How to use Patreon for a podcast: setup, tiers and how members listen

Patreon works on loyalty, not reach. You don't need thousands of listeners; you need a handful of people who would pay to keep the show going. For many new shows that first group is friends, family and a few early fans, and that is a perfectly good start. One podcaster we spoke with opened a Patreon after her second episode and friends and family covered her running costs from the start.

It is a weaker fit if you have no time for extra content, or if your plan is to grow purely on ads and sponsors. In that case read our guide to getting podcast sponsors first.

Creators who publish a new Patreon page after 4 August 2025 pay a standard 10% platform fee. Creators who launched on or before that date keep their existing plan. On top of the platform fee there is payment processing, which for US card and PayPal payments starts at 2.9% plus $0.30 per payment, and a currency conversion fee applies when a patron pays in a different currency from your payout currency.

Small pledges lose the most to the flat $0.30, so a $3 tier keeps a smaller share than a $5 or $8 tier. Fees change, so check Patreon's own pricing page before you set prices (we last checked on 27 October 2026).

Create your creator page, then open your creator settings and find the podcast section. You can start a new show on Patreon or connect the RSS feed of a show you already host elsewhere. Add square cover art (3000 x 3000 px is the safe size), a title and a description, then turn on the distribution options you want: a members-only feed, Spotify, or a public feed.

Each audio or video post you want in the feed needs to be added to the podcast and given a tier. Posts set to everyone become free episodes; posts set to a tier are only heard by patrons on that tier or above.

Patrons can play episodes in the Patreon app or website. Each patron also gets a private RSS link that works in many podcast apps, including Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict and Player FM. Some apps don't support private feeds, so tell patrons which apps to use.

Spotify doesn't take private feeds, but Patreon has its own Spotify connection. Once you switch it on, patrons link their Patreon account inside Spotify and hear the episodes their tier unlocks. When a membership ends, the paid episodes disappear from their Spotify too.

Start with one or two tiers. More tiers mean more promises to keep. The perks that cost a podcaster the least are the ones you already produce: ad-free versions, early access to the regular episode, the uncut interview, and a short behind-the-scenes voice memo. Bonus episodes are the strongest pull but the most work.

Shout-outs at the end of each episode cost nothing and make friends-and-family supporters feel part of the show. Write each perk as a promise you can keep for a year, not a month.

Announce it in an episode, in plain words: what it is, what it pays for, and one perk. Then mention it in every description and at the end of every episode. Keep your public show on your normal host so it stays in every directory; Patreon is the extra layer. If you also write a newsletter, compare Substack and Patreon for podcasters before you pick one, and see our overview of how podcasts make money.