Audience Feedback - Sponsor-Free Videos to $5 Tier?
Added 2025-03-14 21:36:17 +0000 UTCHey folks!
As April approaches we're looking at doing a little Patreon refresh now that the Spring rush is slowing down a bit with game releases.
One of the things we've been looking at is our sponsor-free videos, a perk at the $10+ tier that not many have taken advantage of.
We're looking at potentially moving the sponsor-free videos perk down to the $5 tier so that more people take advantage of it, and ideally, we can convince some of you at the $1 or $3 tier to bump up!
A lot of the feedback we've gotten so far from those in the $10 tier or above is that most don't mind watching our ads because they find them fun, or it's inconvenient to go to another separate playlist for the sponsor-free videos.
So, for those of you in the $1 - $5 tier we're just looking to get a pulse of the interest in sponsor-free videos coming to the $5 tier, and (without committing obviously), if adding that perk to the $5 tier would be enough to convince you to bump if you're not there yet.
A) Are sponsor-free videos a perk you would take advantage of if it was brought down to the $5 tier?
B) If you're in the $1 or $3 tier, would us bringing sponsor-free videos to the $5 tier encourage you to bump up a tier?
We're looking for ideas for an additional perk to bring to the $10 tier as well if we decide to make this change. If there's any other Patreons you're subscribed to with additional perks you think might work for us, let us know!
Thanks for your time and feedback!
Comments
I’m at the five dollar tier and honestly the sponsor videos don’t bother me, but I wouldn’t turn down another perk! That said, I’ve been looking for an excuse to upgrade to the $10 tier. The sponsor free playlist wasn’t quite it but I’d love to see more things like community votes on content and such!
Altrus
2025-03-19 14:38:58 +0000 UTCI'm at the $5 tier already. Question; would the sponsor free videos come with a collection of ad-free videos on Patreon? Cuz that would be convenient for me. I don't mind the ads myself, so really the incentive for me is the convenience of accessing the collection of videos more easily from Patreon. Reason for that is that I don't like hopping between Patreon and Youtube (the latter is too distracting), so any less clicks I have to do is ok with me. I listen to all podcasts on Patreon for that reason, while working it's less distracting and still enjoyable compared to Youtube.
David C
2025-03-18 12:10:06 +0000 UTCI would upgrade my $1 tier to $5 if the videos were sponsor free and easily accessible on YouTube. Would I still get notifications on YouTube when the sponsor free vids were uploaded?
John
2025-03-17 22:12:46 +0000 UTCThey’re in a playlist that you’d get access to on YouTube :)
Nick Calandra
2025-03-16 20:21:39 +0000 UTCI'm at the $5 tier and I watch your videos on youtube. If the ad-free versions were only on Patreon, I wouldn't bother watching them. I do enjoy the columns from Darren and Marty.
Crowleyboughtmysoul
2025-03-16 20:13:23 +0000 UTCHappy with the ads, would not upgrade. Thanks for getting feedback.
Marcus Cowen
2025-03-16 06:38:04 +0000 UTCDepends on where the sponsor-free videos are. If they're only on Patreon... eh, idk if I'd actually check the Patreon for them. I usually just use YouTube to watch stuff. Plus I don't think the sponsored segments are too bad, I usually just tune out and read comments. And hey, sometimes the sponsors are actually kinda interesting.
Skater901
2025-03-16 01:06:33 +0000 UTCI detest ads and generally pay to avoid them if the money's going directly to creators for the pleasure. Feels good. It's a nice perk.
Cerulean
2025-03-16 00:32:45 +0000 UTCAlready at $5, I don't feel the in-roll ads are an issue for me, the reads are usually sufficiently "you" to be interesting enough that I won't skip, I'm already paying YouTube to avoid their ads, and splitting your likes/views/comments etc. seems rather counter productive.
Zhaph
2025-03-15 23:45:19 +0000 UTCA) Are sponsor-free videos a perk you would take advantage of if it was brought down to the $5 tier? - No. I don't mind the sponsors/ads for your videos when watching from YouTube. The sponsors you choose seem like good fits and they're fit into the videos nicely, I think. The sponsors/ads would have to become unbearable before I tried to find the Patreon sponsor-free videos.
Adam
2025-03-15 21:12:21 +0000 UTCIf you posted sponsor-free videos here on Patreon, it might help. I won't be leaving the site for the different videos, I'll just skip the ads.
Hedgebug
2025-03-15 20:35:31 +0000 UTCUsually skip the ads and the endless credits as they are appropriately placed but not bothered enough to continuously check a playlist for updates. Go for it but I wouldn't suspect it to be a game changer for the majority.
Michael McCarthy
2025-03-15 17:31:36 +0000 UTCThat's how it works now. We have a playlist for all the sponsor-free videos and they're made available at the same time as the normal versions. We just don't publish posts for them here on Patreon as we'd have to double up every post and nobody wants that email spam.
Nick Calandra
2025-03-15 17:06:12 +0000 UTCThe $5 tier is already a great deal, especially since you all need to eat and pay bills to make all this. Ads are already well done and non obtrusive. Keep it up (and cmon everyone—support this group to help keep one nice thing on the Internet .
William Alexander
2025-03-15 12:21:11 +0000 UTCFor a rather-simple-to-implement perk idea: In my eyes, one of the greatest features of Second Wind is the variety of tastes and specialisations within the team. So - inspired by Game Maker's Toolkit's reading list - I'd personally appreciate a somewhat regular recommendations list, where every, say, 3 weeks, each cast member can just name one to three "things" - youtube videos, books, web articles, or really whatever - they'd personally like to shout out and recommend no matter their topic, recency or relevance to anything in particular. Wouldn't need to have more than one line of saying why either. Heck, I think, Eric could make that list as is, just by taking notes during streams and maybe additionally asking in your slack a few days prior to publishing.
JR
2025-03-15 11:57:58 +0000 UTCI second the "I don't mind if short and sweet" part. As others have said, I'd rather not go through the hassle of using an extra playlist/app as the ads are now. For one thing, it would mess up my youtube recommendations even more... If I mind an ad right now, I usually just turn off my computer's sound for a moment. But if those segments were to become longer and/or more intrusive, I really don't know if I (a 5$ equivalent payer) would use an extra playlist or just watch less.
JR
2025-03-15 11:51:15 +0000 UTCI'm on five dollars (I think - it's shown in my local currency), and I skip the ads. I don't care about ads at the end - I just close the video - but pre- and mid-roll ad-reads mean I have to skip through them. Not a huge deal either way, but I'd watch the ad-free versions. Something I'd be more interested in is un-censored versions - YT will crush your video in the algorithm ranking if you say the c-word, but Yahtzee wants to say it, and I want to hear it.
Reginald Excellent
2025-03-15 11:39:08 +0000 UTCMe personally, I don't mind your ads. The way you present them is entertaining and often times funny. So o don't see any sense in changing anything. 😀
ComradeRedPagan
2025-03-15 06:35:00 +0000 UTCYeah, I'd probably watch them because I watch other ad-free content on Patreon. I'm giving you.... really, $1/month? Yeah, I could be persuaded.
Max Goldstein
2025-03-15 01:04:07 +0000 UTCYour ads are entertaining and your partners are often interesting. I don't like watching the same ad a bunch of times, but unless you tell if the video features a new ad or a recurring one, that wouldn't change my watching behaviour.
Schw4rztee
2025-03-14 23:48:22 +0000 UTCI have zero interest in watching add free videos if it means using another app or any extra effort at all really and wouldn't move up to $5 tier just for that.
basstitan
2025-03-14 23:30:40 +0000 UTCIt wouldn't change anything for me.
Level Editorial
2025-03-14 23:30:40 +0000 UTCused to 10 now 5, eggs are expensive lol but really don’t care for ad free. I am already accustomed to ads, not switching apps just for that.
CAMBERO.
2025-03-14 23:21:20 +0000 UTCI'm on the $5 tier. I'd watch the sponsor-free videos if they came down and were available before or at the same time as the sponsored videos. Preferably with a "here is the sponsor-free Fully Ramblomatic video" notification email. I wouldn't specifically wait for the sponsor-free videos, and avoiding the sponsor spots isn't worth another $5/month to me.
Arcanum
2025-03-14 22:52:25 +0000 UTC5$ here, I don't give a shit about the ads.
Steven Thomas
2025-03-14 22:51:21 +0000 UTC$5 tier, I would appreciate it but am already using SponsorBlock, so not a huge difference.
FooBar
2025-03-14 22:50:52 +0000 UTCFive dollar here. I actually like your ad reads because you put personality in them and only do sponsorships you believe in. I'd much rather see more of the experimental stuff you've been doing, but won't be able to bunp up to ten dollar tier until at next year 0_o
Antiphar
2025-03-14 22:40:35 +0000 UTCWhile I would love sponsor-free videos (ad-free podcasts convinced me to be at this tier), I will probably just continue watching the videos on youtube because it's what I'm used to. So I'm in favor of the idea, but probably wouldn't really take advantage of it.
Matthew Lotz
2025-03-14 22:17:43 +0000 UTC$5 here. I wouldn't utilize it very much.
Jeffrey
2025-03-14 22:16:22 +0000 UTC$5 tier and I don't mind the ads. Would consider $10 in the summer when my annual sub ends, if the additions seemed worth it
Thomas Waring III
2025-03-14 22:11:35 +0000 UTCEh I don't mind the sponsor segments at all, sometimes they're pretty entertaining. I generally watch via my YT Subscriptions feed and not from the Patreon posts so I probably wouldn't take advantage of it.
Adam Rosenfield
2025-03-14 22:10:37 +0000 UTCEh not really
Joanna Castellon
2025-03-14 21:59:23 +0000 UTC10 dollar tier ideas that would make me consider it Exclusive sticker each month? Extra semi ramblomatic? Monthly inside baseball type Patreon write in podcast? Maybe too much logistically but a bonus lets play of a game somebody loves exclusive to Patreon. Cheers guys
Ryan Petron
2025-03-14 21:58:28 +0000 UTCI'd likely pay that to avoid YouTube ads. I wouldn't care about sponsored ads from you even if I did pay $5.
H
2025-03-14 21:58:02 +0000 UTC$5 tier - I don't mind the ads at all
Jared
2025-03-14 21:45:28 +0000 UTC5 dollar tier-er here. Your sponsorships have always been short and sweet, it feels like you guys appreciate our time in that way. Moving ad-fee down will hopefully sway a good chunk of people
Ryan Petron
2025-03-14 21:43:46 +0000 UTCI wouldn't move my tier up for ad free. Your ad reads are fairly entertaining so they don't bother me.
David Johnson
2025-03-14 21:39:43 +0000 UTCI think I would move up my tier to $5 for sponsor-free videos.
MB-1337
2025-03-14 21:38:07 +0000 UTC
