Build a Patreon Alternative with Gravity Forms and ConvertKit
By Matt Medeiros
Published January 31, 2024
I’ve been a “WordPress content creator” for over a decade.
Creating a variety of content, across multiple areas, is a lot of work. Writing blog posts, sending newsletters, recording audio interviews, and producing YouTube tutorials takes up a huge chunk of time — and we haven’t even touched on social media!
When it came time to monetize my work, I was exhausted. Do I really want to build this out on WordPress, or should I go the easier route and use something like Patreon or BuyMeACoffee?
As I started to explore those platforms, I could see the appeal for thousands of other creators that choose them:
- They are turnkey
- They have most of the features you’re looking for
- It’s one-stop for everything
And while that might be attractive to some creators, there were some big issues with choosing these all-in-one platforms:
- Higher monthly costs + a percentage of sales fees
- My content and donor/membership info is locked into their platform
- I have to play by their rules; they can change at anytime
So I rolled up my sleeves and got to work on building a Patreon alternative on WordPress + Gravity Forms. Let’s cover why this makes sense for creators who want full control over their content and audience experience + how you can leverage ConvertKit to own your email newsletter audience.
WordPress as Your Hub
Let’s highlight the benefits of using WordPress for your creator business:
- Flexibility of WordPress for creators
- Own your platform and audience data
- Spaces and experiences for your fans
- SEO advantages
As you can see, there are some major advantages of building your website with WordPress over hosted competitors like Wix or Squarespace.
Designing a great homepage, about pages, and a blog is almost common knowledge with WordPress these days. Finding a theme that meets 90% of your brand needs, is easy to work with, and keeps things loading super fast is a great start.
Crafting a unique experience for your audience might be one of the most overlooked advantages you have as a content creator.
It’s easy to use what everyone else is using, like Patreon. However, it’s important to remember that Patreon is also in the business of building its platform. So, while they make it easy for you to collect a tip or donation from your fans, you have to look at the tradeoff both in high costs and in your customer’s experience.
Creating a Patreon alternative tips/donation feature isn’t out of reach, even for beginners, because that’s where Gravity Forms comes in!
Gravity Forms is Great for Creators
A key piece of monetizing your content is a seamless payment process for your audience. You want fast and easy!
Whether you offer exclusive content for monthly subscribers, individual sales for pieces like ebooks or courses, or simply accept tips and donations, choosing the right payment solution is critical. This is where the Gravity Forms plugin comes in.
Get into the mindset of building your own creator platform. While Patreon is building its platform, this blog post helps you start claiming that ownership back onto your own branded domain.
Accepting Payments with Gravity Forms
Gravity Forms makes accepting payments easy through customizable forms.
You can collect one-time tips and donations from supportive fans or set up recurring membership fees on weekly, monthly, or annual cycles. Fans can pay securely via PayPal or Square with clear call-to-action forms that you brand for your site. Coupon codes or conditional pricing helps you experiment with your own site, a feature that isn’t available on another platform like Patreon.
Fans donate or purchase directly on your WordPress site, while netting the lion’s share of revenue versus Patreon. And there’s no additional monthly fee!
Integrations and Automations to Level Up Your Marketing
A key advantage Gravity Forms brings is our wide range of add-ons available throughout the ecosystem.
For example, pairing email automation through ConvertKit with payment data enables you to trigger customized drip campaigns based on fan activity. We make that really easy using our ConvertKit Add-On, which will have you synced up to your ConvertKit account in minutes!
If you’re using a CRM like HubSpot to grow and nurture your audience over time, we make that a snap with our HubSpot Add-On. Need to do something else after you receive a donation, like send a tweet? Check out our Zapier Add-On.
Gravity Forms essentially serves as the payment engine to complement your existing marketing tech stack. The sky is the limit!
ConvertKit for Building Engaged Audiences
The final component that ties together a WordPress donation site for creators is an email marketing and automation solution customized to the needs of you, the content creator.
This piece allows you to facilitate an ongoing, multi-channel relationship with fans that truly takes engagement to the next level. ConvertKit is purpose-built for creators with features that supercharge audience communication beyond basic newsletters and alerts.
Free and Easy
The barrier to start leveraging ConvertKit’s powerful email marketing suite for your membership site and community is extremely low.
Their free plan allows up to 1,000 subscribers and unlimited emails, removing any initial financial risk. As your list grows, upgrading to paid plans remains affordable ranging from $49 to $159 monthly.
Tiered usage pricing means you scale effectively as more advanced features are needed. Compared to enterprise tools, ConvertKit offers exceptional bang for buck. And no long-term contracts mean you maintain flexibility even while invested in ConvertKit to manage your subscriber communication. Getting started requires only an email and password—no credit card needed.
ConvertKit Capabilities Geared for Member/Donation Sites
ConvertKit enables creators to automate and personalize complex subscriber journeys based on fan activity and characteristics.
For example, when a fan signs up for your email list via Gravity Forms, you can place them into an automated sequence welcoming them to your site and community. Or when someone purchases a product, tag them to receive a series of tips for getting value from that offering. ConvertKit’s segmentation allows you to slice your lists and target content accordingly.
ConvertKit Recommendations & Network
ConvertKit’s “Recommendations” feature is designed to help creators grow their newsletter audiences organically.
It enables users to discover and cross-promote content within a large network of creators, aiming to facilitate the acquisition of new subscribers. The tool offers analytics to track subscriber sources and engagement, and includes customization options for integrating recommendations into user content.
The platform also has a Creator Network, supporting a wide range of niches, to foster community and collaboration among creators.
Setting up Gravity Forms + Paypal + ConvertKit
Now that we’ve outlined the benefits of building your platform on WordPress, let’s break down the necessary steps you’ll need to take to start putting it all together:
- Install Gravity Forms Plugin: Install and activate the Gravity Forms plugin on your WordPress site.
- Create a New Form: In the Gravity Forms dashboard, select New Form and name it (e.g., Donation Form).
- Add Fields to Form: Include necessary fields such as Name, Email, Donation Amount, and Message. For the Donation Amount, use a Product field with a User Defined Price.
- Enable Conditional Logic: If you want to offer predefined donation amounts alongside a custom amount, use conditional logic to display the appropriate fields.
- Set Up Payment Integration: Integrate a payment gateway (e.g., PayPal, Square) in the form settings to process donations.
- Integrate with ConvertKit: Install the Gravity Forms ConvertKit Add-On and connect your ConvertKit account. Map ConvertKit tags to your form to segment and manage your donors.
- Embed the Form: Embed the form on your website where you want it displayed, like on a dedicated donation page or in a blog post.
- Call to Action: Encourage your audience to support your work by mentioning the donation form in your content, emails, or social media.
Bringing It All Together: Own Your Audience and Revenue
As an independent creator and business owner, few things are more valuable than owning your audience relationships and revenue streams. Relying on centralized third-party platforms like Patreon builds growth on rented land. WordPress, Gravity Forms and ConvertKit provide the tools for constructing your own custom experience, tailored to the unique needs of your fans and brand.
This combination offers unmatched flexibility regarding design, user experiences, payment integration, email marketing and automation. You retain complete control over the look, feel, and functionality of your community hub. Data and insights on your subscribers inform smart business decisions. Member relationships deepen through exclusive content and interactions. And you keep a larger percentage of all revenue generated.
While hosted solutions minimize initial setup, they max out long term potential.
The WordPress/Gravity Forms/ConvertKit stack scales with the needs and complexity of your business without sudden price hikes or limits. Own your platform, own your audience, own your revenue streams.
The creative freedom, control and stability are well worth the investment. This stack puts it fully in your hands. Where will you take it?
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