Strictly season to start again and its been a struggle the last couple of months.
The majority of visitors to this website will not notice any difference. The spoiler will still be here. The polls will still run with results available once the spoiler comes in just like it was last year. Nothing is changing for any regular visitors or those who choose not to support me, are unable to support me or those who support me in other ways.
Can only patreon subscribers vote in the polls?
All website visitors will be able to vote in the polls as normal and see the results. The results will only be available when the spoiler comes in though.
All patreon subscribers will get is a snapshot of the poll results taken when The BBC vote closes with those results plugged into the Strictly scoring system to combine them with the judges scores and generate a result. This result may or may not be accurate and is only intended to provide an early indication as to how things have gone for the truly impatient people among us.
If I make a one off donation through PayPal can I access the Patreon content?
Unfortunately as Patreon is its own platform there is no way for me to easily implement this. PayPal donations are an important revenue stream to me and remain open for those who wish to and can afford to use them. They also massively help me out with my cash flow early on the series especially last year when things were delayed by a month as I don’t tend to start receiving an income from the adverts until late November as they are always paid a month in arrears for the previous month.
If I switch energy to Octopus Energy can I access the Patreon content?
The answer to this is pretty much the same at the PayPal. I am hugely grateful to those who have switched energy through my referral link. You guys paid my energy bills this year which is one less expense to worry about which helps no end when I make all of my annual salary in the space of 3 months and then have to budget for the remaining 9 months. However as all I get from Octopus Energy is the name of those who have switched there is no way for me to implement this not least for similar reasons to the PayPal answer above.
Does it matter which level I sign up to on Patreon
The Patreon page has a number of tiers set up ranging from £3 per month up to £50 per month. All benefits are currently the same though and the purpose of the different tiers is to allow people who choose to sign up to sign up at a level they are comfortable with. And as I’ve said before I’d rather have more people on the £3 or £5 levels than a few people on the higher levels.
It is possible this may change in the future were I to add more benefits however this is something I would always discuss with my supporters over on Patreon
You’re running a competition, couldn’t you just not run that rather than having monetisation?
Firstly the competition prizes are paid for out of the advertising revenue I receive from this site so monetisation is needed either way. This site also costs me hundreds of pounds per month when strictly is on to operate even without the competitions so again monetisation is necessary even if this weren’t my job.
Secondly they are set up in a way that my presence on Facebook/Twitter is increased due to an increased level of comments on my social pages. Were I not to run these I would likely have to pay the social networks for advertising which would be less effective and likely cost me more.
The entirety of my marketing budget is spent on providing the prizes for the competitions and they are run as an alternative to commercial advertising as I feel it better that the money is given back to my fans rather than in the pockets of people like Mark Zuckerberg who is rich enough as it is!
Speaking of the competition full details of how it will work this year are coming in the next day or so
How do I sign up to the Patreon page?
You can find the patreon page here
How can I make a one off donation towards your operating costs?
This can be done through PayPal either by using this link or by clicking the button below
How can I check my energy prices and switch?
Energy prices are at the highest level they have been for years and are continuing to rise with the price cap increasing next month. This is really the best time to check prices and lock in a deal. You can check your prices with Octopus Energy using my magic link and if you complete a switch through that link you get £50, I get £50 and you also get 100% renewable electric. Win for your pocket and for the planet!
How else can I support you?
Just by visiting this site, getting involved with the content on it or the polls or by sharing links on your social networking pages. All increases my visibility to other users which increases the number of people visiting the site.