Patreon has continued on its crusade against algorithmic feeds with its latest State of Create report, a look at trends in the creator economy based on internal data, and it’s an effort creators can get behind.
In its survey of 1,000 creators and 2,000 fans, the membership platform reported that 53% of creators think it is more difficult to reach their followers today than five years ago.
This doesn’t come as a surprise. Celebrities have fought against Instagram’s video-centric, algorithmic feed, making it difficult even for the Kardashians to reach their fans. And if Kylie Jenner is having trouble connecting with her audience, then it’s even worse for creators who aren’t household names.
Fans are frustrated with social platforms’ shift toward short-form video and the “For You” feed, which both have been pioneered by TikTok. According to Patreon’s survey, fans say that they are seeing more short-form content on social media than long-form content — but 52% of fans said they find long-form content more valuable and that overall, they would be more willing to pay for it. Long-form content also tends to generate more income via ad revenue share on YouTube, since platforms continue to struggle with short-form content monetization.
This is the fundamental tension of today’s creator economy: Platforms like TikTok have made it easier than ever to build an audience, but the sheer volume of algorithmically served content means that once creators earn a fan’s attention, it’s hard to maintain it. If a fan follows a creator on TikTok or Instagram, they might not actually see the majority of that creator’s posts, since they’re drowned out by posts from people they don’t follow.
That’s why, as creators told Patreon, they now prioritize quality and deeper connections with fans over metrics like follower counts, likes, and views — a shift from five years ago.
“When you focus on the platform mitigating the relationship between the creato …