Patreon recently engaged with over 1,000 creators and 2,000 of their fans to compile the comprehensive State of Create report, offering a deep dive into the evolving creator economy.
Packed with statistics, the findings — while influenced by Patreon’s own interests — highlight key trends worth noting, with some added context.
A striking takeaway is that most creators feel it’s harder to reach their audience today than it was five years ago. The rise in competition, a lower barrier to entry for content creation, and the rapid advancement of AI are major factors. However, the report points to a more specific culprit: TikTok and its dominance of short-form video. Astonishingly, 80% of TikTok users’ time is spent watching content from creators they don’t follow, fragmenting audience loyalty.
This shift impacts community dynamics. Only 68% of TikTok fans feel part of a community, compared to a robust 94% on Patreon. The financial disparity is even more telling — creators earn 40 times more per subscriber on Patreon than on TikTok, a logical outcome given the platform’s focus on direct support.
The report also reveals that over 50% of the $290 billion creator economy comes from direct audience payments — subscriptions, courses, and donations. This revenue stream proves more stable and predictable than platform payouts, which are often at the mercy of algorithm changes.
Yet, the downside is clear: algorithms push creators to churn out clickbait, memes, and trends to maintain visibility, sidelining the content they’re passionate about. This relentless cycle inevitably leads to burnout, a pervasive issue in the industry.
Also read:
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- a16z Predicts a Second Wave of Faceless Creators in 2025
The conclusion? Algorithm-driven feeds may soon be overtaken by algorithm-generated videos, rendering the traditional follower concept obsolete — Patreon hinted at its demise as early as 2023. As a result, authentic content consumption and a sense of community belonging are likely to migrate to closed platforms like Patreon, where direct creator-fan relationships thrive away from the algorithmic chaos.
